Critique my new website please!

[snowhead]

Like the big boys do in adverts, get straight to the point.

Plain white background is good and all the logos etc.

You only get one chance and people soon move on

 

[Midwest]

Not wishing to be harsh and I'm no expert, but if I was surfing the web (can you use that phrase still) and come across your front page I would probably just delete, and go to the next site. The Home page looks abit plain, and all the icons about 'JIB, PartP, City&Guilds are unnecessary. I think unless you have a large company, you don't need all those tabs. Perhaps some direct links to some photos to some of your work from the homepage, not a picture of a CU or socket, but a finished room a kitchen for example. Definitely a landline number. If your using the internet, make sense to show your locality, unless you don't mind travelling the country. Being rather picky, but that's just how it grabs me with first impressions.

 

[sjhall]

Main page could do with telling people where you are based and areas you cover, looks good though ...

 

[Swicade]

Looks professional and gets all the key points across very well.

Admittedly i think the home page needs alittle polishing up to 'get to the point' easier.

I also found it very clinical with many of the images used....needs afew personal touches added. As an example on the call outs page rather than a generic test meter i'd have my sign written van (sort of man with van ready to serve kind of thing)

On the home page i'd put smaller logo's giving room to add photo's of finished job's....maybe even add photo's of work in progress somewhere on the site aswell (just avoid the photo's of everyone stood around drinking tea/coffee ;p )

Overall though it looks good.



I will add haveing not done my own webpage (does a oneman band in cabbage munching country really warrant one?) i'm by far no expert.

 

[Welchyboy]

Not wishing to be harsh and I'm no expert, but if I was surfing the web (can you use that phrase still) and come across your front page I would probably just delete, and go to the next site. The Home page looks abit plain, and all the icons about 'JIB, PartP, City&Guilds are unnecessary. I think unless you have a large company, you don't need all those tabs. Perhaps some direct links to some photos to some of your work from the homepage, not a picture of a CU or socket, but a finished room a kitchen for example. Definitely a landline number. If your using the internet, make sense to show your locality, unless you don't mind travelling the country. Being rather picky, but that's just how it grabs me with first impressions.

Thank you midwest, i do agree about including my own photos this was allways my intention from the begining, and as soon as i get a few i will be including them when i update it

to be honest i only had a rough idea of what i wanted to start with, and the web designer i used said not to wait until i got it perfect to make it live otherwise it will never be finished, put it up there and get peoples opinion of it and then review it yourself every month or so

there was so many details i have been thinking of, that i wanted to put up there, but without boring the pants off people. also it seems so obvious to me now its been pointed out that i didnt even include the area that i work in.....DOH!

 

[Midwest]

It's better than mine, cos I ain't got one! Probably good advice to start with something and build on it. Your site name comes as a 10th listing in Google, which is good. Have a look at some other sites, by typing 'Electrical Services' in your search engine. Have a look at your competitors sites in your area.

 

[Richard Burns]

Just a had a quick look through, still no land line number, only an area code.
I like the being able to access all sections on each page of the website, easy to navigate.
Generally looks good and easy to use, telephone number on each page is also good, don't delay the customer getting hold of you!
Do have a look at your wording and see if it can be improved / clarified / condensed.
I did notice you state you are a specialist in almost all 3 phase areas; can you be a generalised specialist?
You also offer emergency call outs on a commercial basis, you need to be sure that you can actually provide this at the level expected otherwise when someone calls to arrange 24/7/365 cover with 1 hour response time and cannot get it they are disappointed, do not offer more than you can supply, but do make what you have sound good!
Agree with the wasted space but make sure you do not go too big, however white space (space within a page) can make things clearer.

 

[SW1970]

Hi, nice and simple. A few ideas:

- install google analytics tracking - you'll be able to see how many people are using your website, which pages, where from, when, etc. (your web chap will need to put code in for you if you're not familiar with html

- your keyword density is low > choose your keywords and put more of them in

- the website doesn't appear to have any search engine metadata in the header, hasn't used headings and doesn't have a site map > all these things very important for coming up higher in search engines

- there's very little geographic info, the only areas mentioned are on the callout & maintenance page > mention areas covered

- searching for "electrician benfleet" doesn't list your website in the first several pages on google > submit to search engines and obtain followable back links

- the C&G logo is a bit dominating (a bit like C&G).

Good luck.

 

[Welchyboy]

Hi, nice and simple. A few ideas


- the website doesn't appear to have any search engine metadata in the header, hasn't used headings and doesn't have a site map > all these things very important for coming up higher in search engine

Good luck.

Hi SW1970

Thanks for these very helpful pointers I am speaking to my web designer next week to do some updates, could you elaborate on the above for me so I could get this in place?


Im not very knowledgable in this field and would like to cover all my angles


Many thanks

Paul

 

[SW1970]

Metadata is code at the top of a website (the viewer can't see it) that tells search engines about the website. Headings are the same as you might use a paragraph format heading in Microsoft Word. Search engines use words in headings to help categorise a website better. A site map is a small file that lists the webpages. It goes on the server holding the website. Search engines will list and re-list your website faster if you have one of these. Here's the power of an optimised websites: See the link in my signature about vintage port? Hover over it and see which website it links to. Then go into google, type in vintage port chart, and see which website comes up at or near the top of the unadvertised list. With a little bit of effort and experimentation, and without spending loads of money on search engine consultants, you can, for specific search terms, get your website near the top.

 

[Welchyboy]

Metadata is code at the top of a website (the viewer can't see it) that tells search engines about the website. Headings are the same as you might use a paragraph format heading in Microsoft Word. Search engines use words in headings to help categorise a website better. A site map is a small file that lists the webpages. It goes on the server holding the website. Search engines will list and re-list your website faster if you have one of these. Here's the power of an optimised websites: See the link in my signature about vintage port? Hover over it and see which website it links to. Then go into google, type in vintage port chart, and see which website comes up at or near the top of the unadvertised list. With a little bit of effort and experimentation, and without spending loads of money on search engine consultants, you can, for specific search terms, get your website near the top.

Should he have included these in my website from the start?, or If not would they be
Very expensive to put in?

Also adding keywords is this something I can just write into my homepage etc as words in my company description?


Thanks again for your help mate

 

[SW1970]

Probably should have asked you what you would be expecting customers to be typing in, and then built these terms in. Yes I would have expected that to be included by a quality web designer. The site map takes 1 minute to produce, so yes again. Header metadata is derived from these points, and again take a few minutes to put in. Have a look on google for "introduction to search engine optimisation" and there's loads of material out there. You could ask him in the revision to include all of this. I would not expect to have to pay for a one off straightforward fine tuning of a simple website if I have paid a web designer to create it.

 

[Welchyboy]

Ok will put all this to him, thanks for your help