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Website Critique     
 
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Critique My Website!
Posted By: lara on 10/5/2006 9:47 PM (CST) 800 Points
Hello Gurus,

I've recently joined my family business (please see my bio for more info on the company). I will be working with our agency to redesign our website (for reasons I'll keep to myself for now as I don't want to influence your feedback). Before I move ahead, I would like to get your feedback on our site (either as website experts OR as role-playing customers).

Regal Tent specialize in temporary structures (also known as exceptionally large tents) for large events across N.A. & The Caribbean. We are known as CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS and our brand revolves around 3 core brand truths:
1. Passion
2. Creativity
3. Prestige

Our main target is event planners; however, our customer base is also made up of: Direct Clients (this includes universities, casinos, hotels, wineries, you name it...) and other Tent Companies (we subrent our tents). these groups are incredibly diverse and require very different content (they will likely also have different product requirements). Although a generalization, an event planner is looking for "wow factor", a direct client is looking for "an expert who can guide them through the steps" and a tent company is looking for "unique product at a competitive price".

OK, so here's the challenge...Tell me what you would do to improve our site and make it more customer-centric, informative, engaging, AND provide incentive to keep coming back to the site for more info.
http://www.regaltent.com

I've tried my best to capture as much info as possible, but please email me with questions if you have any and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

I look forward to your feedback.

Posted by: KSA Accepted Answer
10/5/2006 10:57 PM (CST)
Lara,

Your products are amazing! I never thought about where those huge structures came from. While I found the site pretty fascinating, I think there are some things you could do differently in your redesign.

When a visitor hits your home page, there is no information to help them figure out where to go next. If your only audience were experts who would know what they needed just by the categories, you might be OK. But, I'd suggest that you might want to map out the site with different paths for different audiences.

For people looking for help, you could direct them to pages that explained more about the applications of your products. You could also set the site out by application versus product type.

There's no information about your company - not even an address! So, I'd include an About page where you could expand on your three brand truths.

I found it awkward returning to the home page to visit different areas of the site. I eventually figured out I could also use the graphic buttons at the bottom right of the screen, but it certainly isn't intuitive navigation.

The copy on the product pages is pretty well focused on the product features. I'd revise the copy to include customer benefits, too. And, there are no calls to action that would provide motivation for prospects to contact you - I'd change that in the redesign, also.

It might be interesting to see if case studies could be incorporated to increase your site's "stickiness". It seems to me that if you want to reinforce your creativity and unique products, describing the process you use to identify the best strategy for individual projects would be a great tool. You might even be able to highlight a project on your home page, and change it out as often as is reasonable. I don't know how many projects you complete in a month, for example, but if you have enough activity, you could highlight a project of the month, or something along those lines.

Hope this helps.

Kathleen
 
Posted by: shghosh Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 6:36 AM (CST)
While a person who knows what to find will navigate your website well, the layperson might not.

Add some famous structures done, some client lists, some testimonials on how they used the structures.

Add pictures with graphics which demonstrate the
1. sidewalls that easily slide open and close.
2. interesting frontal effects.
etc etc

Add time frames for putting up each of your structures and manpower requirements,turn around time for structure dismantling.

Put your awards on the Home Page next to your logo and let them be the header for every click through. Or put each award as a header for each page that one goes into.

Also i hope the keyword searches have been taken care off.

All products have been given equal importance- however you must be having cash cows and laggards so website shd also mirror your fast moving or most profitable line up.

Also contact information- address, history of company, phone numbers, names of directors etc need to be updated.
 
Posted by: cureforpanes* Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 6:45 AM (CST)
Hello!

Well, I am far from a guru. But I will give you what I felt on your site.

The modern look is an interesting choice, I did not like the small pictures. I could not tell what they were pictures of.

The navigatiion is a big problem. I started to feel irratated looking for the links.

Basically, I like the overall look of your site. It is just not viewer friendly. I did not like searching through it and since there is no info on the main page. I felt like leaving.

I also think a may be a little too high tech looking. I felt like I was on a bio-medical site.

I hope this does not offend you. When I posted my first version of my site on here, it was hard to take the feedback. Now my site is the best in my field.

I also would not make the testimonials as hard to find as they are.

Good luck!
 
Posted by: Harry Hallman Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 8:08 AM (CST)
Lara, to be very honest (as consultants should be) your site is not exciting and doesn't compel me to want to see more. The product and service you provide is exciting and it is not conveyed in this site.

The navigation is wrong. It does not carry through to each page. You should be able to go anywhere from any page. There is no wording on the main page that guides (as was already said).

Also the main page would have html text on it to be attractive to search engines.

When you do your redesign I would suggest you put a lot of effort into look and feel. That's what events are about. I spent 25 years producing events and never had any client ask for an unattractive boring event. Don’t hide the product.

