My First Website....Critique and tips needed

honey*bee · #1 2010-01-03, 12:08pm

It is still very much in the construction phase but I have the bracelets page set up and a few of the bottom link buttons...

I just want a critique on the set up and load times.
Also if anyone see anything that they could give me a tip on how to do or add please do!

Thanks!

www.honeybeadsandjewelry.com

gemsinbloom · #2 2010-01-03, 12:09pm

Your items load quickly and looks great.

One thing but it may only be me. I find the hot pink font a little difficult to read.

gemsinbloom · #3 2010-01-03, 12:10pm

Also, I think your prices are too low.

GlassyEyedGirl · #4 2010-01-03, 12:11pm

Congrats, girlfriend! Looks great and loads fast!

honey*bee · #5 2010-01-03, 1:43pm

Thanks guys er uh gals...lol!

missbatteries · #6 2010-01-03, 2:04pm

Good job. The page loaded quickly for me also. I didn't notice the pink type until it was mentioned. When I went back to look, it did jump up and slap me. I think during my original peek the gorgous pictures distracted me.

Love your work!
-Elaine

ROC · #7 2010-01-03, 2:11pm

It looks great!

Judith Billig · #8 2010-01-03, 2:53pm

Loads very fast & looks good.
I agree with the hot pink. I have a very high resolution and find the font under the pictures is too small as well as difficult to read.
Good luck with your new page!

GinnyHampton · #9 2010-01-04, 8:07pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by honey*bee

Thanks guys er uh gals...lol!

I'm from Michigan so I say "guys" all the time . . . it goes over great here in Texas

OK . . . load time is good and your pictures look nice which is essential for online selling.

But, your front page has a ton of empty space with just hot pink diamonds.
There's lots of empty space at the top and over to the right of your menu bar. You could fill up that void with a pretty bead picture or something.

You don't get a whole lot of time to capture someone's attention before they click off of your website.
When I open your front page, all I see, without scrolling, is your business name, your name, the first light pink divider and only down to "earrings" on your menu bar and nothing else.

I also don't care for all of the hot pink, but it's not my site, and I'm not sure what kind of "feel" you want your site to have. The best piece of advice that was given to me (well, besides the importance of good quality pictures) was to keep the template/background of your site fairly neutral so that your beads and jewelry are the shining stars of your site. You don't want someone to open up a page and think "Wow, hot pink diamonds" . . . you want them to think "Wow, beautiful work". Which, by the way, your beads and jewelry ARE beautiful so you really want to showcase them the best you can.

At first I thought your prices were "per bead" on your bead set page . . . you deserve way more for your pretties

honey*bee · #10 2010-01-05, 5:36am

Quote:

Originally Posted by GinnyHampton

I'm from Michigan so I say "guys" all the time . . . it goes over great here in Texas

OK . . . load time is good and your pictures look nice which is essential for online selling.

But, your front page has a ton of empty space with just hot pink diamonds.
There's lots of empty space at the top and over to the right of your menu bar. You could fill up that void with a pretty bead picture or something.

You don't get a whole lot of time to capture someone's attention before they click off of your website.
When I open your front page, all I see, without scrolling, is your business name, your name, the first light pink divider and only down to "earrings" on your menu bar and nothing else.

I also don't care for all of the hot pink, but it's not my site, and I'm not sure what kind of "feel" you want your site to have. The best piece of advice that was given to me (well, besides the importance of good quality pictures) was to keep the template/background of your site fairly neutral so that your beads and jewelry are the shining stars of your site. You don't want someone to open up a page and think "Wow, hot pink diamonds" . . . you want them to think "Wow, beautiful work". Which, by the way, your beads and jewelry ARE beautiful so you really want to showcase them the best you can.

At first I thought your prices were "per bead" on your bead set page . . . you deserve way more for your pretties

Thank so much! I actually am still working on the front page...I decided to change it yesterday. I am going to use the empty space for a "showcase" of my newest items and such and the top banner is in the works so it too will be different. I am not sure about the pink diamonds either...I want to see how they will look after I get the other stuff in there. Thanks for the compliment on my work also...I am working on raising my prices slowly but since I am just starting out with this and for now it is my only source of income...so I would rather sell something for a little less than what its worth than not sell anything at all. IDK...Im trying....lol

donia · #11 2010-01-05, 6:34am

Kristina, you've come a long way in a short amount of time. Take the advice offered here from seasoned sellers that have their web sites up and working well. Ginny has offered some great advice and I've always admired her site.

Your site loaded fast and I've always found your pictures to be top quality. Work on that front page and get some of your item pics there to capture the interest of the viewer right from the start.

