Thread: Updated site, please respond

I keep going over and over, changes after changes. Can someone give me some feed back? Please........

Truthfully, when I open your page, I really don't know what you do or why I'm there. With the free website builder link at the top, I thought maybe you were a web design company - but found that not to be true. I read the first paragraph and still didn't understand why I was there or what you might do for me. Your header didn't tell me either - I didn't understand the line - Here's an Idea that might work for you - Yours"????

All of your left navigation looks like it's for a product called Aquatect - which doesn't explain your end - which I take to be design? The link to 1 -2-3 set up doesnt work, nor does the coming april 06.

When I was on the aquatect page, I had to scroll way down to be able to click the navigation to get back to the home page. If I was interested in what you have, I probably wouldn't have been by then. Navigation needs to be easy and most often in the same place on every page.

David, you have good bones here - but need to really make it clear what YOU are and why the site. I believe in Vodahost - but you are losing who and what your site is by making them the most prominent part of your header - which is what immediately confused me about what/who you were. Your own company name is basically hidden below the header.

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend or not recommend at this point.

HEY Lgddesign01 vbmenu_register("postmenu_34673", true);


ARE U FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE? I AM

Bethers,
Nice analysis. I will work on the home page right now. The first page I had was too detailed. I was told there was too much information regarding the company. The 123 page is a power point presentation I am trying to put up as a HTML or web page. Coming in April is one of the other pages I have not converted over to Voda.

Jboluvs8,
I was born and raised in Mass, and now I reside in NH.

Dave,

Your header is way too big, it takes up a good share of the "above" the fold, which is where you need to captivate your audience, or they are pretty much gone. You need to lose the hype sell style. Its not you and it really shows. Personally, I dont even wait for those hype style products and pages to load before I am gone. Go and look at some professionally done sites and stores for whatever it is you are marketing...I have NO idea what it is. Your navigation buttons are all over the page, NOT good. You can use text linking for anything you want to link in your information and put your nav buttons all in an ordered sequence down one side or the other or across the top and/or both. Honestly, I never even looked at the other pages, because I was so confused by the first one. One other thing, when you hilight and bold a word, pretend you are speaking to someone across the table and you are using a pointer to point things out on a presentation and when u want them to look at you, slowly bring the pointer up to your eye level, and they will naturally look up at you. When you highlight something in this manner, you want them totally focused on what you are saying, so make it a keyword!

Use the KISS Rule Dave!
K-eep
I-t
S-simple
S-illy

Karen Mac

Hi David: I really like the idea you have in helping promote peoples inventions and ideas. I would like to see your logo in a higher resolution, it should be crisp and clean. Right now it looks like low resolution that has been stretched out. Don't know, but I think it just needs to stick out professionaly because I like it. My second thought is that instead of running all of your text together, that you have titles, like About Us, Vision Statement, Our First Success or Product, etc. One more thing...is the font you used in your header a web friendly font? Like your Logo, it appears to be lacking a few pixels here and there. You've got a great start!
Cindy

Everything looks ok
its just your text seems to be to one side of the page
but apart from that its fine

Thanks for the input. I have made the logo larger and changed some font sizes around. I still have more pages to design, so for now I only have two.
Dave

you just keep up the good work and it will come right in the end

Thanks, it seems to be working. I have had over 1000 hits in the past two days.
Dave

I found your text at the top difficult to read as the right hand half seems to disappear into the background. I would suggest this is changed as this is an important message to get across clearly.

The text on your navigation buttons isn't very clear to read, and in my minds detracts from the professionalism of the rest of the site.

Other than that the site looks pretty good.

Dave,

Its looking much better than when I first viewed it. The header is still really large and the text there is really hard to read. I would make that 1000 bill smaller and have your text run under it rather than the text cover it. It is really hard to read the way that it is. Over all tho its much improved!

Karen Mac

Just a quick note to say that I hope it all works out for you with your site as it seems to be coming along nicely!

I changed the backround. Does it make it easier?
Dave

Revised again. Any coments?
David

Just enter your site as a visitor, everthing look ok to me except the width of the site is too long.

Looking Good David. Just a quick comment. On your home page when you mouse over "inventors" and the drop down menu happens, it crosses over the burgandy line you have, making it somewhat difficult to read. Your site has come a long way since I first saw it.
Cindy

Dave-

You've leap-frogged quite a distance!

A couple of things I noticed might speed you on your way....

A. You might want to re-consider some of the fonts you are using (which may not be read properly if not loaded onto viewer's systems - most aren't, you know). Arial, Verdana, Comic, Times, and Courrier are universally read and not replaced. (I can't tell about your fonts, personally, as my system is loaded with more than 2000, but I remember my surpirse when I saw an initial page of mine on someone's laptop, and how my simple font reverted to TimesRoman!) If you feel this is important to your overall look, consider making "buttons" or "image heads" out of them in Publisher or Paint, cropping them, and inserting them as images hyperlinked to your pages.

B. Take a close look at all of your "borders" and how they should be locked tightly, square to each other. This is a simple fix, and can be done by small adjusting, previewing, and adjusting more, previewing, etc.

C. Less is more, so I suggest putting all of your legal disclaimers onto a "Legal" or "Policy" page of it's own, and let "Copyright (C) 2006 LGD Design Innovations All Rights Reserved" remain at the bottom somewhere in small but legible lettering. Especially if you are planning to implement a shopping cart, but even if only because you invite a transactional posture by suggesting affiliate stores, you may wish to also list a "Privacy Policy" which can be part of that "Legal" page, but spearately listed and linked.

D. If you are going to list affiliates in the right margin, let your visitors know that's the plan: maybe you could create an "Affiliates" heading, or even a more creative "Shopping Suggestions" ???

