Thread: Need Advise

Hi,
I've published my website almost 1 month, and a lot of changes done to the page, but I still feel that, there's something missing inside, or maybe my page is not attractive enough.

Would appreciate if anyone can have a visit and advise. I thank you in advanced.

Hi zahaniszakuan: I think you have a great start on your website, but I do see what you mean in that it is missing something. Just a few suggestions on my brief run through your site.

1. When you first enter your site, the banner you have above the book image invites me to click there and not on your book. I wondered why when I clicked it took me to the visit Malaysia site. So first I would move that somewhere else and also have it open to a blank target so that it opens a new window. As soon as I click on that, I'm taken away from your site. Not good.

2. On your home page you don't indicate that this is a book/cd that you buy. I didn't even know to click on the book to be taken into your site. So you may be loosing a lot of traffic that way. You also don't have a navigation bar on your home page. So I do think you home page needs alot of reworking and explaining and don't have people click off your site.

3. Alot of google ads...going on. It really detracted from reading what you do have about the book and Malaysia. I would downplay those a bit.

4. Malaysia is such a beautiful country and I think you need to really let her shine through with very crisp and clear images/photos. Many people don't know that Malaysia is an up and coming hot destination to travel to. Make it inviting to people by showing off her colors in photos that jump off the page.

5. I would like to see your navigation menu stand out a little more. I could barely see it with the color you have and everything else going on with the google ads.

6. With your text, I would like to see a different and more inviting font than what you used. I think the courier font looks like an old typewriter and you could certainly capture more attention with a more inviting font.

7. Your "What's inside" page seems really lopsided to me. Your numbers don't line up and just kind of blah... You don't really need a table of contents with page numbers. You could briefly touch on each area with a nice photo. The images are not very good that you used.

8. You payment page could be set up much better as well and again, open to a blank target. As soon as I clicked on maybank2u.com, it would not let me go back to your site. Need to change that.

9. Once you clean it up a bit, you need to also think about search engine optimization. There are plenty of people on the forum that can give you advice, but I would download Bethers seo basics and read them carefully.

Wow...I think I got carried away. You really have a good start, but in my opinion, you just need to rethink what you want to accomplish and I don't think its promoting google, Visit Malaysia site, or the credit card companies. Good Luck to you and please come back to this thread and let us know how you are progressing or if you have any questions. I'm sure others will be along and offer up their opinions as well.
Cindy

Dear Dream Lady 'Cindy',
Thanks for your advise. Well i guess, i do have a lot of works to do, starting with my front page... 'gosh!!!'...

Will follow your guide, and really appreciate your opinion. Will let u know once i modify the pages..... ;o)

TQVM

She gives great advise, but you are off to a good start

Originally Posted by SChajin

She gives great advise, but you are off to a good start

Thanks Sahron for the encouragement and compliment... and I'm planning for better with the help from U guys... thank you very much... plan to have a new look by next week...

Dear experts (esp Cindy and Sharon),
I've been making some changes to my site, major changes, and as of now, it's totally different from the old site. So would appreciate your comment on my new sites.

Thanks for the advise.

Hi zahanis: Experts???? I don't know about that, but thanks for the compliment!

Much, much better than you first one! A few more suggestions if I may?

1. In your header the word Tavelog runs into the word Malaysia, on my browser. I would space those out just a little bit.
2. On your links page, when I click on the link it still takes me away from your page. Instead, I think you would want the new site to open in a window of its own. To do that, in your hyperlink properties, click on target and select "blank". That will have it open in its own window.
3. What happened to your Photos? Like I said before, nice, crisp, high resolution photos, will invite visitors to read and look more. I would work on getting some of those if I were you and work them into your home page to help break up the text.
4. Having the google ads on your links page is much better!
5. Nav bar, much better!
6. Need to check your grammer and spelling and spaces between sentences. Also, I would use a font just one size smaller.

You are on a roll and it's looking better and better. I think you will find that your website will be a constant work in progress. I know mine is. Just when I think I've got it...I think of something else. You should be proud, you have done a great job. Now I need one of those travelogs and CD's!! I'll have to come back to your site and order. When you think you have your site polished a little more, let me know and I'll provide a link to your site from mine, if you don't mind. You can view mine at
http://www.journeyshappen.com.

Keep up the GREAT work!

