My new site. Let me know the good and bad

[BR7]

Hi , I just finished my site . The only thing l to do yet is set up my email . Please let me know what you think of it .Let me know if any thing needs to be changed or if there is something you don't like. Thanks

http://www.dempskimasonry.com/

[Collectors-info]

Link is not working?

[BR7]

Really? Its working for me. Could you try again?

[Collectors-info]

Ah! it ok now.
Would reduce the background image as a lot of it is not seen & its slowing the page a little.
Your heading on the page needs clicking on & the blue tags pulling out to the right as the word Craftsmanship is returning behind the menu & dropping down 1 line. This is in FF & Google/c.

[BR7]

Thanks Collectors-Info for taking the time to check out my site. I remember reading on here that some fonts get messed up on other browsers and that you have to save the text as a picture . That is the case with craftsmanship returning. I looked on my wifes laptop and I see what you mean . The font is bigger and different . I'll have to save it as a picture. I just did it for the index page and it worked. When you say "Your heading on the page needs clicking on" do you mean it should be linked back to the home page? I right clicked the header and there is no way to link it? I did a search on the forum and some people put a transparent shape over it and put the link on that. Is that how you do it ? ..Thanks again

[BR7]

After I saved the text as a image, I now noticed it looks choppy and like it has a white outline. I might have to pick a new font or ditch the whole line all together ....I don't know.

[Marincky]

I like the text, I don't like the background sorry. Takes your eyes away from the main pages.

I would also suggest removing the bold effect from your main page text. It's fine for titles but not fore the bulk of the text, loses professionalism by being all bold. But the look of the site and the navigation very nice.

[BR7]

Thanks Marincky ,yeah I think you are right about the font . Its Ariel Black. It does look bold . I'm going to change it tomarrow .I'm thinking about the background, I kind of like it . I'll sleep on it . Check back for the changes . I appreciate it.

[Marincky]

The background is unusually ok... I just feel it's too much and distracts your visitors eyes. Maybe put it into photoshop or similar and fade it a tad?

[glendene]

I quite like it. just a couple of things... on your home page there is a spelling error. ...thanks for taking the tine to view... also, the use of Arial Black is just a little over-powering for me because it is difficult to read in blocks of copy, it is more of a 'HEADLINE' sort of font, but every ones taste is different. Additionally, I would like to see some genuine testimonials on your site. People like to trust the vendor when buying big ticket items. Otherwise Great Job!

[BR7]

Hi , this is my website for my masonry business . Please give me your honest opinion. Thanks!

http://www.dempskimasonry.com

[BR7]

Hi, I recently made some changes on my site . I add to lightbox feature for all my pictures in the "Recent Projects" gallery . Do the pages load too slow? Are the Thumbnails too big? Thanks

[Vasili]

Are we talking milliseconds or 40 seconds (which would indicate an issue on your local side only, most likely a connection issue)??
Most of the time if you even feel the need to ask this question, there is an obvious issue, and again, most of the time it is because the images were either not fully prepared by reducing the file size, or they are used in a script that makes the page itself "heavy coded" and thus more vulnerable to sluggish rendering by the browser itself compounded with your particular system environment and connection integrity.

You may need to re-evaluate your image file sizes and try running them through your photo editor (or use the free PixResizer download from VodaHost to 'opem and re-save' the image) or take a cloer look into the number and type of scripts you are using to present them (LightBox, Ad Banner Rotator, etc.). These should already be routine considerations and basic core tasks.

>> Browser Speed Tests 2012


PS: Stop creating duplicate threads ... you are allowed only one thread in this Forum per website or issue, and each Forum has particular Rules at the top as a "Sticky" for you to review! Scroll to the top of this Forum to see an example ...

[BR7]

All of my pictures are under 150kb most under 100kb. My thumbnail sizes are 160X160. Would 120X120 make much of a difference? Could it be that I have too many lightboxes? What would be the proper way to display these pictures? I Don't want to go back to using a gallery because Its so easy for a customer to suddenly find themselves with 10 windows open.

[Vasili]

... or they are used in a script that makes the page itself "heavy coded" and thus more vulnerable to sluggish rendering by the browser itself compounded with your particular system environment and connection integrity... take a closer look into the number and type of scripts you are using to present them (LightBox, Ad Banner Rotator, etc.)....

Using multiple LightBox scripts per page is an obvious burden, as mentioned, as LightBox itself is singularly a very "heavy" coded script.

And, as long as we're talking about only a matter of a few seconds in cold page loads, it is also a matter of splitting hairs unnecessarily.

[dvbfuneralhome]

This website is very aesthetically pleasing! The colors, boxes, etc. all work well together. I looked through for grammar/spelling and found a few that should be addressed:

Under Photo Gallery- there doesn't appear to be a space between "steps" and "stoops".
Under Concrete- the fourth category of pictures says "concret" and needs an 'e' on the end.
Under Services- the heading is a bit choppy. I would recommend "Whatever phase of masonry your project requires, no matter how creative or practical- we are ready and willing to complete it above your exprectations. Small jobs are always welcome."
Lastly, the tagline- "we add appeal to YOUR property"

This site is easy to get around, helpful, and has lots of information. It looks great!

[BR7]

This website is very aesthetically pleasing! The colors, boxes, etc. all work well together. I looked through for grammar/spelling and found a few that should be addressed:

Under Photo Gallery- there doesn't appear to be a space between "steps" and "stoops".
Under Concrete- the fourth category of pictures says "concret" and needs an 'e' on the end.
Under Services- the heading is a bit choppy. I would recommend "Whatever phase of masonry your project requires, no matter how creative or practical- we are ready and willing to complete it above your exprectations. Small jobs are always welcome."
Lastly, the tagline- "we add appeal to YOUR property"

This site is easy to get around, helpful, and has lots of information. It looks great!

Thanks dvbfuneralhome, I really appreciate you taking the time and going over everything. Did it load load fast enough? Not too slow? Thanks again for the kind words my friend!

[dvbfuneralhome]

Just took another look and it seems to load quite nicely. There appears to be the view of a page above your logo on the home page that may or may not be intentional.

[BR7]

Let me know what you think about it and where I can improve. Thanks

[Vasili]

I will offer but one perspective (visual) for your consideration, and that being what I would suggest is an aberration in the overall page layout: your page(s) being typically "shorter" as if to fit entirely 'above the fold' (600 pixels) is rendered completely moot by placing the Header awkwardly so far down from the top of the page border itself, which is very obvious to even the casual eye as it throws off what would otherwise be a balanced and cogent layout ....

Just guessing, but it seems you can "raise" the entire page upwards 100-125 pixels and accomplish more visual perfection than to leave it where it is to 1. disrupt the natural "fit" of the page 'above the fold'; 2. lifting the page (and Header) upwards closer to the top of the page would also help to sublimate (lessen) the very busy contrast to the background image (which is still both incongruent and unnecessarily emphasized) when contrasted to the actual "page" design) without having to change anything else (as everyone prefers to not invest the efforts to correct and re-publish any more pages than is absolutely required); 3. and, it finalizes and refines the obvious and subliminal visual balance and natural flow (the way our eyes move about images, pages, reads, etc.) to make the site overall appear more appealing, "satisfying" (less conflicted), and ultimately more professional.

Just a thought!


PS: It's called a "Header" for good reason, and the W3C standards require the header to be the first and uppermost element of webpages, not extending into the Body of the web page as is on your pages ...