Hi all
I'm new to the forum. So glad I found it as it is really helpful.
We have been in France now for 1 yr and have decided to start a holiday gite on our farm.
I have done my own website www.lasiauve.com
Basically I have emailed lots of fishing clubs, walking clubs etc anyone who I think might be interested and I have got the site on lots of accomodation sites.
Since the launch in Feb I have had over 1,100 visits to the site and more recently I've been getting between 20 -50 visits per day.
Problem - only one booking so far and only one extra enquiry which didnt lead to anything.
So what is wrong??
Really appreciate your advise and any neccessary critism - but be gentle!!!
Thanks in advance
Ann
Interested in your advice about my gite
Hi Ann
Welcome to the forum. I hope I'm not going to be too hard but for me the site doesn't work on the 1st page.
I find the font hard to read and you would have lost me at this point. Secondly I can't easily see how many the Gite sleeps and thirdly you have 2 maps and as someone who doesn't know France very well I'm still not sure where you are.
I do like the large bright clear photos, but not the collage effect it adds little to your good pictures and the layout and navigation are easy to use.
Vera
Welcome to the forum. I hope I'm not going to be too hard but for me the site doesn't work on the 1st page.
I find the font hard to read and you would have lost me at this point. Secondly I can't easily see how many the Gite sleeps and thirdly you have 2 maps and as someone who doesn't know France very well I'm still not sure where you are.
I do like the large bright clear photos, but not the collage effect it adds little to your good pictures and the layout and navigation are easy to use.
Vera
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TTP mk2
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:15 pm
- Location: Guingamp/Bourbriac in Brittany
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This is purely my personal view.
I'm not keen on the font, it's not that easy for my old eyes to read.
While I appreciate that it needs to be mentioned, I feel there are too many conditions & negatives:
Due to external stairway it is not suitable for the disabled.
Sorry No Pets
No smoking inside the property.
but we do ask that you have relevant travel insurance.
etc.
I wouldn't mention: Access to a washing machine can also be provided.
That just emphasis's that there isn't one in the gite.
Underlining should, IMHO, be reserved for links.
I would try to separate the pictures at http://www.lasiauve.com/page1.html
I would change the page names to something more meaningful than page1.html, page2.html etc.
I'll leave others to comment about the SEO aspects.
Do you actually have a Gite or an apartment ?
I hope this helps.
I'm not keen on the font, it's not that easy for my old eyes to read.
While I appreciate that it needs to be mentioned, I feel there are too many conditions & negatives:
Due to external stairway it is not suitable for the disabled.
Sorry No Pets
No smoking inside the property.
but we do ask that you have relevant travel insurance.
etc.
I wouldn't mention: Access to a washing machine can also be provided.
That just emphasis's that there isn't one in the gite.
Underlining should, IMHO, be reserved for links.
I would try to separate the pictures at http://www.lasiauve.com/page1.html
I would change the page names to something more meaningful than page1.html, page2.html etc.
I'll leave others to comment about the SEO aspects.
Do you actually have a Gite or an apartment ?
I hope this helps.
"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools."
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader
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cottageguru
- Posts: 301
- Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:04 am
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- Contact:
I will just echo what has already been said, but with some emphasis on the font, as I too find it difficult to read. There's lots written about which fonts are the best to use on a website - arial usually works the best from my perspective.
The exterior photos, while quite attractive would be much better showing leafy trees. The skies look as though they have been touched up with a brightness/contrast tool a bit too much.
You might also want to show on the home page how many people the gite/apartment will accommodate.
The exterior photos, while quite attractive would be much better showing leafy trees. The skies look as though they have been touched up with a brightness/contrast tool a bit too much.
You might also want to show on the home page how many people the gite/apartment will accommodate.
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Chambo
- Posts: 240
- Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:43 am
- Location: St Germain Les Belles, Limousin, France
- Contact:
review
Hello,
Hey, you're just down the road from me!
Anyway, I think the website looks really bright and inviting.
I'd like to again echo what has already been said and it would definitely be good to have a 'summary' of the gite on the front page e.g. how many rooms there are and how many it can sleep etc.
By the way, I think Correze is a department of Limousin, not the other way around?!
I also definitely think that more summery shots would work better (hard with the weather we've been having here of late!). Oh, and maybe a close-up shot of the accommodation nearer the top of the page.
Good luck with the gites, it looks a lovely location!
Hey, you're just down the road from me!
Anyway, I think the website looks really bright and inviting.
I'd like to again echo what has already been said and it would definitely be good to have a 'summary' of the gite on the front page e.g. how many rooms there are and how many it can sleep etc.
By the way, I think Correze is a department of Limousin, not the other way around?!
I also definitely think that more summery shots would work better (hard with the weather we've been having here of late!). Oh, and maybe a close-up shot of the accommodation nearer the top of the page.
Good luck with the gites, it looks a lovely location!