E. Small things, like pulling your blue vertical line back down below the logo header...

F. And, I agree with Lt. Lady....your use of Drop-downs in sections with incongruent font and headers/titles is confusing....either all the same font as indented index or maybe another utility?

You have a lot to share with your visitors, and the easier you make it for them to see and find all you have to offer, the more likely they will return again and again, having been established as a trusted resource!

Style is important when designing a website, but websites are all about function: they must do what they are both expected to do and what you intend them to do. Think about providing visitors with a clear path to walk in your house....wouldn't a map or "index" make sense for them to determine how to accomplish their trek? Main Pages, Splash Pages, Home Pages - whatever you want to call them - are basically glorified 'index' pages....like the beginning of a book. Hmmm... That's where style begins!

Don't be afraid of creating pages devoted to specific items or content.....your Voda account can handle more than you'd probably care to create. The main page is all about creating a first impression, and the ability of visitors to navigate unfettered. You just have to show them how!

You are certainly doing a great job with BV....yours is a great undertaking, one you will be very proud of when done! You are quickly accomplishing just that!

Carry on, Corporal!

Thanks for all the tips and support. I have made changes again with most of all the comments from everyone. This is an excellent resource. Thank you again and please add your comments they are valuable.
David

I have made some hopefully last changes. Please give me some feedback. I am still developing more pages, but I am looking at format and content. Any feedback is appreciated.
Dave

I have made some changes hopefully for the last time. I wont know until I get some feedback. Please someone tell me something.
Dave

David: I see you have added some content, but still the basic design, which is great. If I were you, I'd have your navigation bar consistent on all your pages with the same info. I found myself looking up and down your nav bar, not able to navigate easily. On your Venture Capital page, you have a typo (Defininition of Venture Capital), The words Venture Capital appears several times before the definition. When I click on entrepreneur or Inventor, I'm taken to a contract page. I would move the google search bar over to the right with your other links instead of right below your logo in your header.

Anyway, a little more tweaking you and you may have it where you want it.

Hi david,

As they said you are getting there, what is this about investors? For inventors?

For me the header is too big... Its confusing..At first glance it doesnt give me the idea of what the site is about.I couldnt read the second line at the top as it was overlapping.
What about something like this:

I think you spent too much space on your index with things that should have been linked to an about us html page. I might have never read your add except to critique. However having read your add I see we may have future business together. Please check out my site and hold nothing back.http://www.circuspet.com

circuspet.com,
The color was confusing. From the main page I dont know what it is you do. It appears your site is under construction when you first read it. Although it does leave you wondering "what else" but that is a fifty/fifty chance. You should put something in the empty space to the right. Your on the right track, looks good.
David

kassi59,

I think so too, but when you use a template it makes it larger as you make your page longer. There really is no way to win. I actually had it bigger in the beginning, but that did not go over too well. Thanks for the input and I am considering changing the template.
Daid

Floor Lady,
Once again well noted. You have been there from the beginning and I am greatful. I will look at the page tonight, thank you. The problem with the formatting is I only have two hours each night to make chanes and add pages. I still have 6 to 7 more pages to complete, including the two that take you to contracts. I will make more changes and add more content tonight. Thanks again your the greatist!
David

SChajin,
We have investment opprrtunities for investors with products we design. We also have investment opportunities for inventors' products as well. Those pages are not developed yet, but I am working on it now. Our pet design is on the auction block. We do not want to manufacture products.
David

I may be at a stand still. I need maybe one or two comments to continue. Any thoughts?
David

Originally Posted by Lgddesign01

kassi59,

I think so too, but when you use a template it makes it larger as you make your page longer. There really is no way to win. I actually had it bigger in the beginning, but that did not go over too well. Thanks for the input and I am considering changing the template.
Daid

David all I did was to copy it off your site and I was able to change the template as you saw...Then couldnt you take the 'fixed' page and replace that in the template folder?
I just love that frog!....I think he should be the first thing to see...but Im a bit fond of frogs..lol....(canadian joke!)
I can if you want me to fix the page any way you would like...

David: You already know I like your site, so here are my nit picky things just going through your site today.

1. I agree with Kate, in that if you could make your header (the currency bill) smaller and maybe recolor it green I think that would make your logo pop out more.
2. On your About us page. I love the color burgandy, but the black type is difficult to read in the gradiant background. What if you did not use the gradiant and just had solid color and change the font color to a contrasting light or dark depending on the solid color. I like gradiant to, but sometimes it just doesn't work for the application. If so, I would use this format on every page or not. Just be consistent.
3. Services link is not working yet.
4. Header on Aquatech page is definitly to large
5. Your privacy page, contract management is much wider than your other pages. I would suggest having the width match your other pages.
6. Venture Capital page...ok now you changed to blue. Again blue or burgandy, but I would be consistant and go with a solid color maybe with white font color.
7. Entrepreneur page wider than others and header to large
8. Affiliates, business service and legal services, same as Venture Capital??
9. On your Patent Info and Patent Search page, I would like to go to a page on your site first and then be able to click the to the links you have for the gov. pages. Maybe a little info on your page about the process, etc. like you do on your business and legal services pages
10. Design and Prototypes pages not working yet.
11. Legal documents online...I would put a link under your legal services page for that instead of on your nav bar
12. Webmaster font is different than the rest of your fonts in your nav bar.

Ok, ok, just some little things I noticed. I know how you feel...Just when you think you've got it where you want it....I'm considering redoing my All About Floors site. It's just not what I want.

Good Luck to you David.

Cindy

I am still getting error messages. Can someone help me. I am looking for the page that gives you an error message. It could be a link. I am not sure. please help me if you can.
Thanks, David