Shop is open now --please review website

[madmark]

Well finally everything is done ( yeah right) ..but the doors are open the postcards are landing in mail boxes and the website is up and running. Could i please get some feed back on it from the member of this board?
Thanks in advance.

www.pc42solutions.com

 

[NeutronTech]

On your services page, under Virus Removal you have tune spelled as turne.

 

[MrUnknown]

get rid of the scrolling stuff and the counter. That died off in 1990. lol.

Other than that, you need more information about your business on the front page. All I got from it is you use something called a "content management system" which as a customer, I probably have no clue about what you are saying and so I don't care about it. Nevermind the SEO opportunity you are missing on the front page by keeping it so limited in content.

 

[kagman]

You need more content, more images, and more information. Just look at the site you have linked on the bottom of the main page, http://www.bernezfarms.com/. They have all the proper information for a customer to see about them....

 

[Joines]

Personally I think websites look better when they're centered on the page. I haven't worked on a non-wide screen monitor in over 3+ years, and I know Bestbuy/Staples only sell wide screens now. But there is almost 1/2 of my screen just white. I like the design though.

 

[mraikes]

You need more content, more images, and more information. Just look at the site you have linked on the bottom of the main page, http://www.bernezfarms.com/. They have all the proper information for a customer to see about them....

Absolutely agree! The Bernez Farms website is pretty cool - visually interesting, provides some key information right up front. Looks like a place I'd enjoy going to purchase feed.

Your site? Not so much. It looks like a not very good template, that hasn't been completed very well. As mentioned previously, it's very 1990. Dump almost everything on your homepage and start over. Right up front, tell 'em who you are, where you are, what you do, and how to contact you. Don't make potential customers dig for information - many of them won't.

Dunlap, IL is a very rural community. I grew up in a similar town in Iowa not too far from you. Make your site appeal visually to the locals (like the Bernez site). Consider offering farmers some kind of special during the busy planting and harvest seasons. Take advantage of slow times between those seasons to offer maintenance and upgrades. Absolutely get your foot in the door supporting any and all local businesses that also support the farmers. Word of mouth will make or break you.

You probably have a fair amount of competition just 10-12 miles away in Peoria. That's not enough distance to be a major barrier. Why should locals use you instead of them?

Your tagline is: "The ultimate answer to all your computer problems." And yet you don't address or mention even ONE problem to capture the attention of your visitor. They don't care about "content management".

You need "hooks" on your homepage to snag visitors. They're looking for virus removal - they better see it. They have a laptop and not a "PC" - they better see the word laptop. It's amazing how people will read "computer repair" and not realize it also means "laptop repair".

I also believe your "About PC 42" page works against you. Why highlight that you've been in business less than four months? And the individual bios go a long way toward making you sound like a couple high school guys with not much better to do. Nintendo? Atari 800? Cookie Monster Alarm Clock?!?! Your rural customer base doesn't care about that. Tell them explicitly about your experience removing viruses, fixing computers and laptops, replacing hard drives, recovering lost or deleted files, replacing laptop screens, setting up wireless networks, etc.

Your bios are failing to build credibility and demonstrate competency.

Specifically address the needs of your customers, as your customers see them.

 

[Xander]

get rid of the scrolling stuff and the counter. That died off in 1990. lol.

THIS.

Plus, while I'm not a big fan of the Podnutz guy's website builder, I do agree with the home page having all the information a customer needs to make a quick decision: Rates, phone#, email link, address.

 

[3 More Years]

A bit of constructive criticism, please don't take it personally. The design seems a bit bland. It doesn't stand out to me.

 

[NYJimbo]

http://www.pc42solutions.com/1752/index.html

"Founded in 2010......"

Not really something to be bragging about.

 

[NeutronTech]

http://www.pc42solutions.com/1752/index.html

"Founded in 2010......"

Not really something to be bragging about.

Yeah, I'd replace that with "x years experience"
I founded mine this year also, but I've been doing this since I was around 14 or 15 so I put "15 years experience"

 

[0ldfart]

Is the site working for you? - as in, are you getting inquiries from people who have found it through the web?

The reason I ask the question is because there's nothing there that appears to be compelling the reader to 'do' anything. My guess is that you may be getting a few hits here and there, but the site is probably not performing anywhere near its potential.

