Me new web site

[wizard]

   wizardbilt.com

Please have a butchers and tell me what you think.
The photos on the main page are going to get the bullet and mrs wizard will change the colour of the links to make them stand out a bit more.
Otherwise feel free to comment.If its crap then let me know, if there's something you like; well mrs wizard will be happy :twisted:
She put the site together with no programming experiance and is'nt a web developer type, so  go easy on her..
There are a few things she isnt happy with but let us know what you think.

wizard

[stretchy]

top job I like it.

its a little slow althogh that could just be my browser. I like the fact that you have a sort of free section on there with some how too's  :clap:

stretchy

[KingWolf]

Cracking little site you've got there Wizard. And for someone without the experience I think Mrs Wizard has done a top job...Well done.

Mark.

[burgerman]

Looks good to me, P.S not forgotton the pics,

[ben-dent]

looks good, top job mrs wizard :clap: :clap:

like you said about the links, maybe Yellow or Red,

the only think i can see, its not a big thing but maybe a "top" button at the bottom and the "home" button at the top

[Saffy]

Hopefully more constructive response than the usual "its wonderful" pap.

"Contact us at :wizardsec@aol.com" Looks more professional to be the same email of web host (i.e contact@wizardbilt.com).

Why can't that java navigation menu found on front page be also at the top of every wizardbilt page? It's pain in butt to keep going to a page - read it - press your funky looking HOME button, pick another page - go read that - then back home etc etc over and over.

Any good reason why a business wouldn't publish its full name and address in the contact info - if taking my money and want to know who you are and where to find you - just like any other professional outfit. If good reason then state it on that contact page for potential buyers that do not know you (we know you to be honest others don't!) and besides there's no point being shy as the whois data for the site that anyone can look at provides:

contact:        Linda Brooks
address:        16 Deganwy Close
address:        Llanishen
address:        Cardiff
address:        Wales
address:        CF5 7JT
address:        GB
phone:          +44.7977545790


Site mentions event attendance, be nice to see what upcoming events you will be attending - potential customer may not know the 4x4 event calender as I do not often attend events but I might make exception to go to one if wizardbilt is there. Plus it adds a dynamic element to website, but whoa betide not updating it.

In a tabbed browser the title of tab comes up as "HOMEPAGE", ideally this should be more relevant (i.e "Wizardbilt Main") .

I didn't notice any background music nor does it have a glitzy background image so it's promising but does have an animated gif...  [-o<

[Tel]

hi gerard

its looking good if you want any pics of the custom stuff you have done me give me a shout

[BigA]

I had the same issue with slow loading, where are you hosting? Also, my opinion of course, but animated Giff's are bit out of date now, especially on business sites.

Probably best to get registered early with search engines, as can take a while for first crawls, register with google here https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools its free and can add site to be indexed, and some good help. Also worth creating a "site map" page, the search engine spiders like these when crawling. Get as many links to your site as possible, helps get crawled, and search engine results

you can also register free with google analytics, https://www.google.com/analytics, will give you stats on visits, where from how visitors are using your site etc.

i will shut up now....

[carbore]

It loads slowly becuase the photos are huge images straight out the camera. They need to be reduced to the actual size they are on the website and compressed a bit as well. Try Fast Stone photo reszer on www.snapfiles.com.

And that just a 2 second look, ill try harder if I get the time to look for anything else obvious.

[dxmedia]

In honest opinion, [throw it] poor.

If this was 1996 it would look great, but it's not.

Get a template for dreamweaver, iweb, frontpage and work with that. I'm going to get slated here since you've put a load of work into that, but it looks awful.

sorry and all.

[wizard]

Hi
Everyone is entitled to there opinion, and one really bad comment from so many positive ones cannot be to bad.
Mrs wizard will sort the photo sizes out and add the address and home/top link things.

We both know the site is not 100% slick and professional like a lot of 4x4 companies have, but we are a small family run business with no plans on world domination (at the moment)

Telivio are the hosts thats as technical as i get with web sites.

The gifs are staying... that was my only input really.

thanks for the comments so far.

wizard

[Saffy]

The gifs are staying... that was my only input really.

Just a thought....the main wizard logo you use on the website and your event banners is free clip art that is used frequently on the internet (mostly education websites it seems) although free it *may* carry image rights which could restrict its use for  most personal, educational and non-profit applications. Then again maybe it's Royalty Free public domain. But clip art for a company logo - hardly an input - tacky is the word.

Look none of that matters you ask for public criticism of webby and you'll be sure to reap both nice and brutal, what is important is your product and you have now got your product on the web for the 4x4 community, we shouldn't care how it's presented as long as we can see the interesting bits which are .....
1) what you got for sale with lots of images (i.e 4x4 shiny bits porn)  
2) your written content to back up the products (i.e what the hell that shiny wotsit is for and why I need one)
3) YOUR PRICES AND WHERE AND HOW TO PAY
3) where to find you if things go wrong.

You want to make the last two points as easy as possible and it will be smiley faces both sides of till.

[jay2578]

well, firstly i think dx is talking a load of old tosh! this is a NEW website, and as wizard is asking what we think, its obviously still being developed. yes there is a couple of things he COULD improve, but as for dx`s scathing rant, i think you were a bit harsh mate. wizard, good on ya for taking the plunge. and well done "the missus" for getting the ball rolling.
 the main thing is your products are out there, the site can be "tidied up" as and when.
just so you know what i thought of it- the buttons need colours changed(but you already know that) and for me, the gallery took a while to load. other than that, i like your products and, after all, thats the point.

now, how about a freebie? that lightbar looks spanking!