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for taking time to view my page. well I feel better now, but yes, building webpage is an ongoing process, there's no stop and there's always new things/info that can be added. I do have a lot of ideas, but dont really have much time to concentrate due to I'm working full time, and can only edit my webpage at night. Anyway, it's fun when U know that U're on the right track. Thank you again.

Thanks for the suggestion,
1. I plan to change the header with the words same as the book title (plus colours)
2. I've made the change to the links page. All will open in a new page.
3. Photos. Do U suggest I have more photos inside my webpage? Well I'm currently working on some articles about Malaysia and will be inside my website soon (hopefully.... i wish i had more time to concentrate on my webpage)
6. Will review my webpage again, a lot of grammar and spellng mistakes right?

Love your site. Nice.... and dont forget to get your own Malaysia Travelog ;o).... well I guess I need to start working on my page now, thanks again for your comment. Really appreciate it.

Hi Zahanis, your site is looking very nice. I like colors.......Let me know if you would like to be on my site under Hot Getaways.

www.thebarefoottraveler.com

Dear Cindy,
Appeciate your offer. Would be glad if U can add my site. Thanking you in advanced.

p/s - I'm currently working on improving / adding more info inside my website. Hope that I can have more time to concentrate on updating this....

ok,

I will give a bit of topics advise about the design, don't put your fingers in the keyboard and the mouse now, take a white paper, and make a plan, what pages you will have, what information in which page briefly, forms etc etc.

then, look at your plan and start thinking how your pages will look like, from where to start? > divisions, how you will divide your page? 2 sections? 3 sections? maybe 2 so far are enough

so the page now is devided by 2, ok, next step, colors, ok the logo colors are red and black, change the black to a dark grey, you maybe better keep the black for the text, so what colors will match the red? you will have to figure out depending on your taste.

Well, on the colors, my advise, stick with something flat, Red, Bue, Orange or something sybolic to malaysia.

You may even cheat a little bit, try to look into major travel companies' websites, and get inspired.

Use table or shapes to devide the top description from the centered one, just as an example.

Keep going, I think you will be doing perfectly well, as you are doing very well so far.

Originally Posted by zahaniszakuan

Dear Cindy,
Appeciate your offer. Would be glad if U can add my site. Thanking you in advanced.

p/s - I'm currently working on improving / adding more info inside my website. Hope that I can have more time to concentrate on updating this....

Sorry Sharon,
Above message should goes to U. This happen when U're sleepy, 10.26pm now in Malaysia....Thousand apologies....

Originally Posted by Nite Producer

ok,

I will give a bit of topics advise about the design, don't put your fingers in the keyboard and the mouse now, take a white paper, and make a plan, what pages you will have, what information in which page briefly, forms etc etc.

then, look at your plan and start thinking how your pages will look like, from where to start? > divisions, how you will divide your page? 2 sections? 3 sections? maybe 2 so far are enough

so the page now is devided by 2, ok, next step, colors, ok the logo colors are red and black, change the black to a dark grey, you maybe better keep the black for the text, so what colors will match the red? you will have to figure out depending on your taste.

Well, on the colors, my advise, stick with something flat, Red, Bue, Orange or something sybolic to malaysia.

You may even cheat a little bit, try to look into major travel companies' websites, and get inspired.

Use table or shapes to devide the top description from the centered one, just as an example.

Keep going, I think you will be doing perfectly well, as you are doing very well so far.

Thanks Nite Producer for your advise. Really appreciate it. Will start sketching something in piece of paper.

We would like to see your next performance, let us know

Good advice, don't try and do too much at once. I used to decide what I wanted to improve or change and not do anything else until this was done. If you search around the internet I think Ihave about 3,000 questions out there, but I never did one project until I had finished the first. It would go like this.

Find out how to build website.

Find out how to improve website.

Find out how to optimize website.

Find out how to promote website.

Each task to take a while but I did them all one at once and never tried to do more, this is when it can all seem to daunting, you will learn so much on your journey, but just stick to one task at a time.

Paul

Each task did take a while, I meant.....Quick replys don't give you the option to edit, my fault.

It looks very good. I am impressed. Looks like a beautiful place to vist.

Hi Mike,
Yes, Malaysia is a beautiful country. U'll get more info once I've finished my updates on the pages.