Is my website good enough?

[964kevin]

They just go white for me too on ie9. Also think the pictures need a bit of space as they are a bit jumbled together..

Ahh. ie9. I'll try that in a while, I'm using Firefox which has proved ok to test on.

Thanks

Kevin

[Maurmc]

They just go white for me too on ie9. Also think the pictures need a bit of space as they are a bit jumbled together..

Ahh. ie9. I'll try that in a while, I'm using Firefox which has proved ok to test on.

Kevin

White for me on Chrome.

[Dotty]

They just go white for me too on ie9. Also think the pictures need a bit of space as they are a bit jumbled together..

Ahh. ie9. I'll try that in a while, I'm using Firefox which has proved ok to test on.

Thanks

Kevin

I'm using Firefox too, and they show white (ie invisible) for me!!

[CSE]

Much Better.
One suggestion I have is make the photos and the text underneath the same width.
Ok two suggstions. The click colour for the links at the top should be changed from white to something readable with the yellow background.

Thanks for ther reply, the links should have a green block background when hovered/clicked, what browser are you using?

Thanks

Kevin

FF 3.6.18

[donafe]

The font size was definitely a move in the right direction – much easier to read.

1. In my opinion, an improvement is required to the page layout: try to make it work for any resolution from 1024x768 – people do still use it.

I am using 1280x1024 and there is a side scroll bar at the bottom of the browser – this should be avoided and it’s a very easy fix.

There are plenty of layout templates on the web and with your current layout you are looking for a “two column right menu layout”. If you do want to fill in the entire browser window – you’ll be looking at a liquid layout.

2. The news section on the right probably needs an “Archived” folder that you could display the headlines of the latest news only. For now it might be ok but if you keep updating it – this section might grow too big.

There more things but the most important is the layout. Once you get it right – it will be easy to put the rest into place.

[964kevin]

Thanks all, work continues apace and I should be up and running this Monday.
I've almost managed to get Worldpay sorted so this may make some interesting diversions


Thanks all.

Kevin

[964kevin]

The font size was definitely a move in the right direction – much easier to read.

1. In my opinion, an improvement is required to the page layout: try to make it work for any resolution from 1024x768 – people do still use it.

I am using 1280x1024 and there is a side scroll bar at the bottom of the browser – this should be avoided and it’s a very easy fix.

There are plenty of layout templates on the web and with your current layout you are looking for a “two column right menu layout”. If you do want to fill in the entire browser window – you’ll be looking at a liquid layout.

2. The news section on the right probably needs an “Archived” folder that you could display the headlines of the latest news only. For now it might be ok but if you keep updating it – this section might grow too big.

There more things but the most important is the layout. Once you get it right – it will be easy to put the rest into place.

Thanks for the advice.

But are you really using that as a screen res, its probably on a netbook or similar??
My Android phone displays it ok, and the 19" monitors nearly there, so a couple of tweaks probably.
But I don't think I'm ever going to get a 1024 res on the first page.

Kevin

[Big Sis..]

Just a lttle comment from me, do the creditcard emblems have to be soo prominent, they seem to stand out even more than the photos, couldnt they be on another page or further down the page.

I think we get the message that we can pay by credit card

edit...... actually scrap that last bit as I see on the payments page you say payment by CC..... coming soon

[donafe]

Hi Kevin,

I do use 1020x768 resolution but not by my personal choice: sometimes it’s the only computer available in a hotel for example. All my devices do use higher resolution.

But I think the point is that a website shouldn’t be designed for any specific resolution but for all of them. Resolution is something that’s been “inherited” from the print media and the web is definitely not that. It should be flexible and universal.

I have an android phone too and when I open your website – I can see that the layout is just fine – as intended. But the big question is: is it really good layout for a small device like a phone with a 4” screen? Wouldn’t your website be more legible if the font size was bigger and there was no need to scroll sideways?

Kevin, I do not suggest that you should start redesigning your website right away – definitely not. But if you give a thought and find an elegant solution to do it – why not.

I will be turning my site’s design into completely flexible at some point in the future. It’s easier said than done

[Hells Bells]

I agree with Big Sis that those Credit card logos need to disappear from under the photo banner.

