Critique my site please..

[junem]

We started our online business about 3 months ago selling contemporary home accessories, arts and gifts imported mainly from South Africa. Our unique visit numbers are low (average 15-30 per day) despite advertising in press/magazines, and seem to have been getting lower in the run up to Xmas. We have only had a few sales in the last 3 months, and would like some advice on the site and getting more traffic. I tried an adword campaign for a month without any great difference, do I need to give it longer? I have a friend who has been very successful in optimising her site by content, and I have tried to add more text for SEO without going over the top, appreciate any comments and advice on our site?

duinteriors (not yet allowed to post URL)(co.uk)

[sysops]

Your site is fine (if a little wordy). The reason you aren't generating sales is because you don't have the traffic. Generate traffic, and you will get sales.

[thedesigntailor]

I'm going to have to disagree slightly with Sysops.

Yes low traffic means there isn't anyone to buy but the site is (excuse bluntness) crap.

I was sure it was a holding page. Where do you go to the shop?
Why are the images a mile down the page? No prices, no products, no design, no checkout.

Sorry but this isn't a selling site.

[fisicx]

Get onto your host pronto: duinteriors.co.uk is still coming in September 2008 but www.duinteriors.co.uk is live.

The first thing you need to do is analyse your visitors. See where they land, how the got there, what they did and most importantly where they left the site. If most leave without clicking anything then you have a problem with the homepage. If you get a few clicks and then they leave it could be your navigation, If some get to the products but don't buy it could be your checkout process.

I personally found the navigation awkward and the page layout such that I was forever scrolling down to see the products. There are much better way to display the products that would increase the chances of conversion. And since I blocked cookies I couldn't buy anything.

[sysops]

The first thing you need to do is analyse your visitors. See where they land, how the got there, what they did and most importantly where they left the site. If most leave without clicking anything then you have a problem with the homepage.

He doesn't have any visitors!! Come on people, I'm all for improving conversion, but without at least a sensible level of traffic, this is a complete waste of time.

Sure the site can be improved. But even as it stands it could comfortably convert 0.5% - 1%. The best you're going to do is double or triple this.

What you need to do first is get around 100 times more traffic.

[junem]

thedesigntailor- I think you must be looking at the wrong site!
there certainly are products, prices, and checkout, and can you be a bit more specific about no design??

[peterjhale]

Do what fisicx says about the non-www and www versions of your site.

I guess you have the same probs as most new online stores.

You want to have most info above the fold of the screen so people don't have to keep scrolling around.

eg: When you land on the home page you want to have people clicking on something to explore without scrolling the page. Perhaps your best sellers or sale items above the fold in the face of your customer.

Make it quick to add to cart

But you have nothing about shipping - pricing or how long it will take

[junem]

Thanks guys, and yes I agree the lay could be a lot better. Will sort out the holding page issue as well

[fisicx]

He doesn't have any visitors!! Come on people, I'm all for improving conversion, but without at least a sensible level of traffic, this is a complete waste of time.

20/day is 600/month from which you should get 20ish sales. And 600/month is enough to do some initial analysis. It will at the very least tell you if the visitor are navigating off the homepage and where they are going. You can then do some tweaking, run PPC for a week and see if things improve.

And you are forcing me to accept cookies before letting me buy anything.

[junem]

What do you advise I do about cookies? I understood this was just so our site could recall your contact details if you return and log in? Why do people disable cookies? and is there a way I can accept orders if they have disabled them? Thanks!

[gamer1810]

Hi

I have to agree with the points above:



Its not really a "selling site", the product isnt displayed as it should be - just check out any well known competitor of yours and you will see what we mean
Theres a lot of wordy elements, that are OK, but should be less prominant
I am not convinced by the product range itself, its quite expensive and Im not sure how contemporary to UK tastes it is, but you wont know if the products are right until you have sorted the site.

On a positive note, I liked your picture on the About Us page, very presentable!

I hope that helps. Best of Luck.

[sysops]

20/day is 600/month from which you should get 20ish sales.

You are not going to get 3.3% conversion rate on a site selling this type of product, ever.

Even if you did, 20 orders a month is hardly enough to run a business.



And you are forcing me to accept cookies before letting me buy anything.

So? All of our sites do, as do most established retail sites. It's either that or pass session ids in urls, which is far worse.

[thedesigntailor]

thedesigntailor- I think you must be looking at the wrong site!
there certainly are products, prices, and checkout, and can you be a bit more specific about no design??

I was as it happens - I was looking at http://duinteriors.co.uk why is this different to http://www.duinteriors.co.uk ?

