I have an error on my home page

krisidious · #1 (**permalink**) 12-06-2005, 08:26 PM

my website is aboveallhouseplans.com

there is an error on the page and i can't find it.

it shows on the lower left hand side of the IE interface.

http://www.aboveallhouseplans.com

thanks for the help!

cnapsys · #2 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 04:51 AM

It seems that there's a ';' (without the quotes)missing from your javascript code in line 2.

That would be line 2 in your .js file if you have a script set as your source.

It also slows down a lot the loading time of your page

Let me know if that helped

Tim · #3 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 05:06 AM

Your home page actually has 54 errors! I assume you're concerned about the way IE centres the nested banner table at the bottom, compared to being left-aligned in Firefox. It's not an error, just IE following your 'p align="center"' attribute for the parent table (AutoNumber7), whereas Firefox (and other browsers) are obeying the default table alignment (left) for the 'Contractor' table. All you have to do is make the

align left.

If I were you I would be a lot more concerned about the other errors on your page(s). There's a lot of cleaning up to do; you should add a DOCTYPE, there are missing ALT tags, a JavaScript error in http://www.realestateaward.com/topsites/hits.php?id=263 and FONT is deprecated and not future proof (use CSS instead). The load time is extremely slow taking well over a minute at 28.8K, 56 seconds at 56K and 15 seconds on ADSL! See the Speed Report here. You should also fix your broken links.

Design wise, you seem to be more concerned about getting bulk hits from your back links rather than keeping your visitors and converting their stay into sales. What's with all the links anyway? You even link to your own site! To me, having that many links on your index page is like saying 'Please don't stay here, go somewhere else'. Incidently, are you using tracking cookies? I seem to have have picked one up from your site or one of your advertisers. Why is it 'optimized for 1024x768' when your table widths are set to 800px? Maybe you've changed them? 800 is too wide though and will cause some horizontal scrolling, I'd go for 760px, centred for the benefit of higher res. monitors. Also, what does 'optimized for WinXP' mean?

The site looks amateurish to me; pixelated image text, too many and inconsistant fonts, poor quality photos, sloppy typos and a clunky layout. All in all not a very user-friendly site and certainly not a very good showcase for your Mother's impressive work. My gut feeling is that if you focused more on the content and the quality of the presentation you wouldn't need to be so fixated by SEO and getting lots of clicks, because your visitors would likely stay longer and more would buy. Now you'll probably tell me that your conversion rate is huge and that the site brings in vast amounts of revenue, in which case I am completely wrong and you should ignore me!

Ironically, your post caught my eye because I've been designing our own new house and have been surfing about looking for interesting ideas. The sites that I have spent most time on are the ones that look professional and where I can easily navigate to specific categories. Very often those links are down the left side and the vast majority are to pages on that site. Unlike yours where the vast majority of links are off site. If I wasn't investigating errors I wouldn't have stayed on your site at all.

I'm sorry to be so negative but I do feel that Brenda's designs warrant a more professional presentation. Good luck.

Tim · #4 (**permalink**) 12-07-2005, 01:14 PM

Kris,

To clarify the JavaScript error, this is what the JavaScript Console in Firefox reports;

Error: missing ; before statement
Source File: http://www.realestateaward.com/topsites/hits.php?id=263
Line: 1, Column: 9
Source Code:
Resource not found!

Looks like another broken link, the file doesn't exist.

krisidious · #5 (**permalink**) 12-08-2005, 01:15 AM

ok first of all... thanks to both of you for the help... and the advice.

now I will go through and try to answer some of those questions. since you took the time to write all of that for me.

I am not a web-site designer. I use front page to build my pages (i do not publish a web) i simply use it as an editor so I can switch between views easily.

<<Your home page actually has 54 errors! I assume <<you're concerned about the way IE centres the <<nested banner table at the bottom, compared to <<being left-aligned in Firefox. It's not an error, <<just IE following your 'p align="center"' <<attribute for the parent table (AutoNumber7), <<whereas Firefox (and other browsers) are obeying <<the default table alignment (left) for <<the 'Contractor' table. All you have to do is make <<the

align left.

the banner at the bottom of the page does not bother me, I don't care what alignment it takes... is it causing an error?

the 54 errors do bother me. I have tried to go through and find them, but to be honest I can't figure out what they are, the html checking sites I've been to tell me what line its on but when i look I don't see the error. and to be more honest I don't understand alot of the lingo.

<<If I were you I would be a lot more concerned <<about the other errors on your page(s). There's a <<lot of cleaning up to do; you should add a <<DOCTYPE, there are missing ALT tags, a JavaScript <<error in <<http://www.realestateaward.com/topsites/hits.php?<<id=263 and FONT is deprecated and not future proof <<(use CSS instead). The load time is extremely slow <<taking well over a minute at 28.8K, 56 seconds at <<56K and 15 seconds on ADSL! See the Speed Report <<here. You should also fix your broken links.

as for the download time. I know it says at the bottom of html editors that the page takes a minute to download, however if you watch it in realtime the top part of the page downloads quickly, you can view everything in the top section within seconds. p.s. you should have seen the download time when i had the flash movie on the homepage wow!

<<Design wise, you seem to be more concerned about <<getting bulk hits from your back links rather than <<keeping your visitors and converting their stay <<into sales. What's with all the links anyway? You <<even link to your own site! To me, having that <<many links on your index page is like <<saying 'Please don't stay here, go somewhere <<else'. Incidently, are you using tracking cookies? <<I seem to have have picked one up from your site <<or one of your advertisers. Why is it 'optimized <<for 1024x768' when your table widths are set to <<800px? Maybe you've changed them? 800 is too wide <<though and will cause some horizontal scrolling, <<I'd go for 760px, centred for the benefit of <<higher res. monitors. Also, what does 'optimized <<for WinXP' mean?

designwise... mmm I think it's pretty! lol ok yes it's a mess down there but there is a method to my maddness. it's really a catch 22 in the past i counted on having a simple, well built, fast loading page. so I got 50 hits a day, and 25 were either other house plan website developers or link traders. but with the links to the other sites I get more traffic from places like google and yahoo and aol. not for the back lins, most of those plan site may have a link to me in their directory but i doubt anyone ever sees it. but their search term rich descriptions help the rank of my page on google. and I beleive that google likes the fact that i send people where they want to go, not just where i want them to go. you see I may have a link to sholtzdesign.com half way down my page. but when you type in sholtzdesign.com in the google search I'm #1 or #2. now this may seem wrong but I'll take it where i can get it. and if they really want sholtzdesign.com they can find it on my page. and I want them to find it if thats where they want to go.

the size is the way I intended, I like having whitespace on the right of the page. so if you look at the page in 1024x768 then there should be some white are, and if you look at it in 800x600 it should at least fit for the most part.

optimized for winxp? mmmm it means it should work if you have XP? I don't know what it means i just copied someones optimized for thing like 4 years ago and well it's still there... lol.

<<The site looks amateurish to me; pixelated image <<text, too many and inconsistant fonts, poor <<quality photos, sloppy typos and a clunky layout. <<All in all not a very user-friendly site and <<certainly not a very good showcase for your <<Mother's impressive work. My gut feeling is that <<if you focused more on the content and the quality <<of the presentation you wouldn't need to be so <<fixated by SEO and getting lots of clicks, because <<your visitors would likely stay longer and more <<would buy. Now you'll probably tell me that your <<conversion rate is huge and that the site brings <<in vast amounts of revenue, in which case I am <<completely wrong and you should ignore me!

ouch thats the one that hurts, not a good showcase for my mothers work! well some of the work is mine, you see I design homes as well. so I guess maybe you like some of my houses too? well anyhow I have tried since 1997 to build her a site that can match her work, and its come quite a way. if you saw my first site oh dear it was cheezy!

do you really think that people scroll down and click away? I thought they would click on the links to the left or on the 3 links dead center. because if they are truly looking for house plans will they not want to see our house plans?

currently the main market keyword for my niche is "House Plans" I am currently 37th for that term. everytime i take those links off or try to fix my page to be more "by the rules" i get slammed into search engine oblivion and get no traffic. sow hat do I do? if I take off those links... will i get back up there after a while?

