Honest Reviews

S

sunnybroadband

Good afternoon all,

I'm looking for some honest reviews on my website. Conversion rates aren't as high as I would expect and personally I think the website is quite nice.

I want you to be brutally honest please as at the end of the day it's the "eFace" of the company.

Although we also visit customers face to face, most people find us via the website.

Kind regards,

Luke
 
S

sunnybroadband

Do you think they are ugly? websites are like babies? you will never know if you have an ugly one, as it's yours

(disclaimer - i'm not saying your kids are ugly :D )

I must admit for a second I was thinking.... what is this guy trying to imply?

To answer your question, yes I paid a fair sum for the website because it integrates to our broadband speed checker etc via APIs.

I'm keen to hear your feedback though as like I say I'd love to have a website that produces more conversions, and, yes - I am willing to have a new website if that is what it takes.
 
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I must admit for a second I was thinking.... what is this guy trying to imply?

To answer your question, yes I paid a fair sum for the website because it integrates to our broadband speed checker etc via APIs.

I'm keen to hear your feedback though as like I say I'd love to have a website that produces more conversions, and, yes - I am willing to have a new website if that is what it takes.

Trying not to sound biased or rude, but it looks like a kid in their bedroom did it, it's not engaging, extremely dull throughout, theres just really no design, it lacks that appeal to react to elements

Extremely surprised you paid "fair sum" as that is not the result I would have expected, the info is there to a degree, but conversions are probably lacking as it's just really drab, lacks a natural navigation etc I don't know what i'm doing, at first glance I have to look around to even understand what it is you do or what I want
 
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S

sunnybroadband

Trying not to sound biased or rude, but it looks like a kid in their bedroom did it, it's not engaging, extremely dull throughout, theres just really no design, it lacks that appeal to react to elements

Extremely surprised you paid "fair sum" as that is not the result I would have expected, the info is there to a degree, but conversion are probably lack as it's just really drab, lacks a natural naviations etc I don't know what i'm doing, at first glance I have to look around to even understand what it is you do or what I want

I appreciate your honesty, and would ask that you email me so that we can discuss this further with a view to you putting a quote together for me if possible?
 
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fisicx

Moderator
Sep 12, 2006
46,903
8
15,499
Aldershot
www.aerin.co.uk
I looked at the site on my phone. It's pretty pants.

I clicked on the broadband box thing and it scrolled down the page a bit a then described ADSL. What was the point of this? There is nothing else for me to do. Nothing to click on not details of the service you provide or anything.

So what you have is a homepage that doesn't go anywhere. It's a dead page.

On my phone there is no visible menu so there is no 'get a price' button.

When I did find and click the button I entered my postcode. I expected to see a 'these are the deals for you' page. But you now want my personal data and from there you just tell me you will be in contact. So that was a waste of time.

You have a page with 4 broadband packages. Is 40Mbps Downstream good or bad? If these are the 4 deals why do you need the 'get a price' thing?

And the site seems very slow. A 3Mb homepage is way too big.

I looks like you were sold on a pretty layout but didn't put a lot of thought into the customer journey. Did you create the content before the site was built or did you try to fit the content to the layout?

And I can't find your business details anywhere.

You need to really rework and plan your content. Once you have this all mapped and the site structure sorted then you can consider how it will look.
 
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S

sunnybroadband

I looked at the site on my phone. It's pretty pants.

I clicked on the broadband box thing and it scrolled down the page a bit a then described ADSL. What was the point of this? There is nothing else for me to do. Nothing to click on not details of the service you provide or anything.

So what you have is a homepage that doesn't go anywhere. It's a dead page.

On my phone there is no visible menu so there is no 'get a price' button.

When I did find and click the button I entered my postcode. I expected to see a 'these are the deals for you' page. But you now want my personal data and from there you just tell me you will be in contact. So that was a waste of time.

You have a page with 4 broadband packages. Is 40Mbps Downstream good or bad? If these are the 4 deals why do you need the 'get a price' thing?

And the site seems very slow. A 3Mb homepage is way too big.

I looks like you were sold on a pretty layout but didn't put a lot of thought into the customer journey. Did you create the content before the site was built or did you try to fit the content to the layout?

And I can't find your business details anywhere.

You need to really rework and plan your content. Once you have this all mapped and the site structure sorted then you can consider how it will look.

Thank you for the honest response - I really do appreciate it. The idea of the "get a price" was that the user will see what their line is capable of - thus - allowing them to place an order for that package. I was advised that the API being used isn't capable of doing that step, but, that's something that I'm now discussing with somebody else.

The functionality of the website was left down to the developer, and I simply fed him the content that I wanted to be on it. That said however, it's easier for me to look at it and think that it is perfectly good - hence why I came here for the feedback.

The developer was and is a friend, and as such, I expected to be in good hands as far as the website is concerned. My expertise lie in telecoms and hosting, not API's and website building unfortunately.