That could be a reason for such low results.

The proper site looks good. Very good really. Looks like you just need to get marketing.

[matt.chatterley]

Same thing happened to me too - you really need to get a (301) redirect in there!

[junem]

Thanks, I didn't know this holding page was still up, so I'll get that sorted
Thanks for all your comments, very helpful!

[fisicx]

You are not going to get 3.3% conversion rate on a site selling this type of product, ever.

Even if you did, 20 orders a month is hardly enough to run a business.

But they can still do some analysis on their visitors. If they are converting at 0.5% they could still aim to improve thins to 1%. Sometimes even the simplest tweaks can make a difference, so rather than just complain about the lack of sales, you can do some testing, change the layout, the colours, fonts images, description, titles, categories. you won't know until you've tried.

The cookie thing is still an issue. If you need cookies then why not tell me on the landing page. In other words, don't ask for cookies until you need to.

[sysops]

The cookie thing is still an issue. If you need cookies then why not tell me on the landing page. In other words, don't ask for cookies until you need to.

It is so, so not an issue! Only in the head of a really anal developer could it ever be an issue.

In what way is it an issue? We have a site with 6% conversion rate (in the peak months) which requires cookies for order placing. Think we could improve on that by not requiring cookies?

[Btangerine]

Your products are great. However you may need to redesign your website and approach a company that knows how to convert traffic. I had a similar problem and after approaching WSI, I've had a phenomenal response.

[jamie1183]

I was as it happens - I was looking at http://duinteriors.co.uk (http://duinteriors.co.uk/) why is this different to http://www.duinteriors.co.uk (http://www.duinteriors.co.uk/) ?

That could be a reason for such low results.

The proper site looks good. Very good really. Looks like you just need to get marketing.

I did exactly the same, looked at the old one and got confused where to find products etc as design taylor said the one at www. looks pretty smart.

Might be worth looking into why a different site comes up without the www. I for one often dont put www. infront of domain names.

[roythehandyman]

Get onto your host pronto: duinteriors.co.uk is still coming in September 2008 but www.duinteriors.co.uk (http://www.duinteriors.co.uk) is live.

The first thing you need to do is analyse your visitors. See where they land, how the got there, what they did and most importantly where they left the site. If most leave without clicking anything then you have a problem with the homepage. If you get a few clicks and then they leave it could be your navigation, If some get to the products but don't buy it could be your checkout process.

I personally found the navigation awkward and the page layout such that I was forever scrolling down to see the products. There are much better way to display the products that would increase the chances of conversion. And since I blocked cookies I couldn't buy anything.

OOOOOOOOOH the poor guy must feel he has been hit by a bus:eek: He needs help not a bang on the head. As for the forever scrolling: I must have a magic mouse, I can scroll the full lengh of every page with one curl of my finger on the scroll button. as for the Who visited, went, stopped and left that can easily be solved with google analyctics. in my mind those that block cookies are just paranoid. If the visitor has half decent protection software on thier machine there should be no problem. For heavens sake I can't bank online without cookies allowed. 12 inbound links according to M.S.N ( I only got 1 and I am number 1 & 2 in google yahoo etc. for the last two years on the trott) seems yahoo likes the site anyway. I think it is the economic times im afraid. I like the site its nice.

[roythehandyman]

I did exactly the same, looked at the old one and got confused where to find products etc as design taylor said the one at www. looks pretty smart.

Might be worth looking into why a different site comes up without the www. I for one often dont put www. infront of domain names.
because the one without the www is on a different part of his host. the part most people put their first attempt up to see what it looks like. the www one is on the public part and is the usually the polished version. I always put a www

[fisicx]

It is so, so not an issue! Only in the head of a really anal developer could it ever be an issue.

In what way is it an issue? We have a site with 6% conversion rate (in the peak months) which requires cookies for order placing. Think we could improve on that by not requiring cookies?

Of course not. The cookie thing just needs a bit of attention. If someone blocks the cookies all you need to do is make sure they are aware that they need a specific cookie unblocked. I check logs against the analytics on a commercial site I manage, 25% of all visitors block cookies. That's an awful lot of potential customers you are excluding, all for the sake of a simple message.

[osicsophie]

I'm not sure whether the site I visited is your store.
As a customer,I couldn't find your "Add to Cart" button when I want to buy your product.Also,I won't bother to call for pricing if I'm interested in one product.
what kind of shopping cart your store is powered by ?

You can consult to professional ecommerce provider for promoting your sales.

[fisicx]

in my mind those that block cookies are just paranoid.

