Looking at getting website remade. Could do with some points to brief designers pleas

[Springsoles]

We are currently looking at getting our website http://Springsoles.co.uk re made, (Possibly the Webstore too). And after the great responses I got to the awful flyer design a couple of days back I thought you guys might be able to help.

I'm wondering if something like the well designed http://www.fitflop.com/ (Mentioned in the pervious thread) would work better and increase conversions on the website. It's bolder and get's straight to the point of the product.

Any ideas would be of great help.

Thanks,

Ray,
Springsoles UK

 

[davidshaw89]

Your landing page could potentially be better, but at the moment it doesn't have a clear purpose.

You need to either focus on selling the product via hard selling, or alternatively have a method of getting their e-mail address for e-mail marketing (but not both on the same page).

The website you linked to is very glossy, but I don't think it would convert better than yours. There is a huge flash image which took a while to load, and it isn't that great to be honest. There are much better uses of space than this.

Reconsider your website from the point of view of your customer. A few links at the top, clearly priced, SSL/safebuy logos, then some good sales copy.

Your product has some pretty impressive benefits, and I know what they are after reading, but you haven't told me what they are. So what if they can make me jump higher! tell me why I care that I will be able to jump higher and you will be on your buyer's side.

 

[Springsoles]

Thank you for your reply David, some great information there. We are focusing fully on the hard sell, no email marketing at all really, (As our product could come across as spam very easily.)

I myself have had a quick bash at re making the homepage/landing page. Does this work any better?

http://springsoles.co.uk/index2.htm

 

[davidshaw89]

Its a step in the right direction.

I just noticed just now that you have some kind of shopping cart software when I click on "buy". I would get rid of this completely and have a single step "buy it now" button since you only have one product.

To combat the problem of the size selection, just have a dropdown menu above each buy-it-now, or prompt the user to choose their size on the next screen, but the royal mail intermediate page isn't required. Everything that is said on it can be said in the main listing.

Hope this helps,

 

[Springsoles]

Its a step in the right direction.

I just noticed just now that you have some kind of shopping cart software when I click on "buy". I would get rid of this completely and have a single step "buy it now" button since you only have one product.

To combat the problem of the size selection, just have a dropdown menu above each buy-it-now, or prompt the user to choose their size on the next screen, but the royal mail intermediate page isn't required. Everything that is said on it can be said in the main listing.

Hope this helps,

Do you think it would convert easier if the 'Buy it now' went straight to this link -

http://springsoles.co.uk/springsoles-store/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=2

 

[Neyl]

Hi - my immediate reaction is that only serious atheletes are your buyers. True? That's what your home page says to me.

Key visual point is too much. Your home page needs to be a lot simpler... a lot... the two pictures at the top, perhaps a more 'ordinary' sportswoman/man (if they are your buyers), the bullet points (just the red bits) and the "or your money back..." plus a 'soles options' button next to a good quality photo of the actual product close-up (on feet). The soles options button arriving at a catalogue "buy" page like the big shoe stores do. That's the guts of your home page - nothing else.

Above the 'guts': just your logo and clean simple navigation bar to all the other stuff. If the home page peaks peoples curiosity they will navigate. This will mean the "jump higher etc" can come right up into view below the 'guts'... these are the "reason why to buy" and they're currently so far down the page they're lost.

Hope that helps. Meant constructively.

 

[ORDERED WEB]

The second version is better than the first, but the flip flop thing is better

It is better for 1 immediate reason - I can tell immediatally what it is from the photography

In the first 3 seconds, I know what I am dealing with. On your site there is a lot of useful information (which is brilliant) but there is no immediate impact from the product - I am still cluless about what it is. I assume you put it in yoru trainer

You need to be concentrating on the first couple of seconds.. and I bet your google analytics suggest that too

The next thing to comment on is the quality of the graphics - they all look a litle smeary to me, and in the navigation, you are making things that need to be clicked on harder to find and read than everything else by making the text lower contrast or smaller

 

[Springsoles]

Thank you for your replies Neyl and PlaceOD. I've gone over the homepage again and tried to make it cleaner and more obvious of what the product is and how to use it. I'd be very grateful if you/anyone else could comment again and see if this is any improvement.
Thanks,
Ray

 

[fisicx]

I looks like an affiliate site. All the colour and styling changes don't engender me to investigate further. And since it's obviously an american product my trust in you is reduced especially since all the citations are US based and the science is very dodgy - the reports wouldn't stand up to any scritiny.

So advice to a designer would be - don't do anything until the copy has been rewritten, the images relate to UK sports, the payment system is revamped and the information flow optimised. After thais you can sort out a wireframe model, test then style.

 

[darubio]

personally i think its too bright for me! add a bit of colours in the bg maybe?

 

[Twentyfourten]

In your initial post you seem to be doing a good job of pointing out to yourself what you ought to be doing, but the visuals/builds you've done don't come close to replicating the fitflop method at all.

I think you need to 'sell the product' visually in the same way the fitflop site does, if you don't sell using images that the intended audience respond to INSTANTLY you're not going to get the results you want in sales terms.

Tactically in online selling what gets missed the most is translating well established sales methods that are proven to work in 'the real world'.
Whether TV advertising or billboard and magazine ads, we are all 'seduced' by slick well presented marketing, we make a decision that we'd 'like to have that' - it's a two stage sale, stage 1 - we're SOLD the idea that we must have it and we BUY into it as an idea, and then stage 2 - we're then SOLD the product.

