Needed a company site - here it is

[rodneyphillips]

Having done a few sites for people, and wanting to attract business, I really needed a company site. Here it is.

http://www.capitalwebcreations.com

[linnetwoods]

Your home page is quite impressive. I like it! I'm not madly keen on the internal frame on the clients page. If you really have to have a scrolling page within a scrolling page then I'd be inclined to give the scrollbar a colour that makes it stand out as different from the outer one but I still think it would be better not to have it.

Also not too keen on the order of paragraphs on the design process page as the visitor has to work down the left and then return to the top to continue. Perhaps it would be better to go across and down i.e. 2 in the right-hand column opposite 1; 3 below 1 and 4 opposite it (below 2) and so forth so that, once you get to the bottom of the page you are done there and can go onto the next thing... except that there are no links down there... so one is either interested enough to go back up the page or one just clicks that little x in the top right hand corner...

You may want to clean up the text just beneath your logo too - it seems a bit hazy... the little numbered icons and the little icons between links are also a bit untidy - maybe it is a deliberate effect having some of the vestiges of the background that has been made transparent remain visible but, if so, it is a bit of a counter-productive effect as far as people like me are concerned because the impression it made on me was of sloppy graphics work...

These are just my off-the-back-of-my-head observations and, overall, I like the look and feel of the site. Please don't be offended by anything I've said - what do I know about anything, anyway?! You did ask...:)

[rodneyphillips]

I also do not really like the scroll bar on the clients page. I will keep this in mind as I continually think about the site.

Order of paragraphs on Design Process page - What came over me? Agree. I will plan to move them around. I do usually present material top left to bottom right.

Thanks for the reply. Great comments.

[linnetwoods]

My pleasure!

[rodneyphillips]

flash movies fail to load for a huge percentage of users world wide

Interesting comment. I have never heard this before from anyone else. Has anyone else heard this? I have seen a lot of flash in many sites and I have never had a problem?

Can you elaborate on this or point me to a site which describes this problem?

Thanks

[snowmaker]

> Can you elaborate on this or point me to a site which describes this problem?

Well it could be that a user doesn't have the necc. software on their computer to play a flash animation, perhaps because they don't want to see flash animation; or maybe the browser they're using doesn't support flash(es).

[rodneyphillips]

Thanks for all the comments. I wanted just a little flash on the site because some customers might also want it. I will look at other alternatives.

If you could not see the flash the following link will take you into the site
http://www.capitalwebcreations.com/aboutus.php

[YvetteKuhns]

The index page is the first page that a search engine sees AND the visitors. Search engines will find the text links but little else. There are people who do not use Flash and could not see or use the map. Most of the text appears as images which could not be read by text browsers or enlarged in any browsers for the visually impaired.

The text doesn't need to move - it doesn't enrich the page, so I wouldn't bother. You could use an image map, but you could also make text links that appear on an image of the map. You could use Javascript or the title attribute for a hyperlink to show the text seen when hovering over the map links.

When clicking to view another web page, the horizontal navigation menu did not look consistent with the home page. The yellow text on the left is difficult to read. The list of services that appear in the header could be links to the appropriate pages that describe them.

My personal opinion: I really didn't like the index page, so I probably would not view the other web pages. The map doesn't make sense, because it looks like specific services are only done at specific locations. Remember, your target audience doesn't usually know much about computers, just enough to know this is a great place to advertise. The map makes it look like your clients are in Africa! And we should contact the South Pole! :D

Lose the map and list your services in the main page where people expect to see your site purpose. This tells visitors if you offer something of interest to them. I am not a fan of Flash unless that is the best option. Usually, Flash is for animations, music, dance or performances that really enhance the website. A dance studio may show people dancing. This is not a site that needs Flash unless it appears in the portfolio.

[YvetteKuhns]

Thank you for replacing the map with paragraphs of text that describe your services. They keywords link to pages that describe those services. I know it looks even more like MY website, but that is expected since we provide the same services.

The yellow text is now blue and easier to read. It also matches your blue and green on white color scheme. I don't really like the globe bullets next to the links or the text. If you repeat an image that is similar to your logo, your logo will not stand out.

I didn't see what forms of payment you accept. I accept cash, check, money order, PayPal, and the four major credit cards processed by phone for those who do not like to make payments online. I only accept U.S. funds, so PayPal is great for currency conversion.

I didn't see your privacy information to ensure people that you use their contact information for only you to contact them. You only use their website contents for their website. (I saw the home page image on your site for featured website and images in your portfolio. I simply link to their websites, because they can change often.)

The copyright information should be at the bottom of each page. The contact info at the bottom should be text instead of images. Yes, someone could search your phone number if they desire. This is useful when there are several companies with similar names.

I keep being picky, so I will now say something nice. The site is easy to read and navigate. Most of the important info is there and easy to find. I like the color scheme, but that coupled with the name Capital makes me think of a financial website. See? I just can't stop being picky. :D

[rodneyphillips]

Yvette, thanks!

I don't really like the globe bullets next to the links or the text
I was wondering if it looked a little cheesy. I do PHP and MySQL really well but the right-brain graphics/layout stuff is much more difficult for me. Fortunately I just found someone about 3 miles from me who is just starting up his business. He has been doing graphics (print and electronic) for a few years now but he does not do the PHP and MySQL, CMS stuff so I think we are going to be able to work with each other.

I didn't see what forms of payment you accept.
This is something my wife and I have been talking about. She is a self-employed (almost 20 years) CPA and has her own business with about 250 clients. She was just asking me the other day if we should consider this.

I didn't see your privacy information
Yes, on my list. I have been an EMT/FF for 18 years so I understand the need.

Still a work in progress. I will let you know when I make significant changes. I needed a site immediately since I just signed a contract for 6 months of adverstising (I want to quit my full-time job!!!!!) on http://www.nhbr.com. I was able to secure the spot immediately under the menus to the right of 'Dumpster Depot' so am very excited.

Again Yvette, thanks for the help!

[YvetteKuhns]

I was wondering if it looked a little cheesy.

I was trying to be polite, but yes, it does. ;)


Fortunately I just found someone about 3 miles from me who is just starting up his business. He has been doing graphics (print and electronic) for a few years now but he does not do the PHP and MySQL, CMS stuff so I think we are going to be able to work with each other.

I may have recommended this to you and I know I did for others on this forum. Do not be afraid to team with others. I can do most of the work, but I am only one person. Some people are really talented graphic artists and I let them do that work while I do other work. And I always need PHP programmers for custom programming (not installation of open source scripts). I do not have another search engine specialist, so I get all of that work. When you have alot of existing clients and then get new ones, you find that you will have enough work to share with others.

I realize that you plan to include privacy and payment information. But you didn't even include links for the pages yet! :eek: You really should have that when you advertise your site. :D

Still a work in progress. I will let you know when I make significant changes.

Thanks!