Lay My Hat

My goodness I am low on my learning curve.

I have created my website from a template and fiddled around trying to make it OK.

The worst part was all the tech speak involved in getting a domain name.

I do know there are photograph issues. I have no decent bedroom photos. There are people in there, so I will not get much chance to try to improve on my current photos for a while! I lost a lot of my photo work when my last computer got damaged. It is really hard to get the whole room in the pic. I know nothing of photography.

So my site is pretty basic. I wanted somewhere to refer my clients to from Chez Nous, where I have just joined, and Brittany Ferries. Not sure if I can truly expect Internet traffic. I have not used an optimiser. It was too expensive to start with.

Look upon my offering an embryonic?

I would be interested in constructive view points?

Thanks.

It might have been worthwhile to give the lead!!

http://www.luxurygitedordogne.com/

It looks a wonderful place.

A few things :-

The first thing people need to know is how many the property sleeps in how many bedrooms ....

When you say it is not suitable for disabled, I think you mean wheelchair users or are the stairs very steep?

I presume you have a fixed changeover day?

OK I hadn't realised it does not give the information that the property has three bedrooms. It does say two double bedrooms and one twin room. I will make it more explicit though. Thanks for the heads up.

It is not suitable for disabled people because I presume they could not manage stairs, if disabled, and there is no ground floor sleeping accommodation. I guess I should just say that. There are also steps on the ground floor so it really is not appropriate.

The fixed change over day of Saturday is meant to show on the calendar information.

Thanks for your observations. I will now try to look at all these points with new eyes.

Lovely looking property Morristhedog A few of the photos look very blurred on my Mac - these are the local view type ones including the market stall, sunflowers and stone bridge over river. I assume they are older ones which have not been configured for the web site so maybe you an get some newer, sharper pics. Other than that I'm sold!

Thank you Casscat

Morris, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had from creating your own website, even if you don't have the skills for the job, but that website should only be for fun and, maybe, for learning the expertise to produce something more sophisticated in the future. If you're promoting a professional business, your site needs to look polished and professional or your potential guests will simply click onward to another property. I've never bought into the dubious concept that professionalism is a turn-off and a 'rough and ready' website is a subtly coded way of saying there's a real person with a fabulous property behind the facade.

With regard to the photos (and if money is tight) I'd suggest that you employ a pro photographer on a limited shoot to cover those areas that you feel are your weakest (usually interiors) and watch closely while he/she works and study the resulting images for pointers as to how you can re-shoot your property more effectively in the future. You may find that you need to upgrade your camera/software to go to the next stage.

My other advice, as always, is to look closely at the websites of long-term members on here (many who have built their own sites) Not to copy - but for inspiration. A free masterclass.

I wonder what your website is like Jimbob? Do tell and share?

The orginal was much clearer

http://atasteoftravelblog.com/wp-conten ... 80x453.jpg

Thanks for your response Kevin. I tried several times last week to contact you about your web writing services to no avail, and wrote the website myself in the end.

I have put it on here for positive useful critique.

As I remarked earlier, the photos are an issue, but I will get more internal photos once the current guests move out.

I used the sunflower photo from the Internet, since they are all withering round here at the moment, and it is too late to photograph them this year. Your version certainly looks much brighter than the one I have.

Morristhedog wrote:Thanks for your response Kevin. I tried several times last week to contact you about your web writing services to no avail, and wrote the website myself in the end.

I've only had one PM to which I replied the same day and is still there now in my LMH sent folder. I double checked my own contact form and looked in my spam folder when you had said you had failed to reach me in the PM. Not to worry though.

My point was simply that if you borrow a photo, then make sure it's big enough for your needs. I suspect you copied the thumbnail.

I haven't heard from you?

I messaged on here?

I understood the photos on the site where I looked were free to use. The reason I was looking for an Internet writer was because I had tried two times with other sites and come unstuck some hours into the operation.

I do not find it "fun"

It is a chore it seems necessary to do to achieve some more exposure for my business.

I do not know the tech speak, have no idea what I am doing and need websites for my two businesses. I haven't started the second one yet.

I had thought that putting it on here may have produced useful critique on other aspects than the fact that for now some of the photographs are blurry. I have already stated I know the pics could be better.

Morristhedog wrote:I haven't heard from you?

I messaged on here?

Indeed you did on Aug 10th 2:36pm and I replied at 7:30pm same day.

Thank you Kevin. I had not seen your reply on here. I have sent a new pm on here to you.

Morristhedog wrote:I wonder what your website is like Jimbob? Do tell and share?

Can't help you there, I'm afraid. We sold our Dordogne gite complex two years ago and retired to the Charente Maritime. Our gite website, which had been refined with assistance from the kindly and knowledgeable members on LMH, was deleted at this time. Some of the advice that I received when building the site wasn't complimentary, but that was fine. Tough love is often the best love when you're trying to learn new things.

So, I guess that you'll have to take my advice at face value. Or not.

I had thought that putting it on here may have produced useful critique on other aspects than the fact that for now some of the photographs are blurry. I have already stated I know the pics could be better.

I was aware of your comment about the quality of your site photos when I made my suggestion about getting a little professional help. That passes muster as a 'constructive' suggestion in my book - but obviously not in your's.

Oh, and by the way it's 'Jimbo'. Not 'Jimbob'.