[dxmedia]

Knew I'd get slated  :roll: :roll:

Right, since the constructive side of what I said has been missed, try using templates.

I presume that you've used frontpage, have a look on google for frontpage templates for links like  http://www.frontpage-templates.org/

For no effort you can have a pro looking website, not something which looks like it's been hacked together by a 40 yr old who's never used a computer before.

If you've kids who are over 13 ask them for help, you might be lucky and they know php or css.  HTML died for making webpages last decade.

[jay2578]

i werent slating you mate, i just think you could have delivered your constructive critisism a little more tactfully. i tried building a website once and gave up after 20 minutes. your points are valid, just be a bit more considerate of peoples feelings is what i was really saying :)

[LiftedDisco]

Right... here goes...

First and foremost, I had a good old look, touch and feel of Wizard's kit (  [-X ) at Newbury and it is just that... Wizard stuff, well put together and high on the wish list.

But...  I have to agree with DX insofar as the site really doesn't do justice to the goods on offer and it lacks certain things that the weary old web surfers now expect as standard.

It really is worth hosting the site with www.oneandone.co.uk as they have a whole host of web development tools on there, including Search Engine Optimisation and templates so that you can (effectively) fill in the text bits and end up with a shiny professional looking site... all for the cost of your hosting fee.

You really need to make it user friendly on every page - ie a navigation bar (either to left hand side or along the top) on every page, possibly with a text only nav option at the bottom of each page.

Eyeball tracking (sorry... that's the level of detail we went into for our site at work!) suggests that the most common spot that people look at on each page is top right hand corner (just where the MC search option is located) so use this for your call to action - probably a nice button saying "Contact us".

Any contact e-mail should be you@your-website - you can even set up specific ones if you want ie rockslider@wizardbilt... all of which can land at your AOL or Hotmail account, but it's all about creating a perception with the (potential) client and persuading them that you are worthy of their hard earned cash.

The 'free' stuff is excellent - if you keep updating it, then Google will rank the site higher as it sees that the information is always fresh and you make the site 'sticky' so that people keep coming back to check what's new... when they return, you hope that they also find a reason to spend!

I feel a barter coming on...  if you were to want a templated website, it could possibly be yours for a set of Disco treesliders...

Good luck, whatever - this country needs more people who are prepared to get up and make things... please feel free to PM me if you want more web stuff 'off-line'.

Rob

[jay2578]

i agree with what youre saying, but what i had a problem with was the way dx put it, it was more a cussing than constructive.
 yes, what he, and you are saying is perfectly valid, but come on guys, credit where credits due. wizard (or his missus) has created a site to sell his products, ok, there is room for improvement but he is getting his products out there and known, at least hes doing it. sure you guys could offer him all the tech advice he would ever need, and i am sure he will take your advice and opinions on board to improve things, but let remember its a new site and to improve on something you at least need a starting point.
 once again, i wasnt intending to slate anyone just trying to encourage some tact.

[LiftedDisco]

Too right... I applaud the fact that the web site is up and running and I fully appreciate the discussions and thought that will have gone into it before it was uploaded and live...

Trouble is, we live in a media savvy world these days and, as I said, it doesn't really do justice to Wizard's own output... sorry  :(

Imagine if Sony or Panasonic launched a whizz-bang 50" LCD TV... do you think they would do so with a pencil drawing or a full-on music and picture extravaganza in glorious high definition colour?

This is the marketplace that sets the expectations and we have to pander to the target audience and keep them interested!

Happy to help... honestly!

[winchman]

Its good but
Slow to load pics.
The how to section is a very good idea, but why not add video?
Why only do Land Rover stuff?
I would add a comprehensive about us page so people can see your experiance etc

[Kasper King]

Wizard,
Nice site, quick to download, easy to navigate and to understand.
Price would be nice on the products
One criticism the pictures to a long time to download.
Congratulations to Mrs Wizard for putting together a cracking site.

[john656]

Wizard,
It was only the other night i was thinking of you... :?....
The breather kit link didnt seem to work and im interesed in them. Could you send me some info to john.carmechanic@gmail.com
Brilliant site nice and easy to use which makes a welcome change.

Regards

John

[wizard]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Mrs wizard will sort the photos and link as soon as she can., but she works full time and the website can only be done during evenings or weekend's when she gets time.

Prices will go on, as well as the address.
The how to guide will include our body lift instructions but no videos (the photos are enough of a problem at the moment)

For those of you that said the site is not very good, I looked around at some of the competitions sites and some are really dreadfull, far worse than ours, some are really slick and properly cost an arm and a leg to set up.

Regards
wizard

[landmannnn]

Site is ok. 
If you look at devon4x4 and qtervices I think your target should be able to get to that standard, not saying you should copy them, just use some of the bits that work best. 
For example some pictures of your products in action on the front page say a lot more than words.

My only other suggestion is perhaps to personalise it a bit more, eg if you make the rocksliders yourself tell us about it - which welding techniques and how many coats of paint/powder you use, and which town your workshop is in, then perhaps a comment from a satisfied customer.

Best of luck.