Village holiday house, for large groups: Limousin, 30 minutes south of Limoges. http://www.vacvertes.com
https://www.facebook.com/VacancesVertes ... ef=tn_tnmn
www.chambers-maids-brecon.com
https://www.facebook.com/VacancesVertes ... ef=tn_tnmn
www.chambers-maids-brecon.com
similar views from me
as well s the font (with which I concur with the others!), you should have all the good things at the start of each page. You could have a separate page on the terms and conditions where you can say things like no smoking, no pets, not suitable for people with disabilities etc. but not up front as it puts people off before they start.
Where you have a number of photos make sure that the sizing is of comparable size or double it but preferably don't put two together
- for example on the gite page the photo of the sitting room and the wood burning stove makes the pictures look wonky because of the angle of the sitting room picture. On its own it would look fine.
make it clear on the first page that this is a holiday let/gite for x number of people - summarise briefly what it includes and then let people know a bit about the region. Give them a taster and they'll look further.
good luck!
as well s the font (with which I concur with the others!), you should have all the good things at the start of each page. You could have a separate page on the terms and conditions where you can say things like no smoking, no pets, not suitable for people with disabilities etc. but not up front as it puts people off before they start.
Where you have a number of photos make sure that the sizing is of comparable size or double it but preferably don't put two together
- for example on the gite page the photo of the sitting room and the wood burning stove makes the pictures look wonky because of the angle of the sitting room picture. On its own it would look fine.
make it clear on the first page that this is a holiday let/gite for x number of people - summarise briefly what it includes and then let people know a bit about the region. Give them a taster and they'll look further.
good luck!
Hi again
Been working on the website all day trying to implement the changes you are suggesting.
Thanks Chambo for the little boost and well spotted with the Correze dept.
As the better weather draws in I'll be getting better pictures - with leaves!! We only decided to start the gite in January this year so I've done the best with the pics I can.
Those who have already commented please could you have another look??
Cheers once again
Ann
Been working on the website all day trying to implement the changes you are suggesting.
Thanks Chambo for the little boost and well spotted with the Correze dept.
As the better weather draws in I'll be getting better pictures - with leaves!! We only decided to start the gite in January this year so I've done the best with the pics I can.
Those who have already commented please could you have another look??
Cheers once again
Ann
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
It is always brave of someone to open up their web site to comments. We have not done it yet. But we know we need to change a few things before we do the same.
· We would agree with other postings about fonts. Looking at your coding we can see it is can range between 14 and 18pts. That is very large for body text. Maybe it should be reserved for headers only.
· On the home page, we can see a phone number and email address in the header section but as it is in black it is hard to see. It is almost a secret. You repeat the information further down the page so maybe it is superfluous anyway.
· Agree with other comments about location. The maps and from your description it is hard to know where you are in France.
· Centring alignment of paragraphs looks untidy. Maybe it would look neater if they were either left of justified aligned.
· The phone number written in pairs of numbers looks a bit disjointed, could this be improved?
· Disabled access; we understood it was a law that all public buildings had to provide such facilities, that besides it is good that you mention that you do not have any. The way it is written at the moment it is sort of highlighted too much. So maybe tone this negative point down a little.
· On ‘the area page’ the La Siauve and link to your own web site is not aligned well, unlike other pages. The only link to tourist information is to a tractor pull. Personally that would no attract us to you house and may limit other potential customers. Why is there a large light blue column alongside the montage?
· The price list shows the euros on a different line to the figures, so it is not quite readable. What is a safety deposit? The way you want your guest to pay for the stay is not quite clear. And maybe you should just add that deposits will be returned after one week, nothing more.
· Some other comments. You are obviously wanting to attract fishermen so how about some photos of the fish from your lake? There are no headers in the code which give a description and keywords.
The web site’s basic layout is good, nice and simple. It will not take long to download if someone is using a slow connection.
· We would agree with other postings about fonts. Looking at your coding we can see it is can range between 14 and 18pts. That is very large for body text. Maybe it should be reserved for headers only.
· On the home page, we can see a phone number and email address in the header section but as it is in black it is hard to see. It is almost a secret. You repeat the information further down the page so maybe it is superfluous anyway.
· Agree with other comments about location. The maps and from your description it is hard to know where you are in France.
· Centring alignment of paragraphs looks untidy. Maybe it would look neater if they were either left of justified aligned.
· The phone number written in pairs of numbers looks a bit disjointed, could this be improved?
· Disabled access; we understood it was a law that all public buildings had to provide such facilities, that besides it is good that you mention that you do not have any. The way it is written at the moment it is sort of highlighted too much. So maybe tone this negative point down a little.
· On ‘the area page’ the La Siauve and link to your own web site is not aligned well, unlike other pages. The only link to tourist information is to a tractor pull. Personally that would no attract us to you house and may limit other potential customers. Why is there a large light blue column alongside the montage?
· The price list shows the euros on a different line to the figures, so it is not quite readable. What is a safety deposit? The way you want your guest to pay for the stay is not quite clear. And maybe you should just add that deposits will be returned after one week, nothing more.
· Some other comments. You are obviously wanting to attract fishermen so how about some photos of the fish from your lake? There are no headers in the code which give a description and keywords.
