Learn to Fly Website - Review Please

nashville · #1 (**permalink**) 06-11-2006, 10:54 AM

Hello all, I would really appreaciate a quick look at www.pilotjourney.com.

The purpose of the site.

1. To get people interested in flying and be a vauable source of information.
2. To get people to sign-up for a Discovery Flight
3. To get people to request information from one of my featured schools.

Thank you so very much.

twist · #2 (**permalink**) 06-11-2006, 05:28 PM

Nice job, it looks like you really put a lot of time into the website.

For the front page with the two similiar images on the left and right side of the screen, I would cut the images in half and increase the quality. The bottom of both images is exactly the same and should use the same higher quality image.

Quote:

1. To get people interested in flying and be a vauable source of information.

If I was looking for information on flying I think I would definately use your website.

Quote:

2. To get people to sign-up for a Discovery Flight 3. To get people to request information from one of my featured schools.

If your goal is to get people to explore the site and sign up for programs, then you should consider removing the google ads from the front page. You don't want to send visitors away before they get a chance to explore the site. A great place for these types of ads would be on your "Flight Schools" and "Learn to Fly" type pages.

For your type of site, I wouldn't blend the ads at all, I would put them front and center on certain pages and label them as "Sponsored Links". With a high quality site like yours you may get adword users to buy impressions on your site. For example, a single ad unit above the "Flight Schools" page.

Good luck with your site!

janeth · #3 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 11:52 AM

Seems to be a lot going on.

We have banners going every where.

If it was me I would get rid of the banner above the text and move the text up so it was the first thing the visitor see's.

The header looks good but I would remove the banners on the left and right side under the header.

Why not move the phone number into the header and if someone wants to call the number is right there.

If your goal is to get people to sign up and not make money from the Google ads then I would remove the Google ads from the site.

davestarr · #4 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 08:18 PM

As mentioned above, way too many banners, too much crammed into the most valuable real estate, your front page, above the fold. At first glance I think a new user would want to click away, because the first impression is just another conglomeration of Google ads.

In particular the double 'intro flight' graphic banners are too much of a hard sell ... "This guy wants $99 from me and all I wanted was to find put how one learned to fly."

That said, the site is an excellent implementation of Joomla, seems modern lookiung, and is sorely needed. As apilot of 40-years standing I am saddened by how aviation has been downplayed in moderne years, and with the coming need for more pilot's your subject matter is absolutely bang on.

I tried to register in your forums already but the confirmation emails fon't seem to be going out.

Best of luck.

pavelhlavsa · #5 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 09:35 PM

I don’t know how fast or slow it loads in US, but here in Australia it takes forever to get the whole page up. Banners are notorious for slowing your page down. Especially such large ones. Like all the above guys said, bin them. I know you think Google will give you better rating, but they thank you very much but no effect for you.
Consider changing your hosting company too. Just too slow, 2 minutes on high speed connection.
Paul

davestarr · #6 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 09:53 PM

An excellent point from pavelhlavsa that I should have added also. Here in the US on a very fast cable modem service it's mediocre in load times at best. Alexa rates it as slower than 57% of the sites on the web.

Is that really where you want to be positioned? Good hosting has come way down in price and gone way up in speed. My oen little shared account site, for only a couple bucks a month, is faster than 75% of the sites on line. Possibly something to look at?

nashville · #7 (**permalink**) 06-12-2006, 10:31 PM

Interesting about the speed as I am on a VPS - that is usually very fast. I will look into this.

My guess is that it could be images and Joomla.

Thanks for the heads up.

MikeinFlorida · #8 (**permalink**) 06-15-2006, 03:19 AM

Hi Nashville: First of all I have to say I LUV your town! Country music kicks! I've spent quite a long time reviewing your site and I think it is absolutely wonderful. Launch it! You really won't know what the response is until you do and as you journey along this thing called the internet highway you'll evolve and the site with all the hard work that you exhibit here will only improve. You have very obviously put a tremendous amount of work into it! Congratulations! It looks great!

Now here's the scrub! The site does load extremly slow and that will lose visitors right off the bat. I went to sitereportcard.com for you and it loads at 56-k in more than 56-seconds. Unfortunately, in the past I've been there. That will kill this site. Visitors won't hang more than 12 seconds max on a cable modem or dsl. So re-optimize the stuff that needs it with that site and get rid of some of the stuff that slows it down. That's just reality to make it a winner on the www!
Good luck to you!