Thread: Will someone check-out my site ?

Here's the outcome of many hours of work?? Take a look but..............
please be easy !!!! it's my first time .
henschel

www.kathrynyauney.com

You have to take criticism with kudos, otherwise you never make real, earned progress! Otherwise, don't submit sites for peer review, right?

I am sure you will be provided hints and helps from having other, "newer" eyes finding things you might not have noticed .... and I guess I'll break the ice by pointing out that the page transition is quite annoying, with the header being positioned differently and thus "jerks" position-wise page-to-page: we are talking about the lack of continuity between the same style page headers, as you have 2 different ones according to page type, apparently, which is in itself altogether odd and unnecessary, IMO.

Matter of fact, it states the best demonstration for why it is important to keep a single header consistent throughout a site and to make good use of Page Headlines (precursor to H-META).
Try it, you'll like it!

I further ....

Your use of a Navigation scheme at the bottom of the page (a page which you are desperately trying to keep completely visible in the monitor -- more about this later) is defeating your primary purpose to sell, to convert visitors into clients.
Since you are not using a dynamic menu, it is best to keep navigation near the top of the web page for easy access to the visitors who seek it in this usual position, as well as for the SE's to easily cache/follow according to prominence (and Navigation is a prominent valuation, especially if text-based).
You need also provide a HOME link in all navigation on every page (not just interior -- again, continuity the SE's value as relevance) and a Contact Page, rather than simply presume people will buy into your clever ORDER page being the only motivation to contact you: it should never be so, as US Law requires if you transact business online, you need to provide easy and prominent Support/Contact methods. Thus, some websites have multiple Contact Forms, each devoted to specific purposes.

I figured out that the reason your pages did not display continuity during transition was because you were modifying the Header to fit a larger page content area, in a vain attempt to keep the entire page visible in the monitor. Foolish. First of all, who says your display is most universal? Secondly, while it is important to keep essential info 'above the fold' as mandated in the past, there is no adverse effect in having to scroll somewhat to view the page in entirety. For the visitor or the SE.
It is all about relevance, proper construct, and design continuity and flow. If the page is done properly, it really is nothing if it is 1000 pixels tall, as long as the Content is composed and constructed properly, the META is complete and tight, and the page itself has been constructed according to current standards.

The First line on the page under the header should be considered your first H-META tag, as it declares the relevancy of the page to the web. You can then "introduce" each paragraph with a mini head or even a few words as H2 tags, clsoing with your H6 tag. This should be done for each page to be in full compliance.

However, since your web design is quite minmalistic, click on this link to see a Demo in which I re-designed your Header and page entirely and am using the "slogan" in the Header as your H1 tag for all pages, thus having less pressure to bear upon textual development page-to-page. You can see how I am using the Index Page "Headline" as your H2 tag, and have 2 others to use as a second and third H2 and the Closing H6 tag.

Also, you will note that there is very important website compliances at the bottom of the page which you need to scroll a bit down to see .... not being afraid to scroll as necessary!

I think you get the bigger idea of how to blend Design, Navigation, and Functionality with a little more refinement without compromising too much?

.....I see you've done some work since & taken on board Vasili's advice (well, I see a "Home" link on every page anyway lol) so now I can tell you I think your site looks really nice & I hope you do well.....
good luck,
david

Originally Posted by ahimsa

.....I see you've done some work since & taken on board Vasili's advice (well, I see a "Home" link on every page anyway lol)

Originally Posted by Vasili

You need also provide a HOME link in all navigation on every page (not just interior -- again, continuity the SE's value as relevance) and a Contact Page...

No .... nothing done yet. Probably needs to discuss it with Kathryn, but everything mentioned is pretty much required, so .....
Original > http://www.kathrynyauney.com/
Demo Revision > http://www.vodatips.com/kathryn.html

Hi Vasili, I always look forward to your reviews, ther're "different" but to the point and honest. Thank you for your review of my site. Everything you say makes a lot of sense, if I had read more I might have come closer to a better site. I completely missed everything on "headlines" , tags & continuity. One thing you said I haven't figured out .. "minmalistic". I've heard it used back in then'70s ref: art. And NO, Kathryn doesn't know about your review. Also, is the site too much about the artist and not enough about the art?
Thank you again for your time, effort and honesty. BV is a great site, where else could I pick a General's brain.

Hi ahimsa, thanks for your review and kind words. Your thoughts on measuring the height of mountains is like the learning curve of building a web site, it's not a hill it's a cliff!
Thanx

Having the proper textual Content on each webpage is not so much of a layout task as much as it is an art, in my opinion.

It is incredibly difficult to compose readable, memorable, and converting text while trying to be as brief and lucent as possible, not forgetting to weave in all the Keywords, Key Phrases, and subtleties that can make or break a website altogether. Very, very few people (it seems) have the natural ability to compose with multiple motivations being implemented simultaneously, but truly it is becoming more and more required if one hopes to satisfy the mandates of construct and compliance (with all the variables, like SE standards, etc.).

