Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Mountain High

This is my business, a bed and breakfast in Julian, CA.  We`ve been in business for about a year and a half now.  The website was done by me, replacing a much cruder one done by the previous owners.  My goal of the site was to give potential guests a feel for the property and show off some of our amenities.  So far, our web page is what brings in the most guests, with a few coming from referrals and some modest print advertising.

I look forward to your impressions and critiques.

Scott Baker
Innkeeper
Mountain High Bed & Breakfast & Observatory

Nice site.  About the only thing I would have liked to see is that instead of a slide show, I would liked to have a "photos" section where I could download and view larger (and more) images.

Oh, I don`t like the popup.

Steve Mann


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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

You know, I liked the site. I think it gets across the feel of the place,

The background imagery took a while to load.

The odd arrangement of pictures on some of the pages is a turnoff for me.

Can I say that I LOVE the observatory? What a great idea!

I agree with Steve...lose the popup! Totally annoying.

I don`t see why sites like this can`t borrow from the real estate agencies, offering a virtual tour? Is it technically expensive or difficult? I don`t know...but it seems the technology is all over the place.

As for this site as it stands, currently, I`d like to see the blocks of text laid out more pleasantly. I`ve got a 19" monitor, and the paragraphs go side to side. That`s a GOOD thing, in terms of having a "% of screen" design, and I like that. But put in some left and right margins so that my eyes can quickly scan a whole line of text.

I`d also like to see the images aligned in some way, hopefully top aligned. Right now they seem odd, sort of just tossed into the page willy-nilly. Having a big sunflower in the middle---eye-catching location---makes no sense. Why?

I couldn`t read the navigation bar well, with the teal on green. The font was weird, rendering as something like Comic Sans. I`d also like it to be consolidated. So you could have "Our Rooms," then have a break down of each theme. Then you`d have room for an "Attractions" and talk about why someone should choose your location, NOT your B&B.

There are thousands of these places, everyone knows it, and most people know how to choose. But so few of them talk about why that geographic area, y`know? What`s the *key* attraction (not reason) you want to highlight?

For example, do you have wonderful trout fishing streams, or is it a little-known historical site where major things happened? Is this an all-season attraction or is it best in winter or summer, fall or spring?

Another really good feature I`ve seen on other B&B sites: An online calendar that grays out unavailable times, thereby highlighting availability. Some would say that with too many open slots people would wonder, "Gee...these folks aren`t any good...there`s no bookings." I disagree.

Hi scott and martha,

Looks like a terrific retreat! Peaceful outdoors and secluded with beauty!

There are Two things that I would change on the website:

One -The pop up -- maybe can pop up after a few seconds of viewing....the immediate pop  is annoying...

And two -the border scenic image around the text on all of the site pages needs some thought... maybe it`s the color of the text (teal or some blue I see) over the scenic image that makes me uncomfortable. I think this text needs to be a more earthy color.  (I know colors come across different on different pc`s - I have the same issue with my burgundy background on my site, it often comes across to others as a sharp red.)

Over all your presentation and photo show is great! The restful, casual environment definitely comes across there to nature lovers.

The comment page is nice too...  

When I was shooting virtual tours about five years ago, the price my employer charged was $120 for five views.  It included the underpaid photographer and hosting of the tours for one year.


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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

That seems affordable....

There are several ways to accomplish a virtual tour...some more expensive than others.  It can be as simple as having a slideshow or images or as complex as a 360 degree view.  You might even consider a short video or even a flash/swish movie that can combine still images and text.

 

 The file size of the slide show you have on the main page is very large (over 300K)!

~Roland

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