New Website - WIP

[Mattty]

I like it Duncan.

The only change i would have to make if it were mine is the title. I do like the all lower case style sometimes, but it really doesn't work on yours for some reason. Maybe the type face? I would also make the 'stockport cheshire' different. Maybe a smaller font or just a hyphon between the words so it looks different from the title... I dunno!!

Looks good all the same. Cheers,

Matt

 

[JonnyD]

I think its an improvement brad. One thing i have noticed is that from reading parts of the text it is not clear whether you are 2 separate businesses or you are in partnership.

cheers

jon

 

[BradNaylor]

I think its an improvement brad. One thing i have noticed is that from reading parts of the text it is not clear whether you are 2 separate businesses or you are in partnership.

cheers

jon

I'll have to have a look at that. It is important that we are quite obviously two seperate businesses who sometimes work together on big jobs. We each in fact have our own individual limited companies in order to build a firewall between our business activities. All we share are the overheads on the premises.

I probably need to make this more clear.

Thanks, Jon.

Brad

 

[matt]

I wouldn't mention the "other" company, let alone try to explain it. I imagine potential customers could get uneasy. Who cares if you collaborate on bigger projects - as a customer I want to know that I was dealing with you and that's the end of it.

As for the site itself... I don't like the slideshows. Keep it simple - a page of thumbnails opening to larger and possibly additional pics of a particular job.

I'd also go for a larger size difference between the main heading and the sub-heading. At the moment it looks like a mistake in the sizing. Be bold.

Also... try Georgia as a font for your body text but keep to a sans-serif for your headings. Serif fonts are easier to read in print and whilst san-serif is often used for web site text Georgia is a nice serif font that works well on-screen.

I completely understand what you're saying about designing your site for your market but site design can be good and effective whilst still being styled at your target audience. For example... drop the slideshow, keep everything lined up, and stick with left justified text (not left and right justified or centred)

Final thought... The pictures are what will make visitors bother to read your text. So make your pictures sell the visitor on the furniture that you can make and text tell them how simple, reliable, and affordable you will make the process. Have your contact details (at least your phone number) on every single page.

Oooh - just spotted this:

With more and more people working from home at least some of the time we are increasingly being asked to design, make, and install home offices and workstations.

Whatever your requirements, give us a call. Our office solutions can often cost a fraction of those offered by large national companies with their full page glossy advertisements!

Sounds like sour grapes. Some of your customers may well work for large national companies who use glossy brochures. I an repelled by retailers etc who use this sort of tactic. Why not make a the point that you are competitive, ensuring your customers benefit from your low cost base.

 

[BradNaylor]

OK, a bit more tweaking done this morning...


...keep the comments coming, boys - it's all really helpful!


Incidentaly, the flash galleries don't bother me. I am not trying to sell a particular product to anyone - simply our services as bespoke furniture makers. The slideshows simulate the action of someone flicking through a portfolio as they would if I was talking to them face to face.

Another link to save you going back to the OP

http://www.thecabinetmakers.com/

Cheers
Brad

 

[RogerS]

I think the point being made regarding the slideshow is that if you were looking through a portfolio of photos in front of you then you can go at your own pace, look in more detail and for longer at some and not others. A slideshow forces you to wait and go at the pace and sequence of the slideshow.

I must give that some thought for my websitealthough I think it's going to be more difficult for me to achieve thumbnails within the confines of the template I've chosen and the application.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

OK, a bit more tweaking done this morning...

Incidentally, the flash galleries don't bother me.

But they are not intended for you. Are they?
Also you know your own work so you don't need then anyway.

The slideshows simulate the action of someone flicking through a portfolio as they would if I was talking to them face to face.
Brad

No they don't. If someone is flicking through a portfolio they can stop and look at an item in detail if they find it interesting.

What they simulate is the action of some annoying sales people who flick through flashy pics so fast you cant see the faults.

Slide shows have there uses, sometimes they are good, regrettably this time, and in this way they are not. :?

If you have been using the net since it started you will have seen that the progression has been;
1)Simple and plain (Because it had to be)
2)More complex or flashy (Because it could be)
3)Even more complex and flashy (Because it became easy to do)
4)Simple with good tech (becaues it works, even though it takes more work than 2 and 3)

The sales sites progress faster
The North American sites are often at stage 4 (Leevalley)
UK ones are between 2,3 & 4 (axminster is a 4) (Simbles Watford is between a 2 and 3)

The non commercial progress slower
but again North American sites are often at stage 4
but many UK ones are at 2 or 3

You decide where your site fits, but IMNSHO it is not a 4 yet

 

[big soft moose]

More pedantry - the first word should be capitalised as you have done in the text but not in the header.

so it should be "The cabinetmakers... " not "the cabinetmakers..." - as it is a title you could also capitalise every word if you prefer " The Cabinetmakers... "

also you have too many spaces between stockport and cheshire which looks a bit odd.

one the question of companies it does definitely give the impression that " the "cabinet makers workshop" is one company with you two as partners - on the question of whether to make the distinction clear you need to decide if this is your website or yours and johns jointly

if its the former I would make no mention of him or his buisness , while if its the latter you should probably have two profile pages - ie put the links to each of your own websites in the header and lose the existing profile page

also I'd put the terms of buisness on a seperate page so they are clearly visible - by having them at the foot of the contact page they are below the scroll down and so give the impression that you are trying to hide them (although i'm sure that isnt the case) which doesnt help consumer confidence.

On the question of pictures i disagree with the others and feel that there is nothing wrong with the flash slideshows , which are imo preferable to a big page of thumbnails, the issue of going at your own pace is without foundation because the slideshow has pause and foward backward controls for the few people who will want to flick through at a slower pace

However you might want to edit the control bar on the portrait format ones so that it doesnt overlap the edges. ( by selecting one of the shows that has the control bar outside the picture area)

edit: also i hadnt realised previously that you both have your ownsites anyway - so that being the case like dibs i'd question the value of this joint portal which only serves to dilute your own "brand" and confuse the customer. Unless of course the idea is that this will eventually replace or integrate your existing websites.

 

[Dibs-h]

Having clicked on John's website - actually apart from the layout issues in a few places - that's more representive of a website that one would expect. It's not super slick and doesn't put people off - but it's a lot closer to where you need to be.

The photography is a lot better to.

I also think that perhaps one needs to pay a little thought to what you are actually doing. Yes the 2 of you share a workshop and costs and collaborate on large projects - but 1 of you will be taking the lead and will be the one that bills the customer. I can't imagine the customer paying both of you. If John gets a job that's large - he may well ask you to help and will be effectively sub-contracting out the work, but as far as the customer is concerned John Beswick Furniture is "doing" the work and will want paying. And vice-versa.

In which case why on earth do a website for a "joint entity" that doesn't actually exist - other than splitting costs? Something like http://www.northernfurniture.org.uk/ is understandable, but that's not what you are doing.

You want to knock this on the head and concentrate on your own website.

Sorry to sound harsh - but doing this site isn't going to put the dinner on the table. Your own site should come first - this should be more of an afterthought.