99% of the cookies you get are from tracking companies - keeping an eye of what you do. I don't really see why I should tell xyz-adservices what I'm doing so I block their cookies. Just checked my browser and I allow just over 40 but block nearly 500. That's 500 adservers, affiliates and sniffers all wanting to know what I'm doing. I'd just rather keep myself private thank you.

[osicsophie]

5 Big eCommerce Design Mistakes

transferred from Eric Anderson's blog......

Designing eCommerce web sites for over eight years has taught me quite a few things. One of those things is that good design is judged on an emotional response from its user... it 'feels' right when it's right. Here is a list of 5 eCommerce design mistakes I see committed on a regular basis by designers and/or merchants. If you can avoid these pitfalls, you and your customers will be happier.
1. Cramming Too Much Stuff on the Home Page

The home page of your store is your first impression and you have less than eight-seconds to make it a good one. This pressure can cause people to freak out and jam everything on the home page. You must fight this urge. Imagine your store's home page represents the 4 large display windows at your store on Main & Broadway. Space is limited and very important. Use your home page to show your shoppers exactly what they want and you win.
2. Paying Too Little Attention to the Product Catalog

It's easy to think of your product catalog as merely a database of information that needs constant updating — your digital warehouse. That's exactly what it is... to you. But to your shopper, it's something completely different. Remember to describe your products with a carefully written, thoughtful description. It must answer all the questions a shopper may have about a product without going on and on and on. Spend the time and write well - keep the language simple, clear and easy to understand. You're designing an online catalog... quality descriptions, good photos and informative names are a key part of that design.
3. Deciding to Wait and "Do SEO Later"

Search Engine Optimization is not a step of your store design — it's not a marketing afterthought — it's not "phase 2". It's weaved in and out of every page you publish. Do yourself a favor and consider the quality of your sites pages and code from day one. Familiarize yourself with what makes a quality HTML document. For example, unique TITLE tags, well written paragraphs grouped by informative headings. Stick with the basics and build good SEO into your design as you go.
4. Challenging Conventions

"But I want to call it a shopping bag" — forget it — bag's no good. When it comes to eCommerce design, web conventions tell designers what works for people. Follow conventions. Give shoppers the tools they expect or you will lose. Shopping carts are carts - label them as such. Tabs should look like tabs. Links should look like links. Buttons should look like buttons. This stuff is easy folks, they're called conventions for a reason.
5. Bad Typography

Fight the urge to make important phrases in your design bigger, bolder or redder — just to make a point. It doesn't work. Thoughtfully placed, logical blocks of text will get your message across to your shoppers quicker and easier. People scan pages looking for what they want. An easily scanned page must have at least three things:

* A consistent font face
* Plenty of line-height spacing for readability
* Paragraphs of text should be short and concise — never spanning an entire page width

Consider your catalog as being "printed" on the screen — look at a print catalog or a magazine for good examples of typography schemes and line spacing. Seek out information on usability and typography on the Google... you'll find plenty of outstanding information.

Steering clear of these mistakes when planning or updating your eCommerce design will not only ensure the usability of the store, but also make it easier for Google to index — it's the best of both worlds. Its like tying the room together with a great rug. By focusing on quality information, good layout, and concise navigation, you're nailing the SEO and building a usable store at the same time. It's what all online merchants want — a site people like using and search engines like slurping.



You can check whether you have made any of the above mistakes and modify your wensite accordingly.;)

[sysops]

I check logs against the analytics on a commercial site I manage, 25% of all visitors block cookies. That's an awful lot of potential customers you are excluding, all for the sake of a simple message.

You are totally blinkered. That 25% is 24.9% bots and 0.1% users.

[SillyJokes]

5 Big eCommerce Design Mistakes
transferred from Eric Anderson's blog......

Designing eCommerce web sites for over eight years has taught me quite a few things. One of those things is that good design is judged on an emotional response from its user... it 'feels' right when it's right. Here is a list of 5 eCommerce design mistakes I see committed on a regular basis by designers and/or merchants. If you can avoid these pitfalls, you and your customers will be happier.
1. Cramming Too Much Stuff on the Home Page

The home page of your store is your first impression and you have less than eight-seconds to make it a good one. This pressure can cause people to freak out and jam everything on the home page. You must fight this urge. Imagine your store's home page represents the 4 large display windows at your store on Main & Broadway. Space is limited and very important. Use your home page to show your shoppers exactly what they want and you win.
2. Paying Too Little Attention to the Product Catalog

