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jedstump -> Web Site Critic (7/30/2005 23:15:25)

Hello Everyone

I developed this site with FP and have been very successful selling online. Most of my sales are over the phone and I have not implemented a lot of e-commerce etc.

The web site is http://www.coverallsale.com

Your opinion would be appreciated.



Nicole -> RE: Web Site Critic (7/31/2005 5:49:46)

Hi Terry, welcome to Outfront!

quote:

....and have been very successful selling online. Most of my sales are over the phone....


So are you saying that most of your initial enquiries are by phone then you direct them to your website? Or that people are looking at your website and deciding it's easier to call you? I don't mean to sound smart but I'd guess it's the latter.

You see, a plain white background with information and links just scrolling endlessly down the page, times new roman font and bright blue underlined links just doesn't cut it the world of businesses selling online does it?

A bit of structure to your site wouldn't go astray, neither would a bit of creativity. A company logo, company colours, items listed by category, experimenting with fonts, experimenting with layout.....the list goes on.

Terry if you really want your business to develop online, you'll have to be prepared to learn quite a bit about web design and about how you can possibly create a better site with Frontpage if that's what you wish. Have you looked at your competitors websites? How does your site stack up against theirs?

Sorry to be the bearer of this news Terry, but I just don't know what else to say.

Nicole



Tailslide -> RE: Web Site Critic (7/31/2005 6:05:33)

Hi Terry

I agree with Nicole's comments about your site. I'm delighted that you seem to be making money from it but to my mind that just highlights how much MORE money you could be making from it!

The initial page is a bit confusing - wasn't sure for a moment that I needed to scroll down (and I've got a large screen). I think you need to go with the more classic but recognisable shop on the internet look (even if you're not actually selling on-line).

I'd go with a logo top left, main navigation (main sections) at the top and sub sections in the left hand sidebar. I know it's boring but people like boring when they're buying stuff - they find it reassuring! Here's a link to a company where it's clear what they're selling and easier to pick your way through the site (not just coveralls but hey...) http://www.nextag.com/dickies-coveralls/search-html

If nothing else please get rid of the negative letter spacing on your coverall main pages as it's near impossible to read.

I'm sorry if I sound negative, but I really think that you could be making more money from this site if it was laid out a bit better. Think about when you're searching for stuff on-line and you're going through the list that Google has spat back at you. The page comes up, you look at it quickly to see if it's selling what you want. How long do you give it to see if it's the page for you? Maybe 3 to 8 seconds I'd say on average then you hit the back button because you know that there's hundreds of other companies in that Google list that will sell what you want and make it easy for you to see the product. You've got to get them within the 3 seconds so they know they're at the right place - don't let them hit the back button!!




womble -> RE: Web Site Critic (7/31/2005 6:30:16)

I agree with Nicole and Tailslide. It's not clear from your site that you need to scroll down. When I clicked on the link, I thought it was an intro page and I was looking for a link somewhere to take me to the main site. While vertical scrolling's okay to a certain extent, you do have a hell of a lot of scroll on most places.

As Tailslide says, check out your competitors' sites and see what they're doing.

What little navigation you've got is right at the bottom of the pages, and there's a hell of a lot of scroll to get there, and my guess is that most people aren't going to bother to scroll all the way down to the bottom to check out whether there is any navigation down there. Your navigation needs to be upfront and clearly separated into sections. It may just be me being an impatient shopper online, but if I come across a site where it's not clearly spelled out to me in an easy to find place, without me going searching, how I place an order, how much deleivery costs, how long delivery takes etc., I hit the back button and off I go to a site that's easier to use.

I think without some more defined sections on your site and more navigation, with the main way to get back to the main pages being the back button, many people are going to keep hitting the button and keep on going back...to another site.

Some of the graphics you've got there are pretty good, and you could develop a lot more user friendly and more 'designed' looking site with them, and it's going to take that to move more of your sales towards the internet if that's the way you want to go.

Sorry to seem negative, just my personal views, and like I said, I'm an extremely impatient shopper! [;)]



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