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Crime Doctor
Posts: 3
Joined: 6/23/2004
Status: offline
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Critique My Tired Site - 6/23/2004 18:58:54
I am a self-taught Front Page 2002 user with little design or artistic talent. I've created my website about 7 years ago by reading books and learning from other websites. I feel it is need of a new style facelift. I get lots of positive feedback on the content but none on the appearance. The url is www.crimedoctor.com . Feel free to be critical...I can take it.
I am thinking about upgrading to FrontPage 2003 and learning CSS but got a headache so far reading a CSS book. I am about to embark on publishing another 100 pages of consumer information and adding a several downloadable PDF e-books for sale in the near future. I need to set up a merchant account and a storefront (or maybe PayPal).
What suggestions can you offer to freshen up my website and make it more professional looking while being quick loading. My pages already rank pretty high on Google for many keywords but I don't feel that my site engages the reader to probe deeply and doesn't promote or sell my book very well.
I'm a new forum member and would really appreciate a fresh look.
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shr3k
Posts: 15
Joined: 6/23/2004
From: Memphis, TN
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/23/2004 19:26:12
it's pretty good for a site thats seven years old, you should do a complete make over of the site.
what it really needs is a nice appealing layout.
and i also PM'ed you
< Message edited by shr3k -- 6/23/2004 19:30:39 >
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Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/23/2004 19:46:15
I would suggest leaving your header where it is.
Then have a two column layout below it - have all your links that are in that very bright yellow table in a nice CSS nav bar instead that will look and behave like rollover buttons but will load super fast. (see this site for what I'm talking about: http://www.suzannehimka.com )
Then have your other content in the right hand column (or switch it to be different and have the nav in the right and the text in the left! ;-)
I don't know if I like your picture there staring at me - perhaps a more bold version of the Rx with the padlock on it and a newer header.
I don't think it will be too hard to freshen it up.
< Message edited by Peppergal -- 6/23/2004 19:47:39 >
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Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
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Giomanach
Posts: 6128
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/23/2004 23:39:35
quote:
and i also PM'ed you
IF you're going to offer to re-work the site for him, at least have the decency to let everyone know, and He posted here to get feedback on how HE ould improe the site, not you.
Crime Doc:
I echo what Karen has said, you need to organise the content into two, maybe three columns.
Top banner needs wprk, and teh content needs re-arranging,. but otherwise, it's good.
Dan
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Crime Doctor
Posts: 3
Joined: 6/23/2004
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/24/2004 10:07:41
Thanks for the feedback so far. I agree that I need to 86 my picture in the header and rework the logo. I also agree with using columns or some table divisions. I would like to try hovering drop down menus and replace the yellow page link section and bottom shared border to shorten page length. Does anyone know if the hover drop down menu links can be read by the search engine spiders? Are they HTML or JavaScript? Can you recommend a tutorial on writing code for drop down menus?
Most of my articles are intended to be printed out so columns wouldn’t work as a global style. I was thinking about how to use my site map on the home page to improve access and search engine page indexing. Any Ideas…I will have about 100 linkable pages in a dozen categories?
I appreciate the help from this forum…this is a learning experience for me to take my website design to the next level. Like many of you, I learn best by doing it myself.
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Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/24/2004 10:35:20
One church website I did has links to printable sermons. The main "index" page of articles fits with the layout and colors of the rest of the site, but when you click on the link to the article, it brings up a plain white printable page with black text, and simple text links at the top and bottom of the page to Home and Message Index.
Maybe that will work for you?
DHTML has some nice drop down menus. You could do a google search for "drop down menus" and I'm sure you'll find a lot!
Just please, don't pick one that "moves" with you when you scroll the page. They are terribly annoying in my opinion and remind me of someone "following" you...an unpleasant sensation.
< Message edited by Peppergal -- 6/24/2004 10:38:08 >
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Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
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dpf
Posts: 7126
Joined: 11/12/2003
From: India-napolis
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/24/2004 10:53:48
quote:
One church website I did has links to printable sermons. The main "index" page of articles fits with the layout and colors of the rest of the site, but when you click on the link to the article, it brings up a plain white printable page with black text, and simple text links at the top and bottom of the page to Home and Message Index.
Ive used that approach and like it. While we all know the importance of keeping colors/images/themes constant throughout a site for "branding". its a waste of time and/or expensive ink when that stuff is on pages intended to be printed out.
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Dan
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brian32
Posts: 39
Joined: 4/7/2004
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/24/2004 16:26:45
You can do that printable very easily with css which you dont have to make new pages just make a new css file with the rules you want and link it with the media="print", Then the pages print the way you are on about. You guys probally knew that already though becuase sometimes this forum is scary and a bit intimidating, with the amount of stuff everyone knows.
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dpf
Posts: 7126
Joined: 11/12/2003
From: India-napolis
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 6/24/2004 16:54:13
quote:
I know everything and I'm scary and intimidating
yes, yes and yes
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Dan
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RemodelingGuy
Posts: 172
From: Houston, Texas
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 7/3/2004 5:31:30
Kill the bright yellow and tone it down!
Don't do a re-design! Your Google rank of 6 / 10 doesn't suck and means you have traffic!
Simple is GOOD!
Just tone it down! I got a tan from the front page!
Very nice site in my mind! Says who you are! What you are! How to get hold of you!
Simplistic and folks appreciate that!
Keep headed in the direction you are!
- Jimmy
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JimmyMac
"Your Local Hard Working Remodeling Guy"
http://www.StartRemodeling.com
jimmy@startremodeling.com
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dpf
Posts: 7126
Joined: 11/12/2003
From: India-napolis
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 7/3/2004 9:55:37
quote:
Take that back or I'll send the boys round
uummm...retracted..lol
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Dan
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RemodelingGuy
Posts: 172
From: Houston, Texas
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 7/3/2004 12:01:36
the table is sucking itself in.
goto table properties and deselect table width and height!
Let it go nuts and then choose your width in pixels and then do a cell height that fits! 20 pixels usually works for 10 pt!
Ever try a 10.5 Verdana?
_____________________________
JimmyMac
"Your Local Hard Working Remodeling Guy"
http://www.StartRemodeling.com
jimmy@startremodeling.com
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RemodelingGuy
Posts: 172
From: Houston, Texas
Status: offline
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RE: Critique My Tired Site - 7/3/2004 12:17:28
I have a Security section in my showcases that has been neglected for years!
If you would like to build it up. I will point the links to your site if you are interested!
- Jimmy
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