Starting to feel a bit desperate

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.
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Richard D
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Post by Richard D »

Thomas,

What a transformation !

More photos and useful information broken up into manageable chunks - excellent. The sidebar doesn't now distract me so much because I'm busy reading the hompage.

Breaking down the accommodation into easily defined blocks works well and I now have a much better idea about what your property is about.

The only obvious omission for me now is the name of the nearest town and how far away from it you are.

A dramatic improvement - well done !
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Thomas BC wrote:But I feel from the comments here (and the lack of enquiries from the good search engine generated traffic I am getting), those that 'get it' are few and far between - and this is my fault: because of presentational problems. This is what I am attending to now.
Out of interest, what search engine traffic are you getting, unique hits per day and for what phrases? Do you just advertise to the UK market?
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Blue Shutters
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Post by Blue Shutters »

Wow, great work already. I know you have two different gites (and not apartments in the same building), a separate pool and stunning views....... and great fun having a separate boules pit, very sociable yet private too if that's what I am after. B&B if I were passing through, or just a couple wanting a non standard length holiday with no breakfast run in the morning.

I like the academic prose bit, perhaps you should hire out your prose skills to others of us who are stuck, but we probably can't afford you! But limited to 300 words per person per ad :lol:

I have drooled on your food offerings pages, but think perhaps you have too much about pricing on there. You want the full menu, and just state from Ex for a simple 2 course, to full blown gourmet 5 courses (or whatever) at Ey. Children under z years a% off.

I think the catering is a huge attraction!
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Thomas BC wrote:
I am an academic ... we like words
As somebody who recently had his new website ripped apart by the LMH pit-bulls, I have to say that it was an entirely positive experience. There's no quicker (or more brutal!) way to expose woolly thinking and half-baked concepts than to expose the soft under-belly of your site to the teeth of the pack! These guys are top-notch.

My (tiny) contribution to this debate is to suggest that you surround the front-page photos that run into each other with a thin white border. Perhaps it's me, but I always find it hard to look at pix that merge together in this way. And making them open up to a bigger size would be good.

Jim
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HenryG
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Post by HenryG »

Hi Thomas,
Thomas BC wrote: 1. I have gites and B&B on offer - for various reasons I have opted for one as opposed to two websites.
I would have chosen two websites and then interlink.
Thomas BC wrote: 2. The principle behind the website model/design chosen by GG2, as I understand and have interpreted it (I am very definitely not abdicating any responsibility for the website as you and potential punters see it) is to use a 'blog' for SEO purposes. (There are various threads on here discussing that so I wont go into that now).
Having a blog is OK, but I believe it should be a separate entity - placed on a different directory.

Then on that section you are free to do whatever you want.
There are LMHers who have both a website and a blog, but have chosen to keep them separate.
That would be wise.
The principle behind my blog is to provide information on Basse Copette, the area, forthcoming events in the area. From feedback so far, those that 'get it' like it, and benefit. But I feel from the comments here (and the lack of enquiries from the good search engine generated traffic I am getting), those that 'get it' are few and far between - and this is my fault: because of presentational problems. This is what I am attending to now.
Your site should be functional on the very thing it is trying to achieve: to rent out your properties. Leave the extra information to other websites, portals and tourist guides.

Keep only the information that is truly relevant for the visitor booking their holidays with you.
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Richard D
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Post by Richard D »

Jimbo wrote:suggest that you surround the front-page photos that run into each other with a thin white border. Perhaps it's me, but I always find it hard to look at pix that merge together in this way. And making them open up to a bigger size would be good.

Jim
Good point. It's not just you Jimbo, I too think that borders around photos do generally improve the look, especially if you have several in a row.

Except for some minor SEO issues, I don't see that much of of problem with having the B&B and gîtes on one site. It may be an idea though to perhaps spilt the B&B off into separate subdomain or something like that at some point in the future.
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Thomas BC
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Post by Thomas BC »

Thanks for the great feedback on the update. I was in fact attending to the many comments as you were typing them. I think homepage now done (except for image links, which have to wait 'til I reorganise those pages - as changing everything - B&B one works as it should do though).

LV will get back to you on those stats when I get site done, if that is OK.

Richard, I did rearrange the sidebar - pruning it of unnecessary features. So, I am hoping that has helped make it less intimidating as well as the homepage itself.

Henry, not wishing to pass the buck, but I would like to see what GG2 thinks of some of your suggestions/comments, given its his design.

Jimbo, could not agree more! I am extremely grateful for the positive feedback!!!

Everyone, thank you!
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Normandy Cow
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Post by Normandy Cow »

I don't think you need to have a separate website for the blog - in fact I think it is very important to have the blog within your website, for SEO purposes.

The reasons are two-fold:
1. It increases the perceived usefulness of the site so making it look more important to the search engines
2. People will find your site whilst searching for something else related. For example I get a lot of hits on my site from people searching for "Giverny". So if they are thinking of going to Giverny, they'll now be aware that we are nearby and may decide to stay with us. (OK, I also get a lot of hits from people searching for other things such as "Farrow and Ball", "stacking firewood" etc!)

But, all that Thomas needs to do, to satisfy both points of view offered on this thread, is to keep his blog entries, but not have them all listed on the home page.

