Websites review my website

hi folks just wanting to get feedback on my website have no experience in doing this kind of stuff so its kind of plain.. but let know what you think www.cmcdecorators.co.uk

 

I just looked at it using IE7. I would say it's plain. Obviously not all info (like image gallery) has been added yet, but there is a difference between plain and simple. Simple can be good depending on what you are presenting, and with a good image gallery and maybe a pic or collage from the gallery on your home page, simple won't distract from what it is you want to do for your customer.
Couple comments. Logo is very nice! But why is it on every page twice (side by side)? Also, even though it is a cool logo - and this is just my personal preference - is a splash screen with just the logo on it necessary. For me, I like to get to the meat of what I look for with as few clicks as necessary. I type in a web address, see a screen with just a logo saying click to continue and feel like I'm being asked 'are you sure you REALLY want to see this?" Especially if it loads slow, which it did the first time, but not the second.
Your "In Partnership With..." is at the bottom of every page, and you have to scroll to see it. If it is important, you might want to add it underneath your logo, or somehow incorporate it at the top of the screen instead of 2 logos.
ABOUT US: you've got about 7 lines of dead space above About Us on the page. Maybe using space better on the page will keep visitors from having to scroll to reach the bottom. Same on Contact Us.
Guest Book: Dark grey text on a slightly less darker grey background is hard to read.
When your text links are clicked, they go to a black font on very dark grey background - hard to see.
The font and space things are easy to fix and would make a big impact. Like I said earlier, simple can be good. I'd think this would be one of those cases once you get some awesome photos of your work up.

 

Typo on my part...should read " I would not say it is plain!" Sorry about that!

 

Black font on dark background definitely needs to be changed, hardly able to read the text. Logos are nice. Maybe unconventional but get the attention. It likes something looking at you. Overall it's a nice and simple layout, nice to look at.

 

I have a couple questions for you before I continue with the review of your website.

1. Is this a template that you are using?
2. What program are you using to edit the html code? Is it a pagebuilder type program?
3. Do you have a CSS stylesheet?

As far as the review is concerned I believe your site has a lot of potential. It is very simple but simple isn't always a bad thing.

I must agree with Drayton that the flash intro is unnecessary. I believe the only reason for a flash intro is if you are trying to display some of your companies work. Ex: If you are a web design company and want to show potential clients an example of your flash work before they enter your site. Aside from that I also like to just get straight to the information that a companies website is portraying to the viewer.

This may seem a bit picky but I noticed that you have a favicon. I really like sites that have a bookmark icon but to me yours doesn't seem to relate to your website.

I think the logo looks really good but do you need it displayed twice on every page? You could try and think of something else to put in place of the logo on the right or you could just leave it blank.

As far as the content of the site goes, when I first got to the site I really had no idea what your company was. Even after I read that you are a decorating company it really doesn't go beyond that. I think you need to expand on your About Us page and revamp your mission statement.

For your image gallery try searching google for "free image gallery" or "image gallery code". There are some really good galleries out there that could be a great addition to your site. It is imperative to have examples of your companies work in the form of pictures.

I really do not have a problem with the color scheme as other have stated. I would recommend you add more to your site. Even the simple things help such as link rollovers. I would also change the color of the current page in the navigation to a color other than gray. You really cannot tell what page you are on.

Another suggestion I would make I would make is about the spacing and map on the About Us page. The spacing is off and it just doesn't flow properly. As far as the map goes, personally I like interactive maps instead of freeze frame maps so I can get a better idea of where you are located. Try using google maps or bing maps. Once you have the proper zoom on your location you can click on the "Link" link the upper right hand side and get the code you need to embed the map on your website (Google Maps) or you can click on the share your map icon in the lower left (Bing Maps).

Your page title under your <title> tag should have a brief description of the site. Also you should have keywords for use with SEO and spiders. One last comment is maybe to add some more pages. Such as "Services" or "Testimonials".

I know it is still a work in progress and I look forward to you posting a link once you have made some changes and added some more content. If you have any questions feel free to ask them. We are here to help. Good luck!

 

thanks for the reveiws gave me alot to think about.. most the things you guys have mentioned i will probably change very soon ie flash intro, colours etc... just waiting to get pictures from previous jobs ive done so they'll be added shortly also.

in answer to your questions gnoble. yes its a temple and i use the page builder program supplied by vistaprint i have very limited knowledge on building websites etc so got to use what i can

 

<title>CMC DECORATORS - Home</title>
Google displays 66 characters (including spaces) of your title
You have 21 characters (of which Home is not necessary)
use "CMC Decorators" - then a short description of what you do
or what you are (about 66 characters worth total)

<meta name="description" content="cmc decorators, aberdeen">
Google displays 150 characters (including spaces) of your
description just below your title - this is where you elaborate
on your short description in your title (about 150 characters
total)

<meta name="keywords" content="cmc decorators, aberdeen">
keywords are for you to know what keywords you used.
Check your keywords in a keyword suggestion tool such as
"wordtracker"
Free keyword suggestion tool for SEO, Adwords & blogging

What Google says about Title and Description
Changing your site's title and description in search results - Webmaster Tools Help
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hope this helps
falcon

 

haha sorry but everything you have just said is a riddle to me.. dont have any idea when it comes to that sort of stuff

 

That riddle if not difficult to understand. Take a little time and check out sites like Google webmaster central as navyfalcon suggested and the light bulb above your head will come on in no time.

 

To have a website that is not listed about 10,000 in Google,
you need to learn SEO (search engine optimization)
There is a lot of good websites listed in the 10,000 range as the
designers did not know SEO
SEO is what gets you in the 100 range or within 10 pages
good SEO will land you in the first 3 pages
great SEO gets page 1
without SEO you won't be found or seen
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That is why it was mentioned
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hope this helps
falcon

 

image gallery
pictures will soon be posted
-
One of your most important items - pictures
You definitely need a good picture slideshow
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hope this helps
falcon

 

my website is first in google search

 

for what keywords
-
falcon

 

for CMC Decorators:

1. Painters & Decorators in Warrington - CMC Decorators Ltd ...
   
   CMC Decorators Ltd - Painters & Decorators in Warrington. Find reviews, map and directions.
   Search for a UK business with the ThomsonLocal.com directory.CMC-Decorators-Ltd/.../companyinfo.html - Cached
2. CMC DECORATORS - Home
   
   At CMC, Our reliable and trust worthy team of tradesmen aim to cater for your every decorating need and bring those once tired old rooms back to life, ...
   www.[B]cmcdecorators[/B].co.uk/default.html - Cached
3. C M C DECORATORS LTD, WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE, 3 NEWHAVEN ROAD
   
   Company profile CMC DECORATORS LTD, WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE, 3 NEWHAVEN ROAD. ... C M C DECORATORS LTD. Keywords: Keywords: painting contractors. Reviews ...
   www.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/c-m-c-decorators-ltd-15867577.html - Cached

problems if they do not put "CMC Decorators"
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hope this helps
falcon

 

second aint to bad then..

 

Hey,

I just had a look at your website & just had a few suggestions:

ABOUT US: I would have love to get a bit more information as to what exactly you do & elaborate a bit more on the services you provide, your company and also maybe how experienced your team is.

I noticed you will be posting the photos soon, that should be of great importance as your potential customers will want to see your work.

Maybe you could also add some photos on the homepage of a really good job you did or even a photo of your crew/team. I will check the site again to see what changes you have made. Good job so far!