I would take care to be sure the copy included compelling concepts and the major keywords you think people would use to search for you on a search engine. This should be HTML copy. You can use Flash for photos.

Make the navigation easy to understand and on every page. Put html links on the bottom of the page and include a site map with all html copy. This is just for search engines.

If you are going to use video I suggest it be Flash video. Most people have the Flash player and you won’t need all those versions. As for video I would do another one and make it more exciting. The small size is useless as you really can not see anything.

Finally I would be sure to set it up for Google Analytics so you have enough information to tweak the site for the best performance over the next couple of years.
 
Posted by: harzkek Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 9:09 AM (CST)
Lara,

I have to echo some of the opinions here. You site has some major problems that need to be addressed. I do not mean to be harsh, but I also feel the need to be honest.

HOME PAGE:

Your Home Page has no content! This is the FIRST place you have to make an impression on a customer (and you know what they say about first impressions). The first thing I noticed was the design elements of the site (which made me think I was on the wrong site). I had to look 2-3 times before I realized that the subtle pictures behind the design elements were actually tents.

It is easy to fall in love with a cool design concept. I have been guilty of that myself in past sites that I've developed. But the bottom line is the site's substance needs to be stronger than it's style. A good design will almost fade into the background because it so perfectly compliments the site's content.

My advice, if you are looking for the "WOW" factor, add larger pictures of your tents on every page (but especially the home page) and find a design that is much more subtle. I was Wowed by your tents, but not your site.


NAVIGATION:

The navigation system is very problematic. I found it very frustrating to have to click the "back" button on my browser and go back to the home page in order to get anywhere else on the site. Your main navigation should be available on EVERY page in your site.

COLOR SCHEME

I would suggest using "warmer" colors on your site. Red hues, browns, rich earth tones usually inspire "passion" more so than cool tones such as blue or green which psychologically create feelings of calm.

DESIGN

I'm not sure when the site was originally built, but is seems to target monitors at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The truth is, these days the majority of computer monitors have an average resolution of 1024 x 768. Many monitors have extremely high resolution and wide-screens now. The lowest setting you are likely to find on a lot of modern computer monitors is 800 x 600 pixels.

Your website feels cramped. Every page is has content that is squeezed into a tiny compartment while vast, open spaces on the page remain barren and unused. This hardly seems like the impression you should be making when trying to sell enormous tents for large events. Let your web site be a reflection of your product. Break your content out of its containers.

Do NOT use frames. This is important for two reasons. 1) It contributes to the "cramped" feeling. 2) Search engines may index the file that is referenced by your frame and link to it (because it has more content that the page that it is being referenced by). This means, someone who finds the page through Google, for example, will land on a place in your site with no navigation, no logo, no information about who you are and nowhere to go.

CONTENT

Don't tell me what your tents are good for, SHOW ME. It is obvious from your site (after some searching) that your tents have been used at some major events. Talk about those. Briefly and succinctly discuss the event and it's scale, the particular challenges that the client faced (i.e. how to provide a covered shelter for 1000 people on a pier, or how to provide an outdoor wedding for 500 people on a budget of X), and MOST IMPORTANTLY how your company solved that problem.

Identify your markets. You said your clients are: "Consumers", "Trade Show Professionals", "Other Tent Providers." The needs of these three groups are different. Create areas of your site that address the unique needs of these groups.

The most important thing to remember is that people are not coming to your site to buy tents. They are coming to solve a particular problem that requires a tent. Do not let your web site make you look like company who merely sells tents. Look like (and be) a company whose innovative products solve problems.

All that being said, I think you have some amazing products. Don't be afraid to show them off more prominently on your site. They will largely sell themselves. The rest of your site is to help a potential customer find the right tent for their needs.

Best of luck!

Kurt
 
Posted by: harzkek Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 9:14 AM (CST)
Lara,

An apology on the last comment. On another review I see you do outline some "problem/solution" studies. but I think they could be made a part of the main content page (rather that being placed in a pop-up window). I did not notice it at first and "pop-up blockers" may keep your customers from seeing them at all.

Cheers,

Kurt
 
Posted by: ilovemydoggy Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 9:58 AM (CST)
Lara, Put a clear image of one of your beautiful tents on main page.

That image will speak to user right away.

The main page is very important! Right now it is so unclear.

Great products - can see you have put in a lot of work on website. Stay with it - this is the tweaking period.
Nancy
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 10:17 AM (CST)
Lara,
I looked at your website a couple of times... I liked it. If a person already knows your company and wants to do business with you, there is plenty of cool information. What is missing is "what's in it for me". Perhaps in your efforts to have the website serve three different segments, you have forgotten to provide a message as to why i should do business with you.
Your "tents" are beyond awesome, but if I were a meeting planner.. why would doing business with you make my life better. If I were putting something together for a few hundred of my closest friends, what makes you better than the rest.
This message needs to be pronounced... and, easy to find.
 
