Can one use this site without difficulty?

[afamative]

Hello,

Can one easily make use of this site http://www.lagosestores.com/jws1 without finding it difficult? Came out in 2 hrs so please leave out typographical errors for now. Just needed to upload and see how it will look like before fine tuning the whole site.

Will appreciate any feedback on this. Thanks.

[afamative]

Does it mean the site is easy to use or what?

I asked the same question on another forum and the responses where great and an eye opener as regards authoring tools and especially why Microsoft's product isn't near the html standard.

Arguments and counter arguments as to what type of templates one should use since at the end of the day any template on the web could be used by so many people and it still boils down to different businesses from different parts of the world having very/identical websites with the only difference being the content itself.

Happy surfing to you all.

[DobsonCentral]

Yes, it appears easy to navigate. It has a clean look to it, albeit a microsoft template look. The main page was a little sluggish to load for me, and I have DSL. After looking at the source, I think I can see why. All that code for the little bit of content is outrageous. Microsoft software usually bloats up web pages with its software. I used to use Frontpage 98 years ago and there was some bloat to that, but it appears as if Microsoft didn't cut back on the bloat, just added a ton more to its software.

As for which template to use? I would say that's just a matter of personal taste. Personally, I would like a template that allows me to:

1. Update my content as quickly as possible without any problems
2. have no added bloat for fast load times
3. have easy navigation
4. have a unique looking site
5. have LOTS of large 100k rotating gif images
6. have psychedelic colors thats hard to read
7. have a really hefty background image that makes everything difficult to read. It really has to compliment #5 to make it equally hard to read.

Ok, I was kidding after #4. Just checking to see if anyone was paying attention. :-) 1-4 are important to me, but others may disagree.

[afamative]

DobsonCentral,

Many thanks for your response. I think every other person that has seen the site agrees with your position. I was surprised though, maybe because I never looked at the source code until I was informed it contained a lot of unnecessary stuff.

Once again, thank you.

[Skunkboy]

in reading your last response... just for kicks, I decided to check your code. I would recommend using a variety of meta tags in your site's pages. This will help with getting search engines to see your site. You may then also want to do some manual submissions to the big engines like google, yahoo, lycos, excite, dmoz, dogpile, aolsearch...

You're out on a mission and meta tags and engine submission is free advertising.

Otherwise, your site looks sharp. :cool:

[tacimala]

Actually manually adding your site to a search engine doesn't even really do much for you any more, not counting DMOZ. Best way to get credibility and the search engine bots crawling your site a lot more often is to get other sites to link to yours.

[oatesj77]

design aside, i think the navigation was quite clear. If this is to be a future revision of your site, i think you should take a long hard look at how your site looks though. If you are selling web design/development your site should be as cutting edge as possible and have a look more up to date with what else is on the web. Don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't your site showcase your talent on all levels not just navigation?

just some insite

[afamative]

Cutting edge technology? I have heard this several times but not too certain what it means. Help me out.

I can use Macromedia dreamweaver, flash and fireworks well but personally I don't like flash, thinks it makes a site too stunning to be businesslike, maybe completely wrong but that's what I honestly feel and infact I turn down offers to set up websites in flash.

Thanks for your responses thus far. Remember to explain this cutting edge technology stuff.

[oatesj77]

maybe not the best term, what i was getting at was your site should really show off your skills better. It seems like the graphics in your revision are very simple and do nothing to add to the site at all, they seem to be there because you needed something to fill some space. anyway like i said the navigation & layout are nice, i just think you need to add something else to make your site a little more aesthetically pleasing.
hope that is a little clearer

[afamative]

Thanks. It's a lot easier to understand.

However, my main site for my services is http://www.lagosestores.com. See if it appeals to you.

YvetteKuhns helped to fine tune the site.

[oatesj77]

yeah,
that's more along what i was talking about, though it seems like you were working on that layout not too long ago. why are you working on another so soon?

[YvetteKuhns]

Hey, this site still has unnecessary clip art/graphics. If it doesn't enhance the site, then it simply fills space and slows load time. Do you really need a picture of a phone next to the word phone?

If you are looking to add color, you can color a list bullet preceding items in a list, use a colored horizontal rule (hr), change the gray color to another shade of blue in the table headers (and remember to change the color of the text to white, if using a dark background), or color the table borders.

There are blue text links appearing on a blue background which makes the text blend into the background. Consider changing the background color or the text link color to make the text bolder and easier to read.

Gee, I leave you alone a few days and now look.... :D

[afamative]

oatesj77,

I am not changing the layout of the site. www.lagosestores.com concerns itself with the services whether fee based or free while www.justwebservices.com more or else is an information only site for the company which will be going into other businesses not too far from IT though.

YvetteKuhns,

Where have you been? Thanks for your post. Will action on it asap.

[YvetteKuhns]

I was busy with clients' work, housework, working with an intern, and other things. I had to videotape a wedding for a niece that must be edited and transferred to other media for relatives. Next weekend is a graduation party. At least I won't have to dress up and wear high heeled shoes there! :D