Thread: New Website for review

I have been able to do more with bluevoda than anything I've ever used. I'm glad I stayed with bluevoda web builder and now have created a web site that I hope will be pleasing to all.
I'm not a pro at building websites, but bluevoda has help me build a nice site and will be doing some more small work on it.
I hope to get some comments from others.

My site is: http://hartleysgiftsandthings.com

haroldh7
30377

Hi

Your site loads fast, that is good. Your links work, that is good. Your page is too wide, not good. For the acceptable width, open a new website (BBC or CNN) and see how wide their pages are (normally 800-900). there is a blank space that separates your buttons, not sure what it is meant to be, but it looks distracting. You should try and sort your links in some sort of order that is pleasing to the eyes. Right now, it looks jumbled. But the site is published and the links work. All good.

Millie
www.subeagle.com

Hi,

A good start.

My finding:

· The site is too wide for my screen and I have a 19” flat screen, you make the page properties 800 x 600 and activate the (work within-in) frame (and someone else knows how to activate it as I’m sorry I have forgotten)
· I see no mention of how to Buy, Pay or Return, etc.
· On your Contact page, how are you going to know who sent you a message? And, how and where to reply to them if they want an answer to a question, there is no place for their email address and name.
· I ran your site through a links-checker and the report is at http://validator.w3.org/checklink?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fhartleysgiftsandthings. com&hide_type=all&recursive=on&depth=&check=Check

Originally Posted by Elegance Reclaimed

Hi,

A good start.

My finding:

· The site is too wide for my screen and I have a 19” flat screen, you make the page properties 800 x 600 and activate the (work within-in) frame (and someone else knows how to activate it as I’m sorry I have forgotten)
· I see no mention of how to Buy, Pay or Return, etc.
· On your Contact page, how are you going to know who sent you a message? And, how and where to reply to them if they want an answer to a question, there is no place for their email address and name.
· I ran your site through a links-checker and the report is at http://validator.w3.org/checklink?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fhartleysgiftsandthings. com&hide_type=all&recursive=on&depth=&check=Check

** I would also strongly suggest that you NOT take it upon yourself to run other people's websites through any validator or web tool without their prior authorization, since creating a report for websites still in development creates lasting cache that can negatively impact on the website's future SERP.

Nothing wrong in suggesting links to tools you think others might find useful, but it is ethically improper to run reports on another's site and leave the results on the Net.

I was offended by running validating software on my site. You need to remember this forum is a testing ground and you must have an older screen or video card that doesn't run higher resolution.
I run bluevoda on a computer with high resolution and this site is smaller than my browser window. I have found that most sites that sell stuff are wider than 800 or 900 screen width and if I made my site that small, I wouldn't have any place to display the items for sale

As for the how to buy or stuff your talking about, all items have a button that says add to cart. Once you do that its obvious what to do next when purchasing an item.

Also there is no standards saying that everyone must build the web page width at 800 or 900 as most web site are 1000 +

The matter has been resolved .... no need to fret further.

Originally Posted by haroldh7

Also there is no standards saying that everyone must build the web page width at 800 or 900 as most web site are 1000 +

Actually, that is incorrect: although most monitor resolutions are now set to wider screen displays (as a direct result of widescreen and larger monitors becoming more available to Users due to dropping prices and retail promotability), the W2C and W3C Standards are still 762, 870, and 970 pixels wide in order to offer the greatest universiality of viewability to a global audience. Websites themselves are increasingly formatted using a greater ability to 'stretch' and fill screens, but they still are formatted to default to displaying to these settings nonetheless.

You may verify this simply by examining the newest breed templates intended for eCommerce and CMS websites, as even they do not deviate from this design standard --- they are careful to comply so their products can remain desirable as an "acceptable" unilaterally applicable product.

So if I made my page narrower I would have to have a single row of items and make many more pages on my site and customers would have to deal with many more pages to browse and I'm trying to make it easier for them to browse my site and not dislike checking out multiple pages under the sub-category and leave and not come back.
I'm sure you understand where I come from, happy customers will always return.

I am not here to argue with you, or to contest perspectives, but to point out proven methods, techinques, methods, and accurately provide the information that might enable you to progress predictably within the parameters established.

How you apply the truth to your vision is up to you. I merely pointed out the facts so fiction would not be remembered instead. "I'm sure you understand ..."

Thanks for pointing things out and also the fact there is standards to go by.
I appreciate it.

No prob!

The longer you hang in these halls, the more you'll discover how rich of a resource myself and others can be as you progress toward your goal!

I have done some changes to my main page and I have it as a test page right now.
The address is http://hartleysgiftsandthings.com/home.html but it just seems like the brown trim just stands out to much and doesn't make it look as pleasant as I'd like.
I have created it to around the 950 mark and it does seem to look better not as wide as I had it before.
My page to me just seems to blah and I need to figure out how to bring it out of the blah mood.

Hello Harold,

My sincere apology to you. I certainly did not mean to offend, and, now that I know better, I will not commit again.

With your changes, yes your (home.html) page, I think, looks and works better. Having to scroll up-and-down is ok, but, having to scroll both up-and-down and side-to-side also, I personally just find it a pain.

As for the “blah mood” you mentioned, I’m just a newbie here and have a lot to learn, but, I find your colour scheme is nicely co-coordinated, and the placement of your products, it is clean and clear. Perhaps a fine lined (or even a double fine lined) border inside the brown frame close to the center section (like in the fancy matting of a picture) might give a more pleasant feel (maybe even beveled), and or, a diagonal ribbon in the top right with some wording … about your excellent service, might give you the mood you want. It's ok to toot your own horn about what you are good at and why customers should buy from you.

With your nice calm feeling appearance, too much may make it cluttered, but one or two objects strategically placed might do the trick. Maybe even a photo would work. Something in tune with the mood you are setting; a picture of nature perhaps. With your colour scheme and products, a forest and shoreline, or a desert and sky, would fit well with the blue and the brown colour. You may have a photo of your own you like, or, a copyright free photo, if you choose to go that route.

Others here have years of experience, with building a web site, and have much better trained eyes (than I have) for what makes a visual pop, what makes things visually work and why, and also, they know the software. I’m just in the learning stage. As the title in the “Customer Testimonial" section so aptly says “Form is a lifeline for newbies”.

With the elements and options available in these software programs, I have learned just playing around with and trying the differnt options available, stimulates new ideas, also.

Elegance Reclaimed, I accept your apology and I like some of the points you mentioned.

I also want to point out that I'm not a pro at web building and I'm good with colors when setting up things in a room or when wearing clothes.
I just thought I'd try the links on the left of the screen, but I myself don't really like that type of setup and I still have to experiment some more on what type of menu I really want to go with and how it is laid out.

The old saying does hold water when one says "practice makes perfect".
I did however made some changes on my contact page to allow one to send the info with a text box for emailing me and the other is for those to send their questions whenever needed.

I still will have to experiment some more to see how I can improve the face of the page.

I now like how my page is starting to look like at my test page at http://hartleysgiftsandthings.com/home.html and I changed my menu to a text menu as someone says that the search engines like text menus better and since I have changed to a text menu and set it to automatic color and it kind of matches my brown border too.
I also highlighted on the inside of my border and looks to me like it attracts the attention of anyone that may look at it, but not all would agree. :)