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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 8:13 pm Post subject: Critique on recent website changes |
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I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on a few recent tweaks I've made to my website - http://johnroorda.com
Over the past few weeks, I've made several changes to my site including:
Adding the "hello" sticker up top in an attempt to grab the eye
Switching all fonts from a darker gray to straight black for easier reading
Added four self-produced demos in addition to my commercial demo
I'm not sure how I feel about the layout of the demo players, but it seemed like the "least bad" option. I liked the look of all 5 demos in a single column even less, because I didn't want the rest of the content getting pushed further down the page. I'm also not sure if my content is descriptive enough, although in the "Page SEO" settings of my site, I have a pile of additional keywords. (BTW - Thanks Doug Turkel for our recent Facebook discussion on SEO!)
Go ahead, be brutal... what do you think? Thanks! _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com |
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Jeffrey Kafer Assistant Zookeeper
Joined: 09 Dec 2006 Posts: 4931 Location: Location, Location!
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:42 am Post subject: |
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Meh. It gets the job done, but that's about it. I'm not a big fan of the sticker because by definition that name tag is generic. It just doesn't seem to work for me.
Your web page needs to have 3 key components:
Your name
Your demos
Contact information
Other stuff is gravy (about me, testimonials, clients, etc) How you present that info is key. _________________ Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com |
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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Hmm... I never thought of the sticker that way. It's gone, thanks for your input! _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com |
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Philip Banks Je Ne Sais Quoi
Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11049 Location: Portgordon, Scotland
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:34 am Post subject: |
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It works just fine.
Random thoughts.
No invitation to listen to demos needed, bit like writing "please read my business card". Don't need contact form as you have email link and phone number. Text below demos not needed either. Demos discribe your voice and your comments about your sound tells people what to think before they listen, your name is at the top so no need to repeat, what you'll do implies what you will not do (or can't), the rest is a repeat so no text below demos needed at all.
Less really is more.
Good luck.
That'll be $2.75 please. |
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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:02 am Post subject: |
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Great thoughts... thanks! The "listen to my demos" up top is gone.
The text below my demos pretty much exists only for SEO purposes, although I have the important bits in the "keywords" section of my site anyways. If I take that text out, will that make me less google-able? I'm all for removing it if it won't cause SEO issues.
I need to keep something in that left column, so I chose a contact form. Due to the template I'm using, if I completely remove that left column, the main body left-justifies and looks like ass. Of the templates my web provider has, this seems to be the one I like the most though... I had briefly thought about putting my demos in that column, but I don't really see that looking good.
Edit: It looks like they've added a new template that may take care of that. Additional changes coming soon... _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com |
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DougVox The Gates of Troy
Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 1705 Location: Miami
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:50 am Post subject: |
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Jeffrey Kafer wrote: | How you present that info is key. |
What Jeff said.
Publishing a website (even with SEO keywords) and expecting people to show up there and hire you is like posting a billboard in a cul-de-sac at the end of a deserted dirt road, and expecting people to see it. Yeah, every now and then someone might stumble across it, but that's usually because they're lost and they just want to get out of there as quickly as they can.
Effective branding and marketing can address some of the issues above, and get people to your site, but that's putting the cart before the horse. There's lots to figure out first.
Most of the feedback you're looking for depends on the excruciatingly specific answers to a boatload of questions, the first few of which are:
- Who would you like to be hired by, and what will impress them?
- What are your VO strengths?
- What do clients depend on you for?
- What makes you stand out from your competition?
Clients don't need another voiceover guy. They need someone who's the best at what they do. _________________ Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
Voiceover UNnouncer®
UNnouncer.com |
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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:42 am Post subject: |
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Don't get me wrong... I'm not expecting a few keywords to magically open the floodgates and replace my other marketing efforts. I just want to do what I can to ensure that if there is some opportunity that may come in that way, that I'm not leaving it on the table. I don't expect my website to market for me.
Edit: Removed some negativity that doesn't belong here. Suffice it to say that Doug's questions have given me a lot to reflect upon. I appreciate you cutting to the chase and helping me think about the bigger challenges I'm currently facing. _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com
Last edited by Roar-duh on Fri Nov 06, 2015 11:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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paulstefano Backstage Pass
Joined: 22 Sep 2015 Posts: 411 Location: Baltimore, MD
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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I don't love the colors. Seems dark and depressing. I get that your voice descriptors are dark and rich, but maybe some other earth tones? Brown, green? Also, red text to me looks like Rocky Horror Picture Show posters.
I agree about the form, redundant. I have one on my site, but it's buried on another page. I keep it there because if somebody happens to fill it out, the site will capture their information for future marketing.
I do think you should have something else in that space, though. Don't leave a huge white "tombstone".
FYI, I'm new to voice over too, but I have designed websites in the past. _________________ http://www.paulstefano.com |
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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I wasn't totally sure about the red text, back to black. I guess I hadn't thought about the background as being dark... I just found a mic grille background and thought that it looked microphone-y so I went with it. I changed the background to a graphic EQ with a little more color, but not too much.
Good news - I figured out how to axe that sidebar, so I no longer need that contact form to fill up space. Bad news - I do need some sort of content at the bottom, otherwise I'm stuck with a footer box that there's no way to delete. But I think it definitely flows better than before. _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com |
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paulstefano Backstage Pass
Joined: 22 Sep 2015 Posts: 411 Location: Baltimore, MD
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Roar-duh Contributor III
Joined: 04 Apr 2015 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago-ish
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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I appreciate your input, thanks! _________________ John Roorda
http://johnroorda.com |
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VoiceoverMike
Joined: 06 May 2013 Posts: 4 Location: Bedford, Texas
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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I like the layout - visually appealing, easy to use - everything is right there with no confusion about why the user is there or what you are offering.
Mike Norgaard
www.VoiceoverMike.com |
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