Website Critique

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

I was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind checking out our website and giving it a critique. It's pretty basic and simple I was going for something with clean lines and very user friendly.

www.yourdayyourwayphotography.com

I just recently completely redid the entire site. One button client proofing does not work yet, as I don't have that page set up yet. Part of me likes it and part of me doesn't but I don't know what I don't like, so I thought I would see what you guys thought.

Thank you in advance

manderb1 · Jan 28, 2008

IMO, the site is not really user friendly, the galleries are a little unclear.

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

Thanks for the critique

What would you change to make it more user friendly?

I thought the buttons at the top made it pretty easy to find everything.

manderb1 · Jan 28, 2008

Well, for example I was looking for your wedding samples and I didn't not run across any. Most people don't want to look through all the pictures to find the section they are looking for. I would post a "wedding gallery", "engagement gallery" etc. This will keep your customers from being frustrated from looking everything.
Your portfolio is nice though.

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

Thanks for the tips, I greatly appreciate it

I will work on those this evening that is a good idea.

Would you suggest hosting the wedding gallery and the engagement gallery on my site or do you think using Photoshelter (the place that hosts all my pictures currently) would be ok, just possibly making them a featured Gallery?

Thanks in advance

manderb1 · Jan 28, 2008

I am new at websites as well. I not sure what Photoshelter is but what I did on mine is made individual galleries. It works for me, I booked several weddings since I created my website. Sorry I couldn't help you, I am going by what I would look for in a photographer.

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

You helped more then you know, just having an impartial set of eyes helps greatly. After you stare at it for weeks over and over you start to miss those little things that can make a huge difference.

manderb1 · Jan 28, 2008

I totally understand, I posted my website on here too for everyone to critique, I hate even looking at mine b/c I have reconstructed it so much!

Lyncca · Jan 28, 2008

Hi there. Your site is nice and clean, but your load times with your javascript script are too long. I would also use a contact form instead of putting your email address right on your site or you will start getting hundreds of spam a day due to web spiders.

FYI -- I'm a much more experienced web designer than photographer

Don't laugh that I don't have my own site finished yet (hence the photobucket)!

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

Thanks for your advice Lyncca,

Yeah I know my site loads slowly and I am not really sure how to fix that. I have already downsized the pictures. If I make them much smaller the clarity is going to go to the way side. I pretty much just use a WYSIWYG program for designing my webpages. I know some HTML enough to get by and do the basics, but I have no clue how to write javascript so maybe the script is my problem. I got it from another website. I searched for hours to find a free javascript program for the picture slideshow that I could figure out how to edit and get my pictures in.

I have a contact button at the top of the page that loads even slower then the javascript for some reason. Maybe people don't realize those are buttons at the top since they don't look like buttons.

Lyncca · Jan 28, 2008

Oh ok, I do see your contact form now. I didn't stay long before because of the load time. It most likely is the script.

You should still delete the email at the bottom of the pages or disguise it with a graphic or something because you will be SWAMPED with spam if you leave it (trust me, I know).

Lyncca · Jan 28, 2008

Also, free scripts are ok, but you probably should avoid anything that says it is "free script provided by X".

Potential clients may think, "why should I spend my money with them if they can't even spend a little bit on a nice site?" It makes it seem more homemade, which even if it is, it doesn't have to look like it

mscheffler · Jan 28, 2008

I will remove our email address tonight. You stating to remove it just clicked as to why in the past week I have gotten spammed like never before, I couldn't figure out why because I hadn't posted that email address anywhere other then on our website, now I know why.

Do you by chance have any suggestions as to where I might be able to find a nice javascript that isn't outlandishly priced for a photo show of some sort like the one I have? The cheapest ones I came across were in the hundreds and that is simply not in our budget at the current moment.

Or do you think if I bought a javascript for dummies book I might be able to figure out how to code my own?

Thanks again

Lyncca · Jan 28, 2008

Hmm, let me look around and ask in my web design forum. I haven't been real active in the past year or so, but my business partner still is, so she may know of something too. Our website is 2techchicks.com if you wanna see that I at least halfway know something about it