<<Ironically, your post caught my eye because I've <<been designing our own new house and have been <<surfing about looking for interesting ideas. The <<sites that I have spent most time on are the ones <<that look professional and where I can easily <<navigate to specific categories. Very often those <<links are down the left side and the vast majority <<are to pages on that site. Unlike yours where the <<vast majority of links are off site. If I wasn't <<investigating errors I wouldn't have stayed on <<your site at all.

I hope you send me your house plan to check over for errors, because i would love to be as "gentle" with you as you have been with me.... lol.

<<I'm sorry to be so negative but I do feel that <<Brenda's designs warrant a more professional <<presentation. Good luck.

please don't worry about being negative, I don't see it that way, it's only pointing out error not a way of acting towards someone. and you're right she does deserve a professional presentation.

you can see I'm torn, I have been getting around 500 to 800 hits a day since the link blitz on my home page, but lately the traffic has dropped to around 300 a day, since the google adsense crap sites people caught onto this link barage. maybe thats it, but my rank has rose from 67 in march to 37 today. this has been our best year so far for internet sales.

what to do?

1. I have to clean up the errors
2. I have to find more traffic.
3. I have to find a way to help keep people on my site longer.

any help on any front would be greatly appreciated as were your commments...

Kris Rand

_________________

krisidious · #6 (**permalink**) 12-08-2005, 01:41 AM

can you explain these a little more please?

you should add a DOCTYPE,

there are missing ALT tags,

FONT is deprecated and not future proof

Paul B · #7 (**permalink**) 12-08-2005, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krisidious

can you explain these a little more please?

you should add a DOCTYPE,

there are missing ALT tags,

FONT is deprecated and not future proof

Every web page should start off with a declaration to advise the browser how to handle the page. View the code of this page a see the first line (DOCTYPE).

All images should have a text alternative (ALT tag) for accessiblity and SEs

You have defined a font "Dutch801 Rm BT" I don't have this on my system and thus cannot see it. There are only 7 (if a remember) web-safe fonts.

On a more general theme, there are a number of issues that I think are holding your site back. You are asking people to part with a few $1000s for plans for their biggest purchase of their life - a house. People are already wary of making such purchases online and you cannot expect a site that does not inspire confidence to have succeess.

Personally I don't even like the image of the house you have on the opening page - it looks like an amateurish sketch of a fairy's house! The style of the site is drab and uninspiring. You are selling dreams at a premium, the site sould refect this. I was also confused by "6,000sf" - I thought it was a currency, it took a while to realise it must be "sq ft".

I don't want to be cruel with my comments, but I don't think you stand a chance of having a successful site without a drastic rethink in design and presentation. Also the plans themselves look fairly sketchy - for the Aspire at least.

krisidious · #8 (**permalink**) 12-08-2005, 04:53 AM

thanks for the info on the text and alt stuff.

our house plans are not for your normal sheepish person, what you call fairytale most people call unique and inspired. We think that these sketches show that we stand out in a crowd of copies. the other reason we use sketches is because draftsman and architects steal hard lined drawings, the sketches make it very hard to turn a house out from our graphics. this also gives us a more unique way to showcase our plans.

I think that my biggest competitors have much more amateurish sites than my own.

it's not if we can ever have any success? we do have success already. I would like more of course. But we are doing great as is. People don’t buy house plans by clicking on the purchase now button. They call or e-mail us and then we discuss their specific needs. House plan sites that sell plans without doing the proper work are just selling crap.

Is there a place I can find the list of most common fonts? And what would you do to make the site more “professional”

Kris Rand