Just launched my new website. Thoughts?

Jason Robinson · February 24th, 2009, 02:01 AM

I wouldn't drop the video quality. people that are goign to have a pro do their wedding are goign to have a hi speed internet connection. I rarely have found a client that doesn't. And even if they didnt' have a hi-speed connection, how are you goign to show them great video with tiny preview window sizes? I say keep the videso big and nice.

I'm not a fan of the "it makes noise when the mouse rolls over it" thing and especially when clickign on the pictures does nothing. I clicked on all the pictures to try and find out what they did since the pictures were more obviously interactive than the text menus, even though it was the text menus that did all the navigation.

Jason Robinson · February 24th, 2009, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lukas Siewior

All you need to do to trick the system is to type black on black all the keywords, sop they'll be there as text but not visible to human eye.

baaaaad MoJo if you do that. Google ban will be immanent....

Steve Shovlar · February 24th, 2009, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Emery

My opinion...

As cool as all that "jazzy" stuff is, I thought simply viewing the site was a pain.

All the photos were cool on the front page but I had to wait and wait for the flash file to load.

The text was too small and difficult to read. I had to use a magnifying glass. But the magnifying glass did help me to see you had some mispelled words and some repeat words.

Examples:

FILMING THE BRIDES PERPERATIONS. (Should be PREPARATIONS)

YOU KNOW THAT WE LIKE TO BLOW OWN OWN TRUMPET (Should be OUR OWN )

And, I'm not knocking you specifically, but what is the importance of listing the gear you own? I don't get it. Seems as pointless to me as listing all the software you have at your disposal.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, thanks for picking up the typos. I went through it three times and still missed them. Brain not seeing it as I wrote it myself!

You are right the gear section is going today to be replaced with a "Why have a videographer" section.

Steve Shovlar · February 24th, 2009, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Robinson

I wouldn't drop the video quality. people that are goign to have a pro do their wedding are goign to have a hi speed internet connection. I rarely have found a client that doesn't. And even if they didnt' have a hi-speed connection, how are you goign to show them great video with tiny preview window sizes? I say keep the videso big and nice.

I'm not a fan of the "it makes noise when the mouse rolls over it" thing and especially when clickign on the pictures does nothing. I clicked on all the pictures to try and find out what they did since the pictures were more obviously interactive than the text menus, even though it was the text menus that did all the navigation.

I won't drop the video quality. Like you say I am selling video so no point in having a low res movie. I would have gone even larger but decided this was probably as large as I would go without too much buffering.

As for the sound when I mouse over an image, I agree that is confusing so I will change that in a minute.

Lukas Siewior · February 24th, 2009, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Robinson

baaaaad MoJo if you do that. Google ban will be immanent....

really? I didn't know. Sorry :-)

Bryan Daugherty · February 25th, 2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Davis

That may have worked back in 1997, but Google (and all other search engines) are hip to that trick. Google will even remove you from their index for deceptive practices like that.

I thought they only flagged it if you made it invisible. If i place black text over a portion of the background image that is black will they flag that too? Even though all the rest of my text is black too?

Jason Robinson · February 25th, 2009, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

I thought they only flagged it if you made it invisible. If i place black text over a portion of the background image that is black will they flag that too? Even though all the rest of my text is black too?

I have done some work for a large company on SEO for their clients and what I have learned is that as a good rule of thumb.... if it looks like you are trying to get around something.... then Google will punish you for that. Plain and simple.

It is not worth the google ban to screw with text matching the color of a background, etc.

Just make good content and if it is flash, use the methods available in flash ot embed the site content in plain text.

Chris Davis · February 25th, 2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

I thought they only flagged it if you made it invisible. If i place black text over a portion of the background image that is black will they flag that too? Even though all the rest of my text is black too?

Google says "If your site is perceived to contain hidden text and links that are deceptive in intent, your site may be removed from the Google index." Why would you put black text over a black image? If the reason is to cause search engines to index information that is not supposed to be available to your website visitors, then you may be banned. Google freely publishes their standards. You can start reading on the subject here: Hidden text and links - Webmasters/Site owners Help

Bryan Daugherty · February 25th, 2009, 02:55 PM

Thanks for the info. I guess i got some bad intel on that one. I was told that was a good way to make sure your body text matched all of your keywords. Granted those keywords exist in other parts of my site I just had that box on the front to localize all of them for indexing. I will tear that down immediately! Thanks. I will also spend some time looking over that link you posted, thanks!

Ryan DesRoches · February 25th, 2009, 03:24 PM

Brian,

Search Engines tend to change their algorithms and methods constantly, it's usually a good idea to check the help guides for Google (and any other major search engine that you want to do well on) once a year or every 6 months to make sure your not doing something that is now "illegal" in they eyes of the search engine. It's also a good time to go over your keywords to make sure they are still relevant and/or helping your site.

I also recommend that people use google analytics on their sites to track how many people are getting to your site and how they are getting there. If you get good at it, you can set up filters and goals in the tool that will give you some data on how people use your site and if a large chunk of them leave on a certain page (i.e, if 90% of your visitors leave on your pricing page, that might give you a hint that your prices are too high or too low).

Ryan

Richard Gooderick · February 26th, 2009, 10:34 AM

Generally speaking I find flash pages to be a pain in the backside but this one was worth waiting for.

I like the way that the page is interactive.

Many people don't like mouseover noises. I think that these work well.

The text is too small. This is a serious issue that needs fixing soon. And White on black is always difficult to read but you can't do much about that without changing the whole site.

The one video example that I played started to hiccup after ten seconds or so. Whoever is handling your streaming, I think I would change them.

I'd try to find a more glamorous example. A group of wedding guests walking along a nondescript roadside taken with a handheld camera wouldn't excite me if I was looking for a wedding video. The grading seemed to be variable too. Not exactly a dream wedding.

Overall I really liked the site. It felt interactive, lively and not stuffy. It would reassure me that you are the kind of person who would take my views on board and work with me if I commissioned you to do a wedding video.

Jeff Harper · March 2nd, 2009, 04:20 PM

Nice looking site overall. BTW, not if your site loses it's search engine ranking but when.

Type is too small as had been observed and I think font not great choice either.

Steve Shovlar · March 3rd, 2009, 04:50 AM

Well the site has been live now for a week. I have made a few changes like getting rid of the music and mouse over sounds on some of the pictures. i decided to keep the bit rate high on the movie clips.

And it really has paid off. Sure the font size is too small, but its almost impossoble to increase in size without messing up the design.

But I have now got two confirmed bookings in the last three days, all generated by the site itself. Both from London, out of my area. Both had never met me or heard of me before. Both went online and looked at quite a few videographes. And both chose me because they thought my site looked fantastic, my style was what they wanted and I was head and shoulders over other videographers they had looked at.

I now feel very comfortable with the look of the site. I will play arund with it a little bit more and add a further option after doing a deal ( see new thread)with a local cinema.

Thank you all for the feedback. It has been much appreciated. Now get out there and make your new site to drag in those clients!

Richard Gooderick · March 3rd, 2009, 08:05 AM

It's good to hear that it's working for you.

I'd still do something about your video if I were you.

For instance my connection lets me stream Vimeo full screen without faltering but when I try to play your video in a much smaller window it hiccups and hiccups and hiccups. I got as far as the cable car this time before giving up.

I am sure that there are better ways to stream your video than the way you are doing it.

Jeff Harper · March 3rd, 2009, 09:56 AM

One thing you should change is on your first page. You should never underline ANYthing on a webpage that is not a link.

February 25th, 2009, 02:55 PM	#24
Bryan Daugherty Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lexington, Ky - USA Posts: 552	opps! Thanks for the info. I guess i got some bad intel on that one. I was told that was a good way to make sure your body text matched all of your keywords. Granted those keywords exist in other parts of my site I just had that box on the front to localize all of them for indexing. I will tear that down immediately! Thanks. I will also spend some time looking over that link you posted, thanks! __________________ 3x-HD1000u - Ikan 8000HD- custom i7 PC - Vegas Pro 13 and 11 64 bit - Premiere Pro CS4 - and a whole mess of other equipment...