Although it is true you are allowed up to 1500 words on each page that are available to be spidered and valued by the SE's, it is common disclosure that only the first 300-450 words are truly core valued, and the remainder is merely scanned as to relevance of previously ranked text. Thus, the nudge for shorter, more tightly composed textual blocks of Content on each page which illustrates my obscure references to minimalistic Content --- most others simply see the amount of Compliant Content on sites without reading it to learn of the style or real nature of that Content being something other than a couple of short paragraphs (they see only the volume, and not the conceptual composition). This in turn has evolved into a hybrid style of webpage design: where it is nearly a no-scroll layout, everything fitting perfectly into a 960x700 page size ..... sure, it's clean, but for the most part non-compliant, as they have no real Content to "optimize" using H-META, the Keywords and Phrases are not anchored, and even Page Titles are missing core entries.

In the Big Picture, RELEVANCE is the most important part of a website, and it has specific constructs both vertically on a page as well as horizontally across the site.... and like any other web concept, it has definitive foundation and structure -- real elements that come together to create a static value, a reality to reference.
"What is the purpose of the site?" That is what the SE's are trying to determine, first so they can cache the best results to report back to their Search clients and querries, and secondly how to "value" each site in comparison to others by focusing on the minimum standards of website construct first (if they can't build a site precisely, what expectations can be had for the content?) and then the content itself ..... either the site offers more, deeper, more detailed Content to support the relevance porposed and thus becomes a true "resource" for the SE's (and Visitors), or it is just another site destined to be classified as more web fluff, never to stand out amongst the crowd (via SERP) let alone instill the confidence in the random Visitor to actually convert (purchase anything) ......

This is why if a website is running lean on organic Content development, everything else must be even more perfect: the web page itself, the Content Rules (H-META, simple META, etc.), and the manner in which it demonstrates not only 'compliance' but higher order of logistical development, often seen by Visitors as cleverness in design, even though it is just another artistic interpretation of compliance done in a new manner.

With the Header redesigned as I have shown, and using the Header Slogan as your H1 tag on each page, it will be easier to use paragraph intros or even Key Phrases as H2 tags in the slight page content, thus keeping in with how things can be advanced without being belabored.
Keep in mind that each item description should also not be abbreviated too much, offering the key words needed for minimal optimization values. Even remember to title each image with proper values .... image titles not only help in Search variables to the site in general, they contribute to the Page Relevancy as well.

There is a lot more, but I think if you read some of these posts a few times and keep the Demo in mind, things will become more visible to you overall. That's why I create them ... people seem to be more visually oriented, especially when piquing their conceptual or abstract thinking processes.....

A Little "Extra": an 'oddball' post on Page Height

Hi Vasili...again, Thank you for another great response , review and a lot of what I'd call information above & beyond. Your page size comments along with word count and H-META are things I didn't think about! I'm re-doing the index page working around your demo . Are 5 H tags too much?( last tag is #6, all tags in BOLD!!)
Thank you for your help. It's more than minimalisticly appreciated!

Originally Posted by Henschel

Vasili...again, Thank you for your help.

Originally Posted by Alithos

Everyone has their own pace, that's all.

LOL! 'nuff said!

Originally Posted by GulfCoaster

LOL! 'nuff said!

Bunch of NUTS!

I had no idea I was creating a fuss in removing the site. It was removed to be re-designed. I had a problem with "lightbox" increasing length when published. This was addressed by Stamati , I answered & the thread was closed. When I'm finished I'll publish & hope Vasili will again check it out.

Originally Posted by Alithos

We are all looking forward to seeing how you apply the principles of proper web design, the abilities Blue Voda extends, and your creative interpretation of all the suggestions .... to create a stunning website.

Astute!

Hi Vasili, I'd appreciate it if you take a look. www.kathrynyauney.com None of the H tags or key words are done. Also ORDER, CONTACT US, POLICIES & PRIVACY have to be done. I understand BV has a privacy or policies u can purchase, can't find it, can u tell where it is ?
Thanks

Personally, I prefer Textual Navigation to show action (color change to indicate obviously to Visitors that it is a link and is active) rather than be underlined (which although is traditional, nowadays is archaic and does not lend well to refined styling).
Refer to the Demo to see how it makes a difference, and seems a cleaner look overall.

VodaHost does not provide Content for Users, either free or for a price: that would be in conflict with Terms of Service which allows clients the freedom over their websites but also the bearer of all liability.
You'll find a sample a Privacy Policy you can model yours after and customize accordingly at one of my sites HERE.
As far as a Policies Page, this is where you need to compose/disclose all the specific Terms of Purchase, Returns, Refunds, Disputes, Shipping, etc. of your own. This is separate from a Privacy Policy (both of which are required by US Law, and both of which need to be made available at all times, thus the footer placement).
Do a Google search for samples of either, if need be.

