Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello fellow SUN members!

I am looking for some advice on our site as to the visual appeal, content,
and if it is easily navigated... would you be inclined or not to purchase? ... I
am trying to find out what the first impression is when you arrive at our
hompage, and would appreciate feedback for tweaking things and making
our site more user friendly. Thanks so much in advance for your comments
/pages/community/smileys/smiley1.gif

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Bliz Lures Inshore & Offshore Tackle
                   "Better Than Bait!"
               www.saltwaterlures.net

It`s okay, but I`d just as soon go to Gander Mountain. The most attractive things on the front page are the three graphic buttons for the types of lures. I clicked the "inshore" lures, and from there, it was just another store.

Your competition isn`t only Gander Mt., but also the gigantic catalog stores like BassPro and Cabelas. You don`t really differentiate yourself much from them, from what I was able to see.

In my own opinion, e-commerce these days tends to be more successful (for startups) when the company focuses on a particular niche---usually a pretty small one. I was attracted to a site (and bookmarked it) that sells a unique lure. That`s all they sell....the one lure, but it`s something they invented and developed.

Ironically, ecommerce is very much like fishing. To catch fish (customers) you have to present the bait a certain way, it has to fit in with the surroundings a certain way, and it has to match what the fish are expecting. Even with all that, though, there are days when you just don`t get a bite.

Your site is all about lures....and yet the site isn`t "luring" me all that much. How come? Mostly because it`s "just another fishing stuff store."

One option would be to set up some blogs about fishing, then talk about the fantastic luck you`ve had with a particular lure. Coincidentally, you would have a link to where someone might purchase that lure. Of course, a blog is going to need some everyday support with content and articles, but that`s what would build some of the interest in your site.

The way you have it now, you have the store as the "source," and a click here to see our blog (destination). I`d try it the other way around, building a blog as the source, with the store as the destination.

Finally, I went to the freshwater lures to look at your Sluggo and Bass Stopper lures, neither of which I found. Those are by far the best lures I`ve used on Illinois lakes, at the moment, so from a personal perspective the site was diappointing. Not finding those, I would probably just click away and forget about it.

Thanks so much Craig for your reply. I see your points, and I appreciate
them. I have been trying to get feedback on our site, and need to hear what
the general thoughts are so that we can tweak it to attract fishermen. I will
take your thoughts into consideration in going forward, and appreciate your
thoughts as well as any others out there who may be able to chime in on this
topic.

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Bliz Lures Inshore & Offshore Tackle
                   "Better Than Bait!"
               www.saltwaterlures.net