February 25th, 2009, 03:24 PM	#25
Ryan DesRoches Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Worcester, Mass USA Posts: 125	Brian, Search Engines tend to change their algorithms and methods constantly, it's usually a good idea to check the help guides for Google (and any other major search engine that you want to do well on) once a year or every 6 months to make sure your not doing something that is now "illegal" in they eyes of the search engine. It's also a good time to go over your keywords to make sure they are still relevant and/or helping your site. I also recommend that people use google analytics on their sites to track how many people are getting to your site and how they are getting there. If you get good at it, you can set up filters and goals in the tool that will give you some data on how people use your site and if a large chunk of them leave on a certain page (i.e, if 90% of your visitors leave on your pricing page, that might give you a hint that your prices are too high or too low). Ryan __________________ Lakota Den Productions, LLC Http://LakotaDenProductions.com

February 26th, 2009, 10:34 AM	#26
Richard Gooderick Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 795	Generally speaking I find flash pages to be a pain in the backside but this one was worth waiting for. I like the way that the page is interactive. Many people don't like mouseover noises. I think that these work well. The text is too small. This is a serious issue that needs fixing soon. And White on black is always difficult to read but you can't do much about that without changing the whole site. The one video example that I played started to hiccup after ten seconds or so. Whoever is handling your streaming, I think I would change them. I'd try to find a more glamorous example. A group of wedding guests walking along a nondescript roadside taken with a handheld camera wouldn't excite me if I was looking for a wedding video. The grading seemed to be variable too. Not exactly a dream wedding. Overall I really liked the site. It felt interactive, lively and not stuffy. It would reassure me that you are the kind of person who would take my views on board and work with me if I commissioned you to do a wedding video. __________________ http://www.gooderick.com

March 3rd, 2009, 08:05 AM	#29
Richard Gooderick Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 795	It's good to hear that it's working for you. I'd still do something about your video if I were you. For instance my connection lets me stream Vimeo full screen without faltering but when I try to play your video in a much smaller window it hiccups and hiccups and hiccups. I got as far as the cable car this time before giving up. I am sure that there are better ways to stream your video than the way you are doing it. __________________ http://www.gooderick.com

February 24th, 2009, 02:01 AM	#16
Jason Robinson Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 1,997	I wouldn't drop the video quality. people that are goign to have a pro do their wedding are goign to have a hi speed internet connection. I rarely have found a client that doesn't. And even if they didnt' have a hi-speed connection, how are you goign to show them great video with tiny preview window sizes? I say keep the videso big and nice. I'm not a fan of the "it makes noise when the mouse rolls over it" thing and especially when clickign on the pictures does nothing. I clicked on all the pictures to try and find out what they did since the pictures were more obviously interactive than the text menus, even though it was the text menus that did all the navigation.

March 2nd, 2009, 04:20 PM	#27
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Nice looking site overall. BTW, not if your site loses it's search engine ranking but when. Type is too small as had been observed and I think font not great choice either.

March 3rd, 2009, 04:50 AM	#28
Steve Shovlar Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dorset UK Posts: 697	Well the site has been live now for a week. I have made a few changes like getting rid of the music and mouse over sounds on some of the pictures. i decided to keep the bit rate high on the movie clips. And it really has paid off. Sure the font size is too small, but its almost impossoble to increase in size without messing up the design. But I have now got two confirmed bookings in the last three days, all generated by the site itself. Both from London, out of my area. Both had never met me or heard of me before. Both went online and looked at quite a few videographes. And both chose me because they thought my site looked fantastic, my style was what they wanted and I was head and shoulders over other videographers they had looked at. I now feel very comfortable with the look of the site. I will play arund with it a little bit more and add a further option after doing a deal ( see new thread)with a local cinema. Thank you all for the feedback. It has been much appreciated. Now get out there and make your new site to drag in those clients!

March 3rd, 2009, 09:56 AM	#30
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	One thing you should change is on your first page. You should never underline ANYthing on a webpage that is not a link.