By the way, I just couldn't resist your fibula pin any longer. I've been eye spying it in your Artfire store for way too long. LOL!!!

echeveria · #12 2010-01-05, 6:44am

I think you will find it harder than you think to raise your price points later. People that used to buy will stop coming as prices go up. Some intial shoppers will not come back because they will not believe that it is artisan made, or quality work, at your current prices. And it does not seem to me like you are covering the cost of your materials and supplies at those prices, much less your time. [I only looked at the bracelets.] I know it seems tempting to just move some stuff out, but you are starting out right now to brand yourself, and you need to do that correctly. Otherwise, you will be trying to rebrand later, and you will be wasting the current effort.

honey*bee · #13 2010-01-05, 8:40am

Quote:

Originally Posted by doniaduck

Kristina, you've come a long way in a short amount of time. Take the advice offered here from seasoned sellers that have their web sites up and working well. Ginny has offered some great advice and I've always admired her site.

Your site loaded fast and I've always found your pictures to be top quality. Work on that front page and get some of your item pics there to capture the interest of the viewer right from the start.

By the way, I just couldn't resist your fibula pin any longer. I've been eye spying it in your Artfire store for way too long. LOL!!!

Thanks! I will ship out that fibula later today!

Quote:

Originally Posted by echeveria

I think you will find it harder than you think to raise your price points later. People that used to buy will stop coming as prices go up. Some intial shoppers will not come back because they will not believe that it is artisan made, or quality work, at your current prices. And it does not seem to me like you are covering the cost of your materials and supplies at those prices, much less your time. [I only looked at the bracelets.] I know it seems tempting to just move some stuff out, but you are starting out right now to brand yourself, and you need to do that correctly. Otherwise, you will be trying to rebrand later, and you will be wasting the current effort.

Thank you so much for that. You know the customers dont always appreciate the work that goes into making my items and I guess I have let that influence my prices. I am definitely going to evaluate my prices!

GinnyHampton · #14 2010-01-06, 5:44pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by honey*bee

Thank so much! I actually am still working on the front page...I decided to change it yesterday. I am going to use the empty space for a "showcase" of my newest items and such and the top banner is in the works so it too will be different. I am not sure about the pink diamonds either...I want to see how they will look after I get the other stuff in there. Thanks for the compliment on my work also...I am working on raising my prices slowly but since I am just starting out with this and for now it is my only source of income...so I would rather sell something for a little less than what its worth than not sell anything at all. IDK...Im trying....lol

I totally understand. I looked at your site again and the front page looks a million times better without the diamonds. Really, your beads and jewelry are so pretty that you don't need a bunch of extra crap on your website. It's hard to resist though, I know.

The pricing journey is always a bunch of fun, huh. Echeveria is right about setting a standard for yourself though. It's so tempting to price low in order to sell more . . . but sometimes pricing TOO low is a bad thing. It's all about consumer perception. If you go too low, then you risk people thinking something is wrong or cheap about your work . . . . price too high, and there's only a small market that is willing to spend what you're asking.
The first set you have on your 'bead set' page is priced at $18 for 10 beads. Those look like AWESOME beads, and if they're not selling, it might be because you have them priced way too low.

I think you're headed in the right direction. You have a super big plus going for you, which is your pictures are good!!

demcc2 · #15 2010-02-20, 5:50am

Hi! Now you CAN say "guys!" I found your site loaded quickly as well. Nothing worse than clicking on something and then needing to take out the trash while it loads! Your pictures are bright, colorful, and CRISP. Thats what will grab viewers' attention

Most importantly, I thought your prices seemed low too. Judging from your work, you should definitely increase them!

I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I have a site that I made but it does not include e-commerce yet. I need to do a major over-haul/update on it.

good luck

Duane

Cosmo · #16 2010-02-20, 7:47am

I agree with the pink. Also, the images you are using for the navigation links are pretty rough looking. They are pretty hard to read.

I think it's always better to use type instead of images containing type as navigation tools.

Clarkie · #17 2010-02-20, 8:24am

Hi Kristina,
good for you on making the jump to a website!

Compositionally, the page is clear and balanced and the pink against the black works well. I find the white print against black hard on the eyes if there is a lot of it.

The photo frames present the beautiful beads better than just a hard edged frame but I wonder if the grey could be a tad darker? Also, the font is lovely and fluid but it is difficult to read on the photos. Maybe play with the value of the pink to make it more of a contrast.

The FAQ is almost not readable on the nav bar.
I like the idea of the photo frames overlapping.
I look forward to seeing the end project!
Clarkie