Site Check Please

tmcd

Hello there,
Can anyone if not everyone test a demo site for me

http://ww.domaindlx.com/realeasy/index1.htm

Its a site Im going to sell to real estate agents (Or TRY to sell)

A quick explaination of the site would be .
Hello mr Auctioneers how would you like a site for your business that you can fully update yourself from the Main page to inserting new properties, deleting properties or updating properties.

IN the members login page your username is real and password is estate

Thanks

Tom

beaver

Suggestions, in no particular order:

1. Don't try to show it to a potential client while it's hosted on that free server with pop-ups.

2. Come up with some actual text or use some of that Latinesque filler that's often used for copy areas.

3. Title your pages.

4. Personally, I would redesign that navigation and site structure. For example, I don't see any reason why your "Help" link ought be more prominent than the links which will actually drive site users to buy properties.

5. Create a logo for your sample company. The text "Sample Web Site" looks shít.

6. On your "Contact" page, I would flip the two information sections you've got. When I click on contact I want to know how to contact the company, or better still be presented with a form so that I can contact them immediately; I'm not expecting to find out what the opening times are. That is valuable information, but I think it should be placed after the contact details.

7. People have mixed opinions on this, but I'm personally not a fan of linking the page you're already on. It makes no sense to me.

8. Okay, back to the placement of links issue. Your "Help" section explains how to search for a property. It comes before the links that actually let you search for a property. Therefore, one must assume that your reasoning for this is that you don't think a user would manage to search for a property without explaination. If this is the case, your site is too complex. If it's not the case, I'd look at your navigational layout.

9. Animated GIFs for almost everything went out of fashion years ago.

10. A way to combine the search criteria would be good, so that you results based on the property type AND the location.

11. Your member area isn't really a member area as much as it is an administration suite. Q: Who's your target audience? A: Property buyers. Is there any reason that property buyers would need/want/be able to login to the administration suite? I don't think there is. Therefore, it shouldn't be linked from the site. I'd put it on a password-protected subdomain... admin.yourcompany.com or whatever.

12. You need to break down your administration suite links into sections. It's too confusing at the moment and what's going to end up happening is people clicking on the wrong links. Then properties are going to start disappearing or people will be phoning to enquire about the 8-bedroom mansion for €65,000. At the end of the day, it's you who'll get the call to fix it, because <insert whiney client excuse here>.

A good way to break the sections down might be in terms of how often they'll be updated. Your property listings are going to be the most frequently updated (you hope, at any rate), then probably your news & links sections and then the others following those.

13. For your "Insert New Property" section, I'd make it a linear process rather than giving the client the two options of uploading an image and then filling in the details. Also, why not have the system automatically enter the new Reference Code?

14. Change "Edit Main Page" to "Edit Home Page" - that's what you've got it tagged as.


Nice idea. I'd say it could be quite successful if you tweak it a little. It would be handy if you knew an auctioneer to have them have a look at it and see what they think... if you're missing any features and so on...

Cheers,
-Ross

Terminator

I think you would need to look at the market leader

www.myhome.ie

and try to top or match their basic features / layout style before you go out their selling your product.

tmcd

Suggestions, in no particular order:

1. Don't try to show it to a potential client while it's hosted on that free server with pop-ups.


Done ( I was waiting for my domain name to come live) Just used that site as a test site


2. Come up with some actual text or use some of that Latinesque filler that's often used for copy areas.

Will Do (good idea)

3. Title your pages.

Will Do

4. Personally, I would redesign that navigation and site structure. For example, I don't see any reason why your "Help" link ought be more prominent than the links which will actually drive site users to buy properties.

Good Point (I actually got rid of the help section, No need for it)

5. Create a logo for your sample company. The text "Sample Web Site" looks shít.

Will do (Thinking about it)

6. On your "Contact" page, I would flip the two information sections you've got. When I click on contact I want to know how to contact the company, or better still be presented with a form so that I can contact them immediately; I'm not expecting to find out what the opening times are. That is valuable information, but I think it should be placed after the contact details.

Done (Good Point)


7. People have mixed opinions on this, but I'm personally not a fan of linking the page you're already on. It makes no sense to me.

8. Okay, back to the placement of links issue. Your "Help" section explains how to search for a property. It comes before the links that actually let you search for a property. Therefore, one must assume that your reasoning for this is that you don't think a user would manage to search for a property without explaination. If this is the case, your site is too complex. If it's not the case, I'd look at your navigational layout.

Done

9. Animated GIFs for almost everything went out of fashion years ago.

There won't be any Animated GIFs, Im just using that one as a test. I'll use proper pics

10. A way to combine the search criteria would be good, so that you results based on the property type AND the location.

Great point done that and added a few options to it ( Property Type + County, Town or Phone Area Code)

11. Your member area isn't really a member area as much as it is an administration suite. Q: Who's your target audience? A: Property buyers. Is there any reason that property buyers would need/want/be able to login to the administration suite? I don't think there is. Therefore, it shouldn't be linked from the site. I'd put it on a password-protected subdomain... admin.yourcompany.com or whatever.

Another Good Point (I changed this to and admin area in a totally different section )


12. You need to break down your administration suite links into sections. It's too confusing at the moment and what's going to end up happening is people clicking on the wrong links. Then properties are going to start disappearing or people will be phoning to enquire about the 8-bedroom mansion for €65,000. At the end of the day, it's you who'll get the call to fix it, because <insert whiney client excuse here>.

Very True and done

A good way to break the sections down might be in terms of how often they'll be updated. Your property listings are going to be the most frequently updated (you hope, at any rate), then probably your news & links sections and then the others following those.

correct

13. For your "Insert New Property" section, I'd make it a linear process rather than giving the client the two options of uploading an image and then filling in the details. Also, why not have the system automatically enter the new Reference Code?

Done, Also i couldn't make the Ref Code an auto number. They way the properties are coded go like this. 100NH Would be for New Homes the next record entered if it were A residential Property would be 101RP

14. Change "Edit Main Page" to "Edit Home Page" - that's what you've got it tagged as.


Done

Nice idea. I'd say it could be quite successful if you tweak it a little. It would be handy if you knew an auctioneer to have them have a look at it and see what they think... if you're missing any features and so on...

I think and hope so too, I got the Idea when I was working in a computer shop in the Midlands, 3 Auctioneers came to me in a month asking me to update their Web sites as the original guy went AWOL. So I started playing around with ASP and came up with this.

Thanks very much Ross for that very helpful post. Its much appreciated.
On a different note Ross if you have a web site and you want to promote it. I have a couple of fairly popular site that get around 1500 hits a day, I can place a banner on one of the sites if you want.

Thanks

Tom


Terminator I think you would need to look at the market leader

www.myhome.ie

and try to top or match their basic features / layout style before you go out their selling your product.


Yeah had a look, And know they offer a great service, but one which is very different to mine.

Thanks

peterd

I think the use of the word "Home" for the main page could be confusing on a property site . I know it sounds silly, but beginners on the internet can get quite hung up on things like that. Maybe call it "Main Page" ?

Also, it's nagging me that the link to the "Main page" is in the middle of all the links. Web Designers would only opt to link to the home page at the top (sometimes even bottom) of the side nav, but never in the middle ?

tmcd

Ended up taking your advice on that one peter,

Thanks Lads

Very helpful

Tom