New website

[mickthetree]

A/B testing is a really good way of seeing what works well. Speak to your guys to see about setting this up. Try something on an A/B test, see what is most affective and move to that, then A/B test the next idea and continue.

 

[johngraves]

Hi there,
A couple of minor observations if I may

Don't be negative in your wording eg

Armstrong Jordan seems to be riding the difficult economic climate with reasonable success. We...

The words ' seems and reasonable' wouldn't inspire me with confidence. I would want to know that your business is thriving during these challenging times etc especially if I'm spending a minimum of 15k plus fitting and appliances.
some of the language bothers me too - fed up, save a bundle etc.
I know its 'nit-picking' but as someone said in an earlier response ' people who have 15k to spend will expect a website that has perfect grammar and spelling'.

The look and the feel of the website is excellent however and would certainly entice me to find out more.

John

 

[doctor Bob]

Hi there,
A couple of minor observations if I may

Don't be negative in your wording eg

Armstrong Jordan seems to be riding the difficult economic climate with reasonable success. We...

The words ' seems and reasonable' wouldn't inspire me with confidence. I would want to know that your business is thriving during these challenging times etc especially if I'm spending a minimum of 15k plus fitting and appliances.
some of the language bothers me too - fed up, save a bundle etc.
I know its 'nit-picking' but as someone said in an earlier response ' people who have 15k to spend will expect a website that has perfect grammar and spelling'.

The look and the feel of the website is excellent however and would certainly entice me to find out more.

John

Very constructive, I have changed the above, thank you

 

[sometimewoodworker]

You did ask

Our bespoke handmade kitchens are available in hardwoods such as maple, oak, cherry, walnut and many more exquisite timber choices, or a hand painted kitchen is still one of our favourite designs.

Is not good grammar

A suggested change is.
Our bespoke handmade kitchens are available in hardwoods such as maple, oak, cherry, walnut and many more exquisite timber choices. Alternatively you can select a hand painted kitchen which is still one of our favourite designs.

A general comment.
When going through the categories on the blog there are only links and text no pictures. I fact the links themselves aren't obvious. It was only by accident that I found that the titles were links to some good looking pictures and text. A small picture would brighten things up.

Also the Video link Corner carousel seems to be broken

 

[doctor Bob]

Thank you, altered.

 

[SimonB]

A bit late to this one, but like others, one of my major gripes that would put me off a company is spelling, grammar and layout on a website.

I haven't been through all of it, but in the Case Studies section you have the following

cabinetry from £15000 inc. VAT
Cabinetry from£15,000 inc. VAT
Cabinetry from £4,000 inc. vat

I think case and spacing should be consistent.

In the Painted and oak shaker kitchen case study the description text butts onto the specifications area. I would prefer to see a line spacing at least.

In Testimonials the "Read More Testimonials »" link spills over the image frame (FF 10.0.12) and looks a bit ugly.

In the About page, this sentence seems clunky, I'd break in two

"We offer a tailored design service, taking projects from concept to final completion, including building work, electrical work, plumbing, tiling etc, we will undertake as much or as little as required"

perhaps

"We offer a tailored design service, taking projects from concept to final completion, This can include building work, electrical work, plumbing and tiling etc. We will undertake as much or as little as required."

I think the use of 'immaculate' here is odd, but maybe that's just me - "Our designs are created to endure and immaculate attention is paid to every aspect."

Again in the About page under "Craftsmen"

"All our furniture is hand made within our Essex workshop in the stunning village of Matching Green, by exceptional craftsmen. We use traditional joinery techniques combined with modern equipment and the finest materials to create stunning kitchens."

I would change the first sentence to "All our furniture is hand made by exceptional craftsmen within our Essex workshop in the stunning village of Matching Green", otherwise, to me, it sounds like you consider where the furniture is made to be more important than by who.

Also do you mean to focus on 'kitchens' or would 'furniture' be more inclusive, or a combination of the two.

Lastly I agree with an earlier comment about photography. Perhaps difficult now until you finish more projects, but with kitchens at least I always think people have a somewhat romantic vision of what a kitchen will look like. Without being too arty, or looking too corporate, I would try to grab a few close up shots of some details, things that make you as a craftsman stand out. A joint, a knob, a handle, some clever feature etc - things that evoke an emotional connection and demonstrate why they should choose you, or perhaps pay more for something than they originally intended. In other words, professional brochure type photos.

If you find this constructive I'm more than happy to look over more of it.

 

[doctor Bob]

Thank you, all this advice is being acted on. Have a look all changed. My grammar is not great so all appreciated.
I do want to focus on kitchens, less on furniture.
We are due to photograph a kitchen so I'll concentrate on close ups.

Thank you to all those so far who have offered advice

 

[oddsocks]

Bob, I've just seen the thread for the first time and like the site layout....on the case studies pages (the 'painted and oak shaker is the worst example of this) the descriptive text spills over the 'worktops' section. Also the cost info is clipped by the photo. I'm using firefox latest version. I've just checked the same page in IE10 (windows 8) and the page displays correctly - your IT design team need to validate the pages display correctly in all the modern popular browsers and not just IE.

Dave

 

[doctor Bob]

Bob, I've just seen the thread for the first time and like the site layout....on the case studies pages (the 'painted and oak shaker is the worst example of this) the descriptive text spills over the 'worktops' section. Also the cost info is clipped by the photo. I'm using firefox latest version. I've just checked the same page in IE10 (windows 8) and the page displays correctly - your IT design team need to validate the pages display correctly in all the modern popular browsers and not just IE.

Dave

Thanks Dave, I forwarded your message on, they are working on it (makes me wonder what they do for their money sometimes)

 

[gregmcateer]

Hi Bob,

Generally I really like the site - it looks professional and the kitchens are impressive, without looking out-of-price-range footballer house flashy.

I agree with the comments above about consistency of text layout, etc.

Also, it may be an idea on the 'About' page to put in a picture of the two of you and / or your workshop - make sure it's tidy, but busy-looking and well-lit, as your prospective clients will want to be buying from the craftsmen themsleves - so let them see you - they then know to whom they are talking when they ring up or when you visit to measure / quote.

Just my ha'penny's worth.

Greg

 

[riclepp]

Hi Bob,

I like the web site and think it is a really crisp design. I agree with gregmcateer, that you should include some pics of you two and the workshop, even better some working shots f making the kitchens and something along those lines. It shows that you actually do the work and do it with pride and passion.

Regards

Richard L