Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello, I`m new here, a colleague of mine uses this site, and got some really great advise with his website so I decided to give it a shot.

I am just getting my web design company seriously rolling, It`s been in the process for about 3 years now, working off of word of mouth, and I do a really great job at producing websites that get my clients all the results that they need and more.  However when going back to my personal business website, to hopefully tap into the online market to get potential clients, I`ve run into a wall.  I don`t know if my website just isn`t attracting the right users, or if I`m not selling my services well enough.

I`m wondering if any of you could please critique my business site: NuEdgeDesigns.com and please let me know if you would buy into my services if you needed a website, if so, what sold you, if not, what turned you off?

Thanks ahead of time, I`m looking forward to the critiques.

Just my opinion ... the clip at the top left is annoying ... it doesn`t stop and moves way too fast. You seem to offer a lot of information, which is good.

I`m surprised that you aren`t utilizing meta tags and unique page titles. Also, your alt tags could be refined, and perhaps link titles would be helpful for SEO.

Keep in mind that there are boatloads of web designers out there, and getting traffic/visitors/customers will be challenging based on the amount of competition you have.



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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

Here`s the actual link (without the typo):
http://www.nuedgedesigns.com/


First, I concur with Webline about the top right animation. I`m looking at the home page on a 19" LCD and the blue upper banner plus animation takes half my screen. I`d assume that on a 17" CRT or a smaller laptop, everyone would have to immediately scroll to find out what`s going on.

The biggest problems I`m having are twofold. The one is that with the explosion in "work-at-home" and computer-based careers, Web design is now almost a commodity. It`s so everywhere that to stand out is going to be a real chore.

The second is that this particular iteration of the site doesn`t really sell me on anything. I do like the way you`ve laid out your portfolio, with the Recent Work. But I`d rather go to a tab that says "Portfolio" or something, and see the examples in full size. Like you do when you actually click the preview on the main landing page.

Instead, on the home page I`d like to see a better sales pitch. Your bullet points, for example, work well as a pitch. You could lay them out as your "fast blast" with each particular item expanding (with modern Web magic) to explain them.

So if I click on "Killer Web Sites that Produce Results," I get an expansion below the heading or something...that includes a paragraph of why I should believe you. Y`know?

The site you have is nice, no doubt about it. But it`s just too passive for a seriously competitive field! Most Web developers aren`t getting clients in their local neighborhood. They`re getting people via the Web itself.

You could make a niche for yourself by focusing in on local community. That too would make a nice sales pitch. It also would give you SEO opportunities for your local community. There`s probably a fair amount of work, what with everyone wanting to get rich quick on the Internet. :-)

You might also try advertising on your local AM radio, most popular stations. The cost would be quite low, with a pretty strong audience.