Website check - peacecloud.co.uk

[Peacecloud Ltd]

Hi,

Can you have a look at https://www.peacecloud.co.uk and let me know what you think?

Kind regards,

John

 

[Solve My Problem]

I hate to be brutal but it's terrible.

Darren

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

I hate to be brutal but it's terrible.

Darren

How would I be able to improve it?

 

[Solve My Problem]

How would I be able to improve it?

Start again. No easy way to say it.

The design is poor, the content layout, the lack of contact info, the SEO side of things.

Everything about is is wrong.

Darren

 

[fisicx]

Got to agree, it needs major rework.

Your skill is training for which you get paid. Turn this around and accept other people are skilled at website building. So pay them for their skills.

 

[Shopclicks]

Can you have a look at https://www.peacecloud.co.uk and let me know what you think?

If you want a professional looking and effective website, you need to pay a professional.

 

[YuriyZaletskyy]

In my opinion I'd suggest following:
1. Courses should be opened right away, on the first page, not through research
2. I'd suggest to make the name more readable. Instea of "Peacecloud Ltd" consider PeaceCloud LTD
3. Blog section is very unreadable. Everything is alinged to the center, very inconvenient to paginate.
4. Our instructors - only one instructor. Ask anyone to join you in making a course, so at least two different instructors will be there. Or modify title, instead of Our instructors - Our instructor

 

[fisicx]

At top of the page there is your company name and the menu. Nothing in any of that tells me what you do.

Below this is a huuuuge hero image with some random words.

Below this are to massive boxes. No idea what the image on the right is supposed to represent. On the left is says:

"Learn about our commitment to shaping the future of IT training through our online courses. Embrace the possibilities and join us on this innovative journey towards excellence, includes cyber security, disaster recovery, GDPR and more"

Meaningless guff.

No calls to action anywhere. No contact details. Nothing about the course you run.

If I click on the Home link I'm taken to a completely different page!

To buy a course I've got to sign up. But I've got no idea what I'm signing up for. Far simpler to go onto youtube and get everything for free - after all it's only a video you are showing.

All your course are on one page. Which means I have to scroll and scroll and scroll to see what's on offer.

Get the idea? Everything is wrong.

 

[fisicx]

"86-90 Paul St"

The well known haunt of scammers, dodgy businesses and iffy companies.

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

"86-90 Paul St"

The well known haunt of scammers, dodgy businesses and iffy companies.

This I didn't know, I just got given the option of a virtual office address when I set the company up

 

[fisicx]

This I didn't know, I just got given the option of a virtual office address when I set the company up

Just use your home address. Don't use a virtual office - the anonymity will put people off. You also need a contact number - helps add trust.

But this is minor when compared to the massive problems you have with the website.

Don't try and do it yourself. Get help.

Another example. You website is an extension of your marketing plan. Identify your target client, set up your marketing channels and then build a website that meets their expectations.

The website isn't for you. you don't matter. The website is for your clients and only them.

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

In my opinion I'd suggest following:
1. Courses should be opened right away, on the first page, not through research
2. I'd suggest to make the name more readable. Instea of "Peacecloud Ltd" consider PeaceCloud LTD
3. Blog section is very unreadable. Everything is alinged to the center, very inconvenient to paginate.
4. Our instructors - only one instructor. Ask anyone to join you in making a course, so at least two different instructors will be there. Or modify title, instead of Our instructors - Our instructor

I've just made a few changes, I've decided to disable the Blog section for the time being, probably will get someone to have a proper look at the design on it as well

 

[fisicx]

I've just made a few changes, I've decided to disable the Blog section for the time being, probably will get someone to have a proper look at the design on it as well

No, it’s not the design. It’s your whole approach that needs rethinking. As I said above, everything starts with your marketing plan.

And don’t use squarespace.

 

[ctrlbrk]

@Peacecloud Ltd just wanted to point out to you that 3 out of 4 people who told you your website needs a website designer are, in fact, website designers.

 

[fisicx]

That is correct. But it’s not about the design. It’s about the whole business concept.

There are loads of YouTube videos on IT security. There are hundreds of blog. There are umpteen courses you can take (many of which come with recognised qualifications).

How is @Peacecloud Ltd going to get their videos noticed amongst all the other people all setting the same things?

The actual website design is less important than the marketing plan.

 

[Shopclicks]

I've just made a few changes, I've decided to disable the Blog section for the time being, probably will get someone to have a proper look at the design on it as well

You are far better off selling your courses on the purpose built platforms like Thinkific or Udemy. Scrap the website until you have a brand to promote and a marketing plan.

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

They are hosted on Udemy as well but they've been putting the prices up so high people aren't buying them, that's why I wanted to set up my own site

 

[Shopclicks]

@Peacecloud Ltd just wanted to point out to you that 3 out of 4 people who told you your website needs a website designer are, in fact, website designers.

...... and consequently, probably the best people to advise on web design and effectiveness.

 

[ctrlbrk]

...... and consequently, probably the best people to advise on web design and effectiveness.

In other news: Why Insurance Companies say Insurance Is Good For You.

 

[Solve My Problem]

They are hosted on Udemy as well but they've been putting the prices up so high people aren't buying them, that's why I wanted to set up my own site

Without a solid site and some major SEO "and/or" Promotion you will never get seen.

Long gone are the days of setting up a site and people finding it.

 

[Shopclicks]

They are hosted on Udemy as well but they've been putting the prices up so high people aren't buying them, that's why I wanted to set up my own site

Then you either make your courses more comprehensive and charge more, or you create a marketing plan which may or may not include a website.

