Opinions on my website please

[rob1963]

I've already made over 150 alterations & improvements to my website in the 2 years it's been online, and (apart from a few more which are in the pipeline) it's more or less the way I want it now.

Please can I have your opinions on the site (both positive AND negative!), along with any suggestions or ideas on how you think It can be further improved.

I don't mind what you say, I just want honesty. I can take it - I'm a big boy now!

Thanks guys! :)


http://www.robjamesentertainment.co.uk

[Ricesnaps]

Shall I go first then.

Split into good and bad, so the good first:

1. Smart, well designed header
2. East to navigate
3. Prices - always think having these on the site is a great idea
4. Customer feedback - although see the bads too!

And the bads:

1. Colour - personally, I think white on dark is not easy to read
2. Paragraphs of text - can't say I am much better, but I am told that most people visiting a site will be more attracted to bullet point easy to read text. I did read yours, but it's not eye catching
3. Customer comments - great idea, but not sure your home page is the right place, or they are not in quit ethe right format for a home page - maybe a couple in speach bubbles or similar?
4. Pictures - I am a huge believer that a picture speaks a thousand words. I'm sure you are an atractive guy to the ladies, but one picture of you would probably be fine, but pictures (or even videos) of happy punters dancing at your gigs i think always goes down well. Some guys have a photo album, I just put lots of pictures on my pages...
5. The enquiry form is a great idea, BUT although I didn't use it, I would be put of by the alerts you say I will get - maybe look at a better option?

I could go on, but what you really need to remember with all the comments you will get now is that if it works for you, then don't change it. I would certainly suggest you get a good stats package to go with it. if you are currently getting enough bookings from your site, the stats show you get a good visit length then maybe it's us that are wrong and you who is right?

[rob1963]

Hiya Ricesnaps!

Thanks very much for your time & comments.

All have been taken on board :)

[Shaun]

Hi Rob,

I agree with Matt about the white text on dark background. I found my eyes squinting trying to read it. Apart from that it's a good. :)

[rob1963]

Thanks Shaun :)

[Tonsk]

I too didn't like the white on blue... I see where the style is going, but with black on the top, once you've scrolled a little down and lost the top tab, it just looks like two different color backgrounds clashing...

You may also find that having frames makes your site not appear as high in search engine rankings...

Prices - Great having them on there, but what you have written makes no sense to anyone other than DJs. For example: Deluxe Disco. A deluxe disco with a 580 watt sound system and a 1.44 kW light show (8 pinspots and 4 lighting effects).

For both setups, they get the same wattage sound, its only the lights that are different - so why not explain better... For example:

Deluxe Disco : £300*
Our premier service offers a crystal clear sound system, powerful enough to cater for any functions upto 150 people and to complement this, we will bring our premier lighting system, combining both subtle and interactive effects (12 lights in total) so that we can vary what lighting we are using so your guests are not blinded but are amazed.

Your DJ will attend in full black tie attire to ensure they fit in with your day, bringing music to suit all ages.

Or something to that effect.....

On the homepage this:
Established in 1984, Rob James Entertainment offers mobile discos & quiz nights in Surrey. We have played at many venues from small houses to The Savoy, and have worked with celebrities including Chas & Dave and The Counterfeit Stones. With over 5,000 tracks, our music covers all tastes. We can email our top 120 requests or full catalogue to assist with your music choice. Our DJ’s are professionals, rates are competitive and all bookings are confirmed in writing. We are fully insured and PAT (portable appliance) tested. Occasions include weddings, anniversaries & most birthdays. Please view our site for details & prices

Should be broken down and emphasised again whats in it for them, eg:
Welcome to the homepage of Rob James Entertainment. Established in 1984, we have been performing in the Surrey area for over 23 years at both Quiz Nights and Mobile Disco functions.

To ensure your night goes the way YOU want it to, we bring over 5000 tracks with us to every function, covering all tastes - To assist you in selecting any special or favourite songs you may like us to play, we will gladly send you a list of our top 120 function requests, or will assist in your own ideas.

We are familiar with many venues in and around the Surrey area and are happy to work in places from small houses to The Savoy. We have also worked with celebrities including Chas & Dave and The Counterfeit Stones, always to rave reviews.

We have experience of performing at functions including Weddings (our speciality function), Birthdays, Anniversaries, Corporate Functions and any excuse to have a party.