Thomas, this is what I would do (and similar to what I am aiming to do on mine):
1. Keep your current list of "Further Information" (because that in effect is your blog). Here will be all the useful SEO-rich articles and text.
2. Transfer your blogroll links currently in the "Local Attractions" section to being hyperlinks within the blog articles above.
3. Put the Trip Advisor comments within your "Visitors Book" section.

Voila! You still have all that useful content that you have so painstakingly put together, yet the initial "advert" page is much cleaner and easier to take in. Once you have lured people in with the important info, they can read further if they want to.

(This is just my viewpoint, I may be wrong, but it's what I would do in your shoes).

xxx
Martha
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Post by Martha »

Massive improvement - well done!!

It would be nice to be able to click on the pics and see them bigger. :)
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Thomas BC
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Post by Thomas BC »

I have now finished the major work of the reorganisation of my site. Besides the homepage transformation, I have cut down on the number of pages, and rearranged the information relating to each of the three accommodations together on one page. Each page does need tidying up though here and there - text needs tweaking, need new photos, etc. But I think the overall page structure is now much more user friendly.

Most important is that people are not turned off on page one - which is what I was noticing - traffic stopped there. So I am hoping given the positive comments on the new homepage, this will indeed be the case. Time will tell. Perhaps Margaret can be my first test when she returns :) :)

But you will notice I have kept the sidebar - but its a different (I edited out 'radically' :lol: ) sidebar. I like the sidebar. But you may think my potential enquirers did not. I am hoping it was not the sidebar itself that turned people off, but the confusing presentation of information, the intimidating/overwhelming feel of the sidebar, the visual impact of the pages that was turning people away.

Richard has commented on how now he does not feel with the new homepage that the sidebar distracts. I think one of the reasons is the improved presentation of the photos. Compare the new homepage with the page for La Grange (the top bit, with the photos - which sort of approximates the old homepage). The largeness of the photos is not pleasant - and I feel has a negative visual impact. Whereas the more (visually) manageable images on the homepage make that page easier to look at, and now I think the sidebar is not acting against the main page. So in replacing the photographs (following certain comments - e.g the lights on giving impression of darkness, etc.) I am going to pay much more attention to a better ordering on the page of smaller images. And then follow Martha's suggestion of enabling punters to click to see a larger version (have only just learned how to do that).

But also, I think the sidebar is greatly improved by the way I have edited and pruned its contents. Deleted the 'recently posted articles' and made the list of article categories look more useful for potential guests - hoping this makes it look more obvious what it is all about. Also, by adding the Homeaway guarantee (great tip that NC and BlueShutters) and the paypal link I had buried in a page somewhere, I feel I have managed to get rid of the long list of links of my previous sidebar that made the sidebar so intimidating.

So I am hoping the new, and I hope improved, sidebar does not detract. Time will tell and if the situation does not change NC has offered a valid alternative.

Thanks again for all the help - and the pms with comments on the site and notes of support. Paul, the only reason why the barrel of the gun I am looking down is not so threatening is because my Bank Managers daughter is doing a project on Lascaux!! Needless to say she has the best illustrated project in her school :lol: :lol: I knew all that prehistoric art would one day come in handy!!

Of course, further comments are always welcome.

I need half an hour in the garden.....
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Blue Shutters
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Post by Blue Shutters »

Do you mind if I add the Home away guarentee to our front page too, instead of the OD link that has to be on somewhere, since OD goes live later this week and I hadn't realised they had the same guarentee as HR. I also need to feature that we can take credit cards as more assurance for payments over £100.

So I am learning a lot from you Thomas.

I think the new side bar is much better, the information is easily accessible to those that want it without overwhelming the initial "first view decision". ie Is this "the" gite that I will spend my hard earned money on and have a relaxing and enjoyable/pampered holiday in?

I think it gives the "this is the one" on first impressions now, eventhough it was the one before we couldn't "see" the quality product/s you have. :D
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Martha
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Post by Martha »

Really like that idea of featuring the guarantee without linking to the listing :) I think I will also do this...
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Blue Shutters
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Post by Blue Shutters »

Martha wrote:Really like that idea of featuring the guarantee without linking to the listing :) I think I will also do this...
I was going to link but using that logo instead of the wording given on OD.
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Thomas BC
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Post by Thomas BC »

la vache! wrote:
Thomas BC wrote:But I feel from the comments here (and the lack of enquiries from the good search engine generated traffic I am getting), those that 'get it' are few and far between - and this is my fault: because of presentational problems. This is what I am attending to now.
Out of interest, what search engine traffic are you getting, unique hits per day and for what phrases? Do you just advertise to the UK market?
As promised, here are the details from the google report for last week:

31 unique SE visit for last week, which is a bit down on the week before, for the following terms:
gite for rent in Normandy (pg 1 #8)
gites for rent in Normandy (pg 1 #8)
gites in normandy with pools (pg 1 #10)

I have had a few B&B related SE visits - but not last week: mostly B&B near Rouen, or something like that. I have in the past had various terms about luxury gites

Not sure of 31 is what others are getting, but its 100% improvement on my previous website. Now need to develop this.
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elena
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Post by elena »

Hi!
Got here a bit late so didn't see your site before the changes - it looks great to me!
One point though - when you click on the home away guarantee logo and then leave it via the close button instead of the back arrow your site also closes.
Add in
target="_blank"
to your code just after the website address to stop people leaving your site.

Elena
Dordogne holiday cottages
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