my site

[Brian]

Hi,

I think I posted in the wrong forum for a site review request, anyway...

I have a Villa in the Philippines.

Please have a look at my website and see what you think. I'm especially interest in opinion on my properties VIDEO. It's on the link called "Video".

www.panglaobeachvilla.com

[Eileen2]

Hi Brian, I'm in a bit of a hurry here so don't have time to look at your video. Your website is so easy and quick to get around, just what I like(!) but I'm finding it difficult to find out exactly how many your villa sleeps.
Also perhaps it's my eyes but it looks as though it had been raining when you took the main photo, perhaps another taken in brighter weather would be more inviting?

Eileen.
Holiday Villa Rental in Arillas, Corfu,
Greece
www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/corfu/16624

www.yourholidaymatters.com/greece.php

[enid]

Well to keep all info in the same place I'll repost my comments here.

Welcome to LMH

It takes a bit of time to review a web site Brian - I do it a lot on LMH. At the moment I am asking for reviews of my site see - 'Revamp awaits your comments' under Website Reviews. Perhaps you could have a look there whilst you are waiting responses to your post.

Re your site.

Home I like the colours - relaxing. On the header I would have the word Philippines on the same line as the other smaller text - it has wrapped and runs into the border. (OK on other pages)

Rates: Clear,accessible information. The font in the info boxes is hard for me to read (old woman's eyes). I'd like to be able to enlarge the photos somehow.

Photos Villa looks great but I think it would be best shown off if the rooms wre 'dressed' a little. The great room actually looks a bit bare and think about a meal in preparation and a bottle of wine in the kitchen. Those little things will make the rooms come alive. Again no enlargement possibility.

Info Although I prefer the font here the scrolling got tedious after a while. Some of the info I would keep for the villa for people who have booked.

Location Clear and to the point.

Links Good links relevant to the holiday.One of the images didn't load

VideoWell what a professional job!!! I would do the same but I don't look so god as your professional presenter in a bikini Wink The purple border is a bit harsh against your colour scheme.

Hope that helps.

[cottageguru]

I like the look of the site overall but I'm feeling I may have missed something....

I couldn't find how many bedrooms and bathrooms there were and it took me a while to realise you had to scroll down all that info. I would prefer that on a separate page.

The great room looks lovely but a bit stark - not a lot of furniture.

If I was a visitor looking for accommodation I would have left your site quite quickly because I couldn't find the information I was looking for - it was a bit frustrating to search for it.

Apart from that, the photos are nice and I do think you have some useful information - it was just tough to find.

[cottageguru]

Hi Brian

I just read some of your comments on Enid's thread and felt compelled to come back here and add some more.

I'm going to be really blunt here and say that although the video was nicely presented, it was too long and for my taste it was too boring. As a site visitor looking for information on a property I want it bulleted and brief, so I can make a quick decision on whether I want to look further and spend any more precious time. The video is best as an extra for those who have had their interest spiked by the text and still images.

Your view that people don't want to wade through text is too generalistic. We all have different ways of assimilating information and relying on just one method of presentation - the video - may well lose you a lot of potential guests.

Why not present your information so that it appeals to all styles and not just one?

[Chambo]

Here's what I think..

I agree with what's been said.. If I was looking for somewhere to stay, I would want to see a clear outline of the property's main points on the first page. This would always include how many it sleeps. I can click next to the 'rates' page to find that it sleep a maximum of 7 but in how many rooms? And then an additional $10 per head but where do they sleep? Are there the beds for them?

On the 'info' page... Lots of information is obviously useful - I may be wrong, though but is it necessary to advise 'child supervision' and about the dangers of sea urchins etc. on a website? Couldn't this be included in a welcome pack or on booking? I thought it was a bit negative and detracted from the more useful stuff like shops, restaurants and the lovely outdoor kitchen, which would be a big attractions for me.

You say that people put too much info on their sites but it seems to me like all the necessary front page info has just been lumped onto this page in a big long list.

The photo on the 'location' page is a bit blurry on my machine and would look loads better bigger and clearer.

Re the video - it's a great idea but my speakers aren't working at the moment, so I couldn't listen to what the presenter was saying! This might be true of a lot of people, which would be a shame.

Anyway, your place is gorgeous and the overall look of the site is great. Good luck!

[Brian]

I have a question about the comments about providing more information. When I get inquiries they're always always always stuff that's in plain view on the site. Anyone else experience this? Stuff like "How much per night".

It's just like these discussion forums where certain questions get asked over and over again but people would rather simply post it again than do a search in the particular forum.

[cottageguru]

Brian

There's an old saying I learnt on a marketing course:

"The meaning of your communication is in the response you get"

Basically it means that if people keep asking questions, you might want to look at the way your information is offered. If the response you are getting isn't the one you want, it could be that you need to change the presentation of that information.

Every question you get is feedback to you and should be welcomed as there are many folks out there who won't bother with asking...they'll just move onto the next site.

Often people also want confirmation that what they see on a site is correct. I have a calendar clearly posted on mine as well as rates, but am often asked about both.

[Brian]

Brian


Often people also want confirmation that what they see on a site is correct. I have a calendar clearly posted on mine as well as rates, but am often asked about both.

That must be it. Confirmation. It's always the people that book that ask the dumbest questions.

[A-two]

It's always the people that book that ask the dumbest questions.

Smart people need not apply then....

(hint:this is a public forum and your signature is showing)

[paolo]

That must be it. Confirmation. It's always the people that book that ask the dumbest questions.

I always ask what the rate is, whether it is available, does it have ADSL, etc. when I book a house. Why? Because sometimes I find out the information I have read is wrong, even the number of bedrooms has been wrong by a factor of 50%.

I also usually enquire about multiple properties and have the same questions for each, so rather than spend hours reading all the text on every site, which is somethimes arranged in the most illogical way, and often just plain missing, I think it is OK for an owner to do a little bit of work for me in exchange for the hundreds or thousands we are going to be paying.

Funny enough it is those owners who have given me a quick, full and charming reply whose properties I want to go back to.

[ravetildon]

I really like the video, any way to get a pause button on there? At some points the music overpowered the speaker a lil bit.

What did you use to make the video?

[vrooje]

That must be it. Confirmation. It's always the people that book that ask the dumbest questions.

Perhaps because many of the people who don't ask the more fundamental questions, neglect to do so because they're not really serious about making a booking, or aren't as interested in your property as they are in some other place. From that perspective we should be happy when people ask so-called "stupid questions" because it means they really want to know the answer.

I think it is OK for an owner to do a little bit of work for me in exchange for the hundreds or thousands we are going to be paying.

Paolo makes the point from the client perspective, and I completely agree that this is the right attitude for us as owners to take.

So someone e-mails you asking about availability and also asks some other question you already explicitly answer on your website. How long does it take to tell them to go check your website for the answer? How much longer does it take to just answer the question? 60 seconds more? That's a small bit of time to spend to show them you care enough to answer their question.

Plus, as Paolo mentioned, this is probably used by many potential guests as a litmus test to separate those owners who care from those who just want to spend the least amount of time possible answering an inquiry. So I'd rather take the extra time to come down on the side of being an owner who cares.

Brian, I can't watch your video right now -- I'm in a place that requires quiet and I don't have my headphones. Viva web 3.0? I will try to watch it later, though...

[Brian]

I really like the video, any way to get a pause button on there? At some points the music overpowered the speaker a lil bit.

What did you use to make the video?

I shot it with a JVC HD100 which is a 3ccd HD camera. I had to re-record her voice and dub it in because the wind was so strong. Basically the shoot was a disaster. And very little went in to it. I'm not in Asia right now so all I had for images were some stills shot with a $99 digicam. My hostess? Yes, she's beautiful and sexy, but I only had her for two hours and some may have noticed, she is NOT in the Philippines, she's talking to you from Half Moon bay in California. Notice the seagulls in the background? The wind was gusting at about 40 knots which turned the shoot into chaos. But I'll be in Asia in June and will do this video properly. There will be lighting, glamour shots, camera moves, food shots, gonna hit it out of the park. Stay tuned!

I'm going to put a windows media player on the site so it can be paused. Thanks for the compliment.

A couple people have emailed me asking if the hostess is single...hahha!

[ravetildon]

haha, I am very close to half mood bay!

What video editing software did you use & how did you make the still do that effect?

I am not very good with video... Something I'd like to learn ASAP.