All our DJ’s are professionals, our rates are competitive and all bookings are confirmed in writing for your peace of mind. Our equipment is fully tested for electrical safety (PAT) and we are fully insured (Public Liability Insurance) which is now required by most venues before they allow the entertainment to set up.

Again, or words to that effect.

Just my opinion though...

[LastMinuteDJs.net]

Don't think it's majorly that it's white text on dark that's the problem - think it's that the dark is not dark enough. The blue is too bright creating a contrast. The header area with the white on black is much easier to read than the white on blue.

[rob1963]

Thanks for the advice Tonsk...certainly gave me a lot to think about!

[rob1963]

Don't think it's majorly that it's white text on dark that's the problem - think it's that the dark is not dark enough. The blue is too bright creating a contrast. The header area with the white on black is much easier to read than the white on blue.

Hi Lastminute,

Thanks for your thoughts. I think you are absolutely right about the white text being ok but the background not being dark enough...I've been looking on a website colour page & messing about with white text on various shades of blue background...and I think the background needs to be a couple of shades darker to make the text easier to read.

Thanks again!

[LastMinuteDJs.net]

Light text on dark background is always under hot debate on here - most hate it, some use it and use it well.

Personally I like light on dark, and feel its a very natural choice for a disco website giving that night time feel.

It is a minefield though - it either looks really really good and effective, or fails and it's hard to read.

A bit of tweaking and you might get there.

Jamie.

[Marc J]

As usual, I'll keep my comments mainly to the technical / design aspects, as I'm a web designer, not a DJ ;)

1. Lose the frames. It's bad for search engines, sending links to people, and bookmarking. If you want your header always showing with scrolling content beneath it, use a scrolling DIV with overflow:auto - instructions here (http://www.lissaexplains.com/html7.shtml).

2. Like many others, I'm not sure I like the blue background. Maybe it's just because the header is black, it looks like it's two halves that don't quite sit right.

3. You need a bit of a margin on the left, the text is hard against the window edge.

4. FAQ - too much scrolling for my liking. Consider adding a questions list at the top, with anchor links to the questions, and a "back to top" link after each answer.

5. Like Ricesnaps, I didn't test the contact form but would be wary because of your warnings. Consider using a "proper" contact form script rather than a mailto: action on submission. BNBForm (http://bignosebird.com/carchive/bnbform.shtml) is a good CGI one, and DagonDesign's mailer script (http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/secure-php-form-mailer-script/) is apparently a good PHP one.

6. Change the copyright notice to 2007. I'm never sure about copyright notices to be honest, and usually say "Copyright © [year of first publication] - [current year] [companyname]", i.e. "Copyright © 2006 - 2007 Rob James Entertainment".

[rob1963]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your ideas. It is good to get the opinions of a website designer as well as those of DJs.

I will be incorporating most of your suggestions as I make further improvements to my site.

Thanks again for your input.

[Shaun]

You could always save yourself the hassle by hiring a good web designer Rob. I highly recommend Marc J, he really knows his stuff!.

[rob1963]

You could always save yourself the hassle by hiring a good web designer Rob. I highly recommend Marc J, he really knows his stuff!.

Hi Elite,

Thanks for the advice.....although I'm tempted to just get the guy who did my site to make some of the alterations which have been suggested in this thread.

He's only 17 & still learning about website design, but he only charged me £100 for the site & usually does updates for free, so I think I'm getting a pretty good deal.

I've had the site for 2 years. In that time I've made over 150 alterations & improvements, so it is nearly how I want it now...and I'm not keen on starting the process all over again by getting someone else to design a new site for me.

If at some point I decide to get a new site, I'll bear Marc J in mind.

Thanks again for the info.

[Shaun]

Not a problem Rob. Best of luck with whichever route you decide on :)

[Marc J]

You could always save yourself the hassle by hiring a good web designer Rob. I highly recommend Marc J, he really knows his stuff!.

:Embarassed: :beer1:


He's only 17 & still learning about website design, but he only charged me £100 for the site & usually does updates for free, so I think I'm getting a pretty good deal.

That is a good deal, although once the initial layout and design is done, it should be fairly easy (with any of the free HTML editors) to update it yourself. Shaun updates his himself all the time...then I usually overwrite it with my (old) copy when I change something else :rolleyes: :bang: