Our website has been up for about four weeks. I was going to post a link and ask for criticism but there were 2 or 3 going at the time.
Now the board is open and I’ve got my tinfoil hat on so whatever you say can’t hurt me.
Click on the link below my name. Dial-uppers have no fear, I’m pretty sure it’s reasonable.
Replies
Looks good! Well laid out, uncluttered, orginized and not a lot of band width-chewing extras.
I looked at the code too and it is clean, neat, easy to read and correct. If you wrote this yourself my hat is off to you, it looks like the work of a pro.
Definetely the work of a pro. I had a friend from college design the site for me.Here is his companies site http://www.fivestone.com If you need professional work contact them and ask for Sam.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com
Where's the link? Do I need ESP?
There is a link right below my name in my signature file.
In case it's hidden http://www.rappahannockinc.com
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com
>There is a link right below my name in my signature fileAh ha, no wonder...I have sigs turned off.Site looks well organized and answers the questions I'd initially have if I were looking.
It looks very good. My only quibble is that the font size of the white on grey background is a little small.
I have the same quibble about the font size - difficult to read, especially for slightly older readers. As others have said, the page is clean and logical, which is good. You might also consider adding some meta tags, which will help to get your site listed on the search engines like Google (thus helping potential customers find your site). For info on meta tags - what they are, how to insert them, here's one pretty good source: http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2167931
"All of life's big problems include the words "indictment" or "inoperable." Everything else is small stuff." Alton Brown
http://costofwar.com/
"You might also consider adding some meta tags, which will help to get your site listed on the search engines like Google"Common belief but it's not true. Meta tags were abused so widely in the earlier days, none of the important search engines use them anymore. I think the site looks good. But time and again I mention to people you'll never, ever, be seen in a search engine unless you put important keywords in the TITLE tag. Not just one page but different pages. A perfect title for the website would be "Home Building & Remodeling Fredericskburg Virgina, VA" Name of the company in the title is almost useless unless you expect people to search for your actual company name.I worked like a dog trying to figure out how to rank in search engines and finally found the formula after attending some geeky webmaster conventions. Page titles are very important next to what they call "inbound links" Inbound links are links from other sites that are indexed in the search engines. If in doubt search with their URL to see if they are listed. If you use RAPPAHANNOCK BUILDING AND REMODELING INC as your link it ALSO does absolutely no good unless--once again-- if you expect people to search for your company name(unlikely?)Trade links with others and when you do, ask them to use "Home Building & Remodeling Fredericskburg Virgina, VA" as the live or clickable link from their website. Get five or ten of them and you'll probably be ranked #1 in Google(may take awhile) for a variety of search phrases like:home building va
home building virginia
home building fredericskburg
home remodeling va
home remodeling virginia
etc
etcCome to think of it, people would probably use home builder more than home building while searching. Probably be a good idea to use that in the title and in your links as well.That's all I have to offer. Good luck:)
Jon - nicely done - I'm working on mine currently and I believe I'm gonna steal some layout ideas from your site..................
Hey Mister Sushi, you forgot to cook my fish.
"Am I dead or alive? What's this? Linoleum? I must be in hell." -The Salton Sea
Site looks great. Perfect for your business. The goal of your web site is to present a simple professional image that will lead to prospects contacting you or support the image that you have gained in other ways. You have used a links page to quality suppliers which reinforces the quality image.
Under portfolio I would recommend either before and afters or a narrative of the client's problem and your solution. I would also recommend a professional photographer for the interior shots, it looks like you are a great builder but an OK photographer. If the photos are top notch then so are you - is what visitors may feel. You can leverage the cost by giving the homeowners a nicely framed picture and asking for a referral to post on your site.
I like the site and features. I really enjoy the photos of the work and think they are a good choice and selection. My only complaint is the size of the font used for general information. Small for my eyes. DanT
I have one suggestion for what its worth:
Under the Services Page you list the following:
But why don't you link from these items to some of your photos?
"Are you weary of hiring contractors that..."
Jon,
Two observations, both nitpicks:
I like your motto, and the fact that the featured photograph shows what is obviously a high-quality home.
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
>> Dial-uppers have no fear, I'm pretty sure it's reasonable.
Yah, It has been optimized for us poor foak. Very fast and all images are cacheable, so it gets faster the second time around. Also like that the header pic is not reloaded from page to page. Hmmm, I mean that the image used on the next page is pulled from my cache, rather than redownloaded.
Not enough coffee yet.
Really nice site.
SamT
Nice job on the web site. I would maybe put more pictures of your work.
could be better then mine
clean, simple
good luck
btw
rappahanock used to be nothing ut camping areas and small mom and pops when I was growing up
havent been back in 40 years.
Nice site, Jon. Very clean, simple to navigate. Really gives a professional impression.
Very, very nice.
Very clean ... uncluttered.
Easy to navigate.
even the pic's selected "fit" ... also very clean look.
Nice and straightforward. Projects a professional image.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Okay, I appreciate all the response and suggestions. I had Sam make a few changes to the site so things are as they will stay until we generate some more content.
The changes made were:
Increase font size slightly to improve readibility.
Add some links under the "services" page to pics relating to that type of work.
Any other suggestions are very welcome!
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA