rate me

[jblack]

Yes, it's a cookie cutter zen-cart site, but I did "build" it with zero previous web experience. It's a place for people to come and buy a great product with a quick in and out, and ease of use was the goal. So, your feedback fully welcomed and if you can give me some tips to make it less generic or more functional, please have at it.

www.a3vsigns.com (http://www.a3vsigns.com)

I also have a wholesale site at www.wholesale.a3vsigns.com (http://www.wholesale.a3vsigns.com)that is for wholesale buyers to use as a reference while placing orders with us over the phone. I adapted it from a Photoshop Web Gallery. It is what it is...totally functional, so keep that in mind if you have any comment on it. If you do comment on that site, please specify that it is the one to which you are referring.

Thanks,

JB

[jblack]

Damn, Keyplyr, you did look at it. Thanks for the feedback.

[phlembol]

I looked at your ZenCart. Good start. Here are a few things I noticed:

I would "justify" text on the front page, aboutus, privacy pages. Those ragged edges bother me. Text style isn't consistent between pages.

The hover color is broken for the product menu. And the green doesn't fit.

Duplicate info on contact page.

Something is wrong with the code on the Featured Artist page. class="MsoNormal"? And on the Real/Repro page too. Looks like you are copy/pasting code with formating that does not work well in zencart. Remember that zencart is XHTML1.0 Code you add should be the same. And references to external style definitions will have to be fixed on copied code.

You can turn off the Discount Coupon link and others appearing in the Info sidebox you don't need, or haven't finished, here: configuration/define page status.

Lopsided left. Got plans for whitespace right?

I see you are using the "classic" template. That will work fine except, when you update next time it may overwrite your files. Check into the OverRide system so you know where you should be saving the files you edit. The book suggests that you start by coping the complete "classic" folder, rename it to your own template, and edit that.

Good luck!

[jblack]

Great points, Phlembol. I really appreciate the pointers.

[YvetteKuhns]

The green product menu links don't change appearance when I mouse over them. The font style isn't consistent among web pages.

The contact info appears twice on the contact page before the form. The shipping and returns page should include a return address. Returns should not be made without prior authorization from the seller.

Paragraphs of text should be aligned to the left for most languages that read from left to right. (See product descriptions.) The text seems quite small, but I am still waiting for the eye doctor to call and tell me my progressive lenses (bifocals) arrived.

Blackbeard's Cas|no should be Blackbeard's Casino. I saw a sign that would be great for my office: "women who behave..." (http://www.a3vsigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8). ;)

I am not crazy about the header banner. Perhaps another font style would look better. This page (http://www.a3vsigns.com/index.php?main_page=page_4) text doesn't fit the screen!

Aside from some of these comments, the site is functional and the products are nice. Contact information is provided, so it appears legitimate and credible. The site has intermittently slow load times, so I will stop with this.

[jblack]

Keyplyr: I think it looks and functions great.
(now where's my rep points?) On the Hendrix sign it says "Shipping Weight: 10967lbs"

Weight corrected, point given.

Phlembol: I would "justify" text on the front page, aboutus, privacy pages. Those ragged edges bother me. Text style isn't consistent between pages.

Left justification is less formal and eaqsier to read. We will have to disagree on this one. See: http://www.utexas.edu/visualguidelines/vg_p_type.html

The hover color is broken for the product menu. And the green doesn't fit.

Green fixed and hover is red. But the lthing I can't fix is the bar above the products when you go into a category.

Duplicate info on contact page.

Fixed

Something is wrong with the code on the Featured Artist page. class="MsoNormal"? And on the Real/Repro page too. Looks like you are copy/pasting code with formating that does not work well in zencart. Remember that zencart is XHTML1.0 Code you add should be the same. And references to external style definitions will have to be fixed on copied code.

Busted: I took some shortcuts. These have been painstakingly corrected.

You can turn off the Discount Coupon link and others appearing in the Info sidebox you don't need, or haven't finished, here: configuration/define page status.

We do have coupon codes. I took out the zenglish and put in appropriate text. Anyone who wants a $5.00 discount, use the coupon code: GRAND

Lopsided left. Got plans for whitespace right?

Filled

I see you are using the "classic" template. That will work fine except, when you update next time it may overwrite your files. Check into the OverRide system so you know where you should be saving the files you edit. The book suggests that you start by coping the complete "classic" folder, rename it to your own template, and edit that.

Thanks for the tip. I couldn’t understand why changes were so difficult. Now I only edit the classic (duh) and life is good. I assume I have time to make the copy, right? I also found out about this thing called the style sheet. Man is it helpful. Luckily, I have two monitors, so I edit in one, see what changes in the other. It’s slow, but it is starting to make sense. Rep point awarded.

Yvette: The green product menu links don't change appearance when I mouse over them. The font style isn't consistent among web pages.

Font style should be more consistent now. The product menu color has been corrected, and the hover color is red on my systems.

The contact info appears twice on the contact page before the form. The shipping and returns page should include a return address. Returns should not be made without prior authorization from the seller.

Duplicate information deleted, RA policy put in place for returns. It may still need some work, though.

Paragraphs of text should be aligned to the left for most languages that read from left to right. (See product descriptions.) The text seems quite small, but I am still waiting for the eye doctor to call and tell me my progressive lenses (bifocals) arrived.

I left align everything I can. I can’t find where to left align the product descriptions without left aligning everything in the class, though.

Blackbeard's Cas|no should be Blackbeard's Casino. I saw a sign that would be great for my office: "women who behave...".

It is Cas|no on purpose, as I read that Google gives you a big black mark if the correctly spelled word appears on your site. True? The WWBRMH sign is yours for the asking.

I am not crazy about the header banner. Perhaps another font style would look better. This page text doesn't fit the screen!

I figured out I had edited the wrong style sheet, hence the Header not fitting. The problem was only detectable in IE7—somehow IE6 made the adjustment. I totally redid the head and with my new friend the style sheet, I upgraded the overall look, wouldn’t you agree. I tend to overuse Photoshop, and now I must learn not to get too colorful and fancy in the css folder.

I have not attempted to address your other feedback; Yvette, but I will soon…I hope. Big rep point for Yvette.

Thanks, everyone. Keep the suggestions coming.

[jblack]

I posted this huge reply to you all last night...where is it?

[YvetteKuhns]

Since you are new, the moderators need to approve of your first 5 posts. Maybe there were no moderators logged into the forum at the time and it is still in the queue.

[jblack]

In a nutshell, I made many changes as you all suggested. There a few things I don't know where to fix.

Hopefully you will see the expanded version in a while.

(Yvette always knows the answer!)

[Doc C]

Yvette is correct. Post released.

[jblack]

I'll ask everyone's forgiveness for the many typos ("zenglish" was intentional) as I was too lazy to spell check by the time I finished working at 4:00 AM.

[YvetteKuhns]

It is Cas|no on purpose, as I read that Google gives you a big black mark if the correctly spelled word appears on your site. True?

You can be penalized for using misspelled keywords. Casino is not a major keyword to find a website about signs. It will not appear often in your contents, but if someone wanted to find a sign for a casino, he would type "casino" and not "Cas|no".

I do not recommend making misspellings as you have done. Misspellings of popular keyword phrases such as sings, signs, sines would be better for your website for paid advertising solutions, maybe. Commonly misspelled words such as camero for camaro can definitely help.

[jblack]

Ok, point taken and accepted. Thanks.