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ok...i don't mean to be super critical here, but i'm gonna state it. WHY is it that so many MT's sites are visually appauling?????? i am a graphic designer and have been working in marketing for years. as an MT i have searched and searched the web for various massage sites. sites by an individual MT to small practices, from spas to corporate america massage sites. i have come across only a handful that visually keep me on the page.
might i make a suggestion? less is more.
one of the biggest issues i see on sites is that they are crammed with content expecting the visitor to read through. some sites have one page that just scrolls on indefinitely. other sites have poor navigation/organization. and then some just throw anything and everything on the home page. once you do this you risk losing your visitor's attention.
i'm not advocating having only pretty pictures. but a well thought out photo with minimal content which motivates the visitor to take action by either going to another page, calling you or emailing you will do far better than putting everything on your site and hoping your visitor finds what he/she is looking for.
i'd love nothing more than to see our profession become a powerhouse in the medical industry. and as such we need to make the most of the web. but to do so we need to present ourselves professionally and that means polished and organized.
do a search for yourself. compare some medical websites to your own and then decide...is your website really presenting you in the best way possible.
(sorry if this offends any...it is not directed at any one)
let's use our safe haven here to share our sites (i'm working on getting mine up and running) and brainstorm with constructive feedback.
might i make a suggestion? less is more.
one of the biggest issues i see on sites is that they are crammed with content expecting the visitor to read through. some sites have one page that just scrolls on indefinitely. other sites have poor navigation/organization. and then some just throw anything and everything on the home page. once you do this you risk losing your visitor's attention.
i'm not advocating having only pretty pictures. but a well thought out photo with minimal content which motivates the visitor to take action by either going to another page, calling you or emailing you will do far better than putting everything on your site and hoping your visitor finds what he/she is looking for.
i'd love nothing more than to see our profession become a powerhouse in the medical industry. and as such we need to make the most of the web. but to do so we need to present ourselves professionally and that means polished and organized.
do a search for yourself. compare some medical websites to your own and then decide...is your website really presenting you in the best way possible.
(sorry if this offends any...it is not directed at any one)
let's use our safe haven here to share our sites (i'm working on getting mine up and running) and brainstorm with constructive feedback.
Views: 1395
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Susan G. Salvo on
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Lisa, you are amazing at this.
Lisa said:Hey Carolina...
here's a couple of suggestions.
i like the calming sense i get from your site. i think things need to just be adjusted for a better balance.
i would look into putting the " Rejuvenate~Revitalize~Refresh~Renew~Relax " in the water at the top right corner. i would think white text would work and you could stack and right justified the words. maybe even playing around with a large script R and then the other text for the words in a regular font next to the R. in that case though you'd want the words left justified against the R.
i feel the top is a little too blank which is why i'm making that suggestion.
then i would make the photo in the middle larger. don't be afraid to go big on photos. as long as the photo is a GOOD photo...creative, impactful, and good composition...than a large photo would work really nice.
i would put your locations on the left side and the hours to the right...so two columns of info...AND i would put that info below the body of content so that the visitor is forced to scroll down (and hopefully read the body of content) in order to get to the info. plus you have an info tab so that text is not as important on the first page.
mabye a little wavy line to separate the body of content from that info at the bottom just to add a little graphic element while organizing the two sections of info.
one thing in regards to the photos you've selected. they are a little dark and the majority of them are in a brown tone. the only photo that really works on the colorscheme of the site is the one that's on the FAQs page. you may want to search out photos that are lighter, airier and in the blue/green tones instead of the brown earthy tones.
one last thing...on the Request an Appointment page...i would reword that sentence of "We might be able to work something out". the first thing my brain said was...or maybe she won't. something more like "I look forward to hearing from you" is much more inviting.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa on
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Hey Donna,
here's a couple of suggestions for you. (i sure hope no one here thinks i'm a know it all...i'm really just trying to help)...
the font you are using for the "Reconnecting" works since it's large and the name of your business. however the line below that "massage and day spa" would look better in a sans-serif font, right justified and bumped up so it starts by the loop of the G in Reconnecting.
i would also use a plain font for the body of information below the nav bar.
the photo in the upper right corner next to the business name is in a very distinct shape...which is fine and works, but then it's faded off to the left of the photo...and not faded to the point of losing the edging...so it feels incomplete. i think it would work better either truly fading it so you no longer see the edges OR better...just have the photo in full color and shape.
