Hello,
I just completed work on a new website (actually my webmaster did - with my input).
We are trying to fine tune it.
Looking for: slow loading times.
ease of use
Do I need more text on home page for search engines?
Is photo of the oceanfront view on main page grabbing or would you rather see a photo of the townhouse.
Should I take the evacuation/storm policy off of menu?
scares people?
Do I have too many photos for My Twin Arbors?
Is the division of the two sides confusing?
I would certainly appreciate any tips or ideas you may have.
Will not be offended - just need to know.
Thanks in advance.
Lauren
www.mybeachhouseontybee.com
lauren@mybeachhouseontybee.com
New Website Review
New Website Review
Finally found the perfect excuse to live at the beach - buy and manage vacation rental properties.
Hi Lauren,
To be blunt the fancy transitions between pages are very, very, very irritating! I'd suggest getting rid of them as they're likely to give your visitors a headache + they're not very good for accessiblity reasons.
Yes, I'd say there a few too many pictures on My Twin Harbors page - you have to scroll down a heck of a long way down before you reach the details/pricing info. I'd suggest choosing the best 10 or so and splitting these over two pages - like say 4 on the first page with details, and a "more pictures" on a second page.
It would also be good to keep the same background throughout.
Re the storm thingy, maybe make it less obvious by including it in a general list of terms and conditions.
Didn't look further -still got a headache!
hth
Charles
To be blunt the fancy transitions between pages are very, very, very irritating! I'd suggest getting rid of them as they're likely to give your visitors a headache + they're not very good for accessiblity reasons.
Yes, I'd say there a few too many pictures on My Twin Harbors page - you have to scroll down a heck of a long way down before you reach the details/pricing info. I'd suggest choosing the best 10 or so and splitting these over two pages - like say 4 on the first page with details, and a "more pictures" on a second page.
It would also be good to keep the same background throughout.
Re the storm thingy, maybe make it less obvious by including it in a general list of terms and conditions.
Didn't look further -still got a headache!
hth
Charles
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livinginitaly
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Hi Lauren,
In addition to the excellent points by 'charles' ... i'd just add that .....
Yes, having a little more text on the index and main pages would help with search engines. Just remember to include 'keywords' and phrases that you'd expect people to use when searching for property like yours.
Also, on all of the pages, the 'header' is left aligned and the actually content is centered. This will cause more of a problem when viewed on some pc screens (large resolutions).
Finally, whilst i'm far from being a 'fan' of animated graphics .... yours seem to remain the 'right' side of tastefull
In addition to the excellent points by 'charles' ... i'd just add that .....
Yes, having a little more text on the index and main pages would help with search engines. Just remember to include 'keywords' and phrases that you'd expect people to use when searching for property like yours.
Also, on all of the pages, the 'header' is left aligned and the actually content is centered. This will cause more of a problem when viewed on some pc screens (large resolutions).
Finally, whilst i'm far from being a 'fan' of animated graphics .... yours seem to remain the 'right' side of tastefull
I agree with all of the comments above.
I do think it's very good that you're clear from the first page exactly what this page is for and where your property is -- not all pages do that, so well done!
I do not like the purple background, though -- it hurts my eyes. I agree with Charles -- be consistent with your backgrounds. You don't seem to have a theme with your color schemes and fonts. I'd advocate solid color backgrounds instead of background images.
I agree that I'd take the storm information off and perhaps just insert it into the contract. The picture of the enormous hurricane over the east coast of the US is pretty, but not exactly what you want your clients to think of when envisioning themselves at your property! I would remove that immediately.
Your slideshow is a nice idea and perhaps this is where you could put some of the pictures displayed elsewhere in large quantities. However, before you do that, adjust the slideshow so that it has a pause, forward, back, slow down and speed up button. Also, I had to wait about 20 seconds for the whole thing to load before the first picture would even show up -- if I hadn't been sticking around for the purposes of reviewing the site I think I would have just closed the window completely.
I'm using Firefox in Linux, so I didn't see any page transitions -- it just appeared to take several sections before each page would begin to load. Not good -- most people won't stick around for this. It's very tempting to use all the options FrontPage has to offer, but before you do, ask yourself, "will this snazzy effect bring in more clients?" If the answer is anything but a resounding yes, don't do it.
Last comment: some of your pictures are pretty large -- one of them was over 100K! But many of them are around 40K in size. That's too large unless you're only displaying one or two per page. Try to keep your total page size under 200-300K for any given page, and individual pictures to around 20K unless it's a link to a larger picture that someone clicks on to see. Also, use ALT tags for your images (google likes them)!
I hope this doesn't sound too harsh -- your properties look very unique and lovely. I just think much of the design of the page distracts from that rather than accentuates it.
Cheers!
I do think it's very good that you're clear from the first page exactly what this page is for and where your property is -- not all pages do that, so well done!
I do not like the purple background, though -- it hurts my eyes. I agree with Charles -- be consistent with your backgrounds. You don't seem to have a theme with your color schemes and fonts. I'd advocate solid color backgrounds instead of background images.
I agree that I'd take the storm information off and perhaps just insert it into the contract. The picture of the enormous hurricane over the east coast of the US is pretty, but not exactly what you want your clients to think of when envisioning themselves at your property! I would remove that immediately.
Your slideshow is a nice idea and perhaps this is where you could put some of the pictures displayed elsewhere in large quantities. However, before you do that, adjust the slideshow so that it has a pause, forward, back, slow down and speed up button. Also, I had to wait about 20 seconds for the whole thing to load before the first picture would even show up -- if I hadn't been sticking around for the purposes of reviewing the site I think I would have just closed the window completely.
I'm using Firefox in Linux, so I didn't see any page transitions -- it just appeared to take several sections before each page would begin to load. Not good -- most people won't stick around for this. It's very tempting to use all the options FrontPage has to offer, but before you do, ask yourself, "will this snazzy effect bring in more clients?" If the answer is anything but a resounding yes, don't do it.
Last comment: some of your pictures are pretty large -- one of them was over 100K! But many of them are around 40K in size. That's too large unless you're only displaying one or two per page. Try to keep your total page size under 200-300K for any given page, and individual pictures to around 20K unless it's a link to a larger picture that someone clicks on to see. Also, use ALT tags for your images (google likes them)!
I hope this doesn't sound too harsh -- your properties look very unique and lovely. I just think much of the design of the page distracts from that rather than accentuates it.
Cheers!
Brooke