Review me

[softy515]

Hello!

For reasons I rather not get into... don't want to get a rise in blood pressure.... I am having to possibly redo my website.

I do have ownership of my domain name. The original site is hosted on someone's server for now.

This new one that I am working on MIGHT have to go up in its place because I do not understand the program used for the original site and I got to change it NOW due to my move.

So can I get some feedback on this new one. It is online but not under my domain name.

http://web.mac.com/calmspiritbodywork/

Thanks! Much of the text is the same as my original one but there are changes. Some of the pages will be expanded on and I think those are somewhat obviously not complete.

I was working on this for hours yesterday and today, only to discover when I upgrade my IWeb to 08 I might have problems with it but that is a whole other post. LOL

[Ella Menneau]

Your website is beautiful and elegant. I love how simple and clean everything looks.

[Timedess]

I love your Tao Te Ching quote! I think both web sites look great. Good luck with the switch-over!

[tribute]

It's a beautiful website and very clean. The only thing that stands out to me is the font. It is like reading a whisper. A darker color or slightly bigger size would make it feel normal or have a more solid impact.

Great job. I love the simplicity, the colors and the graphic!

[Shannon]

I love it simple yet elegant. The only thing I would change is the font size, i would make it a little larger that way its easier to read for most people.

[cstbrian]

I do agree it is simple and lovely. I also agree the font should be a little bigger.

Some other suggestions:

-Perhaps a pic on your 'About Me' page
-Directions on your 'Location' page or a link to your Google map page
-The word 'Services' in red on the services page and the heading for each page as you click on it (Asian Bodywork, Massage Therapy, Aromatherapy, etc) seem a little 'sharp' and out of place to me, given the other wonderful fonts you have chosen to use. Perhaps make these a 'softer' font?

Just some small suggestions but overall I like how the site feels.

[EgoMagickian]

Sounds like you are in a bit of a jam and wanting to get a new website up as quickly as possible? If so, iWeb is a good way to make a very good looking site in a short amount of time.

I would echo what others have said about increasing the font size. The site is also very text heavy right now, and could use some more photos.

For the future, you'll probably want to be thinking about how to make your site more accessible and usable. iWeb converts most text to images, which is a Bad Thing™ on several levels, including but not limited to:

- Search engines like Google cannot read your images, and thus cannot index your site or present it in their search results effectively.
- Images take up more bandwidth than text, making your site slower less efficient.
- Images cannot be read by assistive technologies like screen readers for the blind.

[softy515]

Thanks for all the feedback!!!

Eco.... thanks for the tech stuff. I wasn't aware of how IWeb presented itself and now am a bit unsure if I want to use it.

I have a guy coming over to help me so possibly I can learn to work with this Joomla program. That is what the original site was built with. Is anyone familiar with it?

[Ding]

Josh,
Why is Bad Thing trademarked in your post?

[pueppi]

I didn't have time to actually read through your site, but I really like the simplicity of it and the white space.

[EgoMagickian]

Joomla is a big mess. I can't recommend it. Look into http://modxcms.com/

You might also consider http://www.silverstripe.com/ or http://www.typolight.org/

Ding, I put the TM after Bad Thing as a joke... a play on Martha Stewart's It's a Good Thing ;-)

[maestra]

Ding, I put the TM after Bad Thing as a joke... a play on Martha Stewart's It's a Good Thing ;-)

That is exactly what I thought...
Good one Josh!

[softy515]

After much research, I discovered that IWeb will only convert the text to image IF the text isn't a internet friendly font. (I am probably saying that all wrong). So I changed the font. Nothing fancy but easier to read for sure.

I had someone look into Joomla and like Eco, he didn't recommend it. So I am sticking to the site I just made.

Please see if the changes are ok. Mostly the changes were the font, I am still looking for some imagines. Perhaps a photo of me. Don't hold your breath on that one though. LOL

www.calmspiritbodywork.com

Thanks!

[Breathe]

Just had a chance to look at your site, I really like it, except...

Your calendar has your clients' names on it. And I can see the whole thing. Even though there are no last names, it still seems iffy to me. Is there anyway to set it up so that only your available calendar shows up, and not the filled spots?

[softy515]

I knew it was like that but couldn't decide if it should be, if that makes any sense. Plus I didn't know how to change it on my ICal BUT actually it was easy to make sure those client spots didn't appear.

So know just what is available appears and when I am at the insurance company (GIG).

Thanks for making me rethink that!

[Breathe]

Yeah, I know what you mean. You don't want potential clients to think you have nothing on your schedule, but having the names... Looks great though!

[thebodyworker]

It looks nice but there are tons of things you can do to make sure it gets found by the search engines and also gets readers to make the call for the appointments so when you go to put it online with a real domain you might want to write more content.

http://thebodyworker.com/creating_a_web ... _works.htm


Julie

[cande56755]

Too bad you didn't use a different colored flower for each page though

[softy515]

Sure would have. However, that site isn't being used. IWeb is nearly impossible to make changes to coding, ect. While the site was pretty, I literally got dropped from the search engines.

So back to square one. I got a site up via RapidWeaver but I hate it. Its got the info but its boring. However, it should come up in searches within the week.