www.geeksonsteroids.com

janeth · #1 (**permalink**) 03-06-2007, 09:56 PM

I am needing a website review for www.geeksonsteroids.com.

I just need the home page and the pages the three banner ads go to at this time because the rest of the site is a real mess as we are trying to add pages and move stuff around. I have ignored this part of my business for the last couple years and have focused on other things. We have now removed all the other sites and the only service we will be doing is website designing.

We are about to start getting links to the site as well as start a PPC campaign for the site. I need help setting up the home page so it is able to turn a customer into a client as well as any ideas on setting up other pages.

For example,

I'm going to create a page about “custom web site designers” and will bid on the keyword “custom web site designers” and send that traffic to my page about custom web site designers. Should we set it up with the same banners as are on the home page or should we create different banners for that page.

Anyway, tear it apart because I am about to start spending a lot of money on it and need it to be the best it can be.

Thanks so much for your time.

k001 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 03:31 AM

I would look at top guys who are advertising custom web design at adwords and try to emulate their sales points, because one could assume that they know what they are doing, and then start building on that, testing if you can increse conversions.

janeth · #3 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k001

I would look at top guys who are advertising custom web design at adwords and try to emulate their sales points, because one could assume that they know what they are doing, and then start building on that, testing if you can increse conversions.

I have done that as well as look at others and have not really seen anyone that looks like they know what they are doing. (-;

vwebworld · #4 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 02:57 PM

Hey Janeth,

Quite a change from prior versions of your site...
of course that holds true for most websites. Change
is good (and necessary) on the web.

Home page - The combination of the header
(geeks logo area), banner images (people and laptop)
takes up a lot of the screen. Thus, no text content
is seen by the viewer unless they scroll down.

I like the colors and images, the one thing I'm not
keen on is the length of the home page... and thus
the amount of scrolling a viewer needs to do to see
everything.

Another way of presenting your home page content is
to have bullet-like points/headings higher on the
page which link to the detailed content below. That
way you get the SEO benefit of your h2 tags and
allows the viewer to scan the page to find the
topic that interests them...then click to the detail.

Not sure if the bullet images "fit" with the
website.... and using the same alt image tag for all
of them may be an issue (gray hat SEO).

Built site page - I like the script for your
pricing.

Fastest deliveries - Whatch the paragraph
spacing, it is inconsistant. Statements like "we are
the quickest of ANY one..." usually turn me off...
how do you know? There are a lot of web designers in
the world.... plus I think the customer is more
interested not that you are faster than everyone,
but that you will complete his/her job within the
time frame they desire.

Quote:

I have done that as well as look at others
and have not really seen anyone that looks like they
know what they are doing. (-;

Hmm, you must have forgoten about my site (and web design work) :-)

~Roland

janeth · #5 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 04:01 PM

Hi Roland,

It has been a long time. Believe it or not I made them redesign the header one time already and that is smaller. (:

I will have them play with it a little more.

I like your new design.

I will also try the age without the bullets and see how it looks. The alt tag I'm sure was my designers trying to get rid of me as fast as they can. ):

I was looking on the PPC side for sites that were set up just for the conversion. I did not find any I like.

Feydakin · #6 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 06:25 PM

I'd go back through and re grammar and spell check everything.. Things like this

Quote:

Two out of 100 people that click on your AdWords ad now buy your product. Your conversion rate is no 2%

are small issues, but really bug me when someone is talking about why they are better than everyone else.. I am far from innocent of these types of issues, but I have an excuse, I sell jewelry, not websites :)

Also, I have to agree on the header thing.. Way too big.. It could be half that size and do everything you want it to do..

janeth · #7 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 06:41 PM

Thanks Steve,

I will have those fixed in just a minute.

kgun · #8 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 06:57 PM

Is it not possible to use strict in stead of transitional doctype?
I see JavaScript at the top. Possible to move it to the bottom for SeBots.
Tables. Possible to design without.
Your email address at the bottom. So you want spam?
Regarding style sheets, see my remarks to Johns site.
Why not have a link where surfers can download in my view, the only browser that are up to Web 2.0 standards, Opera 9.1. Let us not discuss Web standards. I don't want to use time on such a discussion.

getmea · #9 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 11:50 PM

Hi Janeth...I agree concerning the grammar and spell check. I also would check the "run-on" sentences as well.

I think the colors are great...except for the cyan-colored mouse tail. My eyes were drawn to the upper left corner of the page.

One oddity I noticed...you began the home page stating "I'll get straight to the point..."...who is "I"? Then later, you mentioned "...That is why we make it a point ...". So now you are a team... Finally, you introduce yourself as an individual. I would wonder if you are a team of one...or many.

The 3 price banners look good. Functionality-wise, the page would re-load back to the top, forcing me to scroll back down to read the bullet points.

The prices.php page has a button labeled "SEND INFORMATION" yet the label below it states "If you fill out the form and hit 'submit' ". Similar condition on build_site.php.

