Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

keycon -
Our artist is working on a Flash-type flipbook to showcase other things we do (cards, brochures, etc), as well add to the 4 sites we have going up next week.
So, just as an FYI. You are right about quantity ... he just started working for me in November and I would like to only feature the sites he designed as well as a few select others, and no contract work with bad code I didn`t make, so that is the number of companies we are working with to use for the portfolio, about 6 as of right now. I really just want to put up the type of jobs we can do, the best we have to showcase us, so I am skipping some of my projects from long ago. (Plus, a lot of work I have done is from sites that are no longer up! Darn dot coms .. )

I do also agree that a quote form will not work. We`re just not the type of company that has "WEBSITES FOR $400!!" on the front page. The contact form allows for a domain name and as much comment as you choose to make, and it`s really just a way for people to send a quick ping so that I can call them back. Our target client is not someone who chooses us based on price anyway, because we will never be the cheapest - but we do strive to be the best. We have found our niche, and as the Duct Tape Marketing guy said on Startup Nation radio ... we`re not ever going to compete on price.

I am not truly a one-woman show, as I now have 2 strategic partners and 2 contractors. Yes, I ran out of time in a day, and I needed people to delegate to - which I have learned to do and that was a big thing for me!

I do have it in every agreement that my name goes at the bottom of every site with a link, and I agree 500% that I will not win a search engine game. So I have put exactly 0% of my time worrying about that. The one exception is the blog, which does ping all the major blog sites with each post. I have a lot more content ready to go there ... I was just waiting on some DNS issues and Feedburner stuff to start posting it. I finally got that resolved on Saturday (FINALLY!!!!) so I am now good to go with a regular posting schedule.

CookieMonster -
The code validates with XHTML, CSS, and 508 ... which is the basis of my whole being. I know that most people wouldn`t notice this, but it is very important to me.
Thanks for the smack about the copy. I actually rewrote the home page about 10 times, and I still don`t like it. That is why I came here ... to see what it looks like to someone else`s eyes. I was hoping you`d hammer through it for me. I do appreciate you taking your time.
Your comment about copy written from the customer`s POV is spot on. I think this is why it is so hard to write for yourself. When you are writing for someone else, it is not your business and you can see their product from an outsider`s or customer`s POV. When you are writing for yourself, you get stuck on the company`s POV.

And to all -
Thanks all for your insight. As I said, it is much easier to do things for others than to do for yourself! I will be sitting down with all these comments and looking hard at my content.

Let`s talk about color here. Red is an attention grabbing color. Think
stop signs and Ferraris. Gray is neutral and perceived as so. White is also
neutral but clean and crisp.

How does your color placement support your message? What do you
want people to see first? What are the important elements of your site
and what is less important? And don`t you go answering that all of it is
equally important!

Your links bar really stands out. That`s fine as it helps guide people to
want to browse the site. But the copyright/side design info at the bottom
stands out almost as much, more so than the main content. This is what
color can do. Now reading sentences of text over a red background can
be difficult on the eye. So don`t think red is the magic to making
anything stand out.

I agree with most posts already that you need to clarify your message.
When you do that, apply color along with it. Here are your colors: red,
white and gray. Use red as your splash color for "look here!" or "click
this!" kind of content. Use white as a background behind important text
That kind of visual contrast and brightness will give it strength. Besides,
it is very comfortable for the eye to read over white. Use gray for the
tertiary content and background spaces.

I think you get the idea of using some basic color theory to help with
navigation and the hierarchy of content.

Scratch this post because the home page is different now.

It`s the right amount of text. Break the paragraph into two smaller paragraphs and tighten the language ...

The heading is far too small and still very generic. Is "think bigger" what you really offer? No one will pay attention to "Think Bigger". You need something much more definite and descriptive. Think Bigger is a concept ... just an unconnected dot.

Use a large, ten word heading. It can be less than ten words, if that`s what you want, but I think you might have a tiny case of web designeritis. Which is that you want the text to look small because it fits with the design. Make the heading very large and refactor the rest of your design as necessary.

[Not to nitpick but: The font is not resizable. This is really a problem, especially for people such as myself with poor eyesight. Yes, adjustable fonts can cause problems with layout. Refactor your layout if necessary. Adjustable fonts is just basic politeness.]

This is really important.

That`s a ... next step. I`m actually putting a button on there that says something like "larger text" so you can change it. (I have to finalize design before I start adding other things.) Some things you can change, some you can not. (I can only make the stuff in the navigation so big.)

It`s not me, it`s my artist. He`s already all mad at me for cutting the text.
He`s working on something more interesting in terms of display right now.

Out of curiosity, what browser are you using? Because you can override all of the fonts with Firefox. This is not any smaller than anything in print or on the web out there right now. I mean, we`re using 12-16 pt fonts. I`m on a 12" laptop and I have never heard font complaints until now.

For example ... these posts all have the same font as my text.

I`ll weigh in from a different perspective. I`m looking at what I believe I want for my Web site. I have a developer, but not yet the money. As I read SuN posts, critique sites, and so on, I`m also comparing what others have done with what I want done.

So I`m like a customer for your business, but I also know what I want, pretty much.....sorta kinda.

I like the front page. Easy to figure out, easy to understand. The font size is small for me, but I suspect I`m now in the fractional minority. So I move up closer and read.

From that point on, I just didn`t care.

I get tired reading about how this or that`s going to happen, this company will do that and some other company will do wonders. Everyone promises everything, but what`s it going to cost, how long will it take, and what if I don`t know what I want?