Online, there's a tendency to think we must do everything to get them to stage 2 (should I have a bigger 'buy now' button?, how quickly can I get them into the cart?) and completely ignore the stage 1 sale.

Look at the fitflop site, it's a brilliant piece of billboard stage 1 selling as soon as you enter the site! Be honest, if you aren't up to the job of designing a stunning landing page, get a designer in for your site who can come up with the goods.
You answer the question yourself - yes it will convert more sales if it looked as good as that!

 

[Springsoles]

In your initial post you seem to be doing a good job of pointing out to yourself what you ought to be doing, but the visuals/builds you've done don't come close to replicating the fitflop method at all.

I think you need to 'sell the product' visually in the same way the fitflop site does, if you don't sell using images that the intended audience respond to INSTANTLY you're not going to get the results you want in sales terms.

Tactically in online selling what gets missed the most is translating well established sales methods that are proven to work in 'the real world'.
Whether TV advertising or billboard and magazine ads, we are all 'seduced' by slick well presented marketing, we make a decision that we'd 'like to have that' - it's a two stage sale, stage 1 - we're SOLD the idea that we must have it and we BUY into it as an idea, and then stage 2 - we're then SOLD the product.

Online, there's a tendency to think we must do everything to get them to stage 2 (should I have a bigger 'buy now' button?, how quickly can I get them into the cart?) and completely ignore the stage 1 sale.

Look at the fitflop site, it's a brilliant piece of billboard stage 1 selling as soon as you enter the site! Be honest, if you aren't up to the job of designing a stunning landing page, get a designer in for your site who can come up with the goods.
You answer the question yourself - yes it will convert more sales if it looked as good as that!

I'm considering getting a photographer in to get some high quality images, as the majority of people have posted suggesting a big product image shot would work well on the main page.

The problem is, the product is an insole that goes inside your trainer. What exactly do you guys suggest they should take a picture of? All I can think of is a close up of the packaging, (No real WOW factor) or possibly a bare foot standing on a Springbak Springsole to show how thin it is, (With really dramatic lighting).

I think a great image would be a good starting point, then get the copy redone, then get the website redeveloped.

 

[ORDERED WEB]

I'm considering getting a photographer in to get some high quality images, as the majority of people have posted suggesting a big product image shot would work well on the main page.

The problem is, the product is an insole that goes inside your trainer. What exactly do you guys suggest they should take a picture of? All I can think of is a close up of the packaging, (No real WOW factor) or possibly a bare foot standing on a Springbak Springsole to show how thin it is, (With really dramatic lighting).

I think a great image would be a good starting point, then get the copy redone, then get the website redeveloped.

Call me - I am sure that we are the best photographer for the job, but I for sure do know the chap you need to speak to

Richard King

 

[ORDERED WEB]

I have PM'd you detials of a excellent commercial photographrer

 

[Springsoles]

OK thanks for all the PMs and recommendations.

We will be sorting the website/copy/images at the begining of next month, so I'll start phoning around then.

In the mean time. If possible I'd like a few final comments on a new landing page I made for our PPC advertising, and the updated homepage. We get 80% of our traffic through the landing page, so that is the first thing most people will see when they first come across our product.

Landing page - http://springsoles.co.uk/index2.htm

Homepage - http://springsoles.co.uk/

As mentioned these are only till next month and so I'd like any input that I personally will be able to act upon.

Thanks guys!

 

[protobyte]

Hi Springsoles,

I have a designer who works with me and has designed material for nPower, Aviva, RS, Sky and Birmingham Council - to name a few. I have sent you a PM with links to our portfolios. We can also produce marketing material and company document designs (e.g. logos, business cards, letter heads, comp slips, brochures).

Jamie Solomons
[urlno="http://www.protobyte.net"]www.protobyte.net[/urlno] - Bespoke website design & software development

 

[fisicx]

In the mean time. If possible I'd like a few final comments on a new landing page I made for our PPC advertising...

It's instantly recognisable as a US based product now being sold in the UK ("jam that basketball" gives it away). It looks homemade, the low quality images and on the new homepage again we see lot of US clubs who use the product and the same US patents. Don't know what keywords you are targeting with your PPC but the landing page would make me click off instantly - it look so deperate rather than trustworthy.

And the science is still very iffy, I could counter any one of the claims just using a bit of A level physics.

Incidentally, I've just been through your checkout process and gave up. It's got to be one of the longest processes I've ever seen.

 

[henrypeterson]

Hi,
A good website should not only be good to look at but also must confirm to the latest and the strictest standards of the internet. Mag-corp.com follows the latest w3c and XHTML1.0 standards to make your websites easily accessible by search engine robots.

 

[Springsoles]

I know this thread is a few weeks old now, but I thought I'd post here rather than creating another one.

We've had our website updated, and I'd very much like the opinions of the people who have posted here previously, (As well as anyone new to the thread.) to post any opinions on the new tweaks I have made.

http://Springsoles.co.uk

 

[CrispyUK]

I'm a bit late to this topic so didn't see the earlier versions, but the latest version still looks to me like it's trying a bit too hard - it reminds me a little of those dodgy sites selling eBooks that promise to make you rich quick, with so little effort, look at all these people saying it worked for them, you'll make thousands, or your money back - Buy Now!

I think part of this is you're throwing too much information on the landing page, but also because the site looks a little amateur-ish which adds to the 'dodgy' feel.

You've already highlighted the FitFlop site and I think this is something good to aspire to - get something cleaner and more professional looking and keep the detail on the sub-pages where it belongs.

Points RE: de-americanising it that people have made are also valid if you're aiming at the UK market