Review site please

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roxytoo
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Location: Spain Costa Blanca

Review site please

Post by roxytoo »

Hi people!Wonder if you would like to take a look at my site I am working on, it's in the very early stages in that I have only done the first three pages but I'd like some feedback on if I am on the right tracks! I wanted to keep it looking very clear and simple and wonder if its too simple now! Also what is the opinion of links opening up in new pages or not? Seems maybe its better but haven't figured out how to do it yet! Does the HTML code look ok? I am a very very beginner at dreamweaver!
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Hanorah
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Location: Turkey

Post by Hanorah »

Hi I like the design and the photo banner is excellent. I do not think it is too simple at all less is more as they say.

One comment I have is regarding the display. I did check it in 800 x 600 and it does not look as good as you have to scroll along to read the text.

Could you condense it a little so it is optimised for 800 x 600 but still looks good in a larger display. I also made this mistake on my first site too.

I got around this on my site by ensuring I display the most important info on both sizes but on the 800 x 600 a hotel that we promote and 3rd party travel resources do not show.

The best way of acheving a site that looks good in both (and one I have not followed yet) is to have it as a centered table so in 800 x 600 it fills the screen and you can read all info without scrolling and in 1024 x 768 it is smaller and in the center of the screen but still looks great.

I am sure you will get some more useful comments to give you other ideas but you are on your way to a great site. Well Done
Always Learning
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vrooje
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Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

This is a nice site -- very attractive! The pool banner in particular is very enticing. You also tell us right away that this is a rental property in Spain -- excellent.

Here's a list of my comments:
  • I agree with everything Hanorah said -- right now your page is embedded in a table that's 975 pixels wide. Why not change this to 725 pixels? If you optimize your site so that it'll look great at 800x600, it'll still look great at 1024x768, so you'll be optimized for around 80% of browser users. If you cut out the 800x600 crowd you're cutting out about 30-40% of viewers.

    Several of the links on the left side of the page don't work for me. In particular, I can't get the "photos," "how to book," or "flights" buttons to go anywhere. If you're using an advanced type of script for these links, that could be why. I use Firefox, so if you use anything IE-specific, that won't work for me (and for a growing number of internet users).

    Also, I noticed that your left menu is done in flash. I can't figure out why that would be necessary. What if a site visitor doesn't have flash? They won't be able to see your menus and won't be able to navigate your site. Never put any obstacles in front of your potential clients' viewing of your information; requiring a download is a big obstacle. These menus could very, very easily be done with jpg or gif images rather than flash.

    You give your visitors a chance to contact you at the bottom of every page -- that's great!

    The format you've chosen for displaying your pictures is very nice -- they really compliment the text, and the pictures are well-optimized. Well done! Some of them are a bit smushed, though, in order to fit into the space you're using... I don't know if that was intentional. Also, The beach and golf course map on the local area page links to a nonexistent image... I think there's a "2" missing at the end of the filename, before the .jpg suffix.

    Some of your paragraphs are quite long. In your first paragraph on the local area page, you do a great job of selling us on your location. Yet, the paragraph is pretty long, and internet users don't generally like reading paragraphs more than a sentence or two long. So I don't know how many people will actually read it! I'd consider breaking it up into at least two paragraphs, maybe more, and follow this rule elsewhere on the site.

    (The long paragraphs thing is something I struggle with too, so I'm acutely aware of it now!)

    Your links to outside sites don't open in new windows... consider adding the line "target=outsidelink" or "target=_new" (or something similar) to your <A> tags that go to pages outside your site.

    Some of your pages are pretty long -- how about a text menu that goes across the bottom center of each page? That will help your search engine placement, too.

    I love the comparative temperatures for London and Alicante -- what a great idea!

    I would like to see a small caption somewhere around your top pool banner -- just reassuring us that in fact this pool is part of your property.
As far as the code goes, I think Dreamweaver was a good choice -- it keeps the code relatively simple. So your code is pretty easy to read and it's also short -- a good thing! I do have a few suggestions, though:
  • Did you use a meta description tag? I don't think I saw one... these are important for search engines. In my googling yesterday I found a useful site for generating meta tags (as well as explaining what various meta tags are for): http://www.1-hit.com/all-in-one/tool.metatag2.htm . (I don't think it's a bad neighborhood, but of course, Paolo, feel free to remove the link!)