It's easy to think of your product catalog as merely a database of information that needs constant updating — your digital warehouse. That's exactly what it is... to you. But to your shopper, it's something completely different. Remember to describe your products with a carefully written, thoughtful description. It must answer all the questions a shopper may have about a product without going on and on and on. Spend the time and write well - keep the language simple, clear and easy to understand. You're designing an online catalog... quality descriptions, good photos and informative names are a key part of that design.
3. Deciding to Wait and "Do SEO Later"

Search Engine Optimization is not a step of your store design — it's not a marketing afterthought — it's not "phase 2". It's weaved in and out of every page you publish. Do yourself a favor and consider the quality of your sites pages and code from day one. Familiarize yourself with what makes a quality HTML document. For example, unique TITLE tags, well written paragraphs grouped by informative headings. Stick with the basics and build good SEO into your design as you go.
4. Challenging Conventions

"But I want to call it a shopping bag" — forget it — bag's no good. When it comes to eCommerce design, web conventions tell designers what works for people. Follow conventions. Give shoppers the tools they expect or you will lose. Shopping carts are carts - label them as such. Tabs should look like tabs. Links should look like links. Buttons should look like buttons. This stuff is easy folks, they're called conventions for a reason.
5. Bad Typography

Fight the urge to make important phrases in your design bigger, bolder or redder — just to make a point. It doesn't work. Thoughtfully placed, logical blocks of text will get your message across to your shoppers quicker and easier. People scan pages looking for what they want. An easily scanned page must have at least three things:

* A consistent font face
* Plenty of line-height spacing for readability
* Paragraphs of text should be short and concise — never spanning an entire page width

Consider your catalog as being "printed" on the screen — look at a print catalog or a magazine for good examples of typography schemes and line spacing. Seek out information on usability and typography on the Google... you'll find plenty of outstanding information.

Steering clear of these mistakes when planning or updating your eCommerce design will not only ensure the usability of the store, but also make it easier for Google to index — it's the best of both worlds. Its like tying the room together with a great rug. By focusing on quality information, good layout, and concise navigation, you're nailing the SEO and building a usable store at the same time. It's what all online merchants want — a site people like using and search engines like slurping.



You can check whether you have made any of the above mistakes and modify your wensite accordingly.;)


The above should be compulsary reading for all those running or planning to run an online store before they post on here bleating that they can't get sales.

[fisicx]

You are totally blinkered. That 25% is 24.9% bots and 0.1% users.

Not so sure. The bots are easy to spot but the logs show other normal visitor behaiviour, land > navigate > leave but they don't show up on the analytics. Unless I'm badly mistaken these visitors are blocking the tracking cookies.

Perhaps I am being a bit geeky about this. What I do know however is that a lot of FF users are much more aware of the cookies they are asked to accept or decline.

[sysops]

Not so sure. The bots are easy to spot but the logs show other normal visitor behaiviour, land > navigate > leave but they don't show up on the analytics. Unless I'm badly mistaken these visitors are blocking the tracking cookies.

Perhaps I am being a bit geeky about this. What I do know however is that a lot of FF users are much more aware of the cookies they are asked to accept or decline.

Look, unless you are running a site aimed at geeky conspiracy theorists, or one which is largely used through proxies, there is no way on earth 25% of your human users are blocking cookies. It's that simple. You can keep saying it, but it isn't true.

Do you honestly think that if cookie blocking was this prevalent, so many shopping sites (and I mean really big sites) would require them? Amazon spend millions on squeezing every last 0.001% out of their conversion rate, because that 0.001% is worth millions. Do you really, really think they would happily throw away 25% just like that?

[fisicx]

Look, unless you are running a site aimed at geeky conspiracy theorists, or one which is largely used through proxies, there is no way on earth 25% of your human users are blocking cookies. It's that simple. You can keep saying it, but it isn't true.

Do you honestly think that if cookie blocking was this prevalent, so many shopping sites (and I mean really big sites) would require them? Amazon spend millions on squeezing every last 0.001% out of their conversion rate, because that 0.001% is worth millions. Do you really, really think they would happily throw away 25% just like that?

OK, I'm convinced. i'll get back in my box now.

[junem]

I'm not sure whether the site I visited is your store.
As a customer,I couldn't find your "Add to Cart" button when I want to buy your product.Also,I won't bother to call for pricing if I'm interested in one product.
what kind of shopping cart your store is powered by ?

You can consult to professional ecommerce provider for promoting your sales.

Yes, think you must have been on the holding page , which is still up there by mistake (only just discovered) add the www first and you should get the live site, thanks!