I'm concerned our website is putting people off, so I wondered if you could give some objective feedback.
The site is not intended to be some super slick, high profile, pro site. It was created by our 16 yr old nephew to get us started as a place people can go to for more information. Our plan is to look into a more professional site with lots of links and adverts and perhaps a payment facility once we get on our feet with our new holiday cottage.
The cottage has been up for rental since March. We have blocked out the calendar until Late May, as we are still removating a room and need to do the garden. But, we have only had 5 bookings, mostly short breaks. We get lots of enquiries, but people dont come back to us. Most enquries seem to be last minute or within a few weeks, so as we cant offer the cottage we lose their interest.
Our rates are competitive, so I wonder if that also makes people suspiscous as the cottage is being renovated?
Please can you give feedback on pictures, content, information? It is difficult, as it is a relative who is doing the website to make any criticisms or changes:( A lesson there I suppose, mising family with business)!
Heres the link............http://numbersevensnowdoniacottage.co.uk/
Thanks
Debbie
Website feedback From You Folks!!
Hi and welcome back
With the train running just in front of the house it might not be to everyones taste. You might want to mention how often, loud or disturbing that might be.
Clearly there must be some niche marketing for train enthusiasts I would think.
I rather like your first page. Sorry
not very technical of me but its past my bed time!
With the train running just in front of the house it might not be to everyones taste. You might want to mention how often, loud or disturbing that might be.
Clearly there must be some niche marketing for train enthusiasts I would think.
I rather like your first page. Sorry
not very technical of me but its past my bed time!
My initial thoughts are that the photos are quite dark of the interior and do not really showcase the place. I wouldn't have a map on the home page taking up valuable space.
Imagine reading it from a guest perspective; how can you best sell/promote your place to the widest audience? Also check text for the odd typo -ataffordable was one.
My impression was of great emphasis on transport - nearby buses/trains etc, which may well out people off!
Not sure about the prominence of your "mission statement". Whilst background info can be useful, in the first instance I want to get the cottage info, so I can make a quick decision and read more or move on if it's not appropriate.
Just noticed that your rates have a "may be higher asterisk". I would amend the rate to the highest and then special offers/deals seem better value. Never a great idea to suggest people might pay more for something in these days of bargain hunters!
HTH for starters.
Imagine reading it from a guest perspective; how can you best sell/promote your place to the widest audience? Also check text for the odd typo -ataffordable was one.
My impression was of great emphasis on transport - nearby buses/trains etc, which may well out people off!
Not sure about the prominence of your "mission statement". Whilst background info can be useful, in the first instance I want to get the cottage info, so I can make a quick decision and read more or move on if it's not appropriate.
Just noticed that your rates have a "may be higher asterisk". I would amend the rate to the highest and then special offers/deals seem better value. Never a great idea to suggest people might pay more for something in these days of bargain hunters!
HTH for starters.
-
Wendy@NorthIdaho
- Posts: 744
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 7:03 pm
- Location: North Idaho, USA
- Contact:
Hi Debbie,
Great advice here on website fixing! I received lots of help here and as I'm not the one for technical advice I do have a couple of things learned from others here, they are:
1. More photos of the interior, I only saw a few of the inside of the cottage. Make them as light and inviting as possible, also if they would enlarge when clicked on. I always like that when I'm looking for a place.
2. As an American all of the Welsh names seemed overwhelming, can't be helped no doubt since that is what they are!
perhaps though start with all the great features of the cottage with nice photos to draw me in? perhaps leave the distances and the map to go on a "location" page?
3. Photos I would want to see: kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, living room (showing the seating, entire room), dining room (showing entire table, seating #), garden/deck/lounging area outside. A couple of angles of the same room is nice so people really have a feel for the place.
Hope that helps! If you can take over the website that would be best as it will be hard to quickly implement all the changes people will probably be suggesting to you if you have to be the go between....
Wendy
Great advice here on website fixing! I received lots of help here and as I'm not the one for technical advice I do have a couple of things learned from others here, they are:
1. More photos of the interior, I only saw a few of the inside of the cottage. Make them as light and inviting as possible, also if they would enlarge when clicked on. I always like that when I'm looking for a place.
2. As an American all of the Welsh names seemed overwhelming, can't be helped no doubt since that is what they are!
perhaps though start with all the great features of the cottage with nice photos to draw me in? perhaps leave the distances and the map to go on a "location" page?3. Photos I would want to see: kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, living room (showing the seating, entire room), dining room (showing entire table, seating #), garden/deck/lounging area outside. A couple of angles of the same room is nice so people really have a feel for the place.
Hope that helps! If you can take over the website that would be best as it will be hard to quickly implement all the changes people will probably be suggesting to you if you have to be the go between....
Wendy
New Vacation Rental called DayStar Lodge! (Sold Narrows Cottage now have a rental management company called A-List Rental Management)
Technical comments:
Meta description missing.
Headings missing.
At text for photos missing.
Very minor error in HTML
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http: ... tage.co.uk
This is for the first page so check the others.
Presentation comments:
I feel that the use of the links in the top area is good, but on the other hand it was not clear that these are links to other pages. The use of different sized font made me first think of tag clods for a blog.
There are not many photos in the website and some of these are repeated. I would suggest you add some variety.
Meta description missing.
Headings missing.
At text for photos missing.
Very minor error in HTML
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http: ... tage.co.uk
This is for the first page so check the others.
