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Submit Your Site For Review Need a fresh set of eyeballs to take a look at your site? Have a specific issue or question about some aspect of your layout, design or interface? This is the forum for you. When submitting your site, be sure to discuss what aspect you are looking for input on. Just posting a link with the word 'review' isn't appropriate.

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 01-03-2008, 05:08 AM
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Default Please review my site

Hi,

I am a teacher who has desgined a successful UK psychology website.

Please take a look at my home page and tell me what you think.

Simply Psychology | Saul Mcleod's Psychology Website for A-Level AQA Psychology Students
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:00 AM
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Default Re: Please review my site

On your home page, you've completely wasted the vast majority of your "above the fold" space. It's priceless real estate and you've filled it with a photo. You need to get your content up there, right beside your menu.

The word "Psychology" appears three times in the home page title. That's two times too many. You'd be much better off to use fewer words and increase the relevancy of the title or add a few other targeted words.

"EXTRA STUFF"??? What is that?? Change the verbiage on this link so that it benefits you. "Psychology Links" or simply "Links" might be a better choice.

Link to an external CSS stylesheet. You'll speed up the site loading, make updating your site easier and, more importantly, improve your text/code ratio.

Clean up the code. You've got tons of empty tags all over the place.

For example:
Quote:
<h2></h2>
<h2></h2>
<h2></h2>
This lowers your text/code ratio, renders additional <h2> headings less relevant and makes the page harder to code.

Do your inbox a favor and get rid of the mailto: link off the "Contact Me" menu item. Replace it with a spam resistant email form that utilizes a captcha code.

The page reeks of "Made for AdSense". You've got too many Adsense ads. Two blocks on the Visual Illusions page. It's wasted space that nobody wants to look at. They're coming to your site for information, make that the focus of the page. Do that and you'll make the pages more sticky.

Above the fold, top left and top center are the premium spots on a web page. Put YOUR content there. Put the ads in a column on the right or a row beneath your content.


.02
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:19 AM
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Default Re: Please review my site

As well as agreeing with what Dubbya had to say, your content is truly lacking.

Seems a lot of sites think that "Welcome" gives a warm fuzzy to visitors. It doesn't. It just takes up space.

Your home page has two functions:

1. To introduce your topic to your visitor.
2. To give them an overview of the pages where they can find more specific (detailed) information on your topic.


Nobody cares who it's designed for.

Nobody cares if you're continually updating the site. Your visitors came to find specific information and they want it now.

Asking for votes and subscriptions in your second paragraph is cheezy at best. If it's important to you, put an RSS symbol in your side bar and a "vote for this site" there as well. The thing is, who's counting the votes?

Nobody cares how well your site did in 2007.

Remember this - Folks don't care what you have, what you know, or what you can do except as it benefits them. Everyone is their own protagnonist and if you can't put the ball in their court at the get-go, chances are they'll take their ball elsewhere.
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:57 AM
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Default Re: Please review my site

Thank-you so much for the feedback so far.

I will make the amendments you have both outlined.

I know that my homepage is the weak link in the site, and would like to make it more like a blog home page.



like this



Subtraction 7.0
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Old 01-04-2008, 11:06 AM
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Default Re: Please review my site

Like that, minus the enormous waste of space "above the fold"... again, what was the designer thinking???
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Old 01-04-2008, 12:02 PM
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Default Re: Please review my site

I like your site but I have to agree with Dubbya, Get rid of that huge picture and place some useful content in its place. Also, lose the 1. Bookmark, 2. Ads on your home page to other websites, 3. Split some of your pages to reduce your content. (Very wordy)

Other then this I think you have a great site. Just a little tweaking and you’ve got it!

Nice job overall

Michael
Surveillance, access control, covert & counter surveillance

Last edited by ESLI : 01-04-2008 at 12:08 PM.
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Old 01-04-2008, 02:14 PM
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Default Re: Please review my site

Please keep the feedback coming, I really appreciate and value your comments.

I am splitting up any pages that are "wordy"

I really need help with the redesign of the home page though.

I would like a flash menu like on the times website (top right)


Latest Global Breaking News & Views | Times Online News

Can anyone recommend any good website with page layouts ready to use.
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Old 01-04-2008, 06:35 PM
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Default Re: Please review my site

If it's the "Most Read", "Most Commented" menu, you could implement the same thing using CSS layers and still retain the ability to update it in real time. Much better solution IMHO.
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Old 01-06-2008, 06:59 PM
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Default Re: Please review my site

Quote:
Originally Posted by shyflower View Post
As well as agreeing with what Dubbya had to say, your content is truly lacking.

Seems a lot of sites think that "Welcome" gives a warm fuzzy to visitors. It doesn't. It just takes up space.

Your home page has two functions:

1. To introduce your topic to your visitor.
2. To give them an overview of the pages where they can find more specific (detailed) information on your topic.


Nobody cares who it's designed for.

Nobody cares if you're continually updating the site. Your visitors came to find specific information and they want it now.

Asking for votes and subscriptions in your second paragraph is cheezy at best. If it's important to you, put an RSS symbol in your side bar and a "vote for this site" there as well. The thing is, who's counting the votes?

Nobody cares how well your site did in 2007.

Remember this - Folks don't care what you have, what you know, or what you can do except as it benefits them. Everyone is their own protagnonist and if you can't put the ball in their court at the get-go, chances are they'll take their ball elsewhere.

I like the mood the photograph sets and contrary to what shyflower states as the purpose of your home page, a website is not a book and the homepage is not just a preface and table of contents. Your home page sets the tone of the visit. The psychological(pardon the pun) impact and nuances are paramount to the users experience. Content is merely a given. How you deliver it sets you apart from the rest.

A simple statement. Television is acting more like websites and websites are acting more like television.

In five years the undynamic brochure style website is going to be as cliched as the business card.

I think you are on the right track. You do seem to have the content. Now keep thinking about dynamic and innovative ways to deliver it.

Last edited by mtheory : 01-06-2008 at 07:08 PM.
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