please give a look to my web site.

Get some feedback on your site or ad from other rental owners and techies. Also a library of online resources so you can make DIY improvements to your web presence.
rubi
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:56 pm
Location: Italy
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please give a look to my web site.

Post by rubi »

Hi everybody,
I think I did all the "right" things to be part of a forum (never did it before) I read almost everything and clicked on the right keys...I hope. MY name is Roberta , I live near Lake Maggiore, NorthWest Italy and I have a B&B. I would like if somebody could spend few minutes to give a look to my new website...I promise I will do my best to find some time to help out others with their websites if needed.
Thank you and ciao for now
Winifred
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Location: Belhaven, Dunbar, Scotland
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Post by Winifred »

Hi, Rubi, I am new too, and this is my second posting. I just had a quick look at your website. The background pictures are lovely, and I liked the 'gallery' of different small pictures. How do you achieve that?

Best wishes,
Winifred
rubi
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:56 pm
Location: Italy
Contact:

Post by rubi »

Ciao Winifred,
thank you for your message. To tell you the truth I don't know how it is done technically because a friend of mine did it for me; I liked other websites he realized and asked him to help me out with mine. If you want to know something in particular I can ask him hoping to be able to transfer the technical part which is a mystery for me....
Rubi
Linda Freese
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:00 am
Location: Costa del Sol

Post by Linda Freese »

Hi Rubi

I had a quick glance at your website, which looks great. My one comment would be that I think you should have the menu bar on the first page on entering the site. Also, the prices should be more visible i.e. perhaps a separate page for your rates? I think that this is quite an important part of advertising your B&B and if a potential client has to go via several pages to find this information they may get bored and give up.

Otherwise, I think the property itself looks lovely, and it´s nice that you have photos of your family which gives the impression a very welcoming family atmosphere!

Good luck

Linda
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vrooje
Posts: 3202
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:48 am
Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

Rubi,

Welcome to the forums!

I agree with Linda that your pages are attractive and welcoming.

I also agree that after the language selection page, both menus should be on the pages at all times. On the home page, you can click the pictures to get to the parts of the menu that aren't shown, but that isn't obvious at all -- even the text below the pictures isn't linked.

To be honest, though, I was at first a little confused by the two different menus and how they were related. I wasn't sure if one was a sub-menu of the other, or if not, why they couldn't just be the same menu. I navigated the site easily enough, but it was a little puzzling to me at first.

On the same topic, I think your fonts might be a little small. Not everyone has the eyesight to see small fonts! Particularly in the extended vacation group, where there are many retired couples. I would suggest increasing the fonts by one, maybe two, sizes.

That might throw off your page a bit, but actually I think you could make your page a little larger, too. I have pretty high monitor resolution, so pages that are optimized for 800x600 (as yours is) take up about half the screen width.

That's fine, and in fact I optimize my own pages for 800x600, but in width only, not height. Your site is designed so that the vast majority of people will never have to scroll their browser to see anything on your site -- except that they do have to scroll sideways to see the picture. That type of embedded scrolling is not always obvious to people -- so I would consider allowing your page to scroll vertically and tiling the photos that way.

However, that's just a design choice -- I think the site is lovely overall.
Brooke
rubi
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:56 pm
Location: Italy
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Post by rubi »

Hi Linda and Vrooje,
thank you for your suggestions; I will pass them over and see if we can improve it; I wish I had the capability of doing it myself.
Hope to be helpful to you one day
Rubi
Clexane
Posts: 330
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:42 pm
Location: Provence France
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Post by Clexane »

Rubi,

You have some really nice photos.

But I need to be brutally honest hopefully to be helpful. Your site does not work for the casual surfer. I went to it three times before I realised there was a whole bunch of photos and information behind the home page photos. I just clicked the main menu and thought -- there is nothing here initially.

For the casual surfer I think you will miss presenting your information and they will click on. I would suggest that you need to simplify your site.

Also for things to do you need to spell it out for people a bit more. You have good links but most will not put the time in for surfing these until after they have decided to stay. For the sale I think you need to present it to them a bit more.

Hope this helps.
So you wanted a holiday home in france ...

www.villaemmanuelle.com
rubi
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Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 8:56 pm
Location: Italy
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Post by rubi »

Clexane,
thank you for your suggestions. To tell you the truth I don't particularly like web sites that look too much like a virtual brochure so I guess I'll have to compromise between my esthetic sense and a more commercial approach...
Thanks for your help
Rubi
Beverley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:08 pm
Location: Cuves, Manche, Normandy
Contact:

Your Website

Post by Beverley »

Hi,

I am glad that you too have asked people to review your website, and i had a look for you, i have to say that I liked it! I didnt find it hard to navigate at all, but like the others i do think that you should have a rates page which will seperate your rates for all to see. From past experience i have found that people like to be able to click on the rates first (to see if it is in their price range!).

Also just a thought, have you thought about tagging your pictures with alt text so that you can say what they are! They look lovely especially the flowers, i know that i would like to know what these are (a budding gardener!) also i think it is nice when you scroll over a picture to be able to be told what you are looking at!

With regards to the font size well it is a bit weeny and although i can read it fine with my specs on i might find it difficult if i did not have them on!

All in all though looks fab and i can imagine eating my breakie at your table! Thats good though because it makes you want to try it for real!

Hope you are finding this site useful i know i have and often return just for a nose!

Take care, happy hosting
Beverley
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

I thought it was a really pretty and quite unusual website that I liked very much.If I ever need band b in your area I'd love to come and sit at that really inviting sociable table!!
What is a "bocce" court??

www.thepetitmanoir.com
rubi
Posts: 6
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Location: Italy
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Post by rubi »

Beverley,
thank you for your suggestions: I defenitively will put the rates on a separate page and will try to tab all the photos

Fraise,
thanks for your incoragement.
A Bocce court is the place (like a tennis court) where one can play bocce which is a game with balles and try to get close to the little ball; it is a typical italian and also french game;

Rubi
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Ciapolin
Posts: 436
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 9:46 am
Location: Cossano Belbo, Piemonte
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Post by Ciapolin »

Fraise,

Bocce is the Italian version of petanque.

Rubi welcome to the forum - are you Italian? Your property looks wonderful.

I tend to agree with the comments made so far. The pages look at bit buzy to me, and I'm not sure where to look first. I love the pictures of your family and dogs - it gives a personal touch.

One thing I think is excellent is your English translation (I'm assuming you are Italian, although maybe your husband is English/American?) - I've seen so many Italian sites where the English is really poor, and personally I think it's a turn off.

I'm just setting up my property, so look forward to being able to pick your brain!
Carole-Anne
Cascina Ciapolin
www.piedmont-holidays.com
rubi
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Post by rubi »

Ciapolin,
yes I am Italian married to an American. David will be very happy to know that someone appriciate his translation.
I am now away from home but I will check your site as soon as I'll be back aprox in 10 days.
Thanks for your suggestions
Rubi
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