Thread: Updated Educational Website

Just finished our updated website www.ilovethisschooltour.com in Blue Voda and I think my pages are too wide. I want the look to be where the top and bottom, I guess you can call them headers and footers, go the entire width of the page but the content is centered in the middle of the page. I don't mind scrolling veritically, but I'd rather not horizontally. I just don't feel that I have enough room to put everything in a page that is 980 wide. Please help with specific solutions. . . .and thank you, thank you!

The site is insanely wide at 1600 pixels, and even at 1400 pixels wide (the next largest background shape width), you are missing the boat for universal viewability -- especially as a growing number of visitors are using devices rather than traditional desktops or laptops.

Set for 1600 pixels depth, the page is not uncommonly deep, as you are correct in assuming that a single directional vertical scroll is much more preferred by all classes of Users.

I do not know exactly how much freedom you have to revise your page layout, though, since it appears you are utilizing an iFrame to actually present the page content (essentially duplicating the www.imusiccd.com website -- which you should review Terms to see if this is permitted) ... if you are relying on this method rather than publishing pages "hard" to comprise your site, the issue may be moot altogether, yes? The original site needs to be altered for compliance before you can expect to present a site via iFrame that is satisfactory.

If you do in fact have the ability to modify the original site, the original page source, you simply need to get used to the idea that tight compositonal design and balanced layout will accomplish more than personal convenience .... the elements that you are incorporating into your pages are not all that difficult to properly position and scale, but it will take a much more concerted effort to be more professional and tasteful in how you achieve visual appeal and functional flow within the highly recommended width limitations of 984 pixels wide if you wish to conform to web standards.

If you do not have the ability to revise the original source site, then you can do nothing to alleviate the issue, and will need to simply accept the situation as it is.

* Why you feel it expedient to present a site via iFrame defies logic, IMO, as there are many other more effective and complaint methods to populate a mirrored site across multiple domains, especially if you wish to remain in favor with the Search Engines and hope to garner any worthy SERP/Page Rank without risking sanction or even Black Lisiting.

We are not here to offer personal assistance with design or layout, but to guide you in using the many technologies effectively according to the many specific methods to attain full optimal functionality and still be fully compliant with universal standards.

I will mention, however, that it appears your site is not truly "centered" in the browser, most likely due to your actual page not being locked flush left to the BlueVoda Workpane rule. You may wish to double-check this, and make corrections that may result in recovering a bit more "space" to revise your page layouts within ... and ... for an educational website, one might think it of core importance to be very accurate with regard to spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, as well as the "alignment" of items on the pages. You need only look to the telephone number in the Footer to see the first of many common errors present. I will leave the remainder of simple errors (including layout errors) for you to discover upon a more detailed site proofing ...


Moving to CUSTOMER WEBSITE REVIEWS

Good Morning Vasili,

Thank you for your reply and comments. I did in fact change the width of my pages, all is well with that.

Just so that you know, yes, I am the owner of imusiccd.com. I have also purchased ilovethisschooltour.com, however have not transferred the domain to Vodahost as of yet. I have our site redirected from imusiccd.com so our clients see the ilovethisschooltour domain name.

As far as the IFrames, I've only used one throughout my site on the 'show main' page under 'about the show'. I'm not sure where you see that I've used them throughout each page. . . unless of course, I've done something I'm unaware of.

Educational or not, we take a great deal of pride in spelling, punctuation, etc. of ALL of our marketing materials and I'm not sure where the, as you state, '"many" common errors present' are. More specifically, what exactly do you see wrong with the phone number on the footer? In the meantime, I will go back and re-proof the site myself.

Thanks again for your reply,

Grace

What can you see wrong with this, which is in your footer and on every page (besides not being properly aligned with the rest of the Footer text)?? >> Phone: 586=321-2334 Fax: 866-376-7648

You will find the rest of the typos, mis-spellings, and mis-aligned elements and 'blocks' as you progress through the site ...