Posted by: lara Author Response
10/6/2006 11:04 AM (CST)
Fantastic! Keep the feedback coming. There isn't anything I've read so far that I don't agree with. Question for anyone who will be providing further feedback. Do me a favour and click on the video link on the home page. Watch the video and tell me what you think of it. Is this something you'd like to see when you first enter the site...is this something you didn't even notice was there...
Again, keep it coming!
Lara
 
Posted by: cureforpanes* Accepted Answer
10/6/2006 1:36 PM (CST)
I would not like to see the video.

I would like to see a general description on your main page. A good overview.

Solid links and nice pictures mixed with some compelling info...you'll have a much better site.

Try what I did and ask copywriters to comment on your site. They were very, very harsh. I had 10 (all) people on here love my site and 12 (all) people bash it in copywriting. It is easy to get lost in the design and forget the message.

Copy is more important than anything and your homepage has none. The message is the key. I barely can tell what your selling and I sure do not know why to buy.

hope this helps
 
Posted by: peanutpeanut Accepted Answer
10/8/2006 12:31 PM (CST)
your website is out of sync with your customer base. when i first looked at it i thought an industrial company using tents for industrial purposes and then wow, under testimonials i find out that this is not the case. you are in fact, vetry consumer oritented and have had some major clients. so the first thing you need to do is to get rid of that industiral look and give the website a catchy title or and titles such as getting words in such as glamor, star, stars, exciting, vibrant and that should be the overall look of the website and the first thing that hits anyone going to it...the nitty gritty details of what kind of tents you use are important but they should not be the first thing and the major thing that people first see. make it full of glitz and glamour and once you have done that ask the question if i want glitz and glamour how do it get there and that will take you to the nextstep i.e. your tents. and all the other links
 
Posted by: Danimal* Accepted Answer
10/9/2006 7:59 AM (CST)
The site is very, very product oriented. If I am looking for a tent I have to figure out by searching through language you understand instead of language I as a customer would use. For example put a list of venues you supply tents for, weddings, races, golf tournaments etc. and build out a naviagation architecture that allows you to move back and forth between the pages verus requireing people to click on your logo to go back home.

I also noticed that you services are award winning. Why don't you promote that fact. Based on the names of venues you should use them. PGA, INDY, etc..

I agree with the previous comment around putting your HQ and other locations on the site. People do like to know where you do business from.

The colors and design of the site do resemble sites for chemical or bio-tech new start-up site. Your business is all about creating memoriable venues for clients

You should have a tagline and a look and feel that inspires people to want to call you to create the surroundings that others will envy and desire for their events.

You sell more than tents -- Your product and service create an atmosphere for memories in the making.

As a part of your promotion on the site to make it more customer-centric use your customers experiences and comments to support this memoriable experiences.

 
Posted by: bbogue* Accepted Answer
10/9/2006 3:56 PM (CST)
Hi Lara,

Wow. You've received a lot of response. Certainly a lot to think about!

First reaction -- the looks feels somewhat dated and not right for the market (I think others said the same thing).

I like the name -- Regal Tents. That explains what you do and sort of sets the stage -- the site should follow through. It should look somewhat regal -- impressive -- grand.

Others mentioned the small photos -- I had a similar reaction. You want people to see your product in action, and get a sense of the party atmosphere you help to create. Consider seriously the best way to communicate that. It may be worth it to hire a professional photographer for the next several of your big events to build a portfolio of impressive-looking images for your site.

The comments about navigation and non-friendly jargon or product designations are very valid -- consider a better way. Educate the user... guide them through the process. Perhaps a Frequently Asked Questions area... and a call to action. What do they do next? How do they hire you? What information will you need? How do you price? etc.

Something I didn't hear anyone say was a comment about your brand philosophy. If that's what your brand is about: Creative Problem Solvers ... and the three truths: Passion, Creativity, Prestige... then where is that on your site? Nowhere. I don't see or feel it. Build your look and feel -- and you message -- around that core. That's what branding is all about!

Someone mentioned pop-up case studies...? I didn't see those but this seems an essential approach given your brand positioning! Explain the "problem" the customer came to you with and how you "solved" it -- how it was "passionate, creative, or created prestige" for your client. Try to throw in real "stats" as results... project was on budget, event was the highest attended, amount of money money raised...?

I think in your re-design if you rememeber those underlying brand properties, you'll come out stronger -- and unique in your field. Sounds to me like you're not selling/renting tents ... rather, you're selling the experience of the event itself. Capture the trust of your prospective client who wants to plan the best event ever!

Have fun!

-- bbogue
 


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