Opion, suggestions On and about My website

[McLarenWebDesign]

Hello Stan Here,
                          New to this forum and really need some help here I was wondering if you could have a look at my site tell me what you think and if theres any changes that would improve my site keep in mind it is still a work in progress.

My website is in my profile have a look and let me know any feedback would be great both good and bad I am a big boy i can handle it..lol and thank you

[Mark Austin]

Hi Stan,

Welcome to the forum!

Mark

ps. Concerning your site, the purpose of your site is to pick up clients for your graphic design business so I would lose the Adsense ads.

[KarenMcG]

Hi Stan, 

to RRW.

It's nice to meet you.

I'm with Mark, I'd lose the ads on the right, too.

Also, on your home page, you have Home, then Welcome right under it.  I'd delete the word "Home" and just have "Welcome."

On the left where you have the sign up box, you say "sign up for updates". But you don't say updates of what. I suggest you be a bit more specific. And, I'd move that sign up box to the right side column.

You also have a brief paragraph and then under that you have graphics. I assume they are graphics of affiliate products. Or are they samples of what you make?  Either way, I'd put those on a separate page.

I'd also move your Paypal button from the top in the center column on the home/welcome page to maybe the right column toward the bottom of that page. Or at least mid-page on the right. Or even another page altogether.

The products in the widget scroll really, really fast. If you leave that there, you might want to slow it down a bit. First, because I can't read it fast enough, and because it makes me a little dizzy. 

Good luck.

Karen

[Jim Burney]

Hi Stan,

Welcome to the RRW forum.

Jim

[McLarenWebDesign]

Thank you all for those who replyed and gave me some warm welcomes and helpful advice.

(to Karen) I agree I wasn't to crazy with the Home/Welcome like that on my home page either however I took your advice and removed the Home part just to have the Welcome on there however I lost the Home part on my header as well so unless theres another alternitive i'm afraid it must remain as is.
As for the scrolling eCovers that make you dizzy..lol thats just a simple ad-sense which I can remove, as for the sign up part well that I have to discuss with my wife she's the one that set that up and since this was my first time with this sign up form I didn`t know what to have her put on it..sorry my bad.
Now for the paypal button which is not on the Home/Welcome page it is however on there perspective pages eCovers,Headers Banners,etc.
However putting the paypal button on the top right side which is what I wanted I'm having a hard time doing I'm mean I would put to the top left save it then it would revert back to the top right again any further help on this would be great.

(to Mark) I just so happen to agree with you ad sense for this website is not such a great idea however when it come to marketing my self I'm about as smart as a door knob in that field any ideas or suggestions would be great.

Regards Stan

[KarenMcG]

Thank you all for those who replyed and gave me some warm welcomes and helpful advice.

(to Karen) I agree I wasn't to crazy with the Home/Welcome like that on my home page either however I took your advice and removed the Home part just to have the Welcome on there however I lost the Home part on my header as well so unless theres another alternitive i'm afraid it must remain as is.
As for the scrolling eCovers that make you dizzy..lol thats just a simple ad-sense which I can remove, as for the sign up part well that I have to discuss with my wife she's the one that set that up and since this was my first time with this sign up form I didn`t know what to have her put on it..sorry my bad.
Now for the paypal button which is not on the Home/Welcome page it is however on there perspective pages eCovers,Headers Banners,etc.
However putting the paypal button on the top right side which is what I wanted I'm having a hard time doing I'm mean I would put to the top left save it then it would revert back to the top right again any further help on this would be great.

(to Mark) I just so happen to agree with you ad sense for this website is not such a great idea however when it come to marketing my self I'm about as smart as a door knob in that field any ideas or suggestions would be great.

Regards Stan

Hi Stan,

I've been gone for a few days/not on the boards, so just now saw your "update!"

You're doing just fine...so no need to be concerned about what you don't know yet. That's probably part of why you're here...to learn.

And we'll help you along. 

Any suggestions that I've given are just that...suggestions.  And if they don't work for this theme (or because you wife prefers something else), perhaps you can use them for another/different theme sometime down the line.

It all takes time so just work through things slowly and you'll get there eventually.

So now, I'll go back to look at your site to see what I might suggest to help you with the problems you've mentioned.

Karen

[alma4hale]

Checked out this site and it appears cool to me .Given the fact that it is still a work in progress ,I hope it gets better with time .All the best .

[Donald]

  Stan and Alma to the forum, and a Happy New Year.

Donald

[Jim Burney]

Checked out this site and it appears cool to me .Given the fact that it is still a work in progress ,I hope it gets better with time .All the best .

Hi Alma

Welcome to the RRW forum.

