Can I Get Some Eyes On This, Please

[magicman]

Hi y'all,

Would you be kind enough to go to www.howtotrainagooddog.com and give me your feedback about the home page?  Many thanks - Magicman

[KarenMcG]

Aww, MM, cute idea.

I have some suggestions regarding your doggie page. 

For your headline: Have A Great Relationship with Your Best Friend! (How about if you put that in red?)

You've stated: "Request For Your Free 5-Video Dog Training Course".  Then you list the 5 videos.   You then state:  "Register now for your free video mini-course".

I think you've got some repetition there that you might want to do something with.  Also, do you mean "Request" in that first sentence or do you really want "register" like you have under the 5th video. 

Perhaps you could have: 

Have A Great Relationship with Your Best Friend!

Free 5-Video Dog Training Course
(List the 5 videos)

Request your free 5-video mini-course now

Then in the Bonus section

And if you register for the videos by March 15, you'll also receive a free personal copy of Doggy Dan's Resource Guide

-----
I note that you mention "Note: You only have to register one time to receive all the training materials." 

I'm wondering if you even need to have two places to register on the same page.  (Someone else can jump in here with their thoughts.)

Since you have the "free" graphic and the "sign up bonus" graphic, you may not need to have "free" and "bonus" more than once. (Although I do know repetition can be a good thing, too.)

Also, you may want to have your Privacy Notice paragraph after the Bonus section because it includes both registration/signup areas.

Karen

[magicman]

Hey Karen - Thanks very much for the fantastic suggestions. I'll get to work on reviewing the home page again. I've only been in and out of it so far about 40+ times. So, I'm very happy you took the time to review and looking forward to getting it a little better. - MM

[colcar]

Hi magicman,

Good idea for your site. It's looking ok, but I think everything Karen has suggested is spot on. If I may, I'd also like to add a few more things to your list:

1. When a visitor goes to your "Breed Overview" page, I think it looks a bit bare. Is there a way for you to add an image to the first post and maybe another one or two posts below?
2. On the "Popularity by Breed" page, the list is really long and boring.  How about making it a little more interesting by adding some photos at various points? I think you should definitely have a photo for #1, but maybe add another one for every ten on the list.  This will break it up a bit and bring some visual appeal to the post.  Images are great for this.
3. Your Doggy Bloggy (great title btw) blog also looks a bit confused.  Maybe take the "excerpt" restriction off the first post and display it fully.  Then also add a few more posts below.
4.  Also on Doggy Bloggy, the ALT or Descriptions on the photos are just way too distracting.  You're blocking most of the photo. The phrases also look a bit spammy for Google. If use the ALT tag properly for a valid description of your photo, it will help your SEO a little. The way it is right now, is not good.
5. Last, but not least, is there any way you can get your sidebar up in line with the top of your first blog post? It just looks neater and more deliberate.

I hope you don't mind my rather subjective comments, but I do web design for a living so have some experience in this field. I really only want to help you make your site look great.

Col

[valpubs]

Here we go (I just bet you were looking forward to this!)

Critique Of HomePage of http://howtotrainagooddog.com/

1. The page is called 'Home' and appears directly above the header - is there a way of removing this so that the only header showing is the one you've written?

2. Capitalize each word of your headline

3. "Request For Your Free 5-Video Dog Training Course" - Remove the word 'For'

4. Unless you have a video to show; I'd remove the artwork and replace it with your opt-in boxes. That way your visitors do not have to do any scrolling around - makes it easier for them.

5. That red sun with the word 'Free' in it seems to be a bit out of place - it doesn't add to the text and seems superfluous seeing as you've already got the word 'Free' in your sub-heading. Also removing it will allow your bullet points to be 1 line long and thus more easily readable.

6. The anti-spam statement seems overly long but that could just be that I've been exposed to too many Aweber statements!

7. The Bonus Section - drop the art on the right hand side - again superfluous and increase font size of "Bonus for Sign-Up by March 15—" Make it stand out as it is a scarcity tactic so make it shouty!

8. Remove the video and the link to Dogsey - this is a squeeze page so you want your visitors to do 1 of 2 things - either sign up or click the red X - don't give them any other options.

Hope that helps

D

[snginc]

Instead of Request For Your Free 5-Video Dog Training Course put Download Your Free 5-Video Dog Training Course.

[magicman]

Hi y'all - Really incredibly high quality feedback. Thank you. Today I revised the homw page and think I incorporated everybody's suggestions for a much better squeeze.

I have no idea how to remove the "Home" title from the page.

Anyway, you can check out the improvements so far. - MM

www.howtotrainagooddog.com