BF2S Forums please, feedback on my website

A rule that you should take to heart : "Each time you add a visual frame to a design, you remove the viewer one more step from the message you are trying to deliver." You got a lot of boxes-in-boxes going on.

Next -- padding is your friend. Add some padding to the places where text are so they don't run right up against box edges (visible or unseen)

Graphics -- gotta work on these a bit. Find source for the visa/master/card/etc logos and put them on the right color background to get them to blend and match better. Also, the graphic at the bottom (copyright notice) is terrible since you took the nav BG and just stretched it.

Text colors: Contrast! The red text on blue background is difficult to read and hard on the eyes. The blue "FEATURING" is good. Also, do away with the all caps thing. It's already important because it's a title, alone, larger, and a different color -- stop shouting.

GAH. I clicked the "parties" link first -- good job, nice picture, quick description. Cool. Then I moved to "The Game" -- not a single picture? Let's see the goods! I want to know what I'm playing with!

On the directions page, I know it's possible to add a "Start from [_____________]" form that will link up to google maps and give them directions to your place. Do it!

The graphic on the contact page, as proud of it as you may be, doesn't fit the site at all. Dump it. Instead add an inquiry form so people can email you right from the page. I know this is your first site, but a mailto form is one of the easiest things to program (a usual first experiment). It'd be a good idea. Although, in all honesty, the phone number should be at the top right of the site on EVERY page -- that's a very common place for that.

I've seen a LOT worse first time pages. Good job, keep working at it and remember, no matter how good the webpage is NO ONE CARES unless you get them there. Start talking to other local businesses about getting yourself linked to using the keywords you want so you show up in search engine requests, (EG: "laser tag in new jersey") You can hit up local bloggers for a link too -- perhaps give them a free game/party in exchange for some blog coverage.

Good luck.

oChaos.Haze wrote:

I think it looks good.  Are you purposely withholding pricing so that they call?  I totally understand if that is the case.  But if you're catering to parents, I'd say show them the goods right up front.  What they pay, and what they get for it.  Directions were nicely done.  Only other thing I can think of is maybe a contact form for the contact page.  Looks more professional, and parents, who's tempers and time can be very short, might rather go an emailing route, than *gasp* dialing a number and talking.  All in all though, job well done.  Everything it needs is there, it's appealing visually, and it's not hard or arduous to navigate.  +1.

you got it.  we don't want people to shop us simply by price.  there's a skating rink down the road from us, and if you go simply by price, their parties will beat us every time.  but how much fun is it to skate around in a circle for half an hour, go eat pizza in a rubber-floored party room while the zamboni runs laps, and then go in circles for another half hour before going home?

Our product is good, and we want to be able to tell people that.  To throw our price out there is to undercut ourselves.