Grizzly Gems

[GrizzlyGems]

I've created http://grizzlygems.com for my sister in law. I originally designed it in plain html using frames but wasn't really satisfied so I changed it all into php. I was kind of lazy and just settled for the paypal shopping cart, I might change that in the future...

let me know what you think :)

[YvetteKuhns]

The color scheme is different. A silver background with maroon text would be better for the item descriptions. The product images should be nicer. Try placing jewelry on black, blue, purple or maroon velvet or silk fabric. Be sure the lighting is good and the jewerly reflects light and does not mirror you or other things.

The site appears on the left with space on the right side for image links to other sites. I had to scroll to see them in 800x600 screen resolution on some pages. The contact page only has a form to get info from customers. It does not have the business name, address, phone number, email address and business calling hours that customers expect to find on that page.

The button link called Other should simply be named Pins. If there are other things, create new buttons. The name Other is not descriptive enough to make someone want to click it. There should be alt attributes with the images.

The home page should define your target audience. Example: Grizzly Gems sells sterling silver and/or garnet jewelry with bear and wildlife themes in the United States. Choose from necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins and more. We accept PayPal and ship worldwide. Edit this as appropriate. The keywords are there for search engines and visitors will know what to expect.

I could not find the privacy, payment, refund or shipping information. There is a site map, but there were no links to pages with this information. Before YOU purchase something online, what information do YOU need? I need to know if you accept my form of payment, if you ship to my location and how you may handle returns if necessary.

The site is nice; the products are nice; and there is a market for these items. Be sure to provide all information to visitors, so they know if they can make a purchase at all and with confidence. Add more info to your About page. If you have testimonials from satisfied customers, add a page for them. Pics of people wearing the jewerly would be good on the home page and the testimonials.

Another suggestion: Could you find other charms besides bears? Cats, dogs, cows or other animals for wildlife. Sun, moon, stars or other symbols may also be of interest. Even bats for the gothic crowd. I personally would be more inclined to purchase a cat to match my sterling silver ring. This will widen your target audience.

[Hokietalk]

Nice looking jewelry.. but the pictures are a little fuzzy.
They need to be the same lighting, and same background.
The navigation buttons should be placed together and not over
sprayed from siding. Little work and you could have a
really great website.. for sure.

[GrizzlyGems]

thanks! The pictures are indeed not the best pictures but it turned out to be a real pain to take such close up pictures... not to mention the light! I will put some more information on the website regarding our return policy and so on too...

thank you very much!

[Kitchensink108]

I'd remove the gaps from the nav menu and replace them with borders or bars or something (keep the groups of links separate, but don't waste the space).

I don't like overscores (or, I suppose it's border-top in this case) on links. Just my opinion.

I think the kickboat.com and adobe reader images kind of detract from the rest of the site. They have too much contrast, and I tend to focus on them instead of the rest of the site. The easiest way at dealing with it would be text links, but you can try something else, if you want (or just leave it as it is, if I'm the only one that feels this way).