Hello, looking for feedback on a website I'm helping design (it's for custom hooded towels -- so trying to make it crafty/functional )

http://www.towelhoodies.com

thanks in advance,
Melissa

Hi...very interesting concept. Nice colors...nice pics...

first time loading took around 5 secs on a 6MB cablemodem. Number and quality of pics are alright; checking websiteoptimization-dot-com, it finds that your html is 44k; but your pictures are 470k. I'd suggest lowering the resolution of them (but not enough to degrade them).

I counted 5 different font sizes. Rule of thumb is no more than 2-3 on a single page. The testimonial font color is hard to read due to color. I would probably stick with the darker color to make it legible.

The Pay-by-check option is great! But it launches a default contact page. Pay-ByCheck page should contain instructions (your address, email, phone) where to send the check, their order info, their address (for shipping info calcualtions). An international orders page should also have room for their address and order info. How will you quote them shipping if you don't know what they're ordering? Save emailing/communication by asking YOUR requirements up front.

You need alt and title properties in your img tags. This additional info helps search engines index them properly.

Good luck in your endeavors!
John

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Cheap Skateboard Decks, Trucks, Wheels, T-Shirts, and Gear | Cindy's Pictures | Premier Mentoring Business Scam

I'm looking for hooded towels, by some chance I land on your site. Will I buy from this site? Not if I know anything about towels, no.

Why? I didn't find any information relating to the towel, but lots relating to purchasing. (Where is the terry milled? What is the thread count? What fibers are used?)

My $150 order is going explode to $180 due to shipping. I'm in a different country. The seller says nothing of foreign orders, procedures, carrier(s), approximate cost, so even if I decide to buy, I still have to wait for feedback from the seller relating to cost. Information I should have BEFORE deciding to buy.

Some of the best information in a site is often found below the fold, or even in the footer. Maybe not in literal terms, nicely spelled out (who would go to that trouble?) but in 'hook' references, like, "Any questions? Contact Us", Checkout badges and payment methods, "Special Thanks to our secure FTP Hosting ..."

The first in the list makes me ask, "Do they document any of the questions people ask?" If you do, then an FAQ is a must to keep from being asked the same question over and over. If I can read it, a call or letter won't be necessary. If I have a real question, your asking me isn't going to make me click a Contact Us link. Contact, in the navigation is where I reach. (Oh, wait--there is no navigation, just this one page, it would seem.)

The second could be spelled out in greater detail above the fold, before the Add to Cart buttons. A link to policies, FAQ and privacy pages in the same information box would provide a path to greater detail.

The third raises a simple question--are you paying for hosting? If so, they should be thanking you, not the other way around. You're a business. You don't need to thank your suppliers in the footer of your page. Are they giving you any back links? Is this a way to glean commissions from an affiliate program? If it is, I don't see it. These look like free links leaking away the juice from your other OBL's. IMHO they can all go. Use the footer for important information and links.

Of all the forum posting 'responsibilities' that go with 'helping' others, site reviews has to be the hardest to take on; i.e., I write terrible reviews, and usually only scratch the real surface while taking a gouge out of the inner workings, the thing I feel more comfortable criticizing. With this review, my tack has been to look at the page, not the code. I still haven't seen the code.

There are several pages on the site, but no navigation. Just that pesky little "contact us" and "customize your order" for a link to the home page.

My out is that I'm a guy, and don't think like a person buying hooded towels (like my wife). If I'm looking for a gift for her, or our grand kids, this site didn't convert me.

I think you need a menu at the top.
See Usability News 81 - Shaikh2 for more data.
And http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/31/web_object.asp for more.

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Dave Barnes
+1.303.744.9024
http://www.marketingtactics.com
sitting in my basement with my iMac

Good Info, Dave.

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Cheap Skateboard Decks, Trucks, Wheels, T-Shirts, and Gear | Cindy's Pictures | Premier Mentoring Business Scam

thank you all for the feedback, especially weegillis and getmea -- it helps a lot