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Noskire
Joined:
13 Sep 2004
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40
Location:
New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:17 am
Post subject: Destination Canterbury - version 2.0
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Hello all
Have made some tweaking to this site (www.destinationcanterbury.com), which is still very much a work in progress. Just seeking some comment on the look and feel/use friendliness or anything observations you may have if you have the time. Thanks in anticipation.
Regards
Mike
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Mike Erickson
New Zealand Ski Vacation |
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lil_miss_sunshine
Joined:
08 Sep 2004
Posts:
11
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 1:04 pm
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hi mike! i like your site.
i don't have much affiliate experience, but i do have a lot of web surfing and buying things online (particularly travel stuff).
here are my suggestions:
*as a user, i look to the left for navigation bars, and to the right for ads. it's really jarring for me to see the ads on the left (but maybe that's why you're putting them there...)
*i don't like the colors of the google ads. i don't know if you can control that. the column on your website is black; inset into that is a dark blue secondary column with the google ads in white with red headers. it just seems kind of off.
*i like your navigation bars. they're purty.
*i would make the spacing and fonts consistent so that the user gets the same effect whether they click on "what to do" "where to stay" "what's hot" or "handy tips"
*each of those pages then takes you to a series of links within that topic. i don't like the look of these pages. i can't explain why this is, but my personal reaction to seeing a white page with nothing but blue links is "this person doesn't know what they're talking about. hit the back button now." again, i don't know why this is...but i'd suggest either changing the link color or adding a bit of a textual lead-in to encourage the reader to click on your link.
love
lil miss |
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SFgal
Joined:
06 Jun 2004
Posts:
47
Location:
California
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:36 pm
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It's coming along nicely!
I actually like both the placement and color of the google ads - and I don't like black as a background at all. I think it manages to make your page look sharp at the same time it looks friendly and easy. The fact that your content is right there and immediate kind of relieves that navigation area of any of the burden of having to be a 'traditional navigation area' ...
I totally agree with lmsunshine about the your inner pages, though. It's not so much that a list of links 'looks' unreliable - it's that there's no context. At all.
You've introduced the site as a directory and, undoubtedly, that must seem like a great and easy concept. Except ... it kind of misses what travelers/site visitors are looking for. Perhaps you are providing all of the keywords and metastuff that search engines will pick up. Great. But a user who's arrived wants a little more context. Maybe even some of your personal opinion.
Without that, your value - doesn't exactly plummet, but it's ... reduced. The visitor has to continue searching for 'filler information.' Fuller information. You're simply competing with loads of sites with more information.
At this stage in your development, you can go back and ... well, get personal. Almost give a 'guided tour' of your listings. It's quite a bit more work, but ... it also makes for a site people will stay on and return to and recommend.
Any way. Just ideas.  |
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GuitarZan
Joined:
02 Aug 2003
Posts:
80
Location:
Cranbrook, B.C. Canada
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 12:45 am
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Hey,
Some of the top images are not clear at all, and actually make things look less professional. Not cutting the design, just the poor images... I am not sure if you tried to optimize them to much or something.
Specifically images 2,3,4,5,7,8 and 9.
All the Best,
C.K.
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"Now is the Time to try something New" Proverb I got from a fortune cookie in June 03, lol. |
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
Joined:
02 Jul 2003
Posts:
6326
Location:
by the beach, Australia
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 3:32 am
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Mike, I assume you're aiming to be found in search engines. If so, you really need to read a good book on search engine optimization before you do any more work on your site.
Search engine optimization is not something you tack on later. You learn it first, and then design your site with search engine optimization in mind.
For example, on this page http://www.destinationcanterbury.com/wts_christchurch_backpacker.htm
The title (the bit the shows up right at the top of the browser when you visit the page) says "Destination Canterbury", the file name of the page says "wts_christchurch_backpacker.htm" and the heading on the page says "WHERE TO STAY IN CHRISTCHURCH".
You're confusing the search engine.
It doesn't know whether you're trying to get that page found for "destination canterbury", "christchurch backpacker" or "where to stay in christchurch".
As a result you probably won't be found for any of them.
You have to do some keyword research and choose a phrase or two for each page and optimize the page for that phrase.
Also, you're using "Destination Canterbury" as the title on every page I visited. The title should be different on every page. For example, if you're writing about accommodation, you'll probably want to use the word accommodation in the title.
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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Noskire
Joined:
13 Sep 2004
Posts:
40
Location:
New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 4:03 am
Post subject: Thanks all
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For your feedback. I have added some further content and images which will hopefully enhance the site. I do plan to add some articles of my own once I find the time!
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Mike Erickson
New Zealand Ski Vacation |
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