Good luck!

pagetta · #10 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 06:39 AM

Hi Janeth

really like the colours and layout but i do agree header is too big. with that and the pricing links the text doesn't start until way down the page.

sorry if i looked at wrong pages but one thing that struck me was that instead of having 3 separate pages for your pricing plans you could perhaps have a table? this way you can instantly see what each plan offers and how they compare instead of flicking back and forth between them.

hope that is of some help

kgun · #11 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagetta

sorry if i looked at wrong pages but one thing that struck me was that instead of having 3 separate pages for your pricing plans you could perhaps have a table? this way you can instantly see what each plan offers and how they compare instead of flicking back and forth between them.

Yes, and that is a semantical correct use of a table. Use a table for tabular data, not for markup in march 2007 unless you are in a hurry.

Webnauts · #12 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 08:47 AM

Janeth, I must admit that your site looks very beautiful and attractive! Visually pleasing.
And I am sure the site can sale.

I would like to add some points I have checked on the fly.

1. I agree with all above about the size of the graphics.

2. What are you doing with your navigation?
You have your main navigation once at the top and also once on the right side of the page.

If you want to also have a navigation on the right, that should be for internal page navigation.

You can re-use the main navigation on your page, but adding it in the footer of you page.

Also, I am missing a site map, or a search function, if you site is larger that 100 pages.

3. You document outlining (semantical structure) is incorrect. You use an <h1> after an </h2>.

4. As Kgun mentioned above, avoid using tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized (if it doesn't make sense, then provide an alternative equivalent, which may be a linearized version). Also, if a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting. CSS is recommended for visual formatting. A linearized table is one that makes sense when its cells are read in row order.

5. About opening new windows: Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user. Avoid using target="_blank" because spawning a new window can be confusing and disorienting to the user. If a new window must be spawned, then it is recommended that it be indicated in the link description, such as by using the text "new window" somewhere in the "title" attribute value or by adding "(new window)" or so to the link description.

Check my very popular tutorial about this issue: http://www.webnauts.net/new-window.html

6. As Kgun also mentioned. Why do you use XHTML Transitional and not Strict? If you do that because of the "target=_blank", I can provide you with solutions if you want.

7. Why don't you add your content type/charset in your .htaccess file.

8. Why do you use this <meta name="robots" content="index,follow" />
I looked for your robots.txt http://www.geeksonsteroids.com/robots.txt and I have been redirected here http://www.geeksonsteroids.com/forum/

Is this kind of SEO trick? Hm, to be honest I am not impressed. Just sounds dangerous to me.

9. You did not define your document language. You did this: <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
But it must look like this: <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">

To be honest, the best work I have seen from you so far Janeth. Keep up the great work!

Feydakin · #13 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:04 AM

The robots.txt trick has been used for a while now by quite a few people.. http://www.webmasterworld.com/robots.txt It's just another agent cloak and if you want to read the robots.txt file just change your user agent, but you knew that.. I personally think it's sort of cool but useless..

I disagree about the _blank issue though.. It may be 'rude' to spawn new windows, but the differnce in conversion rates by using it is significant.. The web audience is fickle at best.. And has an incredibly short term memory.. By offering off site content (links to trade organizations etc.) you add some credibility to the site, but when you loose the viewer you risk them not coming back.. The new window gets closed and they viewer gets an "oh yeah, I was here" moment and continues browsing from when they first left your site..

Webnauts · #14 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feydakin

I disagree about the _blank issue though.. It may be 'rude' to spawn new windows, but the differnce in conversion rates by using it is significant.. The web audience is fickle at best.. And has an incredibly short term memory.. By offering off site content (links to trade organizations etc.) you add some credibility to the site, but when you loose the viewer you risk them not coming back.. The new window gets closed and they viewer gets an "oh yeah, I was here" moment and continues browsing from when they first left your site..

That is an accessibility issue. If you would read my article http://www.webnauts.net/new-window.html I guess we would not disagree any more. What do you think Steve?

janeth · #15 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:22 AM

Thanks everyone, I am working on these changes now and I agree with Feydakin on the opening the new window.

It is all about conversion.

janeth · #16 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:25 AM

I personally hate when people do not open a new window.

I have been on many blogs and wanted to read a link they pointed out and from there went to another link and then had to copy and paste url's so I could get back to my original blog.

kgun · #17 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:33 AM

Look at DigitalPunkt in my signature. You can make a choice for the surfer. Pm me if you want the JS code.

janeth · #18 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgun

Look at DigitalPunkt in my signature. You can make a choice for the surfer. Pm me if you want the JS code.

It is a nice code and I love the idea but the average searcher will not understand what you are asking them.

Just my two cents.

Webnauts · #19 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janeth

Thanks everyone, I am working on these changes now and I agree with Feydakin on the opening the new window.

It is all about conversion.

OK people. Let me be more explicit.

What is wrong with informing the user that a new window will open?

For example like this:

John and Janeth.

Would that hurt your conversions? Come on people. Are we professionals or amateurs here?

janeth · #20 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webnauts

Quote:

Originally Posted by janeth

Thanks everyone, I am working on these changes now and I agree with Feydakin on the opening the new window.

It is all about conversion.

OK people. Let me be more explicit.

What is wrong with informing the user that a new window will open?

For example like this:

John and Janeth.

Would that hurt your conversions? Come on people. Are we professionals or amateurs here?

I do not think anyone would pay attention to it. For me it would not be worth the time or effort.