Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Congratulations on starting your business and building your first site.

A few comments...

I am not a fan of your background. Not at all.

The buttons are almost tolerable, but I don't like the hover effect of them getting a little larger and moving everything else on the page with them.

Centered text is a no-no.

I also think you need an address and a phone number. I'm not sure I'd eat something without at least knowing where it's made.

A few testimonials would be nice.

These are just my immediate thoughts.

The background makes the copy hard to read, at least for me.

I think if you look at some other sites (of larger companies) you won't find many with a background like that.

Centered text is just very hard to read. It's not easy on the eyes.

Again, look at other sites...you won't see many really professional sites with centered text.

You can get testimonials from someone you know. Certainly there's someone who loves your cookies. I think a testimonial from a spouse or child would be cute, too.

Hi Kathy and congratulations on your venture. The background makes it hard to read your copy--some the text is in black and with the red background it's almost impossible to read. I'm not a fan of colored background anyway. Color on the sides looks good, but not in copy areas.

The testimonial suggestions are right on. You need to make the site a little more robust. Remember, copy sells and more copy sells more. On the web you don't want too much copy, but your site is very light. I think your story should be on your home page and you should jazz the story up a little. Give the cookies some history--even if you use some hyperbole. Make the site more personal--add some pictures of yourself, your family, an old picture with your mother when you were young. You can build up some nostalgia around this product, which will give it some personality.

Your shipping is high--it costs more in shipping than it does for the product. I assume that you're using some kind of priority shipping, but $10 bucks for shipping is a lot for a dozen cookies.

There are some of my suggestions. Good luck.

Brin Lewis

Hi again--

The more I think about the creative approach (an additional 7 minutes) for your product, the more I am liking the nostalgia approach. You could use sepia tones, the photographs are critical--faces also sell and you can make it much more personal. Get some old family photos and work in a collage type of look.

One more thing about the cookie copy--there is a lot of things you can say about a cookie. Trying to translate the experience of eating a great cookie is challenging, but try.

I'm also thinking a tag line, too. Three to five words or so that describes the experience. Example: "Tastes like you're home again"--I would need to think more about a tag line, but you can post for ideas on this site for that too.

BL

Where are you located? On your shipping info page you mention local delivery/pick-up. How can you guarantee that not only crumbs arrive in my package?

Contact information should be on every page.

Your title for you web pages should be more descriptive than simply your website name.

The things I care about are: taste, ingredients, freshness, and size. Tell me how many awards your cookies have won, or that you ship your countries to another country weekly because someone loves them so much.

I love to see entrepreneurship and yours deserves recognition. I would try to increase the size of the pictures in the front page to eliminate the large blank area. In fact see if you can include a photo of a family eating your cookies. I would also try to comment on your expertise in cooking and if the receipts come from your grandmother I would also mention it. People love homemade cookies with an old fashion background. It is convenient to have an address and a phone number and your name too. A photo of those people working with you is also fine to give the impression of a small/medium size operation. Testimonials would be an added value. I am not sure if the white background is convenient. Why not try a red color? Also, consider some special cookies offer for Christmas as a good opportunity to increase your exposure. Consider discounts for early orders for Christmas to help with your cash flow. Try inserts in your local newspapers so that people become familiar with your page. Find a list of housewives, companies, etc, and starting contacting people so they can learn about your page. Again my congratulations for the initiative.

You may need some professional photos taken. The lighting is the key. The loaded chocolate drop cookies do not snow up to well. Try some indirect light, through a translucent blind or sheet, or a flash bounced off of something. Maybe even the cliche milk and cookies shot. People seem to like milk with cookies. Perhaps a picture with a cookie that is fresh out of the oven that is broken with stretched chocolate (hopefully this makes sense).

I am not a fan of the buttons, they seem a little busy and the font is a little tough to read.

Best of luck in your endeavors,
Mike

Here is a nice site www.chocolatestarbakery.com. The quality of the graphics is very important for your product to solicit a personal feeling within your visitor of remembering tasting the warm, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth best cookie they have ever had. See https://adsvalue.com/viewbizprofile.php?action=preview&ID=15 and click on the cookie photos and "feel' them just make you want them. Capture this feeling in your site. Contact me offline for more information if you wish.

Bob