Your opinions on my new site please?

shakari3 · #1 06-09-2008, 09:40 AM

Folks

Can I please ask you to take a look through my new site at www.classic-bike-imports.com and give me your honest opinions.

The site was deliberately built to be simple and easy to navigate and the bar at the top is supposed to look like piece of motorcycle framework. - Don't know if it does though?

I appreciate the ads are a 'bit tacky' but Im having no end of problems with ads. I tried to post the Blue Voda hosting ad and no matter what I do to it, it only shows as a blank box. - So in the end I replaced it. I've also got no end of problems with Google ads. Some show and some don't and some were very inappropriate. (I'm no prude, but the last thing I want on my site is that 'press the love botton' rubbish etc) So at the moment, I've left the ones that show, and are not inappropriate, and Ive removed the others. I've also placed some from elsewhere to fill a few gaps and am still searching for someone who can give me the ads I really want.......

The ads, I'd really like to get up are for things like credit cards, loans, debt relief, motorcycle clothing and flat stomachs etc - but finding someone who can allow me to be that selective isn't easy!!! - Any advice would be gratefully received!

While I'm posting, can someone tell me if Blue Voda offer any kind of traffic monitoring service, so I can keep an eye on how many visitors I get and where they're from etc?

Look forward to reading your comments,

Best regards

Steve

D'son · #2 06-09-2008, 06:49 PM

Good site. Some of the pages are extremely long, I would shorten them up some, you could reduce the size of your text and/or the size of the images. You have some text over lapping on a few of the pages. And your menus are different from page to page, keep them the same on every page. Your have a few pages that take too long to load, try reducing the file size of the images.

shakari3 · #3 06-09-2008, 06:56 PM

Thanks - I wondered if I should have shortened the pages by having seperate pages for seperate manufacturers. - Problem is that there isn't quite enough bikes for that and some of the makes are soooo rare, I'll only ever have one or two bikes on each page. Admittedly it'd give me more pages and hence more ads (if I can ever find what I want!)

I'll also take a look at the text etc. - Thanks very much for your input.

shakari3 · #4 06-09-2008, 07:07 PM

I've just checked the site and don't see any text overlapping at all......... I wonder if you're seeing an up to date version of the site...... perhaps you could please try hitting your F5 button a dozen or so times in quick succession in case your server is showing a cached version of the site and then let me know if it corrects itself. - If it doesn't, could you please tell me where the text overlaps etc........

Thanks

Collectors-info · #5 06-09-2008, 07:08 PM

Hi, interesting site, see you have a link up for the Ace Café, was down there about 10 days ago. Great atmosphere, shame about the food. Lol.
Site is easy to follow & is loading fine. Brits page has a bit of text overlapping when viewed in fire fox. http://www.classic-bike-imports.com/brit-bikes.html
And a few pages have side scroll.
But looking good.

shakari3 · #6 06-09-2008, 09:20 PM

Hi Chris,

I don't see the overlap at all here...... can you tell me exactly where it is and I'll spread the text a bit...... I'm not too sure what to do about side scroll as so many people have wide screens now, but if you noticed it, I guess it tells me to tighten 'em up!

I haven't been to the Ace since the world was in black and white, but would sure like to go back there.

How about a reciprocal link between our 2 sites?

D'son · #7 06-09-2008, 10:14 PM

On the Brits bike page the adds are over running the 1959 Royal Enfield Constellation. I viewing it in EI. Chris said it was overlapping in firefox as well. My site is a local youth sports based site, although I am very much into bikes, not sure that I could drive much buisness your way or if your users would have any interest in mine. Sorry, I 'll get back with you on my next site.

shakari3 · #8 06-09-2008, 10:26 PM

OK Thanks. - Iv'e moved things around a bit and am uploading now. - Can I ask you to hit your F5s a few dozen times to clear your cache and try again please. - Problem is that it all looks good from here in Africa, so I'm having to do it by remote conrol............ which is you! Hope it's OK now!

Gettin' closr to midnight here now, so I'll check for replies tomorrow.

Cheers

S

D'son · #9 06-09-2008, 10:40 PM

Cleared my cache, and checked again. That problem solved but now the ad above the BSA is doing the same thing.

vidalcarmen · #10 06-09-2008, 10:53 PM

Your logo and menu bars need some improvement, but other than that, great site!

vidalcarmen · #11 06-09-2008, 10:57 PM

maybe your logo needs to be more to the theme of the site, like a nice brown. And your menu bars are gray, not something that looks great. Try to find colors that match the theme of your site. Pick 5 colors and stick with them.

shakari3 · #12 06-10-2008, 06:51 AM

I've taken out some of the adverts which should make it more manageable and will work on the other comments. - Thanks.

I've also decided to add more content and will spend some time putting that together over the next few days.

Anyone else care to comment please?

Collectors-info · #13 06-10-2008, 07:06 AM

Hi, i tend to find if you put your text & images in 1 table with "lets say" 1 column & 15 rows it tends to help with the overlap on long pages.

karenwms63 · #14 06-10-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

While I'm posting, can someone tell me if Blue Voda offer any kind of traffic monitoring service, so I can keep an eye on how many visitors I get and where they're from etc?

In cpanel go to logs and there you will see Latest Visitors and Awstats. This will help you.

otis · #15 06-10-2008, 12:22 PM

The website is good but the bikes should be the real focus. Maybe a gallery structured site with always open pictures of the bikes is how I would have done it? Then again you know more about your material than I do, like I know more about my material than you know about mine! It is a really good site!!

Marincky · #16 06-10-2008, 03:17 PM

Your menu bar is not consistent on every page, which it should be. For example, you have 'Brit Bikes' which for a start you should try to fit the word 'British' in.... but if you then click on the 'british bike' link, that british bike button disappears off the list. The german bike link drops when you are on the german bike page etc etc... I understand your reasons for doing this as the visitor is already on the british bike page, however it is still best practice to keep the button for each page you are on, actually on the page or it just means your links menu jumps all over the place. Hope you understand that.

I can also 100% vouch that your Google adsense will stand a much higher chance of attracting revenue for you if you make the background the same colour (color) as your page background (i.e. yellow)

Also I would advise that you don't have the adsense on BOTH sides of the page. LH side is a winner for sure.. but not both. Run the adverts down the LH side, even off the website page if you like, this will make much better viewing for your biker enthusiasts as well as encourage more hits on the ads from those just 'looking around'.

Although under construction still, check out what I have done with the adsense on this site http://www.bowsandbuckles.co.uk/. It's placed so it doesn't intrude with the website content itself, but also stands out enough to generate a few clicks and also blends in with the site colours much better.

Otherwise, love the site content itself.. some nice bikes there.

shakari3 · #17 06-11-2008, 06:55 AM

Folks

Thanks very much for all your input. - Ive tried to look critically at the site and I think you all raise valid points....... Soooo, I'm gonna make a lot of changes over the next few days and will then start a new thread asking you to look again.

I'm especially aware that I've really stuffed the ads up and will put that right ASAP and also add more content as well.......... which should give me more scope for different and possibly higher paying ads.....

Thanks once again.