Jim

[Mark Austin]

Hi Alma,

Welcome to the forum!

Mark

[KarenMcG]

Hi Alma   

welcome: to RRW.

It's nice to meet you.

Karen

[padre]

Hi Stan and welcome to the forum.

It was difficult to critique the content because of the dark background and white writing.  That is quite tiring for the eyes.

If you plan on adding a lot of content you might consider creating those pages with a layout that is easier to read, light background with black font color.  All in all, a good effort but it needs some work.

Cheers

[GraphicBass]

A few points after a quick look...

Agree with padre; white on black is extremely difficult to read. You might try altering the color scheme of the theme to showcase more typical "web 2.0" colors (brighter) for a more contemporary design appearance. If you keep the black background, increase the size of your body fonts to help readability.

Are you selling templates or custom design services? If custom design, why not load a sample site with some dummy content, so prospects can tell what a site with copy looks like (create a site for some PLR from RRW). Pro designers, including myself, often create "dummy" sites at the beginning of their careers to showcase their ability to create a functional website. Also looks like "real" client work instead of templates. Don't rely on people to be able to visualize what they want from "Place Headline Here" type of copy.

Don't link away from your site on the home page — keep visitors on your site as long as possible with interesting things to look at and read, don't let them get away. If you must include links, bury them on a "Resources" page.

It's OK to have a full-width home page if your theme permits it. In that case, move your Features to your new arrival box and don't have left or right sidebars.

The scrolling box on the home page is very fast. I'd take it off unless you can slow it down.Plus the link takes visitors away from your site. Find something you can host and deliver in exchange for an email. If you're not sure what to put in that column, see if your theme will let you turn it off and just have a right-hand side column. Put your signup box on the top right.

Might be better to send people who decide to purchase from you a Paypal invoice via email, rather than a button randomly placed. OK to require payment in advance, but seems more professional to send an invoice.

Sidebar boxes are very stark against the black background (another problem with colored backgrounds). Light backgrounds would let those boxes sit gracefully against the background and not distract from your sales copy in the center.

Home page copy is bland and not benefit-oriented. Tell the visitor the unique things they'll get as a result of using your service. "What's in it for me?" is the primal scream of clients everywhere — you must answer that question.

I think I've banged on you enough. Sorry if some of this seems harsh — not my intent, just the result of many years selling and working as an independent art director and publisher. Hard knocks, and all that, and I often get into "teaching" mode!

Feel free to PM questions.

gary

[magicman]

Hi Stan --Welcome.

Stan--just wanted to add a few notes that may be helpful.

First of all, I absolutely love the header, navigation bar, lightning and all that. I am a big fan of dark backgrounds. However, as noted above, the whiteness of some of the elements are jarring. When I built a black background site a while back on weight loss (not really active now), I spent a lot of time finding graphics that fit in as much as possible.

I think your site overall can be a big winner.

I have a concern about the left widget. I can't even tell what the items are they scroll so fast. It's screamin' fast! I was a little dismayed when I clicked on one of the products flashing in front of my eyesthat I left your site. There's not enough gain in that widget to ever blow somebody right off your site. Maybe it could open in another window or re-design it to be another page within your site?

Your "About" page is a Me, Me, Me read. (Sorry!!!!). My writing is far from perfect, but I believe an "About" page should be about what I can do for the reader/client.

Here's how I start my current about page for a small business owner site...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"My decision long ago was to make my work revolve around you, your needs, and your results. For example, most small business owners don’t come from a sales background and that hurts the business. Sales stagnate or go down...

(bullet points of past experience-ending with:)

"Part of these accomplishments were due to the added value and integrity my teams and I brought to the party. A large part these accomplishments were achieved due to the character, integrity, and relationship-building ability of the men and women who sat across the desk from me.

These partnerships brought value to all parties. We did deals, everybody made money and had fun. If you bring those values to a relationship, your company will generate dramatically positive results for all your stakeholders.

Come along with me and I’ll show you how it’s done."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope I conveyed a sense of partnership and client-value to the page. It's really not about me - it's about what I can deliver. Does that make sense?

Next, the paypal button at the top of the "Logo" page was odd. It was impossible to tell what I was being asked to pay for!

Anyhow, I love the dramatic look, the header logo and the overall promise of the site. Incremental improvements can really make this tool a great business-getter for you. Thanks for sharing. These comments are meant with great affection for another IM traveler who has put some killer elements on a site. Keep on rocking.

All the best - Magicman

[magicman]

Hey, Alma --

Welcome to the RRW forum. It's great to have your voice in here. Please come back often and share your vision. - Magicman