Thread: Ready for Review!

In the immortal words of Rankin & Bass' Frosty the Snowman:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

I am ready for any and all feedback. I obviously need current pictures. I presently put up my favs as place holders. My cart has about as much pizazz as a rock. But, I did test it and have received my money through PayPal.
And actually, I am feeling pretty sassy about my links and overall layout.

Let me have it! I'm not one to get offended.

I am also open to logo suggestions!

I think you need to link up that pic on the home page and you need some more text about rather these are baked in your kitchen or shoppe or not, what makes them speshul...and.. your cookie jar link goes to your shopping cart instead of page.. like a view cart or something.

Karen

None of the pictures have links... but they will. The "Cookie Jar" is supposed to be the cart. I did that on purpose. It's the "review cart". Too corny? Or easily misunderstood? I fear both :)

Well i was looking for cookie jars filled with cookies. Also your pages are all TITLED index, you need original page titles. Do this sooner rather than later.

Karen

Done (oops!).

Thanks for the feedback! Should the cart thing be elsewhere on the site? I have no problem losing the idea of the cart being the Cookie Jar.

As a consumer, I would suggest that on your Cookies and Brownies page that you not use the same picture for different items. I realize that they probably all look about the same but you can differentiate them - maybe just a couple of cookies with a walnut where applicable, or a few chocolate chips, etc. I would want to see what I am buying. Do the brownies look just like the cookies?
Also, do you ship or just deliver locally? I order such items several times a year for friends in Pennsylvania.
That's all - now I've gotta go get a snack after looking at your site.

my problem is that Russian tea cakes do not look like snickerdoodles, but you have the same image for both.

jc and Karen W - I have simple pictures up as "placeholders". Actually, there is a photo shoot this next week. After I get some feedback, the site comes back down (probably tomorrow PST). So yes - you are seeing only 3 things. The brownies, chocolate toffee and mac-nut butters just presented in different formats.

Thanks fellow BVers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok cool cause i'm drooling either way, lol. Not saying the place holders looked bad! I had no nav problems, so hoping your SEO is in place, with the new images, your site should be good to go!

Good Luck :)

I think you did a bang up job, just a balance thing, adjust your text in the Important information section on the index/home page.. I would move it a bit to the left, or box it by scrunching it up so that the text box is more rectangular looking.. the text sort of trails off on the right.. to correct, you can just grab one of the handles and make the box smaller. I love blue and brown together, but I think the intensity of the blue could be adjusted slightly.. same tone, lighter shade might enhance it a bit..

I read what you said about the pics and the shopping cart, I like the idea that your shopping cart is called the cookie jar.. Not too corny at all.. it's good to be different.

Me again.. I have been looking at your site some more, and I think maybe that when your new pics arrive, they will actually help lighten the site.. I think because the pic on the home page is so dark, it gives an overall feeling of too dark. If your new pics are nice and bright with lots of white I think it will probably fix this.

You did a nice job.

Hi, your off to a great start, but it feels a bit (brown). I know this is the colour of a lot of cookies & cakes, but it feels like it wants a bit more colour. IE, if you look at some other sites, they feel fresh & inviting. This site must have it right with a Google rating of 6/10 (higher than VH) lol. You can see the ingredients in the cookies.
If you are using the images you have at the moment, they need to be reduce in phisical size without using the image handles. It will also load them on to the page far quicker.

Good luck.

Hi again! Chris - I have seen that site before along with about a dozen more. Everything ranging from the BRIGHT (like this one) to very monochrome. I want that happy medium where it's visually engaging, yet not too fussy and "cheap looking" ya know?

Karen W - (please forgive ignorance) what's SEO?

Adavant (dabbing the tears due to laughing so hard at the cat pic) - yes, with the new pictures, the site will brighten up a bit more. Brighten up the blue? Sounds good! Do you have a suggestion?

Again - thanks for the advice!

You know what else? I was envisioning stacks like the chocolate toffee.....maybe they should be "flat" on colorful backgrounds.....

SEO... search engine otpimization.. how you get found.. your best keyword phrases.

Karen

I figured it was Search Engine something. I searched SEO and came up blank.

Karen Mac - you will be so proud... I had a question and found the answer in the tutorials!! Amazing how those things work *wink*

LOL>...Yes.. its just amazing.. I know.

And im proud of you!

Karen

I'm pretty impressed? How do you get those selection buttons against each item? How do you get the cart page with all the prices printed out and the recalcuate button? Was this using PayPal and do they only show when you go live?

Newbie anxiously trying to get payPal to work. Well done!

Interpreter,

Morning (for me, anyways),

Glad you liked it! If I am understanding correctly, you are asking about button alignment? It's just a matter of "nudging" the buttons when you are building. As for the cart, I use Mal's. While I was overwhelmed at first, I realized cart is pretty simple to use. But know that with the simplicity comes a simple look. I believe Mal's can be taken to other levels, I just have not reasearched yet. With Mal's you can do PayPal and V/MC. It's all in the set-up.

You will find lots of help here - I know I did and am eternally grateful! If you end up using Mal's, they have a forum for help, too. IMHO, the folks are friendlier (as interpreted by me), here :)

Oh yeah, one more thing.... (Karen Mac, you are going to love me for this)

There is a WHOLE bunch of tutorials for building your website. While it seems easier to just ask for help here, take the time to go through the tutorials. And then when you are done going through them..... DO IT AGAIN! Also, take the time to read past threads. VOLUMES of helpful information.

I realize that you may want to hit the ground running, but you have to crawl first, then walk. After receiving this same advice, I buckled down and worked one step at a time. Now I have something that I am proud of!

The Mal's Cart also has a user that has developed a site with lots of help, advice, etc. I am at work, so I don't have the exact shortcut, but it called Tips and ... for Mal's. Take the time to go through these, too.

The thread for Other Shopping Carts will probably lead you there.

Hi.. nice job, but I have been looking at this site over and over, and I really believe you need to change the blue to white. It's just my opinion of course, but blue with food, it doesn't feel right.

Cheers

Nice Job, try to keep the pix in the light box the same size as well as th w/h ratio.