    The above site, by the way, also has some useful tools on it like a broken link checker, a load time analyzer, and a screen size emulator (so you can see what your page looks like at 800x600 and other screen sizes).

    Page titles -- yours are all the same! They should all be variations around a theme, but clearly say what each page is. I'd also succest trying to include some keywords. So perhaps instead of "Casa de Suenos home page" for the home page, it could be "Casa de Suenos Home Page - weekly holiday rental on the beaches of Spain" or similar.
Overall I don't think this page is too simple. I think (aside from the flash menu -- change that to image links, I beg of you) that it's beautifully simple!

Cheers!
Brooke
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

thanks for both your comments, I will start to look at them one at a time!!
First thing I need to do then is change the page size, sorry to be dim but how do I do that easily? Is there some sort of walkthrough? :lol:
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

forgot to say that some of the links aren't working at the mo because I haven't actually done them yet, wanted to see if I was on the right track so to speak!!
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

Hmm... I'm not sure if Dreamweaver can do a global table width adjust... probably, but I've never tried to. Tony might be able to discuss that further. If it can do it, definitely do that. You use (i.e., DW apparently uses) pixel widths for its table cells rather than percent widths, so doing it manually would not be a simple thing.

If you wanted to do it manually, what you would need to do in the code is change the width of the table and the width of the individual table cells (TD tags). If any of your images are set to widths larger than the new table (or table cell) widths, you'd have to adjust those too.

If I were doing it, the first thing I'd do would be to make a copy of my code as a backup that I could go back to if anything went wacky.

Then, I'd just find/highlight any place where the phrase "width=" appears in your code. Then I'd know all the places I'd have to fix.

Then I'd calculate what factor everything needs to be reduced by. If you're going from a table of width=975 to one of width=725, then all your widths need to be multiplied by a factor of (725/975) = 0.74359 or about 0.744. So, you'd be reducing every width= tag value to 74.4% of its current value.

Then I'd resize the images, by multiplying the width and height values by the above factor. I'd check them to make sure they all appear normal -- 75% size, but normal in aspect ratio.

Once I knew the images worked, I'd do the same with the table width values. Multiply them all by the calculated factor. The only check to do here is to make sure that all the table rows have widths that add up to the right value -- rounding errors may mean that they sum to 724 or 726 instead of 725, and that's easy to correct.

Theoretically, that should work...

...but incidentally, this type of thing is a strong argument for using relative widths. If you set a table to width of 1000 and then have three columns of width 200, 600, and 200 pixels, you can instead use "width=20%", "width=60%", and "width=20%". Then if you ever change the table width, you can just change one width= number and everything will re-size itself.

I feel like this is really, really complicated. There has to be a simpler way to do this, yes? It seems like you ought to be able to do this using the graphical view of DW or something. I've just never done it!

Cheers!
Brooke
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livinginitaly
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Post by livinginitaly »

Hmm... I'm not sure if Dreamweaver can do a global table width adjust...
You can do a global 'find and replace' .... for example you could find all '<td width="975"', and replace with '<td width="775"'. Only problem would be with the header images that are 1000 pixels.

Then again, you could always do a 'find and replace' for '<img src="change1.jpg" width="1000" height="180">' and replace it with the size of the 'resized' image.

All 'top of my head' without properly looking at the code though!

Remember to backup and work on copies ;)
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

thanks for input, have to say have been trying all day to get the size right but haveing no luck with the header, just don't know what to do to get it right, also my headings, I can't seem to align to the right (casa de suenos ect) looks fine in the preview but a nightmare on 800x600 , if anyone has time perhaps they can look at the home page to see where my errors are???

:lol:
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

Tony,

The global find and replace will work except the individual table cells are also hard-coded with pixel widths. I'm not sure what happens when the table width is specified as e.g. 725 and the widths of individual columns add up to 875, but I'd bet that the table will adjust to match the maximum width and everything will look screwy...

