My website

[Unofornaio]

Hi all,

I FINALLY got the welcome page of my site up today. If those of you reading this could visit and tell me what you think I would really appreciate it. There is not much to it so don't think its not all loading..hey, it was all I could do without killing myself just to get that up..I think its a little bit off center but after the fiasco I had uploading it its staying that way for now. Anyway thanks for any comments and suggestions. Don't hold back....

Its at Welcome

[dmun]

Re: My website

"Splash" pages, those welcome to webpage pages that don't do anything but show themselves off are kind of annoying to web users. Unless they are direct links to the products and services you offer, in which case they might be more specific about what's being linked to. So, if it's a homepage, make the links a little clearer. If it's a "splash" page, give a clear "skip intro" button in the lower right. Just two cents from someone who hasn't updated his website in five years.

It's also good to put a contact link on every page of your website, no matter how trivial. You're trying to make a sale, right?

[Unofornaio]

Re: My website

Know what you are talking about, those are really annoying to me as well almost as much as the blaring music that loads with a page that you cant turn off...my usual response is ..click..

I hear you on the links as well another huge annoyance for me. When I'm on a site I want to know where I'm at and how to get back to where I was especially when purchasing something. All that is in the works, but what this is for now is just a teaser/coming soon ad sort of.. I have had the hosts under construction page up there for months and although I'm not ready to officially launch the site I think this is a good page to be directed to. I haven't started a campaign yet so the only people seeing it are friends and former customers.
I was thinking of adding coming soon or something like that. My original idea was just to have this come up first so people will read it the have an enter here button or what ever that takes you to the homepage with all the important info on it. I hate visiting sites where I have to "work" to figure out whats going on.
I REALLY hear you on the not updating in 5 years after the crap I went through to get this up I'm here working on the rest of the pages thinking "should I risk trying to upload the changes or just wait"
Thanks for the comments
BTW I visited your site a few weeks ago, I hadn't seen that you had one before. Seeing your work on the FB site and your meticulous attention to detail I had a gut feeling you were a true craftsman. The work on the site is very nice. When I visited the site then and just now I believe the design is right on..very clean and crisp from seeing your work on the FB site it clearly fits you and what you do.

[dmun]

Re: My website

OK, first some praise. You have your own domain, "milansmarket.com" and some kind of server to host it. These are important steps, and you've already taken them. You have a good looking visual design, and you have a theme "imagine" that draws the reader into a narrative.

There are some specific problems. First the title of the page shouldn't be "welcome". You want people to bookmark your page and come back to it, and "welcome" is going to be how it's filed. They won't know what it is, and it will be at the end of the alphabetical list. It should be entitled "Milan's Market, insert short slogan, welcome". That means every time they pull down their bookmarks menu, you get a little ad, and an incentive for them to click.

Second, when I right click on the center of your website, and hit "open image in new window" I see almost everything - image and text - in a single gif. NOT GOOD. Your first line of text is very important and most browsers (and search engines) aren't going to recognise it as text at all. That first line tells the world what you do. There are worse guides than the old "5 w's" of journalism: who what when where and why. People are going to be making judgements about you based on that first sentence, and in most cases it's back to the google list. You've got to grab them RIGHT NOW.

Then, curious, I pull down "view source" and see maybe five pages of HTML supporting your three gifs and a background. The first sentence has something with the version of Microsoft Office that created this page. Pretty standard, but is that the first thing your want the search engine web crawlers to see? I don't think so. Your three lines of text do show up, but FAR down the page.

But back to customers. Why are you talking to them? What are you telling them? How, specifically, are they going to act on the information they recieved?

I'm a great believer in storytelling. It's what humans do, and may have been why they invented language. Your webpage should establish a narrative, and draw them in. Every web page, even an ebay listing, should tell a story. It should be concise, and well illustrated, but not abrupt, or obscure. And it should never loose sight of what you want them to do, which is what? Call you? Visit you? Write you? Make it easy for them to do what you want.

Finally, there are no rehersals in life. Search engine web crawlers are RIGHT NOW looking at your site, and making judgements upon it. Is it three sentences of you in five pages of microsoft?

Even one page can be useful if someone is looking for you. Put your contact information there today.