There's a bit of text on the front page - nothing there that answers the essential customer question 'whats in it for me?'. I just wonder if offering your customers a 'new content management system' is going to get them compelled to contact your company?

A good site does two things.

1. Grabs the customer's attention IMMEDIATELY. Bear in mind that once someone hits your site from google you have about 2-3 seconds to make an impression. If you don't they're onto the next search result. On the Web that means you lose business to the next guy who has a more eye-catching site.

2. Makes them want to STAY on YOUR SITE and find out more.

Obviously, if you're getting a lot of jobs from it, its working. If not, you might want to put something on that front page thats going to achieve an attractive and compelling answer (that can be gleaned inside of a few seconds) to the question "whats in it for me?"

==============

Consider these sites as examples of what Im talking about:

http://geeks2u.com.au/
http://gizmo7-px.rtrk.com.au/index.html
http://www.techitez.com.au/

At a glance they tell you (the customer) "what you get"... when you use them:

Geeks2u - Fix computers at your home and office, expert, same day, onsite computer repairs we can fix your PC...today!* We Come to You - Homes, Offices or Businesses Small and Large* Same Day Service...or it's FREE!** Experienced Computer Support Technicians* Unmatched Customer Service... On Call 7 Days - that's weekdays, evenings and weekends!* Computer Problem Help in Plain English* Wholly Australian Owned and Proud of It!Geeks2U has built a highly skilled team of Mobile Computer Support Technicians with a broad range of experience in all things technical...* Onsite Computer Repairs - Home or Office* Computer & Wireless Networking* Data Recovery & Backup* Fixing & Troubleshooting Computers* General Computer Service & Maintenance

(note they're not shy about repeating themselves to really slam those keywords home)

Gizmo - PC Computer repairs, PC Computer upgrades, PC Networking, PC Computer set up, PC Data and online backup, PC Advisory services, SPECIAL OFFERS, REMOTE SUPPORT, FLAT FEES, not to mention the HUGE rotating customer testimonial stating what 'great service' they provide. They immediately make a case for all of the things they have going for them in an effort to differentiate themselves from other, similar, sites and to make a positive impression of their services.

techitez - infer they 'remove worry' by providing support, ONSITE REPAIRS SPECIALTY, QUALITY, INNOVATION, PROFESSIONAL, * Computer Repairs & IT Support;* PC Support, Upgrades & Maintenance;* Computer Support, Optimization & Integration (Servicing);* Remote Computer Repairs & IT Support;* Home & Office Network Design, Optimization and Maintenance;* Data Recovery, Backup & Preventative Maintenance;* Virus and Spyware Removal. Their message is that you will get stress relief by using their service. For a lot of customers, this will trigger an impulse to buy because it hits an emotional button.

======================

At the moment this is what you are offering your customers:

NOW OPEN...Thank you for visiting our site. As an up-to-date business, we want to give you the opportunity to stay in touch with our company and our offers. A new content management system will enable us to always keep you up to date.

On a website, you literally have only a few seconds to grab your customer's attention and make them want to contact you. You have to ask yourself the question of whether you are achieving that with the current wording and appearance on that front page. If that isnt happening, then the content in the rest of the site doesnt matter, because people won't stay to read it - they will have already moved on to the next search result and hit the close button for the tab your site is on. You have to make them want to pick up the phone and contact you as soon as the page opens, or at least want to stay and read more because something has caught their eye.

 

[BrianB]

I think most of the advice here on site design is spot on, so I'll try not to repeat any of it and point out a few small things:

1. I don't see any analytics software running. Set up a Google account and put Google Analytics on your site. If you're not quite sure how to use the data gathered by it, Google has some good tutorials/training available for free.

2. Putting an e-mail link on your site is asking for spam. Your customers may not find you, but spam bots will. I'd advise using a simple contact form instead. As an added benefit, you can include fields to gather info on the customer's problem. (But don't overdo it.)

3. Consider using WordPress to build the site instead of whatever you used here. It'll give you good, solid structure, which is key for SEO. There are a lot of good themes, as well as good paid themes such as Thesis. If you don't use a theme with built in SEO settings, then get the All in One SEO pack plugin.

4. I don't know if you've done it yet, but once you get your site sorted out, use that Google account you created for Analytics to set up your business information in Google Local as well. Even if your site doesn't rank fast, you may show up on the Google Local list, so it's good to make sure that listing is up to date and accurate.