i would try putting a little space between the headers below the photos and their subsequent info OR left justifying the headers so they start where the body of text starts. and since you have two photos that are portrait and two that are landscape...i would pattern them so it's landscape/portrait/landscape/portrait OR find photos that are uniform for a more organized look.
anytime you have text in that blue/green bar i would make the text white. for instance the "specials" bar. the text isn't contrasting enough.
for the spa info page...either make the photo BIG (have i mentioned don't be afraid to make a photo large) :) or i would take it out altogether. such a small photo is actually distracting.
if you control the outline of the boxes of text on the blog page...i would make it black instead of red. the red just isn't in the same color wheel as the blue/green. when in doubt always use black or white.
and finally...your line "it's not just massage/bodywork, it's a reconnecting experienc!" should NOT be lost on the bottom of the page. it's a great line and should be your tagline. as such i would put it above the gray bars that outline the nav bar...on EVERY page.
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FYI...to those that don't know:
a SERIF font is a font that has the little edges that just out of the ends of a letter. those edges are called serifs. a typical serif font is Times.
a SANS-SERIF font is a font that doesn't have those edges. a typical sans-serif font is Helvetical.
usally when you are using a script type font in a business name...you will want to balance it out with a sans-serif. and usually serif fonts are used in a body of text...i.e. your content of information. sans-serif fonts are good for important info like address and phone numbers and headers.
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Permalink Reply by carolinajones on
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Thanks so much!
Lisa said:Hey Carolina...
here's a couple of suggestions.
i like the calming sense i get from your site. i think things need to just be adjusted for a better balance.
i would look into putting the " Rejuvenate~Revitalize~Refresh~Renew~Relax " in the water at the top right corner. i would think white text would work and you could stack and right justified the words. maybe even playing around with a large script R and then the other text for the words in a regular font next to the R. in that case though you'd want the words left justified against the R.
i feel the top is a little too blank which is why i'm making that suggestion.
then i would make the photo in the middle larger. don't be afraid to go big on photos. as long as the photo is a GOOD photo...creative, impactful, and good composition...than a large photo would work really nice.
i would put your locations on the left side and the hours to the right...so two columns of info...AND i would put that info below the body of content so that the visitor is forced to scroll down (and hopefully read the body of content) in order to get to the info. plus you have an info tab so that text is not as important on the first page.
mabye a little wavy line to separate the body of content from that info at the bottom just to add a little graphic element while organizing the two sections of info.
one thing in regards to the photos you've selected. they are a little dark and the majority of them are in a brown tone. the only photo that really works on the colorscheme of the site is the one that's on the FAQs page. you may want to search out photos that are lighter, airier and in the blue/green tones instead of the brown earthy tones.
one last thing...on the Request an Appointment page...i would reword that sentence of "We might be able to work something out". the first thing my brain said was...or maybe she won't. something more like "I look forward to hearing from you" is much more inviting.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on
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I don't focus so much on the graphics stuff as in getting traffic. I don't recommend you put Adsense on your homepage or services pages - you are sending traffic away from your site. You can make extra money though writing articles on various topics related to massage but you also need lots of traffic.
From a traffic point of view - how are you guys doing with these services? I am doing a directory of webhosting and services out there to see which ones work the best in getting traffic AND Clients
My clinic site is www.massageseattle.net I get calls every week (3-5 or so).
I also started another thread on Search engine optimization but I am starting to realize that it is probably too much info for massage therapists! So let me know and I would be happy to help!
Julie
www.massage-career-guides.com
www.thebodyworker.com
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Julie,
that's great that your site is getting you traffic! I'm not sure we should ever just write off the look of it though. people are visual and want ease of usage on a site. When there is too much information or when a site is difficult to navigate and find the information one wants...that person will leave. so while a site may get a lot of traffic, it doesn't necessarily equate to lots of inquires and subsequent appointments.
as for your seattle site...it seems to work. there is a lot of information on the first page. i'm wondering the thought behind those links at the bottom that link you to another part of the site...especially when you can get to them from the various left nav bar.
And i've never gotten the thought behind posting up twitter posts...especially with them being so many days ago. i can understand offering the link to follow you on twitter, just not the actual twitter posts.
i love the youtube video. it's a great way for people to get to know you without having met you. the only suggestion i would have is SMILE!!! :)
the only other question i have is the thought behind having the Types of Massages listed twice.
other than that...i think the site works. it's easy to move around and information is easily found. and you have a lot of information which is great!!
the only site i have real difficulty with is thebodyworker site. the way it's layed out and the amount of information is just overwhelming as a visitor and i find myself not being able to really experience the site because of this. i'm wondering why it's so different from your seattle site in layout and design.
