Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

With our site about 99.9% complete (at least for now)...I would really value your input and suggestions.  Be honest, brutal, I can take it.  I LOVE you all...don`t hold back.

THANKS!! 

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First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

Personally, I like almost everything about it visually. The only thing I had a problem with was the black and blue text on the blue background, which doesn`t stand out enough. Even the light text could stand to be just a bit stronger, but all in all I think it`s a great look.

The music I could do without, but at least it doesn`t distract me from what I`m looking at. You should also fill in your meta tags.


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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

Thanks Webline...I will try some different font colors to see what will work best on the background.  Do you think it should all be the same color, just different sizes for headings and emphasis?

I knew the music would be an issue...I want to know everyone`s opinion of that in particular because the decision for it to stay or go is going to be based on the concensus of my SuN colleagues.  That`s the agreement my partners and I have, you all will decide! (Obviously there are mixed opinions in our camp)

Derrrrr....I assume my web designer (hubby) will know about meta tags...because I am uneducated on the subject.  I understand their importance and the overall concept, but have no idea where or how to fill them in.

Thanks for your feedback!!!

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First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

I can`t say I have a preference of color for the text, however I think a lighter color is a must.

In your page code, near the top, are your meta tags

title / Entrances Home Staging / title
meta name="Keywords" content="place your keywords here"
meta name="Description" content="place a description for your webpage here"

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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

Having the music play automatically is a "no no".   It is better to allow the viewer to choose to play it or not.

It might be a little easier to read if the text was either a little larger or a shade lighter white.

Watch your image file sizes. The image on whole house org is too large (almost 200K).

When titling each web page it is better to have the unique part of the title first and if you need to have your name "Entrances Home Staging" after. So the title for your room makover page would be: "Room Makeover servies - Entrances Home Staging"  Personally, I would leave the Entrances Home Staging off the title.

Your title for the move-in services page needs to be corrected.

The alt image tag for your logo image (left part of the header image) needs to be changed (some pages have no alt tag and some say "Themed image2". Also, the alt image tag for each of the small house bullets says "bullet".. those should be changed.

I`m not a big fan of scrolling messages like you have on the home page. (1) the viewer has to wait to see/read it. (2) it has a link to another site?

The "contact us" icon goes to a different email address than what you have on your contact page.

I`m not sure your customers or potential customer care if the site passes markup validation. So, I suggest deleting it on each page (plus it does not pass).

~Roland

 

 

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

Wow Roland, excellent points. 

"When titling each web page it is better to have the unique part of the title first and if you need to have your name "Entrances Home Staging" after."

Are you referring to the definition of Entrance?  So what you are saying is that the page title should be put in place of the definition on each page?  That makes sense.

I didn`t even know what that markup validation icon was for...guess I should click on everything, eh?  Also didn`t even think about the alt image tag.  What ignorance on my part!!  This is why I rely on feedback!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 

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First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

Hi this is hubby of texashomestager.  I thought about the meta tags but everything I`ve read says that most of the big search engines don`t use them anymore?  What would be the value in adding them?  That`s the only comment I`ve really looked at so far but I`ll be taking a look at the other suggestions for sure.  Especially those that relate to page loading and the look and feel of the site.  Thanks!

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First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

Roland...OK, thanks to hubby, I`m clear on the titling issue, not at all what I thought it was.  I loved the quote by Debra Gould in the scrolling text you mentioned, but her criteria in order for me to use it was to reference her site.  Since she is well respected in the industry and also located in Canada, I didn`t think it would be detrimental for us to include the link.  Do you think it would be better to leave it out?

Ladies, I need your opinions on the music.  Out of all the feedback we have gotten so far, it seems that all the females love it, but the males don`t.  I like the soothing calmness of it, it portrays the feelings I want my staged homes to invoke.  Read this email I received:

Ur muzac….is so….ENTRANCING.  It is so mellow, I feel like I’m floating away on the faux clouds of my ceiling.  I am in a deep trance now, I cannot look away.  I want to give you my wallet and all it’s contents.  What is happening?  Why do I feel like putting all of my belongings on tables in my carport and sitting next to them in a lawn chair?  Why does my life suddenly feel so cluttered?

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First impressions are everything in real estate. Staging should be your first step in the home selling process. Make sure your home is in top condition before showings commence, and then Prepare Yourself for all of the benefits of staging your home!
Entrances Website

Some engines may not rely on meta keywords and descriptions too much, but personally I`ve always used them, and feel there is a benefit by having them. Maybe its just habit, but I think that any info you can provide a search engine that is crawling your site is going to be beneficial.

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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

Meta keywords... not used much, but meta description is used by Google.

The music is good BUT you should always, always give the viewer the option to play it.

If the link to Debra Gould is important I suggest just putting the text with a link there in place of the scrolling. You`re referencing her site (nice for her) is she giving you a backlink? Remember backlink help you... outgoing links do not.

I`m not from Canada nor do I know anything about her... so you`d have to determine if showing her name is of value for you to hook potential clients.

~Roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter