New web site!

[Cuddlebug]

My son has been diligently working on a total revision of my website since Halloween. The new version went on line last night. More updates are coming, along with more pages of information. I would like to know what everyone thinks about it, both the good and the bad. Have fun checking it out. The link is still the same as it has always been.

 

[Lirana]

The good: Readability is good, organized well, lots of info.

The bad: The fireworks. Oh my eyes, the fireworks! I'm drawn to them so much that it takes me away from the actual content of the site. And I didn't even notice the "happy new year" in yellow until I visited at least 8 different pages.

Other thoughts: What is the main goal of your site? Just cause you want one? To showcase chins you have for sale? To educated others about chin care? Whatever the main goal is, make sure that you have those link categories first. If your main goal is education, the order you have currently is probably fine. If your main goal is for business, I would move chinchillas, purchasing, supplies, and boarding after home.

My last note: I really like when you can click on the banner to go to the home page. It's become a habit for a lot of internet users, and it's a bit disorienting (for lack of a better word) when you click on a banner that isn't actually clickable. I don't think you need to get rid of the home button, but it would be nice to have both.

 

[ticklechin]

Under the health section for stasis-metecam is given orally rather than injectable. The site looks good!

 

[chechinchillas]

So detailed, in depth and organized! This will be an excellent resource for chinchilla owners and people who are thinking about getting a chinchilla for a pet.

 

[Caroline]

Great site, lots of useful information. You have put a lot of work into it. Thanikyou for providing such a great site to people who would like to learm more about chinchillas.

 

[Godofgods]

looks good to me. Only issue i see i that the page is wider then the window length. And iv never liked having to scroll horizontally when i don't need to. But that might just be my browser or something, I'm not sure.

It looks to be well organized which is one of the best features a site can have IMO.

 

[chechinchillas]

I had trouble with the page being too wide also, but I just went to my "tools" and downsized the page so I didn't have to scroll horizontally.

 

[RDZCRanch]

It's very nicely laid out and easy on the eyes! Very informative, all in all it looks absolutely amazing. Thumbs up to your son on a job well done!

 

[Spoof]

Looks good but it is too wide for those of us that still use square monitors. )

 

[Cuddlebug]

Under the health section for stasis-metecam is given orally rather than injectable. The site looks good!

Thanks, Dawn. I will get that corrected ASAP.

Lirana, You have some very food points. The fireworks were just for the 1st, they are gone now. The banner is now clickable and we have decided to leave the order of the menu like it is. I feel that getting the information out there is more important than selling chinchillas.

For those of you having trouble with it being too wide, what are you running, browser, monitor, etc?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Thanks, everyone for all the comments and compliments. We'd like to hear more opinions.

 

[Lirana]

Lirana, You have some very food points. The fireworks were just for the 1st, they are gone now. The banner is now clickable and we have decided to leave the order of the menu like it is. I feel that getting the information out there is more important than selling chinchillas.

:clap1: I think it looks much better now!

One thing I noticed. On your cages for sale page, the pictures are HUGE and takes a while to load (I do not have super slow internet). You should ask your son to create thumbnail images of the cages that link to the full resolution images rather than using the originals on that page. I'm sure he knows how to do that, but in case he doesn't, let me know I can give you the html code to do it.

 

[ticklechin]

Couple more things in the first aid kit-for chinchillas with impaction you do not use petramalt or laxatone, the oily coating these produce will encapsulate the impaction and not allow the water to penetrate and soften it so it can possibly be passed, Calf manna is not a calcium supplement-it has no more calcium in it than regular chinchilla pellets, its a protein supplement and nutrical is sugar and fat and should only be used in extreme emergency situations and really should not be in a first aid kit, the last thing is my personal opinion.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Thanks, Dawn. I will revise that page asap!

 

[Spoof]

Can you guys tell me what browser and resolution you have.

I'm just old school and like to see my work. For some reason I never open pages including this one wider than 1024x768 even though my monitors are 1600x1200 at home and 1920x1080 at work. It's personal preference, but most sites keep to that size or smaller. I use an 800 x 600px set template for my site because I get a lot of overseas traffic and they used to have smaller screens. You can use stuff like Google Analytics to get a better idea of the screen sizes that are visiting your site.

It also depends on what type of business you want to draw. I run a plain old website that does nothing fancy at SunsetChinchillas.com as well as Ronda's wood sale site at RondasChins.com and what has surprised me the most is the demographic difference in between the two sites.

I'm also surprised that my plain old website that hasn't changed in 8 years still gets more traffic than hers. I took some screen shots of the Browsers used and the resolutions used on both sites. Thought it was interesting. Stats are for the year of 2012. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to code for in the future. )