New Website...May I have reviews?

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.
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Clive in Abruzzo
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Post by Clive in Abruzzo »

Dear davhill, you're not going to appreciate this; I think the site looks awful. I think you should scrap it and start again. The images are far too large and the site itself is not centred on the page. If I were a prospective renter, in this day and age, landing on your home page I would immediately click off it - it simply doesn't look professional enough.

That said, deepest, deepest respect to you for nominating your site for review, I certainly wouldn't have the courage to do so.

I suggest that you go to somewhere like http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/ find a site that looks half-way useful, download it and start modifying it. Just bung it into DW (copy the original css files) and start tweaking. You'll learn millions about css. Go on, give it a try you know it makes sense :wink:

Conversely just ignore what I say, after all what do I know?
Last edited by Clive in Abruzzo on Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Aw Clive, that's a bit harsh! (And at least the site has images of the property that you don't have to dig for! :wink: )

It's OK folks, Clive knows me a bit.

I have just come to this thread and so most of the big stuff has been fixed now; in any case, I am Totally non Techie!

The apartment looks super. The site to my eye is pleasing and informative. I think it could be improved aesthetically (to reflect the tasteful interior presentation) however by just a few small changes:

• The blue of the menu jars with the header shot: too bright. I would try to match the sky colour if possible;

• Also feel the yellow used for "Valley View Kendal" is too acidic;

• The mouse over colour on the menu could be toned down a few notches to be just a deeper version of the background lilac;

• I would use the same font on the header as used elsewhere. Or if you prefer, change it to something more compatible. The current one is perhaps a bit old-fashioned?

• Still on the home page: the header image dips slightly to the left;

• Speaking of this, the same goes for the Bowness Bay image.

• "Valley View" - you have corrected the impression you gave initially that the lake view was from the property but please may we have a picture of the valley view? It's still a nice selling point.

• Accessibility section: too much info? Include the in-depth stuff if you see it as necessary but maybe preface it with a quick summary of how disabled friendly it is as that would be helpful I think.

I guess it depends on ones market, but I don't see anything wrong in a website for a single holiday rental looking as if it is not professionally designed, as long as it sells the property as well as it can. The changes I have suggested are minor, really, but still worth doing: having put so much effort into it already David, you might as well go for perfection while you're at it!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Aw Clive, that's a bit harsh!
I'm with GG on this. I can see nothing wrong in a website that's not a shiny professional product, provided it's honestly done and it tells me what I want to know. In fact, I'm considering launching my Jimbo range of 'shabby-chic' website templates. These will give a homespun feel to a rental property and allow the viewer to imagine the real person behind the enterprise rather than a bland corporate product. Could be the next big thing?

Jim
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Jimbo wrote:I'm considering launching my Jimbo range of 'shabby-chic' website templates.
:lol: Go for it Jimbo!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Clive in Abruzzo
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Post by Clive in Abruzzo »

Giddy Goat wrote:Aw Clive, that's a bit harsh! (And at least the site has images of the property that you don't have to dig for! :wink: )
Right. That it! I'm just going to have to scrap my site and start all over again!!! :D
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Clive in Abruzzo
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Post by Clive in Abruzzo »

Mind you GG, you're quite right of course, I hadn't thought of that. I'll fix it this very minute/hour/definitely sometime today...
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

:lol: It's strange isn't it, how one can get so deeply embroiled in a project and still overlook important factors - I have found that both on our website and in our ads. The Woods for Trees syndrome! (Notes to self: check Clive's website this time tomorrow ...)
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Clive in Abruzzo
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Post by Clive in Abruzzo »

Not that you want to put me under pressure or anything :D
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

I thought the OP has listen to advice given here since his first posting, or have I missed something?
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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davhill
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Post by davhill »

Well, thank you people :D

I have been listening to - and acting on - most of the comments that you've taken the time and trouble to post for me.

I'm fairly happy with the site as it is now, especially as it's selling the accommodation quite well. Valley View has a three star rating and I particularly wanted to make its website sit in this sector. For this reason, I've kept it simple, on the basis that a site that is too 'flash' (pun intended) might well put off potential guests.

Since I followed some earlier advice, Analytics shows that search engines are the top traffic source (58.72% yesterday).

I think the single most valuable addition has been the online booking facility; in many ways, it lets the system run itself.

Re. the tweaks that have been mentioned, I plan to adopt some of them :roll:

Thanks again
Property owner in Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

davhill wrote: I have been listening to - and acting on - most of the comments that you've taken the time and trouble to post for me.

I'm fairly happy with the site as it is now, especially as it's selling the accommodation quite well.
Job done!

Jim
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh »

davhill wrote:Hmm. It may just be me but I've tried Dreamweaver and found it pretty impenetrable...not really WYSIWYG.

AFAIK, Frontpage was discontinued in 2003. Thing is, I know it a bit, as I've used it before.

Anyways, I've also added online booking (via PayPal as Barclays have been so useless) and gone with Holiday Lettings as well as HR...the booking calendar is very sparse right now.

Pressing on regardless :wink:
Dreamweaver is worth persevering with.

I started with various (old) versions of Frontpage and now exclusively use Dreamweaver.

I have one site left in Frontpage.

Peter
The Languedoc Page
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh »

davhill wrote:Thanks, Peeps :D

Useful crits here, thank you. It's been a long haul inducing the site to even work (Frontpage 2003 :twisted:), However, I can now redo/refine it.

I think I'll have to lose the header shot...it's a pic of 'a' valley but not the Valley View valley...misleading, as you say. Hopefully, this'll get rid of a couple of other problems too.

Meanwhile, coding is a pig anyway...I'll work on it :roll:

Thanks again, folks,

David
I used to live on Kendal Green.

I can confirm the pic is a different valley !

Peter
The Languedoc Page
www.the-languedoc-page.com
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davhill
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Post by davhill »

mpprh wrote:
I used to live on Kendal Green.

I can confirm the pic is a different valley !

Peter
And it says, on the heading picture on every page on the site: 'Windermere, less than 10 miles from Valley View' .

David
Property owner in Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria
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