My website

Okay, I am joining the users who want some opinions on their website. This was the first one that I have ever made!!! It was fun and challenging. Please be brutally honest.

www.suzysparkles.org

Hi Suzy,

Congrats on putting up your website. It's a scary first step but you did it!

You want brutal honesty, huh? I'll be gentle

1. Change the moving sparkles in "Suzy Sparkles" title to a static image. The sparkles are telling your customers to not take you seriously (and you want them to pay you in real money, not Monopoly money!)

2. Repeat after me: "Light Background, Dark Text." Blue words on black boxes are hard to read.

3. Also consider changing the "dark fairy" background image to something less "teenage angsty". Keep in mind that your website has to represent the fun, bubbly professional that I know you probably are.

Awesome job on getting a website up! Keep stepping up your game and looking for online resources for how to improve your website.

~Michelle Heffner

What Michelle said. Also, some of your text wasn't contained in the text boxes when I viewed them.

1. I have to disagree in that I love the sparlkes in your name.
2. Change out the gecko tat to one that isn't blurry
3. You don't have a phone number or service area listed anywhere(that I could find) Oh wait, found the phone number, but it was hard. I hate that all these programs are defaulting to that phone number thing!
4. On the FAQ page the text needs to come up a bit in the box.
5. I don't hate the sillotte of the fairy, but it really doesn't add much or go with your logo.

Wonderful job overall!

Thank you for your ideas guys. I don't know why but I see the FAQ page normally... It looks fine. About half of the people I ask see it differently! I just started over and made a different background and stuff, when I get it up and running I will post again and see what you guys think.

I love the sparkles. I would take the specific procedure for applying glitter tattoos down. Especially in this economy I wouldn't want to give anyone the impression that they can do it themselves in a few easy steps and therefore don't need to hire me

Okay ladies I changed it. Tell me what you think of it now!!!

Hey Suzy, I just had mine re-done as well, so I know the growing pains that you're going through!

I think that simpler is better, clutter gives you a cluttered mind. So if you make things easy and straight forward than that will tell you customers that you're a very easy business to work with.

I think that the flashing font for Face Painting and Glitter Tats is kinda cheesy... it definitely gives a very amateur and homemade feel to your site.

I like the font in your tab buttons on the top of the page, but it's a little hard to read.

I think the fairies in the back ground are cute, but everything on your page is blue... blue, blue, and some more blue. Maybe pick a different color to add to the palette? a complimentary one like purple or green? It's all very matchy, matchy the way that it is now.

Also, while reading the info you have available, it says that you'll only book one party per day. Is that because you want it that way, or that it would be too stressful to add extra events? I very frequently do 2-4 events in a day

I think that the wording on that page could be a bit better... maybe some thing like:

Thank you for your interest in having Suzy Sparkles at your next event! We are excited to bring the art and joy of face painting to your party. To start the booking process, please visit our 'Forms and Downloads' page and fill out a party request form. Finished forms can be sent to suzysparkles@gmail.com Remember, no event is considered booked until after a we receive a completed party request form. We reserve one party per date, so be sure to reserve your date early to avoid disappointment!

Cancellation Policy:
Should you have the need to cancel your party, please contact Suzy as soon as possible at 414-610-3200. There will be a $50 cancellation fee for events that are canceled less than one week from your event date.

How's that? I like to talk about my business as though there's more than one person behind the scenes.. obviously you can change all of the "we" to "I."

You're missing a period on your pricing page after 'materials for free' in the charity section.

Question: how come your second hour rates are less than half the first hour rate??

Also, you could move that Botanical Gardens thing to a 'Testimonials' or 'In the Press' section.

Just my opinions, but I like the over-all feeling of the page. Obviously blue is your fav color!

I know that I said a whole bunch of stuff, don't take any of it personally, it's strictly a website critique!

I like your ideas...!! I never take anything really personally but I have found that no matter how the site looks I am going to have critics either way. Some people say I have too many pictures and some say I don't have enough. Some love the sparkles and flashy wording, some don't. It is hard to figure which is best. I just really hate the boring fonts that my web page builder offers so I tried to download something a little more exciting. And no, blue is NOT my fav color!! lol (It is purple) I got really mad because I had the middle section a white background but for some reason every time I published it to the web it was showing up black!!! So finally I just clicked everything to blue and it worked and I said the heck with it. I will probably change the middle background though so it isn't so blue. I like your wording also. I am HORRIBLE at wording things. I had to steal the fundraiser section from Perry Noia... with her permission of course!! Thank you for your critique though... It is very much appreciated.

you are right that it needs punctuation... but it should be a comma.... I'll make sure to add that to mine as well.

Okay... I updated it again.

For some reason my brain is not figuring out how to make those pdf's on the back page 'clickable' I put a hyperlink on them and found them on my computer to 'synch it up' but I cannot figure out why it won't work? Maybe someone can help me with that.

Okay so... there it is!! Thoughts?

You need to upload the pdf's to your server, and then link them to there... right now, they're linked to your computer, and no one can access that

I use this website to store files.

http://www.keepandshare.com

There is no such thing as "too many pictures" on a face painter's website!!!

squiggle wrote:You need to upload the pdf's to your server, and then link them to there... right now, they're linked to your computer, and no one can access that

I uploaded them to the server, not quite sure how to link them to the server?

never mind, after all day long I figured it out!!!! Thank you Kristal for that link

1) It would be better if a tab stayed highlighted when a viewer is on that page. I forgot what page I was on because of no highlight.

2) It reads on the Gallery page "Face Painting is great for all holidays!!" You might want to change it to "Face Painting is great for all holidays and events!!"

3) Center the website so it would look more professional. Or stretch it out.

4) Make the hearts on the bottom of the Gallery page pink instead of black.

5) Add more testimonials.

6) Make the hearts at the top of each page blue instead of black. Or make them blue and black.

7) There is no period on the Prices page after the word "hour".

The background needs touch ups. It is a little blurry. Plus some fairies are covered up.

9) On the Home page it reads:
"Birthday Parties, Holiday Parties, Grand Openings, Festival and Fairs, School Functions, Fundraisers, Church Events, Restaurant Family Nights, Wedding Receptions, Teen Parties-teens love Glitter Tattoos! Reunions Neighborhood Block Parties, Daycares, Scout Events,Bar and Bat Mitzvahs

The following looks better:
"I service Birthday Parties, Holiday Parties, Grand Openings, Festivals, Fairs, School Functions, Fundraisers, Church Events, Restaurant Family Nights, Wedding Receptions, Reunions, Neighborhood Block Parties, Day Care Centers, Scout Events and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Teens love Glitter Tattoos at Teenage Parties!

10) Have a phone number on each page.

1- button is a picture, can't do that.
3- You are the first person that has seen it 'not centered' What browser are you using?
4- The heart are a clip art and not colorable.
5- I accidentally deleted all of my guest book 'testimonials' so I will just add more as I get them.
6- They are a picture from a font generator, not colorable.
10- Great idea...

Thank you for all of your suggestions!!

I am using Firefox.

You are most welcome.

What did you use for page design. I'm slowly learning, but I would like my site to have a more polished look.

I think you need to make sure your keep and share files are public. It wouldn't let me download them.

It's off center for my browser(firefox) as well.. it's justified to the left.

hmmm, how do I fix that?? How do I make it centered! Web design is so frustrating I tell ya

Cabby I used Publisher.