Feedback welcome

[ks196]

Hello everyone
I am fairly new around here, and I am so pleased that I found this place, its a wealth of information, I found the link from a member here on another forum.I have started a new business selling handmade soaps and bath products, I have made them for quite some time as a hobby, I intend to sell from the website and local craft fairs. I have built a website using an e commerce website firm as I have no knowledge of HTMl ect. Much as I would have loved to employ an expert to do this for me and have it all optimised and ready to go, I just didnt have the funds to be able to do this. I have done the best I can and I would be very grateful if I could have some feedback on my website. I would like an overall feed back really. I intend for it to become a bit bigger as I have still some products to list, new sections that I havent covered as yet, but mostly its all there. I am concerned really about legal aspects too, have I covered everything i need to ? Is there anything that I need to do for disabled people to be able to access that I havent done ect? I cannot post a link to it, but it is in my profile, I hope this request is ok.
Thank you very much.

[LOS Design UK]

OK

Some quick points

1. Your homepage footer needs addressing it looks a bit of a mess
2. Product pages have the BUY action too far down
3. Your name blends into the header image and does not stand out
4. Menu text is too small
5. Top menu needs tightening up

Will look deeper into it when I have more time.

Regards

[AWTS]

Errr...you don't have a Doctype Declaration, and the right-button context menu seems to have been disabled.

Neither very good.

[ks196]

Los thanks for taking time and replying
Points
1. You are right it does and i wish I knew how to tidy it up, but i will have a go
2. So true the button is too far down, not sure If i can change that its just a pre set size i think , but will investigate it
3. My logo banner thing , oh dear, I am not happy with it although its my best effort so far, I do intend to have another bash, the name does need to stand out more
4 Someone on the forum where my website is, is trying to make there menu text larger as we speak and not having much joy, it just generate's automatically, I would like it bigger though, I shall have a go at finding out.
5. do you mean there are too many things on it ? not sure i understood this right

Gary thanks for having a look and replying . I am sorry I don't know what a doctype declaration is , I am a total newbie at this I shall have to go and google that. Is right click disabled a bad thing ? does it restrict some poeple ? sorry I just don't know this stuff, its my first effort ever. I am so grateful to you both for taking the time to comment and help.

[ks196]

I have tried to do what I can from the list and it does look better , so thanks for suggesting it. So far I have managed to alter the buy buttons further up, which is a big improvement, I have taken some things off the top menu and linked them to side boxes instead. The homepage footer, I have managed to tidy it up a bit, but not enough as yet. I am not sure If I can change the menu text size with the template I have. I have got the right click enabled, but I dont believe I can do the doctype declaration, its quite limited what I can change as it is basically a package where you choose a template, and then just add pictures and text at the relevant points.
Thanks once again

[MikeBoxwell]

I like the company name! That's great. And my first impressions of the site are generally positive - it looks good, with a great photograph and easy ways to navigate around the site.

However, I would suggest you look at the wording on your front page. You've got lots of lovely key phrases in there, but nothing really stands out.

Your first paragraph, for instance, highlights the fact you make handmade soaps, you're situated in Sheffield and says thank you for looking at the web site.

Two of those pieces of information are irrelevant for anyone looking to buy your product!

Further down you include lots of information that makes me want to buy - natural ingredients... locks in moisture... handmade, handcrafted... sensitive skin... pamper... bath treats... highest grade essential oils... source ingredients locally... suitable for vegans... special orders... gifts - but to get to that information I have to do a lot of reading: nothing jumps out at me.

Why not put some key phrases nearer the top of the front page? Instead of saying you are situated in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK - which is irrelevant for 95% of the UK population - why not have a small Union Jack picture with the message "Locally made using local ingredients" underneath?

If you have a shop for people to visit in Sheffield, you would be better off creating a new page - soap-sheffield.html - with information about where in Sheffield you are based, what you offer and inviting callers to come in and try some of your soaps, and lots of enticing photographs.

[ks196]

Hi Mike
Thanks for having a look and giving some feedback, and you know I have been thinking the same things today really, I need to alter that homepage and give it a bit more buzz, its times like this that I wish I was a wizz at writing and getting things across well. My intention is , now I have actually purchased a decent camera to take some nice photo's for the front page, reduce the text somewhat. I don't have a shop, it is internet based and a work from home business. The only reason that I placed some emphasis on the Sheffield part really was to pull in some invitations to crafts fairs and the like locally. I must say it has worked, but perhaps that could be moved to the about us page. I do think that the key info could be moved upwards and condensed though.Thanks so much for your input, I am very grateful. I think sometimes its hard to see where you are going wrong when you are working on a site, I suppose its like a shop owner workiing in the shop, sometimes you just have to step outside and look what the window display looks like from the other side.

[jamescartwright]

Can you put a selection of your products on the homepage - such as your most popular products? A lot of online retailers do this instead of having a long story of text about themselves.

Nice products and an interesting site though, well done!

James.

[custardfish]

Can you put a selection of your products on the homepage - such as your most popular products? A lot of online retailers do this instead of having a long story of text about themselves.

+1 for this - no one is going to read all that, its waste of time.. well other than for SEO. Move it below something a bit more action (web design term 'call to action') driven..

The number 1 thing you can do to improve the site though is to is improve the photography, its pretty poor at present.

Your selling yourself as a 'home based' business (its in the about us page) so I don't think ultra glossy photo shoots are needed.

But a good digital camera, some decent lighting and a few backdrops isn't going to break the bank. Check out ebay etc. Then plan the shots and take your time - crisp focus and a nice setup go far. Also make sure the images are at the resolutions without too much compression - it will all make a huge huge difference.

Don't forget all your -potential- customer has to go on is the pictures you provide... if they're poor what the impression does that give the product?

Shots like this just let everything down at present...

http://www.thebubbleemporium.co.uk/s...8/f_422219.jpg

Poor lighting, REALLY high compression (all the square, pixelated bits) and I find it a bit odd you couldn't be bothered* to find a white sheet or paper/cloth big enough to fill the whole shot etc. (* I'm not saying its true for 1 second - if you didn't care you wouldn't have asked on here - but that's the 'impression' it gives.)


Look at http://www.littlecotesoap.co.uk/lev4...Bath_Bombs.asp for a little comparison.. design wise there is little between the actual 'website' - its the quality of the images that set it apart.. Trust me, without good images there is little you can do as a designer.

With regards to the legal info: Contact address, registered address, Ltd company reg num, VAT number etc. Also the URL whois must have all YOUR company contact info too.

[Indizine]

I think we are lucky to have some excellent website reviewers on A1, your replies are always so thorough.

and where have you been hiding Jason?