15 replies to this topic

[copyrightman]

Hi
I have been an avid reader of Jill's newsletter for some time now. I am delighted that she has started this forum, I hope to gain even more good advice in here.
Could you please visit my site and let me have feedback

Outside of the USA there are no government copyright offices.
I am providing an independent proof of ownership to copyright owner.
I am the only site offering a one time only payment while enabling the copyright owner retain possession and control of their work
How does my site look,?
What can I do to improve it?
Thank you
John
www.protectcopyrights.com

[markymark]

I actually think it is pretty good - the writing is good, it explains what you offer and why, how to register, the navigation is clear. Yeah, I like it. Three things though -
i) the graphic design elements are not all that fabulous - a little more pizzaz would help.

ii) People wanting to use the service will have to pay in AUS and send a package half way across the world. I don't know what you can do about this, though.

iii) Also although the pricing info is on the homepage, you need to have it on the ordering page as well.

[donaldcroswell]

Hello John

Let me first start by saying that I am not a professional web designer and have no training in graphical design or layout. The following is a list of my opinions only, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

1. I like things centred. I have a large monitor and prefer to see things in the middle of the screen rather than one third of my screen being blank.

2. There seems to be too much unused space at the top of your page where you list your URL in bold blue and then 'Copyright Registration'. I would suggest putting this stuff (url, grab phrases, etc) in your top tables or down the right side, and leave the white body space for your content. I'd move 'Who Needs Copyright Protection?' to the top of the white space.

3. Homepage - As you go down the page you have many different font sizes and colours. Which phases there are the most important? Try to think of a books index and use the same size fonts and colours for the same amount of emphasis and to help with navigating the page. I much prefer the layout consistency of your FAQ page to your home page.

4. What your site offers. It took me a moment to look around and figure out what your site offered and if I purchased your product, where would it be valid. Try and put yourself in the shoes of someone who knows little about copywrite and answer those questions first on your home page. Then use your other pages to expand on anything else the user might want to know.

I hope these comments are helpful and taken as just my opinion. I look at web sites as works in progress and think of them as never really being finished.

Don

[Scottie]

Hey John-

I posted this after your request, but if you are interested in more feedback, would you answer the questions in this thread?

It would help us to focus our feedback for you. Thanks! :tooth:

[copyrightman]

Hi
Thank you all for your valued and constructive reviews.
I will be making changes as soon as time allows.
I agree with the centering the site as well as the other points.
Under the keyword COPYRIGHT PROTECTION I am no. 1 and2 in Google Australia.
I am trying to figure out how to get higher rankings in the Web search on Google.
The point about having to send a package half way around the world, this only applies to our company who after processing the registration send the tamperproof security envelope to the customer. They then send it to THEMSELVES by registered post, so they have a local delivery. We do not charge anything extra for international postage.
If anybody else would like to review the site I would be grateful for your input.
I will be looking at other requests for site reviews in here and adding my tuppence worth, I am not a professional copywriter or web designer so it will be a lay persons review.
Regards
John

[copyrightman]

Hi Scottie
I went to linked ..this thread... but there was no facility to reply so I will reply here if that is ok.
General..the site is completed

SEO.......I do have incoming links and am working on getting more.
I am targeting Copyright Protection, Copyright protection services
as my main keywords

Yes I would like my code reviewed for errors or improvements

Marketing. My target audience are authors and creators of original works
My site is different from other sites offering a similar service in a
number of ways, for example
We have a one time only payment, NO annual charges
We do not get the customer to send their work to us.
We enable the customer to retain possession and control of their
original creation at all times.
We retain their details on our independent database.

Usability is important

The purpose of the site is to inform about our service and to sell

Design Yes I would like design suggestions.

Thank you
John

[garyhall]

First impression: Too much white space at the top of the page.
Might want a pro help you out in the design layout too. I am
not particularly pleased with "Sizzle Software" work on your
site. Maybe I don't have all of the picture here, but improvements
are in order. The home page could be a bit wider which would
shorten the page length. It just doesn't leave me with a professional
feeling.

