Week 4 - Post A - Website Analysis

Below are two websites that I see have potential problems for visitors.

First Website:
Jamilin 
This website has several issues that will make it difficult to ascertain what is going on and is actually painful to view.

Firstly, I'm struggling to find a singular message on which to focus. There is so much text to wade through to figure out what this website is about. There is no primary theme to start from and the content is chaotic. The website owner seems quite enthusiastic about her content, it's just not organized or clearly laid out. In the top navigation bar, there are too many colors. There should be a statement near the top that tells a visitor what the site is about.

Also, in the top banner it says she is 60 and on the lower right side, she is 59. That is confusing and distracting and detracts from the value of her message. The video she profiles in the center is from 2013. The profiled video should be her most current work and if not, then should be placed on her media page.

The 'Welcome" message is below the fold, meaning you have to scroll down to find it.

She clearly has a lot to say but, it is difficult to ascertain what her core message is through the noise of the print.

I would suggest improvements in the organization of her content. Pick a clean template, this one is choppy and outdated. A Blogger, WordPress, or a Wix could be more streamlined. Create a clean navigation bar with the most pertinent content and the rest archived on a separate page.

Second Website:
Gates and Fences
Wow, who would have thought there was so much information about gates and fences! There is a plethora of information and photos about gates and it's so busy looking. The home page has so much information and the left side navigation bar is so detailed and long I found myself skipping the information and just looking at the different gate designs.

It looks as if they sell products on the site as well. I would suggest organizing the navigation into categories such as home page, gates, fences, photos, products, and contact. Then each category having a page to display the information that is relevant for the visitor.

This site could use a more up-to-date look and feel. (I do appreciate the American flag on the home page.)

Both of these sites could use the changes I suggested and the result would benefit the visitor and possibly increase understanding of the offerings and more sales. There is so much online to vie for our attention, we have to make it easier for visitors of our site to know what we are talking about, offering and hopefully they will want to be a consumer. In the case of these two sites, I say, less is more.

Now let's contrast two sites that are doing things right.

First Website:
Penny Juice
Refreshing! This site is clean and sticks to the point of its mission. The background color is bright and clean. The kids' faces are cute and the slogan 'It makes cents' is clever. That and the name Penny Juice is good branding. The site is clean which makes it pleasant to browse through. The nav bar only has three tabs; Home, Childcare Juice, and Order. The information is very simple and digestible. It is even easy to order the product.

This site has a clean design, pleasant aesthetics, and clear on its branding. I consider this a happy site and happy sites make people feel good.

Second Website:
Head Hunter Hairstyling
This site is fun. The home page has a video of someone trimming har making it feel interactive. The colors are calm and welcoming green. The top nav bar is straight forward highlighting the services, gallery, stylists, about and contact. I don't have to try and figure out where to click for information.

Having a website that is clean and easy helps a visitor engage. We have too many options and we have to make it easy on our potential customers so make it easy for them to want to stay.