Julie Onofrio said:I don't focus so much on the graphics stuff as in getting traffic. I don't recommend you put Adsense on your homepage or services pages - you are sending traffic away from your site. You can make extra money though writing articles on various topics related to massage but you also need lots of traffic.
From a traffic point of view - how are you guys doing with these services? I am doing a directory of webhosting and services out there to see which ones work the best in getting traffic AND Clients
My clinic site is www.massageseattle.net I get calls every week (3-5 or so).
I also started another thread on Search engine optimization but I am starting to realize that it is probably too much info for massage therapists! So let me know and I would be happy to help!
Julie
www.massage-career-guides.com
www.thebodyworker.com
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My site www.thebodyworker.com doesn't use Site Build it! because I started it in 1999 and it was basically a fluke! I never thought it would be making me half of my income!
I post my last minute openings on twitter. It has really worked. I get people calling all the time to fill those last minute cancellations otherwise I am booked for a few weeks out.
The links at the bottom are about SE optimization.
Julie
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Permalink Reply by Mike Hinkle on
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Hi Lisa,
My turn for ridicule! I break every rule in the book. Everything can be found on front page, I attack with a million colors, I use dispropotiate boxes, sizes and dimensions. And it's all on purpose. People don't forget it. It's because I want to. I have built thousands of websites and gone to the classes.
But the Festival itself is not your typical convention... and really.... I hope it never is!
With that I give you...
www.worldmassagefestival.com
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Mike...i hope you don't find my comments to those here as ridicule!! i'm really only trying to help.
with that said...i really don't understand why you would purposely create a sight, as you've said, that's intentionally designed to break all the rules. why would you want someone to remember a site based on it's poor layout versus a slick professionally presented site? do you not feel that the site is a reflection on the festival, and therefore if the site is unprofessional looking than a first time visitor might feel the same about the festival?
I get a little frustrated with your site, because honestly, i don't know what to look at first. so it all becomes a blur and i don't stay on the site long. that's MY visiting experience...and granted not everyone elses. the first thing that really surprised me about the site was that the main image isn't even massage related. so someone completely new doesn't realize that they are even on a massage site. and it took me awhile to even find the dates...which i would think you'd want up top with that first screen view.
i don't know...can you explain further your thought process in this? not trying to be critical...but you DID say it was done on purpose.
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Permalink Reply by Gloria Coppola on
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Wow! Lots of great ideas here and I'm going to take several into consideration.
I do agree that some of the sites get too confusing for me. I'm not fond of the Black backgrounds and bright colors many are using. Navigating a few of these sites makes me dizzy.
I know my site has a lot of information. I have had people email saying they love when I post more information. So who do you listen to?
I created separate pages/links for my viewers instead of reading everything on the front page. They can go to the specific modality and read about it.
I did include for easy and quick view, the trainings outlined with dates on my first page, because that was a suggestion I had received from several. People also comment on loving all the pictures, but I often wondered is it too much?
Recently I added a 2010 Calendar, for those wanting to see it all in one place. I'm still working on it to create a better visual, but wanted to get it up for now.
If you have any other suggestions I would surely appreciate your valuable input. I did create my own. I had a (actually several) website designer previously for another site and found more problems with that than needed and the costs were too high with my constant changes for dates. I like having easy access to be able to do this when needed.
I also am going to get in touch with the host of this site to see if they can enlarge the print for my side bar, as I don't have control over that and think it needs to be slightly larger for easier reading.
I appreciate your constructive insights and don't take offense. It is what you do and know best. Thank you, Gloria
www.MassageProCe.com
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Permalink Reply by Bianca Berrios on
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Hey Mike, Honestly very short and sweet, not trying to offend; but it takes me awhile to see the when and where and how much? I'm thrown off by the lay out and frantically my eyes don't know where to look first...sorry no need to offend anyone but in our busy days/weeks we need to be able to find the main info as quick as possibly.
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I am in agreement and have actually had to help a few people get to the correct place to register or donate items.
I want you to be successful so maybe Marissa's suggestions can help us all navigate easier around the site.
Bianca Berrios said:Hey Mike, Honestly very short and sweet, not trying to offend; but it takes me awhile to see the when and where and how much? I'm thrown off by the lay out and frantically my eyes don't know where to look first...sorry no need to offend anyone but in our busy days/weeks we need to be able to find the main info as quick as possibly.
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