Critique the website above you...

[lecchilo]

Just thought this would be a good idea, based on other similar threads...

This is in no way meant as advertising and I hope people keep it that way. I mostly want feedback on my site, from detailers as well as web designers, and want to help others if possible. I've heard many compliments on my site but would love to know how to keep improving it.

I don't know if this would be against the rules... if it is please delete.

Visit the website in the last post, give your opinion on the good and bad stuff (try to keep it organized, like "good: -nice, -great; bad: -sucks, -bad...", then post your website for the next poster to review. Obviously you can critique any sites above you.

To start, my amazing website

LUSTR Auto Detailing - Quality & Professional Detailing Services in the Chicago Area



EDIT: IF posting a URL is 'illegal' posters should just look into the profile of the above poster and check out their website, then critique.

[Jakerooni]

Flows very nice Ivan. I just skimmed through it to see if anything obvious caught my eye's. Looks very professional. And I really like the article addition. Really makes a very bold statement and should net you a ton of customers. Good job.

[lecchilo]

Originally Posted by Jakerooni

Flows very nice Ivan. I just skimmed through it to see if anything obvious caught my eye's. Looks very professional. And I really like the article addition. Really makes a very bold statement and should net you a ton of customers. Good job.

What article addition are you talking about? And thanks for the compliments. Feel free to be VERY honest on anything bad you see, even if it's font, etc. I did the entire site myself, so criticism from even people who aren't into webdesign is definitely welcome.

EDIT: Nevermind, slow day at work

[Hemin8r]

Your site looks great Ivan. The Calender is a great addition!

[lecchilo]

Originally Posted by Jakerooni

Flows very nice Ivan. I just skimmed through it to see if anything obvious caught my eye's. Looks very professional. And I really like the article addition. Really makes a very bold statement and should net you a ton of customers. Good job.

Jake,

Your old site:

Good:
-provides all necessary information to clients
-shows previous work
-has a few hot-to articles

Bad: (just being honest haha please take it in a constructive criticism kind of way)
-photo of the Porsche on front looks horrible to me as it reminds me of some neon night club, not a detailing website
-font sizes are all over the place and poorly organized
-images in gallery are too large and too much scrolling is required for people who simply want to take a peek at your work (as opposed to those who enjoy long write ups and want to read like that, in which way it's very nice)

New site looks very good and I think has potential to be a great site, but I really hate flash sites for the most part, so can't say much good or bad on it. The layout is pretty good, except you might want to make it a bit larger overall, sound are fairly annoying if I'm going to browse the site for a while, and as was stated in the other thread, the Mazda model has to go.

Originally Posted by Hemin8r

Your site looks great Ivan. The Calender is a great addition!

Thanks, calendar helps a lot when pointing people to the website and telling them to pick an available date.

Your site..
Good:
-clean looking
-services are described well and easy to read
-informative page is very, well, informative haha
-testimonials page has a nice layout (same as mine haha)

Bad:
-logo/name is too large on top and could be MUCH smaller to still get the same sense of importance on the site
-I would lose the counter at the bottom as anyone can refresh the page to make it go up
-some of the things don't go along with the design of the page and look too plain, for lack of a better word (for example, on the 'about' page, the white rectangle with info about Meg's can be black, with white text and a gray border, or something similar... same with the red 'call for appt' box at the bottom... doesn't flow)
-gallery could be greatly improved by showing some before photos... maybe a half and half instead of a full 'shine shot'

[Hemin8r]

Originally Posted by lecchilo

Jake,

Your old site:

Good:
-provides all necessary information to clients
-shows previous work
-has a few hot-to articles

Bad: (just being honest haha please take it in a constructive criticism kind of way)
-photo of the Porsche on front looks horrible to me as it reminds me of some neon night club, not a detailing website
-font sizes are all over the place and poorly organized
-images in gallery are too large and too much scrolling is required for people who simply want to take a peek at your work (as opposed to those who enjoy long write ups and want to read like that, in which way it's very nice)

New site looks very good and I think has potential to be a great site, but I really hate flash sites for the most part, so can't say much good or bad on it. The layout is pretty good, except you might want to make it a bit larger overall, sound are fairly annoying if I'm going to browse the site for a while, and as was stated in the other thread, the Mazda model has to go.