[964kevin]

I agree with Big Sis that those Credit card logos need to disappear from under the photo banner.

Thanks,

They were to show I now take credit cards. In the past it's been a sticking point for some of my customers, especially from South America. I've had the case whereby they are unable to transfer using Paypal if they have reached certain limits. You may find that odd, but the booking went perfectly fine, nothing missing etc, and the feedback from them was good too

So I have reduced the sizes, and anyone who looked before, and now comes back will see the logo's it may help bookings and this was the aim for the next few months.

Thanks

Kevin

[Harborfields]

Just looking at your payments page -- interesting to see a place that is located in the United States, that apparently attracts visitors from South America, with prices listed in Pounds Sterling?

edit: reading the fine print, I see you accept US$ or Euros as well.

Would it make any sense to have currency flags (buttons) that would change the page so that people could see your prices in the currency of their choice (especially if you are accepting payment in different currencies)?

But this raises a larger question in my mind -- When advertizing a place in Orlando, wouldn't you want to advertise in US$ so that your prices are easily comparable to all the other places in Orlando? Or more generally, wouldn't one want to advertise their rental place in the local currency of the place? I suppose if the majority of your guests are from somewhere else, you might want to advertise in that currency....

[Harborfields]

OK, some more comments:

On your calendar page, you say "Once you have found a date you wish to enquire for, please use the contact page to enquire about your stay" --- well that should be a link! you're visitors should be able to click right through to your contact page rather than having to scroll back up to your menu bar.

My comments about currency also apply to your pricing page as well as your payments page --- and as above, with the calendar and the contact page, shouldn't the pricing and payment pages be interconnected more easily? at the bottom of the pricing page you talk about bookings and payment -- but you should have a link that will take people to your online booking form.

On your location page, you link to "what to do in Orlando" -- that list should be a bulleted list as some of the items are longer than one line and wrap to the next, so by distinguishing each item with a bullet it would be easier to read. Also, that list should be linked to from your general information page (and maybe elsewhere on the site).

Again, on the general information page, you talk about bookings and payment at the bottom, but don't provide a link directly to your calendar or payment pages...

[964kevin]

Just looking at your payments page -- interesting to see a place that is located in the United States, that apparently attracts visitors from South America, with prices listed in Pounds Sterling?

edit: reading the fine print, I see you accept US$ or Euros as well.

Would it make any sense to have currency flags (buttons) that would change the page so that people could see your prices in the currency of their choice (especially if you are accepting payment in different currencies)?

But this raises a larger question in my mind -- When advertizing a place in Orlando, wouldn't you want to advertise in US$ so that your prices are easily comparable to all the other places in Orlando? Or more generally, wouldn't one want to advertise their rental place in the local currency of the place? I suppose if the majority of your guests are from somewhere else, you might want to advertise in that currency....

Thanks for the input.

Guests are split between the US and UK equally, so I have added USD in a table as well as Euro for comparisons.
The credit card payments have to be listed in GBP, a condition of worldpay I'm afraid being a UK domicile, they would not accept USD or my US address and bank account....go figure, 7 weeks and my account should have been live........not quite yet it seems.

Kevin

[964kevin]

OK, some more comments:

On your calendar page, you say "Once you have found a date you wish to enquire for, please use the contact page to enquire about your stay" --- well that should be a link! you're visitors should be able to click right through to your contact page rather than having to scroll back up to your menu bar.

My comments about currency also apply to your pricing page as well as your payments page --- and as above, with the calendar and the contact page, shouldn't the pricing and payment pages be interconnected more easily? at the bottom of the pricing page you talk about bookings and payment -- but you should have a link that will take people to your online booking form.

On your location page, you link to "what to do in Orlando" -- that list should be a bulleted list as some of the items are longer than one line and wrap to the next, so by distinguishing each item with a bullet it would be easier to read. Also, that list should be linked to from your general information page (and maybe elsewhere on the site).

Again, on the general information page, you talk about bookings and payment at the bottom, but don't provide a link directly to your calendar or payment pages...

Thanks, all updated.

Kevin