Your comments on our new web site, please

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.
e-richard
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Post by e-richard »

Garri wrote:In fact, nowhere on your front page does it mention the vital word: PORTUGAL
And that statement sort of contradicts ttp's keen eye when he spotted:
ttp wrote:Also
the Algarve in Portugal
Is there an Algarve anywhere else ?
Now as it happens, I do know of many people who probably don't know that The Algarve is in Portugal (they come from USA by the way, but thats not meant to be significant) :oops: .

But I'd rather make a serious point:
I wonder if these comments are relevant in the real world. People are unlikely to find this website unless they are specifically looking for an apartment in Vilamoura in the Algarve in Portugal. They typically don't search on "holiday flat by the sea" and then decide where to go.

Thus, its important to include all these terms high up on the page (probably in your opening para) to ensure you are found by appropriate people.

Oh, and by the way, this is not specific to Portugal. These comments could apply to Villas in Spain, France, UK, Florida or Iceland. I do believe that you need to give location prominence in SEO activities and if this means tautological descriptions then so be it. Next year I'm going to Paris, France and am looking for an apartment on the Left Bank. I'll be sure to put all those words into my search.

I may even add the reason for my trip, but I doubt "threesome" is typically included in most website descriptions :lol:
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

Richard, forgive me, it does mention Portugal in the bottom para :oops:

I agree this needs to be more prominent.

I just looked at the site again and my eye was drawn to this word:
Beautiful two bedroom Vilamoura apartment in closed condominium complex with shared private garden, swimming pool, tennis court and secure parking
Closed is not a positive word here. If it's closed then there's no point me spending anymore time at this website because it says they're closed, I'll come back when they're open ;-)

Alternatives: Enclosed, Exclusive, Private

Shared private garden? Can you share a private garden? The comma also implies I'll be sharing the not-so private swimming pool and tennis court with someone else.

or am I reading that all wrong?
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

Well not much advice taken on board it seems though photo gallery has more prominence.

Is it me or have the photos improved?

Also, why are people putting still placing their main nav on the left? Better on the right, near the scroll bar.

We have to move over to the nav on left, then over to the right to scroll, the back over to the left to select another nav item, then over to the right to scroll.... etc etc...

Unless your site is Above the Fold then consider placing nav on right - people will love you for it and want to have your babies!
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Sorry for still sounding negative but the whole text reads like it was written by an overly hormonal semi literate teenager. I can feel that if I read it out loud the end of most of the grammatically incorrect sentences would end on a higher note than it started.
Still curious as to what a cleansing dishwasher is - do manfacturers produce dishwashers that don't clean?
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

Still curious as to what a cleansing dishwasher is - do manfacturers produce dishwashers that don't clean?
I'm waiting for them to produce ones that put the dishes in for you, take them out and put them away ;-)

I'd pay good money for one of those!

Anyway, I'm still waiting to find out what a 'shared private garden' is. Any ideas?

And if I was Google, I would be waiting to see the keyword Portugal appearing more prominently before I rewarded the site with any modicum of visibility. ;-)
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

And they still haven't toned down the 'security'. The word must be mentioned 6 or 7 times on one page. Sorry, it is still a big put off, I would be terrified if I thought I needed quadruple locks on my doors, security gates, etc. It wouldn't make me feel safe at all.
And those big links to photo galleries, golf and car rental do nothing for me.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

KateK is clearly someone who has only used this site for a website review and has no intention of contributing anything else.
I'm get very annoyed when this happens - a lot of long term members go to the time and trouble of offering advice, most of which is ignored, never to hear from the OP again. Same old same old.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Oh well, we gave our advice. Her loss if she doesn't take it I suppose.
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enid
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Post by enid »

Oh well, we gave our advice. Her loss if she doesn't take it I suppose.
I agree
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Bohinj Badger
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Post by Bohinj Badger »

I just don't get it! -why post your website up for review if you do not take any of the advice? :shock:

Just doesn't make sense.....

I hope that this will not put you off reviewing future websites. Some of us really value your opinions and have learned a great deal from your comments. Please keep it up! I know from personal experience though that it can be quite difficult to get the time to implement all the great comments shortly after posting whilst battling with the website package etc. (I was working on mine on the train home tonight!)

BB
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

Bohinj Badger wrote:I just don't get it! -why post your website up for review if you do not take any of the advice? :shock:

Just doesn't make sense.....
BB, in order to attempt to make some sense of it one needs to go back and read the following:
I think it's fantastic - but then I'm biased because it was our daughter that did it! She knows I'm going to ask you for your thoughts and I'll be passing them on to her.
That tells you two things:

1. You don't need to review my website because there's nowt wrong with it - I just wanted to show off.

2. It's the school holidays here ;-)

Point 2 can be taken a few ways ;-)
ttp
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Location: Guingamp

Post by ttp »

Bohinj Badger wrote:
I think it's fantastic - but then I'm biased because it was our daughter that did it! She knows I'm going to ask you for your thoughts and I'll be passing them on to her.
I handle some of the Tech support for the computer programs we publish & the 2 phrases that fill my heart with dread are:

'I am our companies/schools computer expert'

or worse still

'My son is a computer expert'
Regards

Nick Thompson

http://www.gite-in-brittany.co.uk
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

By the way BB, your site is coming along a treat. The captions on the photos work well and I like the sidebar with supporting info - clever positioning on the right as we take notice of it more.

And helpful pronunciation guide. I have strong connections in the former Yugoslavia (Serbia) so knew how it was pronounced but helpful for people who don't know.

I see you have almost cracked the breadcrumb system in relation to the flyout menus.

I realise this is off-topic, as you have your own review thread, but I wanted to highlight the fact that you are someone who has take on board some of the advice and ideas people have given you.
Last edited by Garri on Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:29 am, edited 2 times in total.
slartibartfast
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Post by slartibartfast »

That's made me feel all inadequate now with my baby steps :cry:
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Garri
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Post by Garri »

Ian, what you talking about? You've gone from 0 to 60 in a week with your site, OK that's slower than a Ferrari but a Ferrari doesn't have to grapple with Mr Site before it gets going ;-)
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