The web site’s basic layout is good, nice and simple. It will not take long to download if someone is using a slow connection.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
much better already - well done.
I know how nerve racking it is putting your website to the test - I did it too earlier (note that I've now deleted my web link as I my visitor stats were being distorted by lmh people looking, which is fine but when you are just starting out you do want to see what the ratio of links to enquiries/bookings are).
Some final points - personally I wouldn't bother with the bathroom - I've taken those back of our website as unless it is super duper bathroom I don't think they ever take a good picture.
Again, the only other change is to put the number it sleeps on the first page.
I would echo the comment about fishing
I know how nerve racking it is putting your website to the test - I did it too earlier (note that I've now deleted my web link as I my visitor stats were being distorted by lmh people looking, which is fine but when you are just starting out you do want to see what the ratio of links to enquiries/bookings are).
Some final points - personally I wouldn't bother with the bathroom - I've taken those back of our website as unless it is super duper bathroom I don't think they ever take a good picture.
Again, the only other change is to put the number it sleeps on the first page.
I would echo the comment about fishing
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TTP mk2
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:15 pm
- Location: Guingamp/Bourbriac in Brittany
- Contact:
I would agree with casasantoestevo insofar as the text is too large & the centre alignment looks messy.
I think you mean to have the © (alt0169) symbol in your copyright message.
Copyright ® 2008 lasiauve.com
I think you mean to have the © (alt0169) symbol in your copyright message.
Copyright ® 2008 lasiauve.com
"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools."
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader
Hi Ann
I just read ths thread and I understand you have made already quite some changes. I have no problems with the layout and fonts but I think that adding more pictures of the interior would greatly help.
I find that people wants to see details of what they buy, where they will be spending time.
In addition, I would take advantage of the (hopefully) arriving spring to make sunny pictures. Open the curtains in that bedroom and get a photo with the sun on the bed! One cannot even see if you actually have a window in that bedroom (I am sure you have one of course)
Same for all the other rooms, the general feeling is that the house is dark and does not convey the idea of holiday and relaxation. For example the focus of the picture of your kitchen is the crease on the tablecloth. The rest of the kitchen, in the background is hardly visible.
I have to tell you though that it has taken me years to improve the pictures in my own website and I am far from completely happy. Still we prefer to do it ourselves and bit by bit and it has worked out so far.
The best compliment is when people comes and tells you: oh but this is much better than in the website!
I just read ths thread and I understand you have made already quite some changes. I have no problems with the layout and fonts but I think that adding more pictures of the interior would greatly help.
I find that people wants to see details of what they buy, where they will be spending time.
In addition, I would take advantage of the (hopefully) arriving spring to make sunny pictures. Open the curtains in that bedroom and get a photo with the sun on the bed! One cannot even see if you actually have a window in that bedroom (I am sure you have one of course)
Same for all the other rooms, the general feeling is that the house is dark and does not convey the idea of holiday and relaxation. For example the focus of the picture of your kitchen is the crease on the tablecloth. The rest of the kitchen, in the background is hardly visible.
I have to tell you though that it has taken me years to improve the pictures in my own website and I am far from completely happy. Still we prefer to do it ourselves and bit by bit and it has worked out so far.
The best compliment is when people comes and tells you: oh but this is much better than in the website!
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catherinedonegal
- Posts: 378
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:10 pm
- Location: Dunkineely, County Donegal, Ireland
- Contact:
hi lasiauve - i'm new too so welcome from another newbie!
good on you for putting your site up for comment. i haven't done it yet as my site is not ready but like you i will put it up for comment.
anyway, my comments, and they are made kindly so don't be hurt.
1. you say 'gite' but it seems that the accommodation is a first floor apartment. i have never been to france but i would think of a gite as a separate building.
2. the second pic on your opening page is way over enhanced. the colours are really bad and either need toned down or the original pic used. you have a beautiful scene but it is ruined by the over enhancement.
3. mis-spellings. these words are spelled incorrectly on your site:
accommodate
separate
4. the accommodation pics:
- they need more light either artificial or natural. the pics as they are make the rooms look rather dowdy and dismal and wouldn't entice me to rent.
- in the kitchen pic i would iron the table cloth (or lose it), set the table, and take pic from further away
now. good luck with your site and hope my input is of some help.
good on you for putting your site up for comment. i haven't done it yet as my site is not ready but like you i will put it up for comment.
anyway, my comments, and they are made kindly so don't be hurt.
1. you say 'gite' but it seems that the accommodation is a first floor apartment. i have never been to france but i would think of a gite as a separate building.
2. the second pic on your opening page is way over enhanced. the colours are really bad and either need toned down or the original pic used. you have a beautiful scene but it is ruined by the over enhancement.
3. mis-spellings. these words are spelled incorrectly on your site:
accommodate
separate
4. the accommodation pics:
- they need more light either artificial or natural. the pics as they are make the rooms look rather dowdy and dismal and wouldn't entice me to rent.
- in the kitchen pic i would iron the table cloth (or lose it), set the table, and take pic from further away
now. good luck with your site and hope my input is of some help.