vozzek Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Hi everyone, Please take a look at my new aviation-based website: http://www.studentflyingclub.com PHP-based, CSS-driven, I tried to lay it out so that it looked nice and was quick to load. Any comments as to how I can improve it would be greatly appreciated. I'm also looking for any ideas as to adding new content. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadion Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 The first two things i noticed are 1. confusing content 2. too many ads. Im counting 6 ads on the frontpage and that should be overwhelming. If they dont click on the first ones, they will never click on the bottom ones. About the content; im saying its confusing as it gives me that feeling. You could add a sidebar for "optional" content, so u end with a better organized site. Also i dont like how u display a big wide image just below the header, it kinda gives me the feel that its just a big header. Theres a lot of room for improvement in the graphic department, but thats your personal taste obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg_alpha Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Hi Vozzek.. I agree with what GuiltyBear is saying.. The visitor is bombarded with google ads.. I understand the need to advertise, but I must say, it feels as though someone is trying to ram adverts down my throat. I would just have one row of google adverts (just below the header graphic), then let the flow of your content take over. I alo wonder.. since 800x600 resolutions are heading the way of the dinos (given higher res capacity and widescreen monitors becoming increasingly the norm with high native resolutions), would it not be better to have the site at 1024 x 768? Just to give the content (and the ads for that matter) some more breathing room? I understand that people want thier site to be truly universal (thus being designed for smaller resolutions).. but it does feel cramped somewhat. With a wider design, you can spread things out a little more (and perhaps add a vertical ad banner to help reduce the load of all those ads along the central column). Other than that, I really do like the site (makes me want to go flying..I'd kill myself if I tried.. but that's off topic ). Those are just my opinions.. it really is subjective (althought hard to argue the ad bombardment). Good stuff though. Cheers, NRG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFilmGod Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Take out all the ads. Previous posters asked for you to remove all but one set of ads, but I'm telling you to get rid of ALL your ads. Here's why: Cost of domain: ~ $8.99 per year cost of hosting ~ $40.00 + year Total cost per year for website: ~ $50.00+ That means you need to make $50 from ads. How many clicks would that be? At least 5,000 clicks, assuming google will pay you at least a penny for each ad click. That means you need at least 500,000 page views for that many clicks, if you got 1 ad click for each 100 views (that's a very optimistic view). Can you get 500,000 page views? If you ask me, you are better off taking ALL ads off your site. This will make users more likely to visit your site again and very likely for you to grow your internet business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozzek Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 Thanks all, for the replies. GuiltyGear - Point taken about the ads. This is my first time putting ads into a website - ever - so I guess maybe I went a little overboard. I disagree with you graphically though. Visually, I like the look (personal tastes, like you said). nrg_alpha - Point taken above the ads (again) I also completely agree with you about the resolution, and may just go back and make it wider. This is definitely the last 800px wide website you will ever see from me... like you said, dinosaurs! Oh and by the way, go flying - it's awesome. Trust me, you won't kill yourself... and if you do, you can personally come back here and say 'I told you so'. FilmGod - Hehehe... no points taken. I'm not sure where you get your figures from, but they're ass backwards - even if I wasn't paying $0.00 for hosting (the site is parked on another site). Also if you took the time to look at my site you'll realize I'm not actually selling anything. I have work to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabop Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Cost of domain: ~ $8.99 per year cost of hosting ~ $40.00 + year What kind of hosting are you talking about??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelycesar Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 It's well-designed for a club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFilmGod Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Cost of domain: ~ $8.99 per year cost of hosting ~ $40.00 + year What kind of hosting are you talking about??? typical shared hosting plan from godaddy. This is per year. If you pay less than 40 bucks a year, then you must have a real crappy host. EDIT: Vozzek - my point was that slapping ads on your website will pay you little if anything in return for all your efforts. You are better taking them off, creating a large user base and then selling ads directly. No middle man and better revenue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozzek Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Dunno about GoDaddy, but I use HostGator. Fast, easy, and extremely reliable. Not to mention that once you have an account they let you park additional domains for.... drumroll.... FREE. slapping ads on your website will pay you little if anything in return for all your efforts. Hehe... you should go read some of the DigitalPoint forums. You couldn't be more wrong on that account. FilmGod, I agree with you that ads can be distracting when you've got a product you're trying to sell. That's why the first site in my signature is and always will be ad-free. I generate revenue from that site (baby boutique) strictly through sales. But with Student Flying Club I'm not selling anything. I'm publishing tons of useful info on flying for student pilots and placing sponsored ads on the pages to generate revenue for my efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphOrange Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I like it, it seems to accomplish your goals. It conveys your message and help to generate income. Good use of colors and layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I wouldn't say adds are more trouble than they're worth (as they're very little trouble, generally) however I would stick with maybe one well located banner. On the hosting thing I run a VPS @ $20 a month so I'd never make back my costs xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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