Suggestions for improving look of site

[Lewis]

I've asked this question before and got some rather skathing responses. I'd appreciate some constructive feedback if possible please.

I don't work with Actinic much at all, but I work on this site one day a week, or so. http://www.hoseworld.com/. Sales are steady but I know the site is very basic and not the most aesthetically pleasing, I know!

Please can you suggest ways in which to make the site a bit more pleasing on the eye/more functional if possible.

Thanks a lot, Lewis.

[Rich Brady]

Lewis,

There is a lot of information on site reviews on the forum and people are likely to point you towards reading them first, because the same rules apply...

....

Whoops, just did

However from the brief 30 seconds I looked at it I'd say, get a decent image of some hoses on your home page and at product level.

The spinning Globe does nothing for me I'm afraid. Your footer links are difficult to read, but you have a nice big telephone number, which is great.

It might be worth having two more TLS:

1. Working Pressure
2. Internal Diameter

With sub-sections containing ranges of products, "Up to 10mm", "10mm-20mm", etc.

[leehack]

Putting it in the site review forum would be a good start.

[Lewis]

Thanks for the ideas, Rich. I don't much like the spinning globe either but i'm not allowed to change it!

Stupid question: what is TLS?

Lee, would it be too much to ask you where the review forum is?

[leehack]

TLS - Top Level Section

I am not sure how I point to a forum online, look at the index and the forum names before you choose which one to post in?

[Lewis]

Thanks, but there isn't one named site review, or similar, that I can see.

How do all you guys learn how to modify the layouts like you do?

Cheers.

[meden]

Search Engines and Site Review

[leehack]

Thanks, but there isn't one named site review, or similar, that I can see.

Maybe some people can't see certain forums then, heaven knows. Could be the PBKAC bug.

How do all you guys learn how to modify the layouts like you do?

RTFM, practice, RTFM again, more practice, RTFM again. There is no easy way, you give your life to the heroin and in return you get to spend your life helping people on forums.

[Lewis]

Search Engines and Site Review

Ah yes, very sorry, the Search Engines bit at start threw me...apologies.

[guccij]

Thanks, but there isn't one named site review, or similar, that I can see.

try http://community.actinic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25 ... which helpfully is named Search Engines and, er Site Review.

Learning is by reading the help and how to files, looking on here, and trying out in test mode. Takes time and energy and brain efort.

[gabrielcrowe]

spinning globe = crap
tempate = default
colours = boring
navigation = confusingly wordy
frontpage images = unreadable
footer links = unreadable
sections/products = confusing

you really need to have a button on your sections that says 'more info'. people arent smart enough to figure out the image or the text is a link sometimes.

you also need to go single product per page, as mentioned. either that, or streamline your products into a list. with a quantity and buy button on the right.

i'd go with a list, since you ahve no images for your products, and bull up your parent sections

[Rich Brady]

RTFM, practice, RTFM again, more practice, RTFM again. There is no easy way, you give your life to the heroin and in return you get to spend your life helping people on forums.

You forgot banging your head against a wall restarting Actinic and then trying again

[Lewis]

The idea of one product per page is one I've thought about before: image in top left with description next to it, heading of ID, OD, WP, etc. and then all the different sizes, line by line.

Lee, what design do you start off with when you're creating your stores? I lile the look of simplynatural.

[leehack]

I don't start with any Actinic designs Lewis, I create my own in Dreamweaver and then register them into Actinic. You could try the design wizard as a halfway-house. In short, without considerable html and css experience, you will hit a brick wall, so try and use/adjust actinic offerings while you get used to things.

[Lewis]

Single Product per page

I have been doing some reading (yeah that's right - and some searching too) about SPP. Mostly on Lee's page. I want to make the site http://www.hoseworld.com/ into SPP but have some questions.

-Do I need a page for every ID of hose?

-Or one page for, say, 'air hose' with a huge drop down list of IDs?
--this doesn't seem sensible as customers often by numerous IDs of the same hose at once, wouldn't a drop down list make this problematic?

-If I was to have one heading with all the IDs listed line by line below, how would I achieve this? Some sort of recurring block?

I'm prepared for the potential abuse I may recieve for this post, do your worst...thanks for the help, though.

Cheers, lewis


EDIT: 1st mistake - I meant to post this as a new thread, sorry