Please review my site!

[Nothing]

I have just spent the last few weeks creating my website - I have had friends and family look and comment on it but feel it needs looking at by someone not connected to me just incase they didn't want to upset me in anyway!!


Thank you in advance

[CSE]

OK …hopefully I don’t upset you with the following comments.
The flash photo presentation does not work for me. Yes it does function but I cannot se the enough details in the photos.
I tried the form on the pricing page but it did not seem to work for me. If you did get a load of crap sent then maybe your website should confirm what has been sent. ( that goes for both contact forms),I tried about 4 or 5 times. Why when I hover my mouse over the dates they turn black?
There is no colour key to the Availability chart. I therefore feel it is unclear.
The layout is good concise and the links to other websites leave your website open still so it is easy to return back to your website after reading about the attractions.
If you read and write Welsh I would suggest you do a Welsh version as you never know what it may bring you.

Technical report:
According to the W3C there are some issues with your CCS the sane website say that you have some errors showing up with the Markup Validation Service.

[lorca]

hello daflod

As a very first impression I really think the photos do not do your property justice. The flash function is really annoying, but from what I could see, esp of the games room (I think), it´s a beautifully restored property with some lovely features. But the pictures are really very poor, and you need more of them. I suspect many people are like me and - esp if they´re looking at a lot of properties - will want to see what it looks like first. If the pictures are poor and/or insufficient they´ll move on.

A bit more work and I think you could do really well. Good luck!

[declanja]

Just a quick comment. I love the photo on the home page. I think it sells the complete holiday!. The photos on the bottom did not work for me either. I felt they were too smalll and did not show what I wanted to see, - the interior of the fabulous converted barn. I did not read all the text but my impression was of a top quality place to stay.

Well done!

[Paul Carmel]

I would hide that e-mail address, You will find it cuts down the amount of spam and scams you get, in fact you are displaying rather a lot of personal info.

[Nothing]

Thank you all for taking the time to have a look at my site and provide some very useful feedback.

We are currently decorating the barn and will be having photos taken by a professional when we have finished.
Suggestions appreciated on how I should present the new photos on the site and should I just stick to photos of the accommodation or include ones of the area too?

Lorca - are the photos poor in quality or content?

Ian & Irene - Colour key is at top of Availability page on the left? Where do you think I should move it to?
Sorry not very technically minded - what are W3C, CCS and Markup Validation?
Do the dates still turn black on the prices table?

Declanja - I've put the interior pictures on the "Accommodation" page - should I also include them on the homepage and loose the area photos?

Please could someone try an email form or email link as they work on my PC but no good if not working for a potential guest! Please could you put in the subject box the page you are sending it from. Thank you

I look forward to your comments.

[CSE]

I mow see the key, but you do have weeks in white too. The key should stand out to be a bit more visible as the location is good.
All the CCs and other errors can be found by this website.
http://www.w3.org/
Just add your website into the validator here
http://validator.w3.org/
Normally I would not point out small errors but your website does seem to have a lot of them at the moment.
CCS errors
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/vali ... a.co.uk%2F
HTML (not so many)
http://validator.w3.org/check?verbose=1 ... a.co.uk%2F
More info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets
The black does not appear now.
Contact forms
Still do not send but I can reset them.
http://www.country-cottage-snowdonia.co ... bilty.html
http://www.country-cottage-snowdonia.co ... tions.html

Info. for your web developer...I am using Firefox 3.6 on windows xp

[Nothing]

Ian & Irene

Thank you for the links - I've had a look but can't work out how I sort of the errors! I've created the website myself with the help of a User Guide which is now very battered but there is not a section on errors!!!!

I've had a play with the email links and forms - do you mind testing them once again?
Should I get rid of the spamming protector?

Thank you once again for taking the time to help me.

Heather

[Bellywobble]

I like the site, it has a nice friendly feel to it.

I would like to see more photos and larger photos as I just wanted more time to see the details. I hated the photos "coming at me" (sorry I'm not technically minded) it felt aggressive and I wanted to look at my own pace.

I would suggest putting as many on of the accommodation as you can then plenty of the area too. It all looks lovely and I wanted to see more.

[Nothing]

Hi All,

I've had a 'fiddle' with my site following all your helpful comments and hope it is now a bit better. Looking forward to the decorating being finished so we can get some new photos taken and on the site.

It's been very helpful having people not connected to me having a look and being honest about what they think of it.

Thank you

[CSE]

daflod
Quick reply....Sorry not had time to look into the errors so I am no help there at the mo. However I have to say I love the photo presentation now...quite professional. But The titles are not showing too well.
I sent an enquiry and see you have changed that. I did not fill in any details but after filling in the captcha it allowed me to send a blank form.

[Lori Martin]

Hello daflod,

The main photo of your place is wonderful. I was looking at the 2010 Price List page, when I noticed there's some hidden text. On the left hand side the last item under "Booking Details" has text that is partially hidden behind the heading "Short Breaks". The list items says "Full payment due at time of booking if 4 weeks or less" the rest is hidden. I use Internet Explorer.

[Nothing]

Thank you Lori - now put right!

[Jimbo]

and will be having photos taken by a professional

Sounds obvious but try to choose a pro who has experience of this type of publicity work and who has the portfolio to prove it.

should I just stick to photos of the accommodation or include ones of the area too?

Remember that a pro's visit is a brief (and expensive) snapshot in your property's life and getting the weather right for the outside shots is vital. I'd get the pro to concentrate on the difficult stuff like atmospheric exteriors, cramped interiors and 'polishing' the rooms prior to shooting. Don't be afraid to give your photographer a detailed shooting brief and you may wish to be around during the shoot to check on progress - seeing the pictures displayed on a laptop as they're shot can be very helpful. No experienced pro would be surprised or offended by such a request.

Jim

[Nothing]

Jim - Thank you for the very useful tips. Hope we get the results we are looking for.