Thanks, calendar helps a lot when pointing people to the website and telling them to pick an available date.

Your site..
Good:
-clean looking
-services are described well and easy to read
-informative page is very, well, informative haha
-testimonials page has a nice layout (same as mine haha)

Bad:
-logo/name is too large on top and could be MUCH smaller to still get the same sense of importance on the site
-I would lose the counter at the bottom as anyone can refresh the page to make it go up
-some of the things don't go along with the design of the page and look too plain, for lack of a better word (for example, on the 'about' page, the white rectangle with info about Meg's can be black, with white text and a gray border, or something similar... same with the red 'call for appt' box at the bottom... doesn't flow)
-gallery could be greatly improved by showing some before photos... maybe a half and half instead of a full 'shine shot'

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I've been meaning on changing it. I have a new logo and I do agree on the large in your face logo I have. On many of the new pics in my gallery when you click on the picture it'll direct the viewer to the write up which shows many before pics. I think I may cut back on putting so many pics. I hope to get to it this weekend.

[Picus]

So who do I get to critique?

[lecchilo]

Originally Posted by Picus

So who do I get to critique?

Take your pick haha

Your site was one I looked at quite a bit while figuring out the design for mine, and as you can see some things look similar/same, like the services page, etc.

The only thing I would 'fix' is your gallery page and I would do so by sorting all the cars in some sort of way, like by make, color, service, etc.

Otherwise, great site!

[Jakerooni]

I know my original site is a train wreck LOL. It stems from changing it from one thing to the next a few times over and stuff getting forgotten about. I get comments on spelling error's all the time. Try as I might someone always seems to slip through the cracks. As far as pic size and stuff I'm not sure.. On my screen everything looks pretty small here. I do have my display at some ridiciolus spec though (good monitor) so that probably has something to do with it. One of my new proposed sites should be ready for me anytime now. Just waiting for the guy to upload it to the FTP site so I can look it all over.
Thanks for the feedback.

[todd@bsaw]

Jake,
Glad you're updating your site soon. I think everyone on here has a site that is in some sort of adjustment. I have tons of things I'd like to change on my site, but just don't have the time anymore to do it.

As for your current site:
- I agree about the Porsche image on the front page... looks too "hey! i'm new to photoshop and filters are fun!"
- Menu links disappear on hover (white text on white background)
- The formatting on your 'Services' page is all over the place and needs an urgent adjustment.
- I like the Gallery content... but again... poor formatting.
- "What is Detailing?" Great content! (and lots that I stole/borrowed/adapted for my site... sorry, I've been meaning to change that but haven't gotten around to it).

Suggestions:
More prominently display your contact info on your front page. There is lots of blank space that could be used. Update your banner/logo. Make parts of your site easier to find... ("How much is a wash?")

[Twista616]

I want to play!

Todd, it looks im critiquing your website...LUCKY YOU!

Home Page:

Logo...to me, it looks like "YS instead of "TS"....but thats just me.
Your detail packages shouldn't be on your homepage.
Keep everything uniform. Ie. your text under "Think Green" is left aligned...but just under that, its center aligned.
Maybe make your Menu BIGGER. It gets lost on the left there...just a thought!

Other than that, Im a fan of the homepage...remember, its the most important page the customer sees!

Services Page:

Looks good!! The left where the Testimonials are...maybe add a different testimonial for each page. So, when they click on the 'triple shine detail' there is a testimonial about that service. do that for each service you offer.

History and Education Pages are great as well!

I didn't see a Contact page. Or even an email address...maybe look into those!

All is all, Im a big fan...well done...clean and simple....

[Got Wax]

Jake, Thanks for the phone time today and the suggestion of the static brush!! On the spelling...can you create the copy on Word, do a spell check then paste it to your site??

Just a thought.

Andy

Originally Posted by Jakerooni

I know my original site is a train wreck LOL. It stems from changing it from one thing to the next a few times over and stuff getting forgotten about. I get comments on spelling error's all the time. Try as I might someone always seems to slip through the cracks. As far as pic size and stuff I'm not sure.. On my screen everything looks pretty small here. I do have my display at some ridiciolus spec though (good monitor) so that probably has something to do with it. One of my new proposed sites should be ready for me anytime now. Just waiting for the guy to upload it to the FTP site so I can look it all over.
Thanks for the feedback.