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View Full Version : New site, reviews/ comments



rezzy
11-04-2009, 11:18 AM
I just updated a clients site, and wanted to know if some of features are nice or not. Ive tried to introduce a few touches of jquery, does it enhance your visit or hinder it?

Unique Skin Care (http://uniqueskincare.net/)

vangogh
11-04-2009, 11:48 AM
The only jQuery thing I noticed was the way the testimonials open in the sidebar. Seems like a nice touch as long as it falls back to going to the testimonial page just in case someone's browser can't handle the jQuery.

Is there any other place where you added the jQuery?

By the way I noticed in Mim's testimonial in the sidebar one character is causing a problem


Thakshila�s expert skill in extractions

It's fine on the testimonial page, but in the sidebar the ' is getting converted to the unrecognized character.

Harold Mansfield
11-04-2009, 01:24 PM
It's crisp , and clean. One of the first things I noticed is that the address and location are not immediately visible on the home page.

Personally, I think for a business that actually has a physical location, that it's address should be seen so people know they are on the right site, or immediately know that it is within their area, and instead of a page labeled "Location" , I would label it "Directions".

One other thing on the copy, I think on the services page, it would go a long way to expound on what kind of products you use on each treatment, for instance if they are All Natural, or by a famous maker, and also a little more description and and explanation of each process for those who are first timers and may not know what is involved with a "Facial" or "Exfoliation".

Lastly, I think more images would go a long way. I may even opt for a faded slide show on the home page ( 3-5 images). If you have the luxury of actually having additional images available, I would do 5..2 of the inside of the facility, 1 of someone actually having a facial, 1 of the staff, and 1 of the outside of the place for people to recognize it when they are looking for it by car. (Trust me , I understand that most people don't have that many images of their business, but judging by how professional the one is that they do have, it seems they may)

I see that it says "Hampton Road, Virginia Beach" at the top of the browser for your description..since it is local, it really should have the complete street address as well. That will also show up in the serp's.

Last thing (I promise), I think for this kind of business, a contact form should be on the contact page and it should be called the "appointments" page, or "Schedule and appointment" with options for which services you are interested in, and the "Contact Us" button on the home page should be "Make an Appointment" of something to that effect. There is no reason to waste that space if they can get online appointment requests or interest from it.

I know it's more than you asked, but I think some of those changes will go a long way in getting people to actually take an action, instead of just browsing the site.

rezzy
11-04-2009, 03:59 PM
Steven, Yes thats the only place jQuery is used, and if they dont have javascript, it doesnt work. Ill work on that.

Eborg, its amazing you hit on alot of the developments currently in the tubes, so to speak. The title naming convention needs a bit of improving, I agree.

Thats a good idea, and even the older versions didnt include the address, but it may be worthwhile incorporating it into the homepage.

Changing the link name, to directions might be more descriptive, but I think it may require more functionality which gives the person acutal directions. As it stands the page simply has the location information. But I am working on a few updates to that area as well.

The homepage image is actually suppose to be a slide show, however I do not have any other suitable images to use, yet. But we be getting some and placing them through the site.

I just read stevens blog post /microformats-what-how-why/ (http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/microformats-what-how-why/) and will updating those items to use those features. .

The contact page is in the works, and will be on the contact page. ;)

I am actually rolling out an appointment system in the near feature.

thank you for your suggestions.

The previous site was very popular and has brought her new clients, so we wanted to re-do the site and start incorporating features to make her life easier. Its good to know things I am working on are improvements.

Harold Mansfield
11-04-2009, 04:45 PM
Eborg, its amazing you hit on alot of the developments currently in the tubes, so to speak. ...

What can I say..Great Minds think alike :)

I think the Google map is sufficient for directions. You could maybe add the map quest link for some extra added help, but I think most times people familiar with an area would be fine just to see what side of town, major cross streets and immediate area on a map.

vangogh
11-04-2009, 09:38 PM
Bryan let me know how it goes with the microformats. I assume you'll be using the hCard. It's not too hard, once you get a feel for it. Look close at the links in the post where I mentioned local seo. There's some good info in there that you probably wouldn't think of on your own. The person who wrote the post on the local ranking factors specializes in local search.

Harold Mansfield
11-05-2009, 12:41 PM
Bryan let me know how it goes with the microformats. I assume you'll be using the hCard. It's not too hard, once you get a feel for it. Look close at the links in the post where I mentioned local seo. There's some good info in there that you probably wouldn't think of on your own. The person who wrote the post on the local ranking factors specializes in local search.

Hey, I took a look at that myself and dropped one on my site.
Thanks for the tip VG :)

vangogh
11-05-2009, 08:40 PM
Glad to help. If you look WordPress has some microformatting built into the default theme. Some theme frameworks are adding more microformats. They really aren't that hard, thought the documentation could be a little less confusing in its verbiage. The examples help.