Question

Topic: Website Critique

Need Opinions While Still Under Construction

Posted by AriRose on 3/9/2007 at 5:14 AM ET 500 Points
I posted a question about our website redesign about a month ago, and am pleased we have made considerable progress. It is still under construction and not yet live, so there are still some glitches and layout elements that need tweeking.

The new site can be found at www.cpehr.com/CMS
The current, live site is still www.cpehr.com.

The objective was to: 1) simplify our message, 2) create an easier buy-path, 3) differentiate our smaller "boutique" service model from the larger competitors with testimonials and a softer touch.

I'd love to hear what you think! Thank you.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 3/9/2007 at 7:31 AM Member
    I think you have achieved your goal. The site design is good and speaks well of your company. You have a message that addresses the customer and you make it easy for them to find the information they need through your link to small and larger company. Finally you have a call to action on the front page.

    You might consider a BLOG and more business resources to keep people coming back.

    This is a solid site.
  • Posted by Phoenix ONE on 3/9/2007 at 9:18 AM Accepted
    Your new site works very good - a few ideas that could improve:

    Take you site, up above the fold ( fit vertical into one screen no scroll) - this creates a nicer look, greater impact and avoids the user to scroll. I think you can reduce your upper header and interior table margins and you should achieve this

    Privacy Statement or Site Usage - need and insert link on bottom footer.

    Make certain you have enough content on your home page to use your keywords and meta tags for search engine indexing.

    I would add a date stamp to each page on the top this gives a nice professional edge - {stamps on the load not the page update}

    About Page bottom contact area make this two column table not one with a scroll down

    Beyond that I think it is a tremendous improvement over your current site - nice job.

    It clean easily navigatable and creates a competent impression.

    Good Luck and Happy Marketing ~
  • Posted by Tracey on 3/9/2007 at 11:53 AM Accepted
    Terrific re-design! I like the ease of finding what you need (solutions for small businesses, large businesses, and get a free demo...simple).

    I think the homepage would benefit from having a flash, or frequently updated relevant content in the white space (between the header and small/large biz solutions). The free white paper that you offer on the news page would be a great first feature for the home page.

    The layout of the Services page looks great. I would suggest adding paragraph headers (sub-titles) to break up the copy so it's easier to scan quickly. I would also suggest highlighting the benefits so they're more obvious. Right now they're the last paragraph, so people might not get that far.

    About CPEhr page - would be nice to have a link to executive bios (though I wouldn't say it's necessarily a priority).

    News page - I suggest putting "To request a press kit, please contact:" and your PR contact info at the top of the page. Reporters are always on a time-crunch so you want that to be very easy to find. Also, if you have any case studies, this would be a great place for them.

    Contact us - Looks good, I just suggest also including a phone number in case a prospect prefers to call.
  • Posted on 3/9/2007 at 3:24 PM Accepted
    Ari,

    I didn't see the original but this is a very clean and sharp looking site with simple navigation.

    My only suggestions would be:

    1) There's a lot of white space at the top. You might consider that for your testimonial scroll. It seems a little crammed in on the right nav. The rest of the page has great white space, but that lower right-hand corner seems a little crowded. If you like it in that location, taking it out of the cream-colored box would help. Maybe a lighter screen of the blue.

    2) The other possibility for that white space on top would be a branding statement/tag line

    3) Services page seems text heavy. If someone needs HR outsourcing, everything you're telling them there, they already know. Just go right to that bulleted list with maybe a much smaller intro paragraph.

    Just some thoughts. A very clean and easily navigable site.

    Good luck!

    ~Jason

  • Posted on 3/10/2007 at 12:17 AM Member
    I would suggest some brief points addressing who you are and what you do. The "How to Manage Complex Employee..." section in the Outsourcing Services page is rather text heavy. You don't want to lose the reader so quickly. I would put the "Learn More" section above so readers can see what you offer at a glance.

  • Posted by AriRose on 3/10/2007 at 11:58 AM Author
    Thank you for all the great advice, and complements! I know we had done a good redesign, but just wasn't sure if I was still missing something.

    I'll certainly make the recommended suggestions. Check back in to the final in a few weeks!

    Thanks again.
  • Posted on 3/10/2007 at 12:30 PM Member
    I think that your rework is really good. The improvement is visible and is commendable. Some other changes that I think can be made are:

    1. Change the static picture on your home page to a dynamic picture that changes regularly. This will remove all that is bland in your page (a little of wat is left)

    2. You could have a link for the testimonials on the home page itself. If new clients get to read the testimonials right away, the credibility of your organisation will increase early in their minds. Testimonials always build credibility and trust. The earlier you expose the clients to them the better.
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