The more I think about it, the more I realize that "folksy" writing is great for forum posts, emails, stories, and novels. But folksy just doesn`t work on a business and sales site.

Just tell me what you`re going to do for me.

Believe me, this has been an extremely difficult lesson to learn, as a writer. I`m not saying it casually, nor to be ironic or otherwise superficial. I`m starting to understand the critical necessity of Active voice (rather than passive voice).

Long ago, someone mentioned two points: 1) Customer journey, 2) Call to action.

Lead the customer through your site, not by asking them where they`d like to go, but by telling them where you`re taking them. Ask them to make an action to keep them awake. "Learn more..." and "Learn how..." are great enticements.

Example:

There`s too much to read. Yes, it could be interesting, but it`s not really. It`s not a mystery, nor is it a page-turner novel. I understand the near-automatic desire to get someone thinking, get them reading, get them interested. But I`m learning it doesn`t work in business selling online.

I`m not quite in agreement with Cookiemonster`s totally sparse layout, but we`re in the same ballpark. Here`s one way---off the top of my head---to cut out the extraneous.

You don`t need a leading sentence under the SERVICES sub-headings. Just lay down the bullets. It`s not proper form for a book, but it works just fine for a Web site. Also, increase the line height or line spacing between each bullet. "White space" is fundamental for online reading, and your services are too hard to distinguish.

I really like the separate tabs for each product line. Given how sleek is your home page, I`d just like that on all the other tabs.

The big problem is the overall conversion to buyer---that master call to action in the sky. One option would be for people who already have a site, to offer a low-cost "web critique" or analysis of their existing site. Fill in a form, get an analysis of your current marketing plan. Maybe?

Instead of:
I`d rather see:

I`m in total agreement here with Craig. As I mentioned earlier, you simply do not provide any reason whatsoever why I should e-mail you; let alone pick-up my phone and call you.

Earlier I mentioned a quote request form...just because you have a quote request form does not mean you`re only concerned with prices. In reading your comments, I`m wondering what does a `quote request` form have to do with clients choosing you only based on price? "Websites for $400"....what does that have to do with a quote request form?

A quote form is used to collect additional data from a prospect. Once you collect this data, it becomes `YOUR` responsibility to let that prospect know how `THEY`LL" benefit from your services. If all you`re sending is a price when they request a quote, then yes, I`d say you`re trying to compete on price and price alone.

If you`re getting people who are only contacting you based on price, that means the content on the site itself has failed to do its job. It`s the sites job to `qualify` or `disqualify` the prospects. After reviewing your site, they should have enough information to decide whether or not they want to use your services....

There should be some qualifiers on the site that allows those cheapos to know that you don`t cater to them...they should know that they won`t be getting a $400 site from your company

I myself have other niche sites up where I consult and it`s very clear...if you`re not willing to invest a minimum of $5,000.00, there`s no reason for you to call me....yes, I get far less emails and telephone calls...but when I do get the ocassional call or email, they`ve already been qualified. I don`t have time to be giving the same spill over and over again over the phone or email. The website qualifies them (and disqualifies them). By the time they get to me, they`re ready.

But if you need to know additional information to make a decision, then email them back with additional questions or contact them if they left their number (or request it if they didn`t leave it.). You paid money to get people to the site, whether it was with money or time spent, and they shouldn`t be leaving your site without you attempting to collect some type of information from them.

The prospects to the site aren`t going to be impressed with the fancy coding, most haven`t a clue as to what they`re looking at. Your site and the vast majority of others offering the same service has no unique identifying proposition. In other words, what makes your services so unique from the competition....why should I do business with your firm versus the other 20 million companies out there.

While you may ask them to email or call you for additional information...you really gave them NO reason to do either...Why should they call you?

The content on the Web & Print page sounds good...but the prospects to the site probably won`t have the slightest idea on how to answer those questions. They don`t want to answer the questions...they want you to take charge and direct them.

In your comments, you mentioned "We have found our niche". What is that niche? Based on the content, I can`t figure out what the niche is? Small Businesses break into many smaller niches and I wouldn`t consider a Small Business a niche.

I agree with you on one thing and that is...it`s easier to assist others with their projects, but when it comes to our own, its difficult

You`re getting a ton of great advise from the members here. I hope I wasn`t to brutally honest...u did ask for a `brutally honest opinion`.

Cartess

 

cartess3,
What is the difference between a "quote request form" and a "contact form" in your mind?
I guess I am not understanding what you are saying. I have a contact form on there which does not mention the word quote. Is there some field on there that would make a difference between what you are saying and what I am saying?

I`m just cracking up that I used to do hugely successful Adwords campaigns (based on CTR and conversion rate) for many clients, which is nearly like haiku for the web in its precise language, and yet I can`t write my own darn catch phrases.

I have totally lost interest in this game however, so I guess I shall be hammering through more of this tonight. And yes, harsh is fine, I can take it.

NHG:

I have to say, I`m impressed by your attitude.

I`m quite sure you can write your own phrases, but maybe not in a few hours. If there is an art to copywriting ... it`s patience. Spend a few days, here and there. I rarely write anything great when I`m thinking too hard. Sort of like a watched phone never rings. I guess that`s just my experience.

At any rate, I tested the site in FireFox and I.E. I think the text sizing problem was in I.E., as it does work in FireFox. Excellente. Also, forget about what your artist/designer thinks, even if you just forget for an evening. Why don`t you follow your instincts ... they`re probably very sharp.

Craig had some excellent copy suggestions. [Web & Print above] Better than anything I`ve thought of recently!

P.S. I like the changes. The first paragraph is really clear and quite enticing.