 

[Shopclicks]

In other news: Why Insurance Companies say Insurance Is Good For You.

That would be marketing. I'm not seeing any marketing going on here .... aside from your free plug.

 

[YuriyZaletskyy]

Why Insurance Companies say Insurance Is Good For You

But it doesn't mean that insurance is bad for that reason.

 

[UKSBD]

I think it is great, a bit too plain, bit too wide, prefer more margins and it looks like it is missing a home page, it just looks like internal pages you would go to from a homepage.

Edit to add: Am I seeing different to what everyone else who has replied seen? Have you changed it since your OP?

 

[fisicx]

Edit to add: Am I seeing different to what everyone else who has replied seen? Have you changed it since your OP?

Yes

 

[Shopclicks]

Edit to add: Am I seeing different to what everyone else who has replied seen? Have you changed it since your OP?

Yes, there have been changes. However, the underlying issues are still there. I'd list them but it's a waste of time as long as the site is on Squarespace.

 

[fisicx]

I see you now have a link to a preview video @Peacecloud Ltd. But it doesn't sell the course. You need a few lessons from @Paul FilmMaker.

Stop fiddling with the site and tell us about your marketing plan.

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

For marketing, I've been mostly using Twitter and Facebook groups and have put a few posts on my Linkedin account as well. I've also got a link to the site from my Udemy profile

 

[fisicx]

For marketing, I've been mostly using Twitter and Facebook groups and have put a few posts on my Linkedin account as well. I've also got a link to the site from my Udemy profile

And has this brought you any converting leads?

 

[Peacecloud Ltd]

Not yet unfortunately, although the site has only been live for about 3 or 4 weeks

 

[fisicx]

Not yet unfortunately, although the site has only been live for about 3 or 4 weeks

Who are you targeting? Are they looking on SM for services like yours?

If they were you would be getting leads. As this hasn't been happening it's not likely to in the future.

 

[ctrlbrk]

But it doesn't mean that insurance is bad for that reason.

No it doesn't. But it does mean that it is not impartial advice.

 

[Shopclicks]

But it does mean that it is not impartial advice.

Bringing it back to this thread. Impartial advice is going to be useless to the OP. Advice from experience is going to offer far greater value. I can't be impartial because I have experience in this sector with a client.
I also can't tell the OP everything is going to be rosy if they just add this and change that. The problems are much deeper than that.

I'll give you an example: https://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/...ursesonline-com/e1dusm716y?form_factor=mobile

How is the OP going to reduce Javascript execution time on the Squarespace platform? Or reduce the LCP?

 

[fisicx]

Right at the core of the business are products easily available for free elsewhere. It’s not even clear that video is the best medium to deliver this sort of training.

As an example I needed help with setting up something and the online resource had a combination of stepped guides, images and short video. And a phone number to call if I got stuck. Far more useful than a 60 minute video.

 

[Nick@Daydot]

No it doesn't. But it does mean that it is not impartial advice.

Depends what you mean by impartial. If I want some expert advice about insurance I'd go to an insurance advisor. I would expect and want them to explain the benefits of insurance. I wouldn't expect them to lie to get my business.

If people want advice about their websites they are best getting that advice from people who have experience of getting user feedback, doing site tests etc over a period of time and different sites. Just because everyone uses websites it doesn't make them an expert in effective user experience and business impact.

 

[YasmeenLondon]

@Peacecloud Ltd just wanted to point out to you that 3 out of 4 people who told you your website needs a website designer are, in fact, website designers.

Website designers will notice the website's design first, copywriters will notice the copy first, SEO experts will audit the SEO first and the list goes on.

 

[ctrlbrk]

Website designers will notice the website's design first, copywriters will notice the copy first, SEO experts will audit the SEO first and the list goes on.

Agreed. It's the old saying "if all you have is a hammer..."

 

[Nick@Daydot]

Agreed. It's the old saying "if all you have is a hammer..."

This is all true - but I don't understand the point. The value of getting feedback here is exactly that - people can potentially get feedback from this range of experts. There are also people here who have expertise across a range of these issues as they take a holistic view of what contributes to the commercial (or otherwise) effectiveness of a website.

 

[YasmeenLondon]

I think a fixed-width/boxed design will better serve your website than a full-width one.

Do not add text over a picture (HERO) without adding a dark overlay, the text is lost and hard to read and that text is VERY important to your conversions.

Increase the font size on the desktop significantly, as well as avoid having walls of text anywhere.

For some reason, you merged your home page with the services page, and it's chaotic, ideally, your service pages include all your services in a structured, easy-to-navigate way, and your home page is tasked with attracting your target audience's attention and guiding them to where they need to be.

The way you organize the content does not encourage me to keep scrolling or makes it easy for me to compare your services.

You peppered your website with external links which are only going to hurt your conversion rates.

Ultimately you need to understand your target market, the problems you intend to solve for them with your courses, and then think of the user journey to get your ideal user to convert and THEN design accordingly.

Obviously, you can do this on your own if you know design well and understand web design principles, or you can learn UX/UI and do it, or you can wing it and hope for the best, or you can hire professionals, it all depends on your circumstances, what you have budgeted for, your business plan and so on.

Good luck.

 

[Shopclicks]

Agreed. It's the old saying "if all you have is a hammer..."

I find it amusing that back in November, you started a thread which was asking why there wasn't more self-promotion on forums like this. It was explained to you, that we're not all here to self-promote. Some of us are just here to offer advice in whatever capacity we can.

And yet, you thought it important to come into this thread and 'warn' the OP that the advice being offered was somehow self-promotion.

Or was it really just a free plug?