[Unofornaio]

Re: My website

First off you clearly spent some time on this and for that I am grateful really.
I really would like to continue this discussion.
Halfway through a lengthy reply I was thinking, if you don't mind, since this is a personal issue perhaps we should continue this via e-mail rather than take up James web space? Let me know.

[CanuckJim]

Re: My website

Uno,

Dmun has already given you thoughtful and detailed advice, which I think you should follow. Web crawlers also look for key words. On the advice of a friend more literate in this world than I am, he suggested that my home page include more than one instance of these words: Toronto, GTA (an official acronym for Greater Toronto Area), artisan, artisan bread, gourmet, finest ingredients, wood fired, wood fired brick oven, etc. As a writer, the result seemed to me a bit repetitious, but the crawlers list me first if someone searches for Artisan Breads, Toronto. Works precisely because there is such a large gap in the market in my area.

I'd suggest you use your graphic as a repeated image on the side or bottom of every page. Are you thinking of this as a logo? If so, it doesn't convey what you're about, although it is a starting point for your narrative.

You've already pointed out that you only have a few seconds to grab attention. Make the most of it with a well designed home page that pushes all the right buttons.

Jim

[dmun]

Re: My website

You are welcome to write me anytime. You can get an email link by clicking on my user name. There's also an email link on EVERY PAGE of my website. I may not be the best one to advise: my webpage creating skills are really rudimentary, and greatly out of date.

I do know that simpler is better. Even if you use a web page writing program, you should learn a little about HTML coding by doing a bit by hand. A site like this will give you the basics.

I say, keep the discussion here. Someone's bound to know MUCH more than I do.

[jengineer]

Re: My website

James created the chit -chat for the forum members to blow off steam and yet keep things G rated. This more than fits the bill.

[jwnorris]

Re: My website

<snip>I say, keep the discussion here. Someone's bound to know MUCH more than I do.

And those of us who know less may learn some more from keeping the discussion here.

Thanks,

J W

[Unofornaio]

Re: My website

You Know, I have to give CanuckJim all the credit for inviting me to join this group (he probably regrets it now since I'm such a loud mouth) but I have to say this is a great bunch of people (just as Jim said) and I'm happy to be a part of this group. NO, I'm not gonna cry....
Thanks guys I will post the link to the revised page/s when closer. Ive already made some changes but I only have 2 more days to sit here at the comp and wrap this mostly up. Its back to work on Wed, ahhhh working outside in a forecasted 102 for the day... Much more appealing than working in the bakery NOT..

[Unofornaio]

Re: My website

Ok guys heres the deal--I'll stick with the "Bricks and mortar" version of the Bakery. god only knows I could of freaking had it build by now if I would have spent as many hours as I have on this thing. The results the past 4 days are located at www.not a thing has changed.com

After looking into the CODE aspect of the site (thanks Dmun) and its importance "behind the scenes" so to speak I found out the the 2000 version of Publisher is much better for doing a site. The difference is, the same page that is up now created in 2000 is about 1/4 the amount of code. So I have been trying to reproduce the same simple page (it looks simple right?) But NOOOOOO not that easy. Turns out the 2000 version has some issues with some images and my logo I created, my avatar here, and will not let me add it without a white background. So on to trying to figure out what the #%$ is the solution to this. What is the going price about 1000.00 to have a site done? my advice DO IT.... So then I thought well maybe I should just break down and buy a program specifically related to site building ok that cool so I go to download one for a free trial and since I have windows 2000 pro none of them are compatible. Heck priced from 399.-$599.00 it should come with its own operating system... and an operator of that system who is not me..Anyway whats up there is staying for now I did add a Roman coin as a future "enter" button it looks pretty cool..it doesn't do anything right now, I don't think it does, then again don't click it..it might make your computer explode.

[BrianShaw]

Re: My website

The results the past 4 days are located at www.not a thing has changed.com

OKay Mr. Smarty-pants Unofornaio... I did it... I really did, I tried clicking on the link. I'll bet you are lauging at me right now. Very funny, sir... verrrrry funny.







p.s. I tuned into this thread after it was basically concluded, but I hope you will keep part of any future discussions here since we can all learn from your experience.

p.p.s I really would like all of those things you promise on your welcome page. Please tell me WHERE and I'll be right over!