New Website

[doninvegas]

Hey all,

I put up a new website. http://ngfmc.com/index.html. Please take a look. Constructive criticism is wanted and welcome. I know it’s a template but it’s the best one they had. I’m hosting on iPage. It’s cheap.

I’ll be putting up an Esty store tomorrow just for the Ma’s corner stuff. I really can’t see shipping furniture.

And I know I need better pictures.

Thanks,

[mlehikoinen]

I'm getting a "site not published" error

[Guest Screamer]

I'm getting a "site not published" error

Same here.

[jhl.verona]

The link is incorrect Don - and you might like to add a 404 page so the default service provider page doesn't appear (it's not even helpful).

You added a . (full stop / period) to the end, and you don't need the index.html bit either (it's the default, usually), so http://ngfmc.com/ is quite enough.

First, nice graphics. Further (constructive) criticism now follows:

Header - it's usual that it is clickable and takes you to the home page - yours doesn't.

Menu - I find MA's Corner and MA's Products confusing - is this two sites, three? Put Furniture after Home, then MA (if you must)

Home - don't present a huge diatribe and no photos. I won't read it. I will look at photos - and click on them. Put four photos in a 2 x 2 box (so it all shows above the fold).

MA's Corner - must go somewhere - it's a dead end right now. OK so you're working on it, but I'd want to go to pricing, or buy now, or gallery. Something like that.

Furniture - good, but put a series of smaller pictures at the top, like a menu, clickable to the full section (or a page). I may not scroll down the page. Also I'll want to know prices and buy me.

MA's Products - idem as for Furniture. Still confused - is MA's products different somehow? Where's the connection with MA's cormer? Who is MA?

About - OK I never read the about. So MA is a spin off of Nevada Garden Furniture? Am I buying from the same company? Still confused.

Contact - Big page for a small form. Ok so I can telephone, or send a message (I won't, nobody does) Can I Facebook, Twitter? Can I visit? Where's the address? A photo of the shop? Of the owners? Something friendly.

Sorry if I seem concise. Didn't have much time for an analysis. Not being nasty, it's just the way of the web...

HTH

John

P.S: A tip to help you (or anyone) with a web site.

Try searching for something you're completely uninterested in (so you don't get distracted by the content). Say rock climbing centre, or parachuting course.

Open up the first few sites (especially those which have their home page as the search link).

Take a look at what you see, and note the things which you find attracts your attention - and those that don't. Ask a few questions - how can I join the club? What are the costs? Where are they? What do they do on the course?

Are all your questions answered? Do the graphics help or distract? Give it a vote 0 to 10.

Use the stuff you liked on your own site.

Oh, and you have 10 seconds at most per page - because that's (actually a high estimate) how long others will give your site...

John

[doninvegas]

Thanks, John. Your input is greatly appreciated. This is Weebly template from iPage and it’s VERY limited to what you can do with it. Yes, MA”s Corner is a part of Nevada Garden Furniture. MA is my wife. It’s her initials.

I will be putting up an Esty store to sell the smaller stuff from MA’s. I’m not going to sell the furniture online except to my local area because shipping is astronomical.However, I will and pricing. I had several other pages but they wouldn’t publish because this template it limited to 6 pages. I will take your suggestions and do some work on it this weekend.

Thanks again,

Don

[Vic]

Thanks, John. Your input is greatly appreciated. This is Weebly template from iPage and it’s VERY limited to what you can do with it. Yes, MA”s Corner is a part of Nevada Garden Furniture. MA is my wife. It’s her initials.

I will be putting up an Esty store to sell the smaller stuff from MA’s. I’m not going to sell the furniture online except to my local area because shipping is astronomical.However, I will and pricing. I had several other pages but they wouldn’t publish because this template it limited to 6 pages. I will take your suggestions and do some work on it this weekend.

Thanks again,

Don

Overall, it looks good Don.

[jhl.verona]

Don,

Thanks, John. Your input is greatly appreciated.

My pleasure. Designing and building websites is a costly process. Either you burn your own time, or you pay someone else. It doesn't need to be a Lie Nielsen, but you don't want an Anant either...

Yes, MA”s Corner is a part of Nevada Garden Furniture. MA is my wife. It’s her initials.

That's fine, but do you really think it is necessary to make this distinction for the big bad web? I understand that your wife is important, but the web won't care too much. Using Nevada Garden Furniture (even if the sign posts aren't really garden or furniture) all the time is more focused, less confusing.

This is Weebly template from iPage and it’s VERY limited to what you can do with it. I had several other pages but they wouldn’t publish because this template it limited to 6 pages.

What is the saying? "Yer pays yer money, and takes yer choice"? Six pages will not be enough. See if they have a better package you can upgrade to. Don't be surprised if you find yourself with 20-30 pages after a few weekends fiddling.

Good luck,

John