Website reviews and problem diagnosis help needed...

[iwantanelise]

UPDATE 8/4/09
I have created a new website, Mobile Car detailing at its highest level serving the NY, NJ, CT, and PA areas - CP Car Detailing. Looking for some feedback. Please see post #12 for more information. CHEERS!!!


Hello everyone,
I'm probably going to change my website (CP Detailing) soon for some much-needed content, SEO, page build-out, and landing page improvements. Before I do this, I would like some feedback on the current design, content, and usability of the site. A different perspective would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS,
Ciro

[dasmoofler]

Done at 1:51 PM CST

[iwantanelise]

Big thanks to you dasmoofler. I have yet to receive an e-mail notification that I filled-out the form last night. But, Google tracking shows that I did make that click. I will notify you if and when I get your form submission.


For now I won't need anybody to test the button anymore. All I would like is feedback on the site in terms of usage, content, and design.

[chapster5]

Done 23:47pm GMT +0

[iwantanelise]

Dasmoofler, I just got your form. Interestingly, I haven't got mine from last night yet. Very odd.

Chapster, thank-you for your help. Hopefully I will get your form too.

[iwantanelise]

Chapster...I got your form too. Hilarious!

The1sen...I'm very happy that you have posted your opinions. This is what I am looking for. You definitely hit some of the issues I want to work with, especially creating shorter amounts of content. Thank-you for your help

more, More, MORE!!!

[chapster5]

NP dude

glad too help

[luxige]

Ciro, you've got a pretty good looking site there!

Strong points:
1) I have to disagree with the1sen about your masthead. It's a quick, effective statement about attention to detail; it immediately 'clicked' for me. Very smart to echo your logo, and the photo is well composed within that frame. Is it me or is the right side of the photo a tiny bit out of focus? It should be super-sharp for that message.
2) Great photo section! That's very persuasive to a prospective client. Much stronger than other sites I've seen. (A couple of shots that show the garage environment are not too impressive; I'd pull them. Maybe you could spend a few bucks and a weekend making your garage a showplace that would convey a stronger image.)
3) Detailing Importance - great info, very clear. Could be edited slightly for length. Continues to deliver the 'attention to detail' message.
4) Packages and Pricing - good to include this upfront, easy to follow. I suggest you also do the math for each package. For example "estimated labor: 4-6 hours ($180-270 plus travel)." Makes it easy for the client to get the big picture and shows you are interested in his convenience.

Weak points:
1) The 'Dedication' and 'Philosophy' panes contain far too much text. I'd slash 75% at least, and combine them into one tab. More importantly, the language in these two sections is over the top and very similar to most amateur ad copy. Blah, blah, we've heard it before. Don't tell the client that you're dedicated and professional; tell him what you'll do for him, and tell it in a way that makes him conclude that you are dedicated and professional. A little attitude can go a long way. Your early posts on this forum, when you introduced your business, were far more persuasive than this generic copy.
2) As the1sen notes, the headers need to be more prominent. Get the prospective client moving around your site with ease.
3) The logo is pretty decent, but... The car profile graphic is graceful, but a little too 'relaxed.' I'd like to see it drawn with a little more vigor and precision. I get what you were looking for in the typestyle choice (elegant but not frilly), but that particular font is poorly designed. I'm sure you could find a very similar font of higher quality that would send the message better. I'd also tighten up the kerning a touch; the loose spacing does not convey reliability.

Your site is pretty darn good as it is; a little tuning should make it better than 98% of the small business sites out there. (BTW, I used to work in advertising graphics, that's why I might seem a little picky.)

Good luck.

[iwantanelise]

Thank-you for the comments...I am in a rush but in the next few days I will respond in detail. Some great points have been made by everyone.

Please don't feel shy to be critical. Criticism can be tough but in the end it's for a better future.

[iwantanelise]

Hello all,
I have finally completed my new website: Mobile Car detailing at its highest level serving the NY, NJ, CT, and PA areas - CP Car Detailing. Since I don't have dreamweaver yet, I had to settle with using yahoo sitebuilder. The main goal of the new site was as follows:

-More pay per click and seo friendly
-More relevant landing pages
-More obvious navigation
-Ability to request a detail from anywhere on the site
-Selling the service with less copy

I know it is not as visually appealing, but I tried my best. I am going to let this sort of set-up run for a bit and see how it goes. I have created similar home pages for specific brands for my pay per click campaigns. For example, users searching for lotus detailing will be driven to Lotus Detailing by CP Car Detailing - The Ultimate Detailing Service for your Lotus serving the NY, NJ, CT, and PA areas., while users searching for aston martin detailing will be driven to Aston Martin Detailing by CP Car Detailing - The Ultimate Detailing Service for your Aston Martin serving the NY, NJ, CT, and PA areas..

Future goals would include:
-Less copy for easier reading and higher conversion rates

I'd enjoy some more feedback from whoever. Please don't hold back on comments. Big thanks!!!

[buzzy]

I think you've made some huge improvements to the site and the content is good, but far from search engine optimized.

The biggest improvement you can make now is to use heading tags for all of your headings on the site. (H1/H2/H3) Search engines look for keywords in these.

The 2nd thing I would recommend is to populate the alt attribute on each of the images that make up the navigation, or better yet - replace them with text links.

Lastly, the content/code ratio is too low meaning the content isn't semantically marked up (see my first point) and there is too much code in the page. Improving this will make a marginal difference so I personally wouldn't bother in your case as it'll mean rebuilding the site.

Otherwise, it's great. The content is short and to the point. The contact form is on every page. URL structure is good.

[chapster5]

I see the text merging to the right into the contact box?

[iwantanelise]

Hello Chapster5,
What browser are you viewing in and what page are you specifically talking about? I went through the site and I couldn't find any text merging into the form on the right titled Request Now! THANK-YOU for the feedback

Buzzy,
I am not sure how I am able to get heading tags in the first place using yahoo site builder. But that is totally important. Frankly I thought that the meta tags and description tags cover this. The big question that I have is where do I add the h1-h6 tags??? After the head tags? What happens with the title tags then?


I will see about replacing the navigation with text links. I guess I will loose the visual appeal of the box...maybe I'll add the text into a one row table as a background. THANK-YOU for the feedback

[iwantanelise]

Update!

I have added h1 tags to the body of the site on the home page but I'm not sure if this is how I am supposed to properly set this up. When the h1 tag is in the body of the page it does not show up on the front-end. When I add the h1 tag in the heading section of html, it shows up on the front end and it messes-up the visual appeal of everything else. I like the heading tags to not mess-up any front-end stuff but I am not sure if the search engines will be able to find the h1 tag when its within the body tags. Can anyone help with this? Grazias!!