Even though you do not yet have H-META applied, it is still unacceptable to have a period in your Header slogan: it is a slogan, not a sentence.
If you intend to follow the suggestion in making the Header slogan your persistent H1 tag, than remember that all H-Tags not only look better, but score better if using little or no punctuation marks (periods, quote, etc.).
You should note that when I create H-Tags using actual Content, I am careful to only use a single period when compelled to do so, despite each H-Tag being in a separate text box as required.

Doing well otherwise.

Hi Vasili, thanks for your review and help. I'll check out both the underline & remove the period. Force of habit adding a period at the end of a sentance or slogan. I now understand what 's in the policies page.
How do u go up the ladder with *****.
Thanks

Hi

I'm a beginner on the web design but a pro (legal) proofreader.

I noticed a typo - authenic

Great site - I learnt a lot from the advice from the guys.

C

Also, SPIRT MASKS

C

Originally Posted by Carleea

Also, SPIRT MASKS

In the top Navigation, you mean, which still is underlined and has not been reset to show any action (change of color or anything) ... Also, the Privacy and Policy links/pages do not work.

What is up with the Copyright symbol looking like the Chicago Bears logo? If you set your font to Arial (even though you are using another for the rest of your writing) in the text box in BV, you can then Insert Symbol and get the proper Copyright symbol to display. Then switch back to whatever font you are using.


Carleea - You may be a professional proof reader, but you need to be careful about using only American English whenever doing things with the computer or on the Net in order to "comply" and get the real results: "learnt" vs. "learned" ...

Hi Carleea, thanks for typo mistakes!!! I never noticed Spirt.... GREAT SAVE ..thanks, also typo on authenic I picked up ( i hope) on all pages? If u find another one please advise Thanks

HI Gulf Coaster, privacy & policy I'm working on. Your not the only one that doesn't like my Chicago Bears logo, I couldn't find a better one! Thanks for the solution. "In the top Navigation, you mean."... you lost me on this ,please explain.
Thanks

Hi Vasili, I finished the "contact us" page BUT I've missed the boat somewhere. When I hit the submit button the "success" message works great except I didn't write anything in the message. I should get an "ERROR" message. What did I do wrong?
www.kathrynyauney.com Thanks

The error page ONLY appears in errors related to hacking attempts.

You should use the BlueVoda built in validation tools.

Open the page in BV, and double click your fields, select validation, and set the validation type you wish, for all (or some) fields.

Thanks navaldesign for your help on "contact us". I followed your advice & used validation on each field but nothing happens! When I hit "submit" I get your message has been received, but it was a blank message! Should I re-do the entire form?
Thanks

How is it that your page is HTML ?

Should be set to be .php

I also don't understand: have you used the built in form processor ?

If the page is HTML (as it is) how comes that upon submission it redirects to the thankyou page ?

Also, ALL your fields are outside the form area!

Also, you have associated EVENTS to the fields ? Why ? The form will never work like this.

Good morning naveldesign, I don't know the answers yet but I'll dig in until I find them. I did use the form processor. At least I know why it doesn't work. I'll fix? and advise.
Thank you

Hi naveldesign, I've re-done the "contact us" page, followed all your directions. I get a message to complete anything that has been left blank EXCEPT for the main text message block. It will forward the page with an empty text area and give a success message. What can I add to the validation to prevent this ?? Thanks for your help, it worked like "magic".........almost. http://www.kathrynyauney.com

The text area for comments is outside or exeeds the form limits, make sure to stretch your form enough and also move the text area a bit until you see the form border become blueish, which indicates that the text area has become part of the form.

Sounds good. Thanks again

HI gulfcoaster, Thanks for your solution to the Chicago Bears logo, it worked great.
How do I do awAY with the underline on the navigation links?
Thanks

Good morning naveldesign, I'm begining to sound like a broken record! I did have the text area outside the form area. Everything is NOW inside the form blue line. I've used every combo in validation for "textarea1" . Now I get "your comments please" no matter how little or how much is in the text area! I need your touch "one more time" please.
Thanks

Your fields are unnamed. They have the default names BV assigns (Editbox1, etc).

Rename every field to have the correct name.
Pay attention to the "email" field. Should be all lowercase, "email"

Remove the "Text" validation OR add the whitespaces as well as some symbols commonly used, as allowed, or the validation will not allow submission.

If, in example, you type two words with a whitespace between, the validation will always block submission.

Again, thank you for your help.

I THINK I have most of it finished. Keywords, H-tags, page descriptions and formatting script. Before I continue on would someone please check it out. Policy & Privacy pages are to done.
Thanks
www.kathrynyauney.com

Dear Ed,
I saw on your site you have a little mistake, (page spirit mask)
Go check it.
Mary
unitedkispower

Hi,
Except for the awful blue link color, which I personally just hate on websites with dark background, everything else seems to be very good. I would suggest you to change link color to something else. But that's only my opinion. Nice work :)

The site looks good. Also the products. If your a native you might want to put a bit of history page about the maker of the product. Especialy if authentic. I make items myself and sell localy and since I'm native they do sell quick because there considered authentic. Maybe one day I'll sell my handmade items online. Good work.