Meishka, I'll take a look at your code and see if we can figure this out...
Brooke
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livinginitaly
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Post by livinginitaly »

Hi Meishka,

part of the problem is that you've set things out with the 'template', here's a page of code that you could use as a model for the rest of the site. It's not 'perfect' but it'll work at 800 and 1024 screen sizes.

Just open up a 'new page' then copy and paste all the following into it.

I've also uploaded a copy of 'change2.jpg' here at the correct size.

www.webworks-uk.net/change2.jpg

finally, with all your images in the right hand column ..... click on 'resample' (near the 'edit' part of the properties section of dreamweaver)

Hope this helps :)

Code: Select all

<html>
<head>

<title>Rental In Spain Torrevieja</title>

<title>Casa de Suenos holiday rental Torrevieja</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="keywords" content="torrevieja holiday accommodation, torrevieja holiday property, torrevieja apartments to rent, torrevieja accommodation, holidays in torrevieja, accommodation in torrevieja, apartments to rent in torrevieja, holiday rentals in torrevieja, holiday rental torrevieja, torrevieja apartments, holiday accommodation torrevieja, apartments in torrevieja spain, torrevieja holiday apartments, holiday rentals in torrevieja, rental apartments in torrevieja, torrevieja holiday rentals, accommodation torrevieja spain, torrevieja rental apartments, costa blanca accommodation, apartments costa blanca, costa blanca , costa blanca accommodation rental, costa blanca villa accommodation, accommodation rental costa blanca, rental apartments costa blanca, accommodation costa blanca,sunny,south,quiet,rent all year">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
  <tr> 
    <td valign="top"><img src="change2.jpg" width="100%" height="150"></td>
  </tr>
</table>
<table width="98%" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
  <tr> 
    <td valign="top"> 
      <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3" color="#3399CC"><b>Our
             private residents pool<br>
      </b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#FF6600"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#FF6600"><b><font size="7"><font face="cursive" size="10" color="#3399CC"><i>Casa</i> 
    </font><i><font face="cursive" size="10" color="#3399CC">de Sue&ntilde;os</font></i></font></b></font></b></font></p>    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr> 
    <td valign="middle" height="30"> 
      <div align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Urb 
    Jardin Del Mar, Torrevieja, Spain</font></div>    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr> 
    <td height="13" valign="top" bgcolor="#3399CC"> 
      <p align="center"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="cursive" size="4"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><i>Fabulous 
        south facing ground floor property available to rent all year on the Costa 
        Blanca</i></font></b></font></p>
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr> 
    <td height="60" valign="middle"> 
      <div align="center"> 
        <p align="center"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><b>Our
               lovely sunny property is located in a quiet road on the outskirts
              of  Torrevieja,<br> 
          approximately 30 minutes from Alicante or Murcia
          airports</b></font></p>
    </div>    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<table width="98%" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
  <tr> 
    <td width="1" valign="top" rowspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
    <td width="150" rowspan="2" valign="top"> 
      <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#3399CC"><font size="5" face="cursive"><b><a href="index.htm"><font color="#0099CC" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Home</font></a></b></font></font></p>
      <p> <a href="duplex.htm"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4" color="#0099CC">Our 
        Duplex</font></b></a></p>
      <p><font face="cursive" size="5"><b><a href="localarea.htm"><font color="#0099CC" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Local 
        Area</font></a></b></font></p>
      <p><font face="cursive" size="5"><font color="#6699CC"><font size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font color="#0099CC">Photos</font></b></font></font></font></p>
      <p><font face="cursive" size="5"><b><font color="#6699CC"><a href="http&#58;//www.rentors.org/calendar.cfm?pid=13055"><font color="#3399CC" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Availability</font></a></font></b></font></p>
      <p><font face="cursive" size="5"><b><a href="rentalrates.htm"><font color="#0099CC" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rental 
        Rates</font></a></b></font></p>
      <p><font face="cursive" size="5"><b><font color="#0099CC" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">How 
        To Book</font></b></font></p>
    <p><font face="cursive" size="5" color="#3399CC"><b><font color="#0099CC" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4">Flights</font></b></font></p>    </td>
    <td valign="top"><p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Imagine sunbathing on a large 
        patio with a good book in one hand and a chilled glass of wine in the 
        other? Or being able to enjoy alfresco meals in the sunny early mornings 
        and the sultry summer evenings? We can offer you all this and more at 
        Casa de Suenos! </font> </p>      <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Beautiful sandy beaches, Europe's 
        biggest salt flats bursting with bird life, historic sites and a huge 
        variety of Spanish and international restaurants are just a very few of 
        the reasons to book a holiday with us. Whether your perfect holiday consists 
        of beach, golf, activities or relaxation, you will find it in Torrevieja!</font></p>      <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Torrevieja is surrounded by 
        two large natural saltwater lagoons. It is said to be good for sufferers 
        of arthritis, asthma and rheumatism and the area is regarded by the World 
        Health Organisation as having the healthiest climate in Europe.</font></p>      <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our duplex is near to all amenities 
        so car hire is not essential. Within walking distance there are three 
        large supermarkets, the cosmopolitan Ozone complex with Casino, bowling 
        alley, bars & restaurants and Torrevieja Aqua Park. There is a selection 
        of more than a dozen beaches within a ten minute drive and four golf courses 
    within a twenty minute drive. For details of the duplex click <a href="duplex.htm"><font color="#0099CC"><b>here</b></font></a></font></p></td>
    <td width="200" rowspan="2" valign="top">      <p><a href="AquaPark10.jpg"><img src="AquaPark10.jpg" width="185" height="112" align="right" border="0"></a></p>      <p>&nbsp;</p>      <p>&nbsp;</p>      <p>&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Aqua Park</font></p>      <p align="center"><a href="church.jpg"><img src="church.jpg" width="185" height="112" align="right" border="0"></a></p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Torrevieja Square</font></p>      <p align="center"><a href="torrevieja_hafen.jpg"><img src="torrevieja_hafen.jpg" width="185" height="112" align="right" border="0"></a></p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>      <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Torrevieja Marina</font></p>      <p align="right"><a href="pilar.jpg"><img src="pilar.jpg" width="185" height="112" border="0"></a></p>      <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Beach</font></p></td>
  </tr>
  <tr> 
    <td valign="top">      <div align="center"> 
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If you would like to know 
          more or want to make a booking, please let us know. We'll get back to 
          you as quickly as possible &#40;usually within 24 hours&#41;</font></p>
        <p><a href="mailto&#58;jackif@bigfoot.com"><font color="#3399CC"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Email</font></b></font></a></p>
    </div></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
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livinginitaly
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Post by livinginitaly »

