Website

[TimV]

A friend came over the other day and gave me a lesson on updating my website with Dreamweaver. Several years ago I hired a young man from the local Uni to build one for me, but I couldn't update it. Now with the rainy season and not much to do I've been giving things a try, and I figure I'm about half way there. Any suggestions for improvements would be welcome! I'm still going through the typos and broken links.

Evergreen Landscaping

 

[Zenas]

Needs more RANDOM CAPITALIZATION, font change, spinning, flaming crosses, bold lettering, and links to John Hagee.

 

[TimV]

I've been told I'm boring all my life, so that's going to be a given. My customers need an accurate insight into my personality.

 

[LawrenceU]

Very nice.

 

[OPC'n]

I think you should have real trees, shrubs, flowers etc sort of faded in the background. The fake tree looks too well fake. Maybe thinner links and a different color of green. I really like green but that one reminds me bile. Otherwise, it looks good!

 

[TimV]

OK, that's the sort of feed back I wanted. Now, I'll just have to learn how to do it.

 

[bookslover]

I think the website is very well done. It's organized so that your potential customers can find the things they need to find, like how to contact you, and the specific types of services you provide.

I'm debating within myself as to whether the family section is appropriate. On the one hand, it humanizes your business with a little personal interest. On the other hand, though, the website exists to promote a business - not to promote a social networking website. So, I'm undecided as to whether it's a good idea.

But, again, I like the way the site is organized - stuff is easy to find.

By the way, what's "pomology"?

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Tim,

Try this site out: Evergreen Landscaping

I sent you a pm.

 

[PresbyDane]

I vote for Rich page, nice

 

[TimV]

Thanks Sarah, Bookslover, Rich and all.

Elder Z, people are often scared of scruffy construction types, and I want to hammer home that this is a family business (four of my sons work for me) and when we get busy, I employ almost exclusively kids from Christian homeschool families. That's the idea of the family section.

I'd like a place for the cute logo my daughter did for me years ago

but I also want to keep my other daughter holding the frame of bees up to show people bees aren't out to get you. But two pictures on that page seem "busy".
Beekeeping

 

[Mushroom]

I'm no web wizard, so I don't have much to contribute, except to say that I like the family section. I agree that customers like to see that a business is a family operation and a part of the community. With all the fly-by-nights ripping people off, it lets them know you have roots down, and likely won't be skipping town as soon as the check clears.

Nice stuff, Tim.

 

[Theognome]

I agree with Sarah about the tree and color. Perhaps a color that is like a deep green lawn (or even a putting green lawn as a backdrop) would be good. Also, the black background in the photo gallery is quite shocking after all the green. Perhaps maintaining the same background for the gallery would be useful.

The family photos are not only great, they are crucial for a home service company to show your potential customers that you're real people. Add some more. Also, some company photos of you and your staff at work and posed in front of the company sign or a truck would be great in the gallery section.

Theognome

 

[KMK]

I've been told I'm boring all my life,

You've GOT to be kidding!!!!!!

I have never encountered a boring TimV post...

 

[Craig]

Tim,
I like the simple layout and I agree with others about the family section: keep it!

I don't like the shade of green on the website...but that just might be me.

Also, I saw under company photos one particularly smashing comment...can you highlight that somehow, or have a page with testimonials from customers? I bet you could get more testimonials pretty easily...by looking at your photos, you do great work.

It also seems like you have a lot more knowledge in all things related to plants...it may be worthwhile to emphasize this strength more prominently to differentiate you from your competition. I know there are a number of people out there that don't know anything about landscaping. They'll make a nice looking set-up, but everything dies because they didn't know what they were doing. My parents spent $2,000 a few years ago and had big problems...water began leaking into their crawl space and made a nice mess I had the pleasure of cleaning up.

I think your specialized knowledge, and the fact this is a family business, should be emphasized. That combo could make more people want to do business with you.

My

 

[Augusta]

You have so many great photos of your plants I think some of them should be front and center on your homepage instead of the fake tree. I also agree with others about the color of green. You might try to simplify some of the albums into specific projects with a project name and then simple subtitles instead of pic numbers and abbreviated titles. I also agree that the black background in the album section is startling.

 

[TimV]

Thanks, my Traci!!

Oh, the homework you guys have heaped upon me!! (not as if I didn't ask for it and expect it). Thanks ever so much.

 

[Brian Withnell]

First, I saw the comment that said you were looking for improvements you could make, so I tried to dig a little and came up with just some suggestions.

• Services page

Under services, you list several services with links to other things. The second one is "full landscaping installation" which would include everything else you do (which is redundant, would anyone actually not combine all their services to provide a complete solution?) The other thing is a lack of consistency in the presentation. If you have text alone in some of the services (not what I'd recommend) then you might want text alone in other places. A better approach might be to have the sight have text explaining what you do (the service) with a description of the benefits and pictures that are examples of the specific service. Also, because there are several "bullet points" that have nothing after, it looks incomplete.

• Photos page

The layout of the photos is almost random. If you have before after pictures, it always helps to have them side by side. You don't need a ton of pictures, but they probably ought to be one level off the main menu (the main menu says pictures, then you have to follow that link to the actual photos). If you had several clients that allowed you to photograph before and after, then you could have multiple levels with the main a before and after of the overall, and then a link to details with pictures of each piece of the change. You might want to eliminate this altogether and put it under the services page, or have a page for a completed project (or one for each type of client you might encounter ... small home, business, whatever) so you can showcase really good work.

• General Comments

One of the things that may just be me, but the website does not resemble a commercial business website (family photos, no easily recognized organization). That might not be what you are looking for ... but I don't know if you are trying to get business in through the website, or if it is mostly for people to point to so "word of mouth" advertisement can point to a web presence. I may be the wrong guy to ask, but if I were searching the internet for a landscaping company, I might look at several sites, and not think of contacting you because it is difficult to know what you offer, and why someone should call you rather than someone else.

I hope that is helpful. I didn't look at local competition websites (you could do that).

 

[Grymir]

I also liked it. It gave it a good touch. Not stuffy nor a fly by night company. Plus you had listed a basic price on the sprinkler page. I would put the rough estimate on it's own page somehow. It's nice that somebody could call you and get a ballpark figure for free. Alot of company's charge a fee, and that is something that would get people interested.

 

[VictorBravo]

I like it. It is far better than anything I've put together. But I think the suggestions already made will make it even better.

Once you've done redone all the design stuff, I have one nitpick that I know is a howler to many: get rid of the possessive "it's". (I noticed on the "Raw or Natural Honey" page it said, "without it's crystallizing").

It's a subtle thing, but I think it is important. You are marketing to successful people and many of them do make their judgments on little things like that. Maybe have a trusted proof-reader go over all the copy for grammar and punctuation. I like the style of the text and wouldn't change that.

 

[TimV]

Thanks, Vic. A "trusted proof reader" is what you guys are.

Give me a few days, and thanks for your loyalty.

 

[bookslover]

Elder Z, people are often scared of scruffy construction types, and I want to hammer home that this is a family business (four of my sons work for me) and when we get busy, I employ almost exclusively kids from Christian homeschool families. That's the idea of the family section.

Frankly, I hadn't thought of that. So, now, I think you're right to keep the family section.

And - bees are too out to get you! At least, the killer bees are. They've recently been spotted for the first time in Utah, by the way...