Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I know my site needs work.  What would you do to make it better?  By "make it better" I mean turning visitors into clients.  I just threw this site together in simple html.  Any advice is welcome - www.sprousedesignsolutions.com

-------------------------

I need $5000 to start my new business! If you need a logo designed shoot me an email. I`ll do a logo for $75.

sprouse83@aol.com
www.sprousedesignsolutions.com

how about an about us page?

I don`t know crap about traffic and such, but i might need a logo and I know nothing about who I am sending 75 bucks.

Lie to me if you must but give me a reason to use you.

Just a thought

Stan

You use your creativity to give your customers a quick, easily identifiable image, so why aren`t you doing this for yourself? A black and white box with text doesn`t relate that. Implement your own logo and colors and sell your product ( your creativity ), instead of just showing off what you`ve done for others. And yes, a gallery of your customer work is essential for your site, but sell me on you as well. Create a nice clean layout that looks professional and is user friendly. Relate why your service is a benefit to your visitor.

Personally, I want to develop a simple logo for my business stationary and correspondence. Could I use your service? Yes. But you haven`t sold me on why you should be my first choice to do it for me. You list some positives about your work and service, but how do you compare to others doing the same thing as far as price, time involved, revisions, etc? Basically, show me how you provide me what I need better than someone else.




-------------------------

M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

The text in the gray box is not actual text on a page, it is part of an image.  This is not searchable by search engines.  You might want to rework that.

Also, as a logo designer myself, I suggest the same things as the above.  Use your own creativity and skills to design your site.  Make a logo for yourself to give you an identity.

While you are competing on price, you still need to sell who you are.  Your clients will work with you, not a dollar amount.

Nice for a business card, but it`s not a Web site. Not really even a Web flyer.

Thanks for the tips guys.  When I threw this page together I knew it was rather pathetic.  I will be implementing all of your suggestions.  Thanks again.

Jim

-------------------------

I need $5000 to start my new business! If you need a logo designed shoot me an email. I`ll do a logo for $75.

sprouse83@aol.com
www.sprousedesignsolutions.com

Jim,
I`ll offer the suggestion that you`re falling into a typical trap many entrepreneurs face. You have your mind focused on the business you "really" want to build, and so you`re putting together other things as "throwaway" options to finance the real target idea. The result is schlock work.

You can`t possibly know the future well enough to be certain that the business you "really" want to build is "The One" that will become your destiny. As such, you need to re-think your overall concept of quality, and how you want your name and work to be associated with quality.

We began with our intent to build office chair slipcovers. Then we decided to "toss together" signal flags as a way to subsidize the slipcovers. So we "tossed together" a 1-page Web flyer, just so we`d have a Web presence.

A year later we`ve sold very few slipcovers, but the signal flag business is taking off like crazy. What began as a 1-page flyer is having to evolve into an actual Web site.

The main thing, though, is that regardless of what we were making and selling, we always pay attention to detail, always focus on quality, and always strive for the best customer service possible. That`s why the signal flags sold. It happens that the marketplace is more interested in the flags than the slipcovers, but we didn`t know that. All we knew was that "anything worth doing at all is worth doing right." :-)