Question

Topic: Website Critique

Yes Please ... Critique Me

Posted by ReadCopy on 8/27/2007 at 3:35 PM ET 250 Points
Well it's been a while since I asked you all for feedback on my site .. and we make some great changes together .. I have just redesigned the pages again.

I always think I know what makes a good website and copy ... but it isn't always to everyones taste - so please critique my site. I'm really happy if you just do the homepage (https://blackwhite.uk.com) and the free ebook sign up page (I'm not too happy with it but unsure why! https://blackwhite.uk.com/free.htm).

Thanks in advance
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/27/2007 at 4:41 PM Member
    There's too much information on the home page. Who are you marketing to ("We can help you achieve your aims, we can help you solve your online problems." is too generic)? What action do you want people to do next? There's too much "click here for more info". Funnel people to the next step you want them to take and/or have your menus help them navigate through your various offerings.

    Have your free signup page on your home page as well.

    The signup form is lost under the graphic (the graphic is too strong for the buttons). The signup page itself has too much competing color - my eye has a hard time scanning the page.

    Does Black & White Marketing have a top 10 rank on Google, Yahoo! or MSN? If not, why not? (Since as an SEO service, this is how I'd expect you to shine).
  • Posted by BlueSage on 8/27/2007 at 5:41 PM Member
    home page. WAY too much info on the bullets. Put short sentences, WAY shorter.

    for instance:
    Our PPC Advice and Management service is successful because we take the time to understand your exact requirements, then use our own unique approach to ensure that we manage your campaigns with the best Return On Investment.

    First define what PPC is, if you are attracting customers, they may not know what it is.

    Don't go into 'because' whatever.
    make it all shorter


    Usability - Does your website have that WOW! factor?

    and leave it at that. way too much text on homepage.

    I love the pink colors, but yeah, b/w mktg and you have colors? If you [as a company] do that, WHAT will you do MINE???

    The left hand column is all one link. TMI for one link. separate them into links or make it less text.


    ebook page. I like the larger font, but it makes me suspicious. Why would you sell it at one time and give it away now? I would take that info off.

    Janine
  • Posted by ReadCopy on 8/28/2007 at 3:04 AM Author
    Thanks so far.

    Its interesting that when I originally posted in this forum probably just over a year ago, I got a strong steer to go from black and white colours (which I designed originally) and was persuaded to add a colour!

    black and white to me origionally meant that my approach would be simple, maybe I should take some of my own medicine and make that VERY clear on the homepage.

    Thanks :-)
  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 8/28/2007 at 7:43 AM Member
    I am with Steve. The name is black and white marketing. It surprises me to she such a colorful web site. You could do a great site in blacks whites and even grays with a spash of color and get a lot more impact.
  • Posted on 8/28/2007 at 9:11 AM Member
    Hi Andrew,

    Without knowing the goals of your site it's difficult to give any detailed feedback, but I felt the homepage a little overwhelming and it didn't lead me into any natural paths through your site.

    It feels as though the main purpose of the homepage is to get me to the Free advice page (is this the case), however I was immediately put off this as the banner felt a little too much like an advert.

    Minor, visual thing but I think the gap between the left-nav, the banner and the content area could do with being a little larger - the text just doesn't look comfortable at the moment.

    Hope this doesn't all sound too negative. How do you feel the site works as a marketing tool? I agree with a lot of the feedback that you've received above, in particular, I think the Black & White aspect. Your website is a great opportunity to reinforce your brand values and keeping it simple would be my first point of call there!

    Hope this helps! all the best

    John P
  • Posted by jpoyer on 9/2/2007 at 4:36 PM Accepted
    Hey Andrew, I just went back through and read the comments from the last time -- and I can see where you have made improvements with your structure, color, etc. Kudos in that regard.

