Wanted: Website Review Quick Comments on my new Template Please

[accelerator]

Hi Guys

I've blended my own existing template with Price Tapestry, as shown on this King Size Beds site.

I'd be interested in any quick comments you might have, particularly on the usability front.

Thanks

 

[Ashton]

There is a place for brutal honesty.

Your template is poor, it looks reminiscent of web design 10 years ago, I (and thousands of others I might add!) would run a mile from that template when thinking purchasing anything.

On a plus side, your a great back-end coder and have integrated it well. It is well structured (JS at bottom etc) and css is nice. I dislike tables, a lot...

Why not hire someone to create a template you can use for the next 5 years across all your sites (not a sell, just a suggestion!)

 

[springer]

Have to agree with Ashton.

Simple websites can convert well. But your site actually looks rather cluttered and messy. Having a selection of the best selling king size beds on the homepage will probably convert better (e-mail the merchants if you can't find say the top 10 best sellers)

Also, what is with the feedburner widget? It is presenting offers that have absolutely nothing to do with beds.

Having said all that, you seem to have stuck with the same template for a while now. So, maybe you are getting good results with it?

 

[accelerator]

Brutal honesty is most welcome, it's what I expect here!! However, there is probably a bit more thinking behind my design than you might at first think, and I know I can make simple designs like this convert, because they do for me. Really, the idea is as soon as they reach the site, there will then be an obvious link that takes them away to a merchant site. Hence my use of a standard blue for links, highlighted with an orange arrow. I have also used high vis orange underneath the bed image where it says "Best Bed Sites", again to catch the eye and draw them to the merchant links.

One thing that does concern me however when using a simple design like this is the loss of conversion through the "instant back button" reaction. That's a factor that I hope to address by putting more content and pictures onto the home page, so the simplicity of the template is less noticeable.

I can of course change the stylesheet at any time, and when I have time the thing to do I guess would be to run a test using different background colours etc and see if I can boost conversion.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[accelerator]

Have to agree with Ashton.

Simple websites can convert well. But your site actually looks rather cluttered and messy. Having a selection of the best selling king size beds on the homepage will probably convert better (e-mail the merchants if you can't find say the top 10 best sellers)

Also, what is with the feedburner widget? It is presenting offers that have absolutely nothing to do with beds.

Having said all that, you seem to have stuck with the same template for a while now. So, maybe you are getting good results with it?

Top 10 Bestsellers - Yes that's something I add, but I have to do it manually so it gets done last.

Feedburner - That's showing the stuff from my general blog at:

http://dropcostuk.blogspot.com/

The main reason I include it is to give an idea of being current and that there's "somebody there".

This template can convert reasonably, and that I think is a lot to do with where I put the merchant links, right in the middle of the page where people are looking and clicking.

At the moment I just need a template which I can roll out fast on my unused domains, then I'll fine tune it after that. I'm looking to try and leverage the longtail a bit from feeds whilst you still can.

Rgds

 

[bensd]

Please review my template.

...

Thanks for your comments however, I'm going to ignore them!

 

[Ashton]

Bounce rate would be the worry for me.

There are ways to draw attention to areas whilst still keeping design quality high.

 

[davedevelopment]

It's a fine balance, the elements that you describe as deliberate (blue links, orange arrows, feed for freshness) are the things that would make me go for the back button.

 

[accelerator]

Thanks for your comments however, I'm going to ignore them!

I'm certainly not ignoring them. The point about "hitting the back button" is valid and one I hope to address.

All comments are kept in mind for future development. My main problem at the moment is that I have to install the template on multiple sites, but I'm using shared hosting, so I can't make a change to the template and have it auto update all the sites, I have to change each site manually. If I had my own server I believe this could be addressed but right now I just want to roll out sites on my existing hosting.

Rgds

 

[Ashton]

Would it not have been better to start with a great template and go from their? At least correct it now before you have to update another X sites

When I look at the page, there is a lot fighting for my attention, which means nothing gets it.

If one person shouts they get attention, if lots are shouting, its just the same as everyone whispering!

 

[accelerator]

Would it not have been better to start with a great template and go from their? At least correct it now before you have to update another X sites

Well, I take your point but I think long term I need a solution where the template can control multiple sites.

Right now I just want to roll out sites before Christmas.

Rgds

 

[cc976a]

What is the bounce rate like?

If it's low then the cluttered look works and should result in to click throughs to merchants or adsense because in fairness there's not much else to click on.

I am truly interested to find out. Coming from a design based background I see such sites and shudder. If I were on the browse for a bed I would visit, think beds...beds....beds...nope no prices, no suggestions, no info just lots of text and links - can't see the wood from the trees and then wham, just hit the back button and a potential commission is lost.

I know I'm quite blinkered and quite obsessed with neatness of a site but if on the other hand a general, non-designer, user is less fussed, doesn't necessarily see what I am seeing and is staying with you, clicking the first links they see and you're racking up your commission then great.

My opinion is nothing has grabbed me within a few seconds. Different colours all across screen and even the 'King Size Bed' page title is lost. Have to scroll down just to see a picture of a bed (no wait just seen another on the left hand side below the navigation bar - did miss this first time around). No prices, no pictures - why am I am here again, oh yes there it is - the back button. Goodbye!

Guess point is there's no focus. Get the focus and the draw-in for the click through and hopefully you'll see bounce rate reduce and commissions increase.

Do like your model but are you not tripping dup filters with so many similar templates?

 

[accelerator]

What is the bounce rate like?

If it's low then the cluttered look works and should result in to click throughs to merchants or adsense because in fairness there's not much else to click on.

I am truly interested to find out. Coming from a design based background I see such sites and shudder. If I were on the browse for a bed I would visit, think beds...beds....beds...nope no prices, no suggestions, no info just lots of text and links - can't see the wood from the trees and then wham, just hit the back button and a potential commission is lost.

I know I'm quite blinkered and quite obsessed with neatness of a site but if on the other hand a general, non-designer, user is less fussed, doesn't necessarily see what I am seeing and is staying with you, clicking the first links they see and you're racking up your commission then great.

My opinion is nothing has grabbed me within a few seconds. Different colours all across screen and even the 'King Size Bed' page title is lost. Have to scroll down just to see a picture of a bed (no wait just seen another on the left hand side below the navigation bar - did miss this first time around). No prices, no pictures - why am I am here again, oh yes there it is - the back button. Goodbye!

Guess point is there's no focus. Get the focus and the draw-in for the click through and hopefully you'll see bounce rate reduce and commissions increase.

Do like your model but are you not tripping dup filters with so many similar templates?

Google Analytics reports a bounce rate of 45.77%.

I don't seem to be tripping dup filters at the moment.

I take your points about the home page. However, the site gets longtail traffic, which is what I was after. Unfortunately, the longtail traffic is not converting to sales at the moment.

Rgds

 

[ABCV]

As long as your happy with it and it generates the income then I guess it's fine and win-win.

However for me personally, if I visited your site as a normal customer/surfer I would most probably hit the back button before it even loaded.