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Critique on recent website changes

 
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Roar-duh
Contributor III


Joined: 04 Apr 2015
Posts: 81
Location: Chicago-ish

PostPosted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 8:13 pm    Post subject: Critique on recent website changes Reply with quote

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!
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John Roorda
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Jeffrey Kafer
Assistant Zookeeper


Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Posts: 4931
Location: Location, Location!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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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

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm... I never thought of the sticker that way. It's gone, thanks for your input!
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John Roorda
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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. Laugh
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Roar-duh
Contributor III


Joined: 04 Apr 2015
Posts: 81
Location: Chicago-ish

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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...
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John Roorda
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DougVox
The Gates of Troy


Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 1705
Location: Miami

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
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Roar-duh
Contributor III


Joined: 04 Apr 2015
Posts: 81
Location: Chicago-ish

PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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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

PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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Roar-duh
Contributor III


Joined: 04 Apr 2015
Posts: 81
Location: Chicago-ish

PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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John Roorda
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paulstefano
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Joined: 22 Sep 2015
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Much Improved!
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Roar-duh
Contributor III


Joined: 04 Apr 2015
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Location: Chicago-ish

PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I appreciate your input, thanks!
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John Roorda
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VoiceoverMike



Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 4
Location: Bedford, Texas

PostPosted: Sun Dec 06, 2015 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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