New website (possibly) - your opinions please

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rickryan.com

DJ Extraordinaire
ODJT Supporter
Dec 9, 2009
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Hendersonville, TN
www.rickryan.com
I've been using SquareSpace. Looks great, easy to use. However, it really has a lot of javascript and CSS bloat and there are a few SEO no-nos that I can't seem to get rid of. I'm considering to change over to WebsiteBuilder.com. Seems to be more configurable than SS, but doesn't go quite as far as WIX in letting you step on yourself, design wise.

Wanted to get a few un-varnished opinions on the look-feel. On WB, I ditched the traditional nav menu and put up an iPhone-style, menu button. Keep in mind the WB site is missing tons of content and the look is just roughly hewn in at this point. Would you guys mind poking these and give me your opinions? Which one do you like better?

SquareSpace
Home

WebsiteBuilder
HOME
 
So, on the Website Builder version, on my 13" Macbook Pro screen, your logo didn't show in the right corner until I scaled down to 90% or below.

On the menu for the WB site, it's not really clear what you want me to click on. This isn't optimized on my page, but I try to think of making it as easy as possible to get the client to go where I want them to go. I'd be with pricing at the very top, almost everyone clicks on that first.

The experience on SquareSpace looks a bit cleaner and slicker to me. But, I don't know how much you're actually giving up in SEO. If you don't think it's a big issue, I wouldn't change until retooling some more.
 
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Can I answer neither?

Your SquareSpace homepage looks like stuff on a page and lacks focus. Everything that's on your "About" page should be on your homepage, but instead, "About" is the 8th choice on the menu. What's odd is that "pricing" is the second choice - people are naturally going to click there before they even take a moment to read about who you are and what you do.

Your WebsiteBuilder page, despite having a mobile-looking layout, looks very dated. The color scheme and font choices are not good.

Honestly, I'm not convinced that either one of these is a good representation of your business. The best thing I did this year was come to terms with my lack of website-building skills and hire a professional designer to build me a new site from the ground up. I encourage you to explore that avenue as well - the cost may be tough to swallow at first, but I bet you're losing at least that much in business by not having a better website.
 
Can I answer neither?

Your SquareSpace homepage looks like stuff on a page and lacks focus. Everything that's on your "About" page should be on your homepage, but instead, "About" is the 8th choice on the menu.

There's a reason for that. In looking at analytics, pages visited for this week;

Home - 164
Pricing - 42
Photography - 27
Contact - 20
About - 18

In short, these girls don't give a crap about who we are. They want to see price and then they want to see portfolio.
 
There's a reason for that. In looking at analytics, pages visited for this week;

Home - 164
Pricing - 42
Photography - 27
Contact - 20
About - 18

In short, these girls don't give a crap about who we are. They want to see price and then they want to see portfolio.


Rick, part of my comment above also applies to your existing design. Pricing is the first option from the left next to Home. It's the easiest to get to, and a question probably everyone has. I have my pricing on my site, but I bury it just a little. You've got to guide them down the path you want them to see.

I'm not sure if you've ever shopped at an Ikea. But Ikea has a huge, grand design on how they want you to walk through the store. If you've been there a ton of times, you know there are short cuts, and you can get through without viewing all of the product. But, you don't want to make the short cut easy to get to. At least encourage them to learn about who you are, and what you stand for before just seeing your price.
 
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I must say, your Silver Package would be a very big seller in my area for you. If I had a dual photography team at my disposal with great pictures I could sell, I would sell the hell out of that package. If you do well in the coming months, I can see you moving the price up on that package next year.
 
I must say, your Silver Package would be a very big seller in my area for you. If I had a dual photography team at my disposal with great pictures I could sell, I would sell the hell out of that package. If you do well in the coming months, I can see you moving the price up on that package next year.
I'm sure Mix will travel to the Baltimore area to be your photography arm ...
 
Question, does the menu box show up on your screen, or is it off the right side of the page?

Home-Nashville Wedding Photographers

What about the navigation menu, after you click the box? Is it on the right-side (vertically) of the screen (after you click the box)?
rickryan.PNG

I'm on my much larger screen than I responded from yesterday, but this is how it shows up for me right now.
 
On the first one you said you were giving a 10% discount for a limited time. You don't say when this special will end. People will be upset with you because they will be looking for that discount and you will tell them that special is over. The second one the writing is so small that you have to look real hard to see the letter DJ. Also you have a page that says lighting. You mention what it is but don't show any pictures of each one you provide services for. Not everyone will know what type of lighting each one is. I say pictures of what they should expect from you would be helpful in getting you to sell your lighting packages. Your pricing page is nice. Very detailed. Maybe too detailed as there is a lot to read there. Just my thoughts.
 
On the first one you said you were giving a 10% discount for a limited time. You don't say when this special will end. People will be upset with you because they will be looking for that discount and you will tell them that special is over. The second one the writing is so small that you have to look real hard to see the letter DJ. Also you have a page that says lighting. You mention what it is but don't show any pictures of each one you provide services for. Not everyone will know what type of lighting each one is. I say pictures of what they should expect from you would be helpful in getting you to sell your lighting packages. Your pricing page is nice. Very detailed. Maybe too detailed as there is a lot to read there. Just my thoughts.

You know what they say... those who can't do, teach.
 
I just like when I know a cut off date to a savings offer. We're into Black Friday and I know when it is to end this year. It is to go on for the whole weekend. I don't have money to go out and shop but at least I know when it's over if I had the money to spend.
 
The point is the huge, widescreen gallery slideshow. THAT sells. If I can show them pretty pictures and make them want what we're doing, the rest are semantics.

I agree the logos are too small.
And the larger the picture, the smaller it looks.
Not saying your logo (company name) should be HUGE...just saying that you shouldn't have to hunt for it.
I just don't think 20-something-aged brides or grooms have the patience.
 
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Sorry Rick but we have a problem Houston

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