Question

Topic: Website Critique

Honest Webstore And Product Critic Please

Posted by Anonymous on 12/31/2009 at 7:43 AM ET 250 Points
Please give advice and input for this webstore:
elegantlydressed.com

comments and suggestions appreciated. Out of the box marketing ideas also welcomed.
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  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 12/31/2009 at 10:41 AM Accepted
    Dear tbrew44,

    I won't lie to you: you have a lot of work to do. Here are a list of things to consider that will, once addressed, do much to increase your appeal and credibility:

    Make images on your home page clickable! I tried clicking on
    the images on your home page, and on the text and nothing happened. This is a HUGE turn off and a HUGE sale killer

    Reduce the size of your header banner.

    Include text telling people what you offer in your banner: "Chic and elegant women's clothing for every budget."

    Ditch the images of mannequins and use real models.

    Reduce the size of your model images.

    Use descriptive text to compliment images.

    Change the colour scheme from pink, grey, and brown.

    Never put dark text on dark coloured backgrounds (black on brown).

    Re-structure your pages so that they scale to fit multiple browsers.

    Have a deal of the day or of the week.

    Offer something to encourage visitors to give you their e-mail address so that you can build a list and market to specific customers.

    Tell people who your Fashion Stylist is (what's their name, what do they look like, what are their credentials).

    Give more contact information: where you are, an address, and your story.

    Tell me why I need to sign in (benefits, values).

    Install analytical software.

    Questions your customers will have include:

    Why should I buy from you?
    Who are you to give fashion advice?
    Why should I trust you?
    What have you done for other people that remind me of me?
    Who have you sold to?
    Are your customers happy with your service?
    What if I don't like something I buy from you? How can I return it and get my money back?
    How do you ship and is shipping free?

    Here are things about your main page copy that need to be addressed. My comments are in parenthesis:

    Need elegant clothes tonight?
    Call us to schedule a free pick up. MD customers only. (Why not offer an express FedEx service antionwide?)

    Your best online women's clothing boutique. Bookmark us for your convenience. (Why should I do this?)

    We are an online clothing store for juniors, women, and petites.
    (So what?)

    We provide trendy yet elegant tops, jeans, pants, dresses, jackets, and more elegant finds. (What sets you apart? Offer more compelling reasons to buy from you.)

    All of our clothes are hand picked by professional wardrobe stylists. (Why should anyone believe this? Offer social proof that this is the case and you'll gain credibility.)

    Free shipping available with coupon, contact us for exclusive shipping offers. (So, if I don't have a coupon I'm screwed?)

    We provide high quality clothing to teens, juniors and young women at a discount and affordable price. (And? Thousands of other retailers can say the same thing. Again, what makes you different and why should I, as your customer, care or believe you?)

    Enhance, and glam up your style by contacting our elegant wardrobe stylist today. (Who is this person, what will they do and what have they done for other people?)

    All of this is designed to help you. You MUST put your customer's needs ahead of your own. Make the process of buying from you simple, easy, fun, and secure. Few people will buy from you until they know you, like you, and trust you. It is your job to prove you are likeable, knowable, and trustworthy.

    You need your customer but they do not need you. Every barrier you raise between your customer and them getting what they want kills your appeal, slays your sales, and diminishes your credibility.

    I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA


  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/1/2010 at 10:34 AM Accepted
    Gary's given you a huge gift of his time for your critique. Here are some additional points:

    Get rid of your hidden text. Search engines penalize this technique for keyword stuffing.

    You don't need logos for the various types of payments you accept on your home page. Likewise, I don't need to see the Authorize.Net and GoDaddy.com Secured logos until we get to the order page. What I need to see is your contact information.

    For your product descriptions, use more "colorful" description.

    Website Grader has some additional suggestions: https://websitegrader.com/site/elegantlydressed.com
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/1/2010 at 12:17 PM Member
    Dear tbrew44,

    Hidden text? HIDDEN TEXT? Thanks to Jay for pointing this out, and to you, tbrew44, I have a question:

    Are you INSANE?

    This black hat technique is HIGHLY, HIGHLY suspect and will CRUSH your search engine rankings by getting your site black listed, kicked off certain systems, or outright BANNED.

    Yes, I realize this might have been done in all innocence or out
    of ignorance, but hidden text on a Website is a huge, HUGE, no-no.

    This is not a suggestion, it's a command and I'm telling you this for your own good REMOVE THE FOLLOWING TEXT FROM YOUR SITE WITHOUT DELAY:

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    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
  • Posted on 1/1/2010 at 10:27 PM Author
    thanks all, changes are being made!
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