I'll take a look at how all of the content is layed out and re-visit that.
 
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fisicx

Moderator
Sep 12, 2006
46,903
8
15,499
Aldershot
www.aerin.co.uk
Start by considering what the prospective client is looking for. They probably want an alternative to the big providers so you need to tell them what you offer right on the homepage.

Show me how much a typical broadband package will cost. Explain what I get for my money. do you for example supply the modem/router? Does an engineer install everything for me? Do I get free calls on my phone?

Treat every customer like a complete idiot. Lead them by the hand through each step so they know exactly what they are getting.

If they are convinced then make sure they can sign up then and there. Take the money and arrange a date to get the service installed.

Everything else is fluff.

No idea what API you need for any of the above.

A question for you. How do you login and edit the content? Can you add new pages, change the images and tweak the styling?
 
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fisicx

Moderator
Sep 12, 2006
46,903
8
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www.aerin.co.uk
With reference to your question, I have to do it all manually by editing the .html files.
In which case your friend has sold you a pup.

If you used a CMS (like wordpress) you wouldn't have to manually edit anything. You would also have access to a huge repository of themes and plugins and a wordwide support network. All for free.

For example, with wordpress I can create new pages in seconds, preview the content, save and come back later to edit. When I'm ready to go live I hit the publish button and it's all done. I can create menus, build up a library of images and resources, add forms and testimonials and do everything else from any device anywhere in the world. All for free.
 
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Gecko001

Free Member
Apr 21, 2011
3,251
581
The icons are not acting as icons but as images. Also, it is difficult to work out what they mean and to which text they refer to. I am not sure if they refer to the text to the side or above. They also take up valuable space.

I would make the icons much much smaller and place them just before the titles of the sections of text they refer to. Icons that are about twice the height of the title font would look just about right. The space that this frees up could be used for other things such as relevant photos that would give the site more impact.
 
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S

sunnybroadband

The icons are not acting as icons but as images. Also, it is difficult to work out what they mean and to which text they refer to. I am not sure if they refer to the text to the side or above. They also take up valuable space.

I would make the icons much much smaller and place them just before the titles of the sections of text they refer to. Icons that are about twice the height of the title font would look just about right. The space that this frees up could be used for other things such as relevant photos that would give the site more impact.

Thank you for the feedback, appreciated.
 
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Fibre 40/10
£38 inc. VAT

  • Unlimited Downloads

  • Unlimited Uploads

  • No Fair Use Policy

  • Up to 40Mbps Downstream

  • Up to 10Mbps Upstream

  • Free Activation or Migration

  • 12 Month Minimum Contract

  • Order Now
Fibre 80/20
£43 inc. VAT

  • Unlimited Downloads

  • Unlimited Uploads

  • No Fair Use Policy

  • Up to 40Mbps Downstream

  • Up to 10Mbps Upstream

  • Free Activation or Migration

  • 12 Month Minimum Contract

  • Order Now
From your services page.

different price, same description.
 
Upvote 0
S

sunnybroadband

Fibre 40/10
£38 inc. VAT

  • Unlimited Downloads

  • Unlimited Uploads

  • No Fair Use Policy

  • Up to 40Mbps Downstream

  • Up to 10Mbps Upstream

  • Free Activation or Migration

  • 12 Month Minimum Contract

  • Order Now
Fibre 80/20
£43 inc. VAT

  • Unlimited Downloads

  • Unlimited Uploads

  • No Fair Use Policy

  • Up to 40Mbps Downstream

  • Up to 10Mbps Upstream

  • Free Activation or Migration

  • 12 Month Minimum Contract

  • Order Now
From your services page.

different price, same description.

Now resolved. Thank you for picking this up.

Home page says

"
Superfast speeds like no other
"

Do you offer speeds that no other ISP does over the same connection?

I presume not, it which case this is false advertising and Ofcom would be very upset about it.

Amended, wasn't intended to come across like that.
 
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fisicx

Moderator
Sep 12, 2006
46,903
8
15,499
Aldershot
www.aerin.co.uk
All this is just skirting round the main issue in that the site structure needs rethinking, the marketing message needs to be clear and you need to lead the potential client to the service they need.

Sticking with this HTML site is going to make your life very difficult as the business develops. You are far better off moving to a CMS sooner rather than later.
 
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AllUpHere

Free Member
  • Business Listing
    Jun 30, 2014
    4,074
    1,684
    Classic case of putting the cart before the horse and getting a website designed before you have really thought about your marketing. You can't rely on a web designer to be able to build a site for you that will convert. They need an awful lot of guidance. If you have no plan in place, where is that guidance supposed to come from?
     
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    AllUpHere

    Free Member
  • Business Listing
    Jun 30, 2014
    4,074
    1,684
    I've just had a better look. The site isn't that bad, Ltd the content that needs work. You don't need a web designer, you just need to think about what you are trying to achieve. Your line of business is a bit of a gift from a marketing perspective, because it's so easy to gain an advantage, and use that advantage to have people knocking your door down.