I would also add a title at the top, 10 -14 keywords describing
the page. Also, your "<meta name="description" content="
Protectcopyrights.com provide copyright protection services..."
should probably not be an advertisement for the company name.
Unless you are IBM, no one is going to be looking for your
site by your company name, IMHO.

Gary

[copyrightman]

Hi Gary
Thank you for visiting my site.
I agree with the ..too much space, the name in the description etc.
As regards the design I am responsible for this, it was wider but the application forms could not be printed off. I got my programmer to adjust the site so that pages could be printed off, this is the result.
Is there another way I could do this?
You say there are improvements which could be made, Could you let me know what you see these as being?
I hope to get time soon to make changes to the site for the better, perhaps some other members might have a look and give me their opinion. I would be most grateful.
Thank you
John

[awall19]

As regards the design I am responsible for this, it was wider but the application forms could not be printed off. I got my programmer to adjust the site so that pages could be printed off, this is the result.

I would recomend having an aesthetically pleasing original with a second copy for printing purposes. Many websites use a button or hyperlink that state "click here for printer friendly version of this page" typically if someone wants to print it out already they would not mind the one extra click for a version that is printer "friendly"

[garyhall]

"so that pages could be printed off, this is the result.
Is there another way I could do this?"

Also, you can make PDF documents that are easily
FTPed to the site. If you go to:
http://www.legalaid....orate_pub_index
Notice the "Print this Page" at the bottom?

"there are improvements which could be made, Could
you let me know what you see these as being?"

Sometimes it is best to give you a site to look at to
see what I mean. If you go to:
http://www.thebestlegalservices.com/
I like the "court house" gif, reminds me of "legal". Maybe
a gavel or a capitol dome would help convey "professionalism".
The page is centered and two colors and fonts. Simple, but
effective. I don't like how it has been SEOed however.

I agree with Mark "a little more pizzazz would help"!

Now here is one that is "interesting".
http://www.benedict.com/
It has content presented in an interesting way. The big problem
I see with many of the PHP sites is that they are being done by
amateurs and don't have a clue about SEO/SEM. This is one of
them.

This one really has content:
http://www.findlaw.com/
You would benefit by having more content, perhaps this site has
gone a bit overboard.


Gary

[copyrightman]

Hi
I have made some changes to my home page could you let me know what you think.
I am doing these myself and as I am not a web designer I would really appreciate your input.
John

[copyrightman]

Your views on the changes to site would be greatly appreciated.
John
www.protectcopyrights.com


[Merged with previous review thread for the same site. - Jill]

Edited by Jill, 16 November 2003 - 10:02 PM.

[Scottie]

Hey John-

My first thought on reading over your copy was.... who are you? And why should I trust you to protect my copyright? The price is quoted in AUD... how do I know this is valid in my country?

The testimonial is too long... I skipped it the first time through. A sentence or two with a link to the full story might be more compelling.

You might move this higher on the page:

Your CREATION - 
  You OWN your creation -
  Can you PROVE you own your creation?
 
Let Copyright Protection Services International Help You

It helps answer the question of "why" very quickly and would encourage users to read more.

[Scottie]

Whoops- looked a little deeper!

Your keywords are a little excessive- what are the most important 2-3 phrases for the page? Focus on those.

Keyworded comment tag is a bad idea. Search engines don't even look at those but a competitor could. I'd pull those out ASAP.

This code is a little scary as well:

<h1>Copyright Protection<img src="../../images/spacer.gif" width="5" height="5" alt="Copyright-Protection-Online"><br>
      Services International</h1></td>

Why the spacer image in the middle of a headline? That alt won't count for anything and, again, can get you into some trouble.

This heading is not very useful for SE's or visitors:

<h1>protectcopyrights.com</h1>

How about changing that to something more descriptive? Protect Your Copyright! would add more to the page.

Hope that is helpful!