    I do really believe that if used correctly, the color would not be as much of an issue. I know from experience it is WAY easier to apply your knowledge to other people's sites and such, but when it comes to your own, for some reason, the blinders come up and you forget everything you ever told your clients. (not to mention many times we put our own stuff at the bottom of the to-do list to accommodate client needs)

    My suggestion -- you can get away with this color scheme for now. But, for your next redesign consider going with a majority black and white with splashes of color versus a full-on color wash.

    Some little things I think you should consider:

    Let the text breathe. Give some more space between the copy areas and the items surrounding them. Give a 10 or even 15 px margin around text blocks (not between paragraphs - just the outer margins of the full text block). Consider adding a little bit of leading as well, with your line-height option. The space around the text in the boxes, between the text and the outer box line is good, the main problem is with that main body copy.

    Un-optimize your content, just a bit. Your front page content is optimized to a T (top bar addition, GREAT call), but it appears you've compromised your brand to "get people here." Your copy is great, there is just too much of it. Although you did a great job of breaking it up, there is still waaaaay too much for your front page. Once you get down into the nitty gritty portion of the site, the internal animal where people expect to see more targeted content on the pages, then pull out the copy magic. The front page needs to be a "quick overview" of what you have to offer. One thing I would add your keywords into your Title Tag. (two to three per page, depending on which keywords you are targeting for which page)

    Articles. Consider creating HTML pages of your articles. PDF should complement your info, not be the source of it. Exceptions would be if there was some report or design or something like that -- articles are pretty easy to paste into an HTML page.

    Branding. What is your tagline? Is that what is in your title tag on the front page? I would make it more visible. Something people can see on the page. Do your printed materials have this purple hue and the flowers? I didn't get the flowers thing. Why the purple flowers? I feel like I am missing pieces of the story or something. For a while I did think that banner was an ad, and I was wondering why you would devote prime real estate to an ad -- but then I see maybe it's an ad for your book? What is your brand? Make your pages sing it. Also consider, adjusting the free book site to match the feel of the other pages ... make it stand out in different ways using spacing, color, graphics.

    Pay attention to the details.
    • Fix the spacing on the two bottom boxes, lots of extra space there below the text; looks odd.


    • "To get your hands on this amazing eBook, just complete the details below." (but then there are no details below to complete.)


    • Spell check -- "Overivew" is spelled wrong on your articles page (Overview) (This one just popped out at me - I didn't check your other pages.)



    Check your site in all browsers. Example -- your left column is thinner in IE, thus making those bulleted items look out of place.

    In IE:
    Are you
    exploiting a
    customer
    database.

    In FF:
    Are you exploiting a
    customer database.

    Of course this looks great in FF, but since 80% or more of your audience and your audiences' target audience is using IE -- if you're going to pick one, then IE is it. And, surprisingly, the majority of IE users are still at 6.0 (ugh). Throw Safari and Opera into the mix, and you've got a fun night ahead.

    Case Studies and Testimonials. Split right down the middle like that -- it doesn't give you much room for the images that need to come with your case studies. Right now your site is all text. What would you tell your clients about their sites if they had no supporting graphics or documentation? You know what's funny? After looking at yours, I went to my company site and saw there were few (not enough!) supporting graphics in any of my "business pages" ... I've decided to take some of my own advice and will be working on that for our company site. [You know how much people like to see pictures and graphics -- and how great it can break up copy. ... Apply that same standard to your own company site.]

    Kudo Points.
    • Great navigation. Easy to find, easy to use, easy to follow.

    • Right sidebar separated by the gray dotted line. That's a nice addition. Allows you to break up the content and use a page for dual purpose.

    • Mentioned above, top gray bar -- allows you to get those keywords in FIRST thing on your page. Nice!



    There are more things I would love to mention -- but I think have some graphics and spell checking work I need to do on my own site. (talk about the pot and the kettle!!)

    Hope this helps,

    Jennifer
    XPRT Creative
  • Posted by ReadCopy on 9/8/2007 at 3:36 PM Author
    Thanks guys - some great food for thought there :-)
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