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Share Your Website and Let's Discuss...
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 Laura Allen on
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My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Permalink Reply by Susan G. Salvo on
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Our school site is: www.lamassageschool.com
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!!
We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me.
Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something.
I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
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Please do! I love to meet my friends from the Internet. I had a bunch of FB friends show up at my last Open House and it was great. I ended up paying two of them to stay and do chair massage, my staff was so overwhelmed, so if you show up on a big day you might get pressed into service, LOL!
Emma Torsey CLMT said:Wow,Laura I am impressed!Looks like a wonderful place you are running.I have a brother who moved to South Carolina,when I go down to see him I am going to do my best to stop by your place.
Peace Emma
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What a fabulous idea to include website design in your program! That's great!
Susan G. Salvo said:Our school site is: www.lamassageschool.com
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!!
We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me.
Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something.
I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
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One recommendation is to think about text graphically.
Internet users are scanners of text. Make it easy for them to learn about you and what you want to say.
I’ll use my last comment as an example.
Good example:
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!!
We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me.
Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something.
I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
Poor example:
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!! We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me. Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something. I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
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Permalink Reply by Connie McKim on
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Hi Laura,
Your web site has given me ideas for my own site. Thanks. Check me out at www.ConniesRelaxingAndTherapeuticMassage.com, I'd love your feedback. I too built my own web site and just winged it by putting in information I would want to know. How do you go about putting the sponser on your site?
Have a great rest of the day,
Connie
Laura Allen said:My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Connie, google will give you the html code that you can just paste into your site builder program if you sign up on their adwords.
Connie McKim said:Hi Laura,
Your web site has given me ideas for my own site. Thanks. Check me out at www.ConniesRelaxingAndTherapeuticMassage.com, I'd love your feedback. I too built my own web site and just winged it by putting in information I would want to know. How do you go about putting the sponser on your site?
Have a great rest of the day,
Connie
Laura Allen said:My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Laura Allen said:Connie, google will give you the html code that you can just paste into your site builder program if you sign up on their adsense.
Connie McKim said:Hi Laura,
Your web site has given me ideas for my own site. Thanks. Check me out at www.ConniesRelaxingAndTherapeuticMassage.com, I'd love your feedback. I too built my own web site and just winged it by putting in information I would want to know. How do you go about putting the sponser on your site?
Have a great rest of the day,
Connie
Laura Allen said:My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa on
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Laura...the only suggestions from a graphic standpoint i have with your site are as follows:
1. the blocky style of font and color are very bold. Something more like Times Roman in black will soften up the look of the font while still allowing readability.
2. it's also very wordy for the home page. you might want to break up some of the block of words with the photos at the bottom rather than having the photos all the way at the end.
3. i would also suggestion outlining the photos (and enlarging them a bit). it will give a better contrast on the light burgundy background.
4. finally, changing your business name from a font type logo to something more visual could help a lot in adding some visual elements without overdueing it.
Great example Susan on how to block out text!! i found myself doing just that in this post. :)
i checked out your site and it is very esthetically pleasing. One thing i like about your site is how everything is outlined in white. it makes it visually appealing while organizing the various items in a uniformed way.
i agree with Laura and Susan...since web sites are becoming such a staple in how we as a society interact, that including it in a marketing/business class is a MUST!!
Susan G. Salvo said:One recommendation is to think about text graphically.
Internet users are scanners of text. Make it easy for them to learn about you and what you want to say.
I’ll use my last comment as an example.
Good example:
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!!
We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me.
Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something.
I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
Poor example:
We did hire a website designer after I found out that 70% of our students were finding out about us via the internet (and not print media). A good designer is worth every dime!!! We have had lots of students tell us they did not even consider other schools because they were not impressed with their website. That surprised me. Our business class now includes website design. Consumers are more and more going to the internet when they want to know or find something. I agree with Lisa that less is more; your site should also be a resource for your visitors (i.e., they go to your site to learn more than just about you – the therapist OR the school).
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Hey Connie...
Visually i think your site works well. The couple of suggestions i would offer are this:
1. as i mentioned with Laura...one of the simplest things you can do for your business is have a logo. there are several places you can go online to create your own logo without having to spend too much money. i can't stress enough how important it is to have a logo that catches your eye while delivering your message. a logo can then be "branded" on everything from administrative collateral as well as promotional items. here's a site i've had friends use that seem to work well for them (http://www.logomaker.com/)
2. as much as your story is inspiring...i'm not sure if it is best suited for the home page. when i random person looking for an MT visits your site, they are going to want to know what you can do for THEM. the information you have about how you came to be an MT might be better under an additional tab of "A Little About Me" or something to that affect.
hope everyone doesn't think i'm being judgemental here. coming from a marketing/graphic background, i am only offering suggestions to help. and obviously if your site is working than FANTASTIC!!
Connie McKim said:Hi Laura,
Your web site has given me ideas for my own site. Thanks. Check me out at www.ConniesRelaxingAndTherapeuticMassage.com, I'd love your feedback. I too built my own web site and just winged it by putting in information I would want to know. How do you go about putting the sponser on your site?
Have a great rest of the day,
Connie
Laura Allen said:My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Our local University’s art department designed our logo. University’s are often overlooked as great resources for massage therapists and art students are always looking for free lance work.
Logo's are very important element of business.
Also, keep your domain name very simple and easy to remember and spell.
Even though our school name is LA Institute, we went with LA Massage School as our domain name since “institute” is often misspelled.
Lisa said:Hey Connie...
Visually i think your site works well. The couple of suggestions i would offer are this:
1. as i mentioned with Laura...one of the simplest things you can do for your business is have a logo. there are several places you can go online to create your own logo without having to spend too much money. i can't stress enough how important it is to have a logo that catches your eye while delivering your message. a logo can then be "branded" on everything from administrative collateral as well as promotional items. here's a site i've had friends use that seem to work well for them (http://www.logomaker.com/)
2. as much as your story is inspiring...i'm not sure if it is best suited for the home page. when i random person looking for an MT visits your site, they are going to want to know what you can do for THEM. the information you have about how you came to be an MT might be better under an additional tab of "A Little About Me" or something to that affect.
hope everyone doesn't think i'm being judgemental here. coming from a marketing/graphic background, i am only offering suggestions to help. and obviously if your site is working than FANTASTIC!!
Connie McKim said:Hi Laura,
Your web site has given me ideas for my own site. Thanks. Check me out at www.ConniesRelaxingAndTherapeuticMassage.com, I'd love your feedback. I too built my own web site and just winged it by putting in information I would want to know. How do you go about putting the sponser on your site?
Have a great rest of the day,
Connie
Laura Allen said:My website is www.thera-ssage.com
I built it myself, and no, I'm not a graphic designer of any kind. I've had a lot of compliments on it, and I think it is a good portrayal of who we are and what we do. After word of mouth, it's the thing that brings in the most business (I track those things). As for "less is more," putting all the pertinent information on mine and the ability for people to purchase gift certificates online has saved me thousands of hours on the telephone explaining things to people.
So I guess I can say while I've seen a lot of better jobs that were done by professionals costing thousands of dollars, I can't afford that.
I did visit another therapist's website a couple of days ago who had used a deep burgundy background and black font, and I couldn't read anything it said. It all blended in together. It needs to be easy for people to read, as you said.
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Permalink Reply by Bianca Berrios on
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Your absolutley right Lisa...but you know this :)
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