Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Just launched my new business, Art Z Cars.  Let me know your thoughts on my new website.  Keep in mind these are fun young novelty items so that playfulness in the text is what we were going for.   I do have broad shoulders so I won`t be pouty and defensive, I just appreciate an outside opinion.  Thanks for your time.

www.ArtZcars.com

Here`s a live link.

Hi Gail... :-) I remember when you were looking for a logo, I think? Back during the inception phase of the business? If that`s the one I`m thinking of, congrats on getting up and running.

Right off the bat, the site is "sluggish." And there doesn`t appear to be any reason for it. Perhaps one of the developers can figure it out, but I`d like to see it move more quickly.

The main thought I have is a rearrangement. I really like the first section, "Personalize your ride." You have a link at the end, that takes me to the products page. Perfect!

So move EVERYthing below that, and put it at the top of the Products page. You already had me with the first section, but then I went into a conundrum (sometimes known as a "brain fart," or BF). Should I read the rest, or should I click to see what`s behind the curtain? :-) Y`know?

Solve the conundrum. Don`t make me read on....just lemme see! Lemme see! When I`m on the products page, I can see...then go back up to the top, and read summore (alternately known as "some more").

"Stick `em Where?" would be at the top of "Products," and "Art Z Ideas" would be at the bottom of that page.

I would change "Info" and call it "How to Apply." That`s also where you could amplify on the removable and re-usable concept. You say that in the first page, I`ll trust you, and if I want to buy one, I`ll know where to go to read the details.

The "Gallery" is terrific! Just what I wanted to see! However, it may be the reason the site is running sluggishly. Additionally, I would just put 1 empty square on the second row, for the `Your car here!` photo. (I hate it when I click 5 different things and they`re all blank, saying the same thing.) One would be sufficient.

The shopping cart thumbnails, with the hover rather than click, might also be contributing to the sluggishness. "Click here" would work just fine, if it would make the site snap along quickly.

Good site, though, all around. :-)

What a cute idea!

Just a thought. I agree with Craig on the gallery page. Too many empty boxes. I would either put more pics in myself or make that box smaller. It is too much blank space and makes you look too new. It is a trust and comfort issue.

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Chit Chat and Chew is reconnecting families and changing lives. Visit us online at www.chitchatandchew.com

To start off, I`m going to tell you that I had written out this whole response to you.

But then I tried to add something to my cart, which then did something weird like open PayPal in a new tab (firefox) ... and when I clicked oh the return to shopping link, it launched your site into the SuN window in which I was typing.

So, just to let you know that I do not have high opinions of the PayPal shopping cart ... I`m going to try to figure out the rest of what I was saying ...

Now here`s probably the shorter version of what I was typing earlier, so hopefully it still comes out the same.

You describe your product, how to use it, what you can use it for, etc really well ... but what you never touch on is why I want your product.

So when I read
These are stickers. They are pretty stickers. You can stick them on your car and peel them off.
I have no way of making that relevant to me.

But if you can find a way to tap into the people who might buy from you, the concept would be golden. For example:

* It`s good for guys that just purchased a party boat that they want to name "The Drunken Marlin".
* It`s good for soccer moms whose kids just won the state soccer tournament, and who want to pick them up in the "team van" that has team-colored soccer ball stickers everywhere.
* It`s good for the girl who likes accessorizing - but changes with mood so she doesn`t want to paint her car permanently.

I know you are trying to be fun and cool with the language, but what it comes across as in written form is a bunch of surfer kids that I shouldn`t trust my credit card with. I think there is a right way and a wrong way to make it "hip" ... and "the utmost degree" is not the best direction for that. I think that anyone over the age of 22 might feel a bit dumb reading the site, so you`d miss out on a huge market. I`m only 29 and I don`t see "fun and hip"... I`m just getting distracted by slang and grammar. Distraction = no sale.

I also think if you want to be fun, have personality, etc ... you should play up on your strength, which is that you`re a small business. There is nothing on the site indicating where these things came from, who you are, who works there, how the decals are made, who draws them, etc. You need an ABOUT section.

Thank you all for your detailed advice.  This is exactly what I needed. 

Craig, Yes that was me looking for a logo.  It`s been a long road but worth every second.  I have gained so much knowledge from SuN, the members here are incredible.

Going to change the blank boxes today.  You guys are right, looks like I am new.

nhgnikole- I really appreciate your comments on the text.  I am 39 and my Brother who did the site, is 45.  I am trying to target the younger crowd and like you said, may have missed the mark.  I`ll work on that, thanks for the suggestions.

What is so helpful about this forum is that not only do you make suggestions, you guys actually give examples.   For someone that hasn`t been in the business world long, that is so helpful.

Thanks again,

I had no difficulty understanding the product or the purpose of it.  My teenage daughter was a sticker fan while she was growing up, and now that she is driving, I can see her putting stickers on her wheels.

Craig - the site loaded very fast here and I am listening to an internet radio station at the same time.

"when I clicked oh the return to shopping link, it launched your site into the SuN window in which I was typing."

Nikole (spelling?) - this is normal if you went to the target site with a link from SUN.  I wish that SUN would just launch links in a new window so that the back button in web sites would work correctly.  I am certain that SUN has a good reason to make links a spawn from SUN (helps in search optimization, maybe?), but I would like to know.








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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

Thanks Videography for your feedback.  The site loads pretty quick on my end also.

How do you create a link when you type a website address.  I always thought it automatically recognized an address and created a link... Blond moment.

Hi Gail,

Congrats on your launch! I was just talking about a product like this the other day. My sister (yes, I`m 17 years older!) just turned 16 and has already been talking about wanting to `pimp her ride` with stickers. I gasped in disbelief that my mother was actually going to let her do that to her car. I pictured her pulling upto her first `real job` interview with `s all over her car (if she still has it then)?! Not exactly professional. I will definately send her the link to check them out.

The only thing that I would add to everyone else`s comments about your website, is that everything under the top header with your logo and the car, looks generic. I like your logo and the image of the bug with the decals, but your navigation buttons and text are well, kind of boring considering your product is supposed to be so much `fun`. I would like to see some of the graphics used for your products in the design of the home page.

I`m not a big fan of the colored bars with the title of each section in white text. That seems very `templatey` to me. And like nghnikole, I would really like to see an About Us page before I would make a purchase.

The website loaded very quickly for me also. Good luck!

 

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Melissa Yamello
Owner/Designer
Storybook Studio
www.storybookstudio.net

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It`s not really SuN ... it`s the concept of opening your cart in a new window. It just shouldn`t happen ... it`s a big problem with using the PayPal cart.