oops .... sorry Brooke, just noticed that you'd offered to take a look at the code too :)

Yes, you're right about the 'column' widths causing problems ..... i've been using css that long now i forget how tables work!
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vrooje
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Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

Heehee, Tony, I was just about to post something similar!

:) Meishka, I'll PM you, just because I re-sized it too, and it'll all go to waste if I don't send it! But Tony's a DW master, so his advice is surely good!

Cheers!
Brooke
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roxytoo
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Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:23 am
Location: Spain Costa Blanca

Post by roxytoo »

Hi guys thanks for helping me, I have done what you suggested Brooke buttttttttttt the banner photo now when I upload has lost a lot of the impact (strecteched too far one way I think so lost the ladder bit) and on my screen at 800 x 600 is stretched far over the the rest of the page!! Or am I missing something? What does it look like on your screen? Odd things happen to the banner photo on yours too Vrooje or is it me?
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roxytoo
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Location: Spain Costa Blanca

Post by roxytoo »

sorry forgot to add its here

www.spanishrentalsite.com/homepage.htm
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livinginitaly
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Post by livinginitaly »

Nearly there :)

What I meant was .... download the copy of change2.jpg and overwrite your copy with it. It's saved to the right size so should work fine. If you 're-insert' it back into the page, it'll change the size settings.

Also, the 3rd column, has a width of 285 .... I think that's best at 200 so as to keep an acceptable space between the text and images, whilst also keep the image titles in line.

Brooke ........ dreamweaver expert?! .... honestly, you should see some of the sites i keep hidden, they ain't so pretty ;)
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