    Don't get caught up in the kind of BS your average designer will be throwing around. Nobody but a designer will ever ask if you have kids, ugly or otherwise.
     
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    Alan

    Free Member
  • Aug 16, 2011
    7,089
    1,974
    Apart from it is boring site, I have never heard of you, and there is nothing on the home page that really grabs me and gives me any confidence that you are actually a real broadband supplier - and not some lead capture business.

    But as I'm testing it for you, I thought I'd get a price - so far so good - you get my address - and then ask me for my email and phone number ( without even telling me what your are going to use it for - have you not heard of GDPR? ) - no way would I give you that - I want a price to see if you are cheaper and faster than my existing supplier. So I give you a fake email and phone numbe rand even then you don't give me a price. Total failure from a user perspective.
     
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    mattk

    Free Member
    Dec 5, 2005
    2,579
    974
    50
    Swindon
    My 2p.

    Your homepage talks about "ADSL Broadband", "copper telephone lines", "Fibre to the Cabinet", "Fibre to the Premises".

    I assume your target market is mainly consumers. Most don't know and don't care about those terms. If it was me I would be tempted to call them "Standard Boaradband" and "Superfast Broadband" which is largely in line with the industry terms.

    I then clicked on the Get a Price button, entered my postcode and selected my address. I got the same message as @antropy.

    This immediately made me think that you can't supply my home and therefore there is no more point in browsing your site. Do you have any stats on how many times the API returns a successful speed test versus the above message? This may explain your dropout rate.

    Your prices are also high. I pay £15 a month for Sky Unlimited, which is equivalent to your £38 a month package.

    I think you are also only supposed to advertise "average speed" rather than "up to" since last year:

    https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...g-of-broadband-speeds-after-consumer-backlash
     
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    alan1302

    Free Member
    Jun 2, 2018
    2,135
    399
    Apart from it is boring site, I have never heard of you, and there is nothing on the home page that really grabs me and gives me any confidence that you are actually a real broadband supplier - and not some lead capture business.

    But as I'm testing it for you, I thought I'd get a price - so far so good - you get my address - and then ask me for my email and phone number ( without even telling me what your are going to use it for - have you not heard of GDPR? ) - no way would I give you that - I want a price to see if you are cheaper and faster than my existing supplier. So I give you a fake email and phone numbe rand even then you don't give me a price. Total failure from a user perspective.

    This is the exact problem I had - I put madeup names/addresses but still can't get a price.
     
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    S

    sunnybroadband

    Apart from it is boring site, I have never heard of you, and there is nothing on the home page that really grabs me and gives me any confidence that you are actually a real broadband supplier - and not some lead capture business.

    But as I'm testing it for you, I thought I'd get a price - so far so good - you get my address - and then ask me for my email and phone number ( without even telling me what your are going to use it for - have you not heard of GDPR? ) - no way would I give you that - I want a price to see if you are cheaper and faster than my existing supplier. So I give you a fake email and phone numbe rand even then you don't give me a price. Total failure from a user perspective.

    1. No prices.
    2. No speeds.
    3. I put in my postcode and it hung for ages then showed this:
    http://screenshots.antropy.co.uk/f4e826289d4629a5e90a2cb.jpg

    Paul

    My 2p.

    Your homepage talks about "ADSL Broadband", "copper telephone lines", "Fibre to the Cabinet", "Fibre to the Premises".

    I assume your target market is mainly consumers. Most don't know and don't care about those terms. If it was me I would be tempted to call them "Standard Boaradband" and "Superfast Broadband" which is largely in line with the industry terms.

    I then clicked on the Get a Price button, entered my postcode and selected my address. I got the same message as @antropy.

    This immediately made me think that you can't supply my home and therefore there is no more point in browsing your site. Do you have any stats on how many times the API returns a successful speed test versus the above message? This may explain your dropout rate.

    Your prices are also high. I pay £15 a month for Sky Unlimited, which is equivalent to your £38 a month package.

    I think you are also only supposed to advertise "average speed" rather than "up to" since last year:

    https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...g-of-broadband-speeds-after-consumer-backlash

    This is the exact problem I had - I put madeup names/addresses but still can't get a price.

    Thank you for all of this feedback. It really is important to me and I really do appreciate it - with reference to the API issue - it's the first I've been made aware so I will be checking on the log - as you suggested that may be a reason for the dropout rate.

    I will be looking into all points raised in detail.
     
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    fisicx

    Moderator
    Sep 12, 2006
    46,903
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    15,499
    Aldershot
    www.aerin.co.uk
    But....

    And this is really important:

    The whole site needs reworking. The speed test and other features are irrelevant until you address the while customer journey.

    Fixing these minor issues isn’t going to make any difference to your conversions.
     
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