Presentation comments:
I feel that the use of the links in the top area is good, but on the other hand it was not clear that these are links to other pages. The use of different sized font made me first think of tag clods for a blog.
There are not many photos in the website and some of these are repeated. I would suggest you add some variety.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
I've only been in business since February this year, and sympathise with your nervousness. We had a horrible 6-8 weeks from when we first advertised until the bookings started to come in.
As regards the website:
1) Think about who you are targeting, and write the text accordingly. I felt I was getting mixed messages - is it a mountain hideaway, or on a transport hub? If it really is the best of both, then spell it our (e.g. "a quiet mountain hideaway but with excellent transport connections to...").
2) As stated by others, the photographs don't sell it. Can you re-take them on a bright day? If you have or can borrow or hire a camera with a good wide-angle lens it can make all the difference. Filling the wood-burner with newspaper and card, and lighting it for the photos is another way to make the room more inviting.
3) Can you embed pictures so that visitors can see larger pictures when they click on them. It's pictures that sell.
4) More pictures - you have a garden & BBQ area, so you should show this. An exterior photo of the house adds confidence that it's real!
5) It might be worth adding a link to you 'tourist information' page from you home page by adding a URL to "tourist attractions" in "There are many tourist attractions within close proximity to the cottage, as well as local amenities"
6) Rather than say that the pub is 100 yards away (customers may be worried about noisy turning out time!) say that the village pub is within easy walking distance from the cottage. If it serves food them that's a real asset, so say so...
7) If you are comfortable with it, then make a personal connection, by saying "For more information or to make a booking, contact Debbie on..." rather than just posting the phone number and email address. With no personal connection, people may be more suspicious that there is no real property behind the advert?
Overall though, I like the look of the site, I like the header, footer, and general layout. Wishing you luck on your new venture!
Dave
As regards the website:
1) Think about who you are targeting, and write the text accordingly. I felt I was getting mixed messages - is it a mountain hideaway, or on a transport hub? If it really is the best of both, then spell it our (e.g. "a quiet mountain hideaway but with excellent transport connections to...").
2) As stated by others, the photographs don't sell it. Can you re-take them on a bright day? If you have or can borrow or hire a camera with a good wide-angle lens it can make all the difference. Filling the wood-burner with newspaper and card, and lighting it for the photos is another way to make the room more inviting.
3) Can you embed pictures so that visitors can see larger pictures when they click on them. It's pictures that sell.
4) More pictures - you have a garden & BBQ area, so you should show this. An exterior photo of the house adds confidence that it's real!
5) It might be worth adding a link to you 'tourist information' page from you home page by adding a URL to "tourist attractions" in "There are many tourist attractions within close proximity to the cottage, as well as local amenities"
6) Rather than say that the pub is 100 yards away (customers may be worried about noisy turning out time!) say that the village pub is within easy walking distance from the cottage. If it serves food them that's a real asset, so say so...
7) If you are comfortable with it, then make a personal connection, by saying "For more information or to make a booking, contact Debbie on..." rather than just posting the phone number and email address. With no personal connection, people may be more suspicious that there is no real property behind the advert?
Overall though, I like the look of the site, I like the header, footer, and general layout. Wishing you luck on your new venture!
Dave
Open for business.
In general I like the design, but a few points I would make:
1. It took me a while to realise that the links in the header were links. I think it would be more obvious if these links were on a menu, or they were at least a different colour to the rest of the text on the pages.
2. I find the white text on the blue background in the main text area a little difficult to read. There is not enough contrast for my liking.
3. I think you should include more photos.
I haven't read through all the text on the pages, but it looks like you've already had some good advice on this.
1. It took me a while to realise that the links in the header were links. I think it would be more obvious if these links were on a menu, or they were at least a different colour to the rest of the text on the pages.
2. I find the white text on the blue background in the main text area a little difficult to read. There is not enough contrast for my liking.
3. I think you should include more photos.
I haven't read through all the text on the pages, but it looks like you've already had some good advice on this.
Debbie, although it's attractive, the site never really nails it for me, it's all a bit approximate. If I'm booking accommodation, I want a site to have punchy and concise text, plenty of good-quality pictures across a wide spectrum, clearly defined pages showcasing what's on offer, lots of links and a bit of excitement and anticipation built into it. And - if I'm honest - in your case, a bit less about the railway! Three shots of the steam trains (too many) but little of your property or your area's other compelling attractions. And repetition of some photos on 'home' and 'cottage' is lazy and uninviting.There is a shop approximately 1 mile away and a mainline station approximately 1 mile away ... Mount Snowdon (approx 25 miles away ) ... Tanygrisiau (approx a 10 minute walk) ... Portmeiron (set for the 70's series 'The Prisoner') is approx 8 miles away ... Llanberis is approx a 40 min drive ... Llangollen is approx a 40 min drive ...
That being said, I don't see why you should need another website if No 1 nephew is willing to take on board constructive criticisms of his product and works to refine the site to your specifications. I suggest that he first looks closely at the rental websites of experienced owners on here - a masterclass for free - and gets all the material that he needs (pix, links, info) together before he builds the website - you wouldn't bake a cake without some of the ingredients being to hand.
Good luck with the rentals - Snowdonia is a beautiful area.
Jim
Website feedback From You Folks!!
Tariff, not tarrif! Sorry if nitpicking!
Seeing as we haven't finished writing our site, I don