Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Oh my... while publisher can create web pages, it include a lot of extra code which may not be good for search bots, validation, load time, etc.

~Roland

The overall look and feel of the site seems very amateurish.  You have some serious code bloat going on.

• Services & Pricing Section
  I would expect to find pricing for ALL of your services here. However, it seems like you are listing the pricing for only a few services. It`s unclear why, or where I should go to find the rest of the list. For example, the pricing for digital backups and loaner players appears to be missing.
  

• Navigation
  You have a left-hand navigation system, and when I click on the items here it takes me to the "How it works" section. In fact, every link within the left-hand navigation system takes me to the same exact page (http://downloadvalet.com/dv/how-it-works/). This doesn`t make any sense. Each link should take me to the very specific page that answers my specific question. If I want to know about loading my player, take me right to this information. If I want to know about valet consultation, take me right to that information instead. Don`t force me to hunt for the information on a page filled with lots of text.
  
  Also, I`m confused why the left-hand navigation is identical no matter which section I am in. This is not intuitive. If I go to your "Services & Pricing" or "Sample Downloads" section, I would intuitively think that any sub-navigation system would help me navigate that particular section. I would not intuitively know that it takes me only to the "How it works" section (and the same page within that section no matter what I clicked on).
  

• Sell to Me
  If I click on any of the major icons at the bottom of your home page (e.g., Get your CD Collection Digitized...), I am taken to a price. What am I buying?? You need to remember that although you understand your services and their value, a first-time site visitor may not. If a site visitor clicks on these items, give them more than just the price -- sell to them. Summarize the service, your differentiation and the value of the service. What`s in it for them? Make it clear why they will be happier by using your service!

• FAQ
  FAQ stands for "frequently asked questions." You have listed zero questions, and so you are losing the trust of your site visitor by misleading them. If you are going to offer an FAQ section, then really offer one. Give the site visitor value!

• Blog
  Your blog has only a few entries for all of 2008. In fact, prior to September, your latest entry is January. Wow. This makes me wonder if this is a legitimate, reliable organization. Make sure that you maintain a regular blog update schedule. Right now I`d say your blog is hurting you more than helping you.
  
  Also, your blog opens in the same window as your website. However, it`s a different domain. You should consider having the blog open in a different window, so that it is easy to for the user to return to your main website. This is a point of personal preference, but something to think about.
  

• Consistency
  Sometimes the site lists the company name as Download Valet, and other times as Download valet (lower case "v"). You should know how your company name is represented and be consistent.
  

Great feedback.  Thanks!