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Rank: Newbie  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 9 Location: Brisbane
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Good Morning All, I'm new to the forum and am just releasing my own line of baby blankets. I've designed my own website and was hoping on some feedback on what mothers think of it and if there are things I'm missing that would help me make more sales. If you wouldn't mind having a look and helping me out that would be great www.clipnstay.com.auThanks 
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Rank: Bit of an Addict  Joined: 1/19/2008 Posts: 220 Location: Melbourne
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Congratulations, I think you've done a great job. There's just one thing that really stands out at me, and that's that you have hardly any text anywhere, especially on your index and product pages. These are particularly important for search engines and you should have good, keyword rich text on these page (the words you're aiming to be found in google etc for). Having all the 'words' as images prevents this, and also makes your site load slower. The only other things I noticed was that the breadcrumb links (top right) don't work. It was frustrating to try to click to home, only to find out it's just text. Also, I would remove the grey background, or put it there entirely. Right now I have a bar of white once the image runs out. I hope this helps  .
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Rank: Newbie  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 9 Location: Brisbane
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Thank you for your reply - I'd forgotten about the links at the top of the page - I'm taking them out for the time being. I'm using a program to build the site that's rather primitive. I build the pages in Photoshop but then the only way to put them in my program and upload them with links is to save them as images (I'm using web easy professional) and it doesn't let me do a lot (hence the no text) do you know of a better program I could use. I need to learn how to move my finished product from photoshop to illustrator and do it that way but that's going to take me a while I think 
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Rank: Bit of an Addict  Joined: 1/19/2008 Posts: 220 Location: Melbourne
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If you know how to use Photoshop, you could slice the design into a workable HTML template, and then use an HTML editor to put your content in. You can get free or very cheap ones (Coffee Cup is good) that will allow you to edit the page in WYSIWYG mode. This stands for what you see is what you get, and basically means you can put in text and images without needing to use actual code. You may want to tweak it a little, but the result would be much better than having just images.
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Rank: Newbie  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 9 Location: Brisbane
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Thank you so much - I will certainly do that.
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Rank: Part of the Furniture!  Joined: 5/4/2008 Posts: 841 Location: Melbourne
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I find all the images very blurry. And there is no clear SIZE on the blankets... even when you are on the shopping page. Do you have different sizes? Or just one size? More text would be better... and ideally more photos of their uses... specially when you say it can't be used in a cot. Research shows that full contact details provide people with confidence to shop. At the very least - you should put a mobile phone number on there - even if you have to buy a cheap prepaid phone to use as a "work" phone. If you've got an ABN number - put that on there. Think from a customer point of view... give them confidence. What are your payment options? Can't see that anywhere. how much does delivery cost? Can't see that either. Jodie . . mum to Shaun & Shelli . . . : www.facebook.com/www.deadsea.com.au . .
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Rank: Part of the Furniture!  Joined: 5/4/2008 Posts: 841 Location: Melbourne
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might be an idea to go back on some other posts in this forum to see some more hints. For example... here is a post about an article that was in the Herald Sun before Christmas... When an article like this is printed (online & in paper)... then a LOT of people take heed of the warnings. So... if you're website doesn't have a padlock on it - they may not shop. Even though, you might be accepting paypal payments only - and therefore PayPal is the secure server. Some people don't understand that when they are shopping. So YOU need to make it clear. Here's the link to the post: http://www.wahmnetwork.c...-Herald-Sun-131209.aspx
Give customers confidence to shop. btw... it looks like a good product  Jodie . . mum to Shaun & Shelli . . . : www.facebook.com/www.deadsea.com.au . .
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Rank: Superstar  Joined: 9/9/2009 Posts: 353 Location: Hong Kong and Australia
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Your blankets are a great idea and are lovely to look at. I'm not a mum but do look at baby products for ideas when friends have their babies. I usually look at blankets as a gift because I'm sure a mother could do with more than one or two blankets. Now your site from a professional point of view, not a mother's point of view... I realise that many WAHMs try to do everything themselves because it's more cost effective, however in the long run, it could cost you more. Your pages are all images, and search engines cannot scroll through your site and find your key words, or even information about your business because they cannot pick up the text on your images - unless you've build in alt and title words. Your alt text is your image file name and looking at the properties, it doesn't tell the search engine anything. You should save your file names as the page name themselves, so at least there is some sort of relevance. I know you're learning and you're probably on a very steep learning curve. I agree with Jodie, when I look at your site, everything is slightly blurry. Your products page and online store page are the same - I was a little confused thinking that the online store page wasn't showing. It would be good to know what your blankets are made out of and you do not have an About Us page. The terms of use and privacy policy words/links at the bottom of your site do not work. I would suggest that you seriously evaluate other options for an online store. I know that involves money, but it will be well spent money in the long run, if you plan to grow your business. Alternatively, look at selling them on places like etsy.com. Handmade Kids is a good site to look at what others are doing to manage their own products. It might give you some alternative options. http://www.handmadekids.com.au/
I could offer you more options, however I do not want to overwhelm you. Best of luck with your business. Blessings, Nicole x Bauhinia Solutions your one-stop shop for all your computer related, business administration needs. Bauhinia Solutions Facebook | TwitterME Inc. Coaching at www.moderngoddessonline.com
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Rank: Part of the Furniture!  Joined: 11/22/2008 Posts: 641
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I run Handmade Kids  . I find a lot of the smaller WAHM type operations seem to use Big Cartel, and there are some great sites created from it. Here is a good example of one: http://www.kawaiiforyou.com.au/
The other one is Webcitypro, it has a lot more functions than Big Cartel if you wanted to do more. Ollie Rose is DIY on webcitypro.
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Rank: Newbie  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 9 Location: Brisbane
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Thank you - I'm going to spend the week giving the website an overhaul with the new program. ETA - my husband actually designs websites but he's busy overhauling our other businesses website at the moment so I'm feeling my way through this one. When he gets some spare time I know he'll tackle mine. I'm certainly going to be making some changes this week 
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Rank: Administration
Joined: 12/16/2007 Posts: 403 Location: Perth
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Just to add, if you host with Godaddy or WNA (since were a reseller  ) You can pick up an SSL certificate for about $30-$50 per year. Paying hundreds for an SSL cert is far too much. Quote:Thanks for clarifying that Jodie. Your web address doesn't seem to have a https on it so I consider that not be part of the deal with web city pro.
I would like to make a correction. My site DiscoverLR.com is not provided by webs.com, rather a very good and professional hoster from the UK.
It sounds like there is no actual SSL certificate rather your host provider is the one that carries it for your site.
HTTPS and SSL are 2 technologies that can't work without each other. https is the encrypted tunnel to the webhost from your browser and the SSL certificate is used to encrypt the tunnel. An SSL certificate is essentially a very large password (thats a very simplified view of it) Also as per most shopping carts, it doesn't go to HTTPS until the checkout stage, so the rest of the site will be in plain http, which is good as it makes the rest of the site faster. When a hosting provider does one that covers all they have a wildcard based SSL certificate (instead of specific domain name) to cover their sites they host. But when you click on the SSL cert it will say it is owned by the hosting company and not the individual website. So it is possibly a little (very tiny) less professional. But no one really looks at the owner details anyway, as long as they see the site has a valid one. Adam Why waste your time tracking SEO when our system could do it for you? SEO Account
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Rank: Advanced Member  Joined: 10/18/2009 Posts: 116
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Hi there Congratulations on launching your site, and welcome to this amazing network. Most of the things that I've noticed have already been mentioned, but I have two others: On your front page: Handy for yourself or makes a great gift for baby showers, family or friends. It would perhaps read better, and be more grammatically correct if it was: "Both handy for you or a great gift for..." And the other thing (which is probably verging on over critical) is the photo of the lady with the baby in the carrier. I just thought it would look more real or believable if they had warm clothes on, as it looks like they've only put the blanket on for the photo. (sorry!) All the best for your new venture!
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Rank: Advanced Member  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 34
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Well done! What a pretty website! But I must agree with Lucie, there is not enough text. When you write your sales letter on your website promoting your product, pick a good keyword, like "Clip N Stay" or "Soft N Fluffy" and repeat it over and over in your sales letter, it always helps with Google if you use good keywords. Just one more thing, please go into your profile here in the forum and put your name at the top of the page, thanks.(always nice to use someones name, it makes you a friend rather than a stranger) Kind Regards, Heather. I'm a work at home mother of 2 Adults and 2 Grandsons. Are you interested in working on the internet? (please come and comment) http://www.easymoneyfromthis.com http://www.easymoneyfrom...m/futureofinfomarketing
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Rank: Administration
Joined: 12/16/2007 Posts: 403 Location: Perth
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Heather just a quick note, repeating the same keyword over and over again is called keyword stuffing and it is frowned upon by Google. You will more likely be penalised for it than rewarded. You need to make sure your keyword is on the page in bold or heading tags and in the title to assert it's importance, but the page should read naturally to a human. Your main aim is to sell on the page. Anchor text in back links gives you more focus on a keyword in Google's eyes. Adam Why waste your time tracking SEO when our system could do it for you? SEO Account
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Rank: Administration  Joined: 12/16/2007 Posts: 2,373 Location: Sunny Perth
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That and repeating the same word over and over again is quite annoying and screams "MARKETING" rather than genuine information.
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Rank: Advanced Member  Joined: 1/2/2009 Posts: 41 Location: Sydney
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Great idea - I haven't seen this before, although I do stock some clips which you buys separately to the blanket to do a similar thing. I also agree the web pages look a bit blurry and could be sharpened up. Is it because the text is actually put in as an image? As a mum I was searching around to see exactly how they worked and it took quite a few clicks for me to get to the right page. The photo at the front is too distant to see exactly how it works. I think a close up of just one corner attached to the pram might be very useful on the front page so people can see very quickly the concept. Congratulations - great job inventing the product and getting the website up and running yourself. Hope it all goes well for you! Stephanie Bonito BabyMaking life easier for mum and more fun for bub
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Rank: Advanced Member  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 34
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Thanks for your advice Adam, I was told different, but I will take your advice on board, I have only been on the Internet for 2 years so any advice is always welcome. Kind Regards, Heather. I'm a work at home mother of 2 Adults and 2 Grandsons. Are you interested in working on the internet? (please come and comment) http://www.easymoneyfromthis.com http://www.easymoneyfrom...m/futureofinfomarketing
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Rank: Superstar  Joined: 4/27/2009 Posts: 456 Location: Queensland
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adam wrote:Just to add, if you host with Godaddy or WNA (since were a reseller  ) You can pick up an SSL certificate for about $30-$50 per year. Paying hundreds for an SSL cert is far too much. Quote:Thanks for clarifying that Jodie. Your web address doesn't seem to have a https on it so I consider that not be part of the deal with web city pro.
I would like to make a correction. My site DiscoverLR.com is not provided by webs.com, rather a very good and professional hoster from the UK.
It sounds like there is no actual SSL certificate rather your host provider is the one that carries it for your site.
HTTPS and SSL are 2 technologies that can't work without each other. https is the encrypted tunnel to the webhost from your browser and the SSL certificate is used to encrypt the tunnel. An SSL certificate is essentially a very large password (thats a very simplified view of it) Also as per most shopping carts, it doesn't go to HTTPS until the checkout stage, so the rest of the site will be in plain http, which is good as it makes the rest of the site faster. When a hosting provider does one that covers all they have a wildcard based SSL certificate (instead of specific domain name) to cover their sites they host. But when you click on the SSL cert it will say it is owned by the hosting company and not the individual website. So it is possibly a little (very tiny) less professional. But no one really looks at the owner details anyway, as long as they see the site has a valid one. Thanks Adam, I might just have to go shopping at your reseller store  Michelle Anderson LR Wellforlife Sales Director Facebook Fan PageBusiness Opportunity
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Rank: Newbie  Joined: 1/23/2010 Posts: 9 Location: Brisbane
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Hi again all - thank you for your helpful suggestions. Before I get too far ahead of myself (and spend a lot of hours on this) can you tell me what you think of the new index page. I'm using Coffee Cup and it's a learning curve. It's basic but not so image heavy and I'll put a lot more text in the info pages. www.clipnstay.com.au/clipnstay.html
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Rank: Part of the Furniture!  Joined: 5/4/2008 Posts: 841 Location: Melbourne
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I think it's a big improvement. The banner is nice and clear. I have two monitors... on my widescreen monitor - your webpage takes up the entire width. When I move it to my square monitor - I have to scroll across (and down). So, I think the banner/webpage is too big... you don't want people having to scroll horizontally as well as vertically. The 4 images (of which two appear to be links to 'products' and 'online store') - they are blank... they just have the red X. Actually - they don't work on any page. Just a suggestion... I would put an image of the actual "use" instead of the rolled up blanket... in the "many uses" speil. Like the kid in the pram... or if you have any other clear photos like the carrier (ie: white background, quality photo). I think you can still try to put MORE text onto the home page. Text doesn't have to be too large either. If you're struggling to think of things... how about: - price - delivery costs if they are reasonable (or better still, incorporate delivery into your blanket price and promote "free postage" ) - maybe consider a newsletter, with 'signup' on the home page - testimonials I know how hard it is to create websites on your own. I have done both of mine - with now web design qualifications. Having a forum like this is great for feedback and ideas. Jodie . . mum to Shaun & Shelli . . . : www.facebook.com/www.deadsea.com.au . .
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