critic of a website

[cypressfarms]

Hi all,

My wife is a programmer, and she and I have been trying to make a website to feature some of my arabians.

Would anyone have the time, or care to check the home page out and give me comments? please be brutally honest, as this is my first attempt at this, and I'm obviously not that good.

The address is http://www.cypressarabians.com

There is only a home page up now - the other pages will come after I gather more info and pictures.

Sorry if this breaks any "rules" as advertising - I just wanted some opinions from people that surf regularly like:

-Are the colors o.k?
-Does the page appear pleasing, as if to make you want to see more?
-Is the Arabic text too much?
-Is the text in the middle of the page too "dramatic"?
I'm trying to improve it, as a web page, and I want to make it pleasing to look at and user friendly.


Thanks, in advance to anyone who offers suggestions, and to some of the members that have already given me advice. Feel free to pm me if you'd like.

 

[flaboy-]

First, I will start by saying I don't like Arabians but that is just me and not meant to slight your horses. I don't like App's or Paints either. :lol:

Being as honest as I can be about your web site, I would say put a nice picture of a stallion right in the middle of the home page. I would then put the text under that. I would also do away with the Arabic text. I suspect it won't go over too well these days to remind folks of where many of the worlds problems are coming from.

I like the layout and the colors are fine with me. It looks like it will be easy to navigate which is important. Some web site are almost impossible to find your way around. For your first time I would say you did a very good job. What web package did you use?

 

[3MR]

I dont have a problem with the Arabic writing.

I like Flaboys stallion idea, but I would have it at a lower density and put the writing on top. Or at least try it and see how it looked. It may look bad, it may not.

Im not real fond of the write up though, I dont think it flows very well and kind of reminds me of a grammer school essay when you had to write a certain number of words. I would also get rid of the word wealthy.

Also, I would indent the paragraph and move the text block over a few spaces so it doesnt run right up against your margin.

I like the design of the page and it does appear to be user friendly.

 

[cypressfarms]

What web package did you use?

The wife is a programmer for the state (LA.), but I am "designing" it and telling her what I want and where. She uses Dreamweaver. I like the idea of the stallion. A local Arabian farm close by that I deal with regularly has five very nice stallions. I think I might get a shot of his best one standing up on his hind legs or strutting his stuff.
We tried to make the picture of the chesnut filly on the home page transparent with the text over it, but the wife had problems with the transparency.

Since my wife is doing most of the programming for me for free (at least I think ;-) ), I have to be careful how I deal with this...

 

[cypressfarms]

Whoa Nellie!

i just got to work and checked the website at my office computer and there is no picture!!! The original design had my arabian filly running full speed in the middle of the home page, with the text in the same format as the banner, but smaller font, in the middle section. The text wasn't that big.

I guess I have to bring the wife out to supper tonight and talk to her very nice about it. ;-)

 

[Alan]

Oh Flaboy, no we have something to disagree on.

I like the pic of the horse just how it is, tail flagged and running through tall grass, with kind of a blurred look to it, making it appear as almost a vision.

Flaboy you don't like Paints.... you SOB! :lol:

The Arabic writing is a nice touch, alot of Arab horse people relate the romance of the middle east (days gone by) with their arab horses, certainly didn't offend me. I would keep it.

While I agree the text did not flow real well, I like the message. I think part of the reason it didn't flow well is because the white colored text got hard to read in the lighter part of the pic... maybe black text will read better and smoother.

As for the format of the site, it's great and very professional, I wouldn't change a thing other than working on the text.

Nice site,
Alan

 

[jaydill]

(whoops, hit submit before i was done on accident.)

 

[jaydill]

Dreamweaver is a great program! Just thought I'd say that, lol. I like the overall website. I like the Arabic text.. it isn't too bold so as to be the focus of the website, but is strategically placed in the design.

As far as the horse being the background on the home page, I think it is OK. Our teachers in my Webmastering class preferred that we didn't use pictures for backgrounds, because it is not easy on the eyes to read text over pictures. Some of the other suggestions about moving the picture to the top of the page, then putting the text, are things I would try, just to see how they looked.

The biggest thing I saw was the navigation. IMO, the "Home" button should always be at the top of the list. When I went clicking through the pages and tried to return to the Home page, I didn't notice it down there at the bottom of the list. I also think the list should be adjusted so that it rests at the top of the column it's in, not the middle.

All in all, I think it is a user friendly website and I do like the design of it. I look forward to seeing it when it's finished!

Jay

 

[3MR]

I like writing over pictures, but I would make the picture much more transparent (Less than 50%).

 

[Beefy]

i dont like how all the pages say "this page coming soon.."

 

[cypressfarms]

i dont like how all the pages say "this page coming soon.."

Me either, I'm working on all of the content now. I'm the impatient type, so I had the wife put up a home page, then add the other pages later, instead of putting it all up at once.

 

[chrisy]

I liked the general layout, and Arabs, the way this one is Galloping over the front is good, but the writing, as I have bad eye sight and need to wear glasses to see, it is hard to read white print and a lot of it was lost to me. especially towards the sides, other wise a good page.

 

[flaboy-]

Oh Flaboy, no we have something to disagree on.

I like the pic of the horse just how it is, tail flagged and running through tall grass, with kind of a blurred look to it, making it appear as almost a vision.

Flaboy you don't like Paints.... you SOB! :lol:

Nice site,
Alan

Well, in my defense the horse was NOT there when I went and looked. It's there now and I like it much better.

Paints? Paints? Heck I had someone offer to give me one and I wouldn't take it. I guess we agree to disagree. :lol:

 

[just learnin]

I like the picture.

I would try moving the text above or below the picture and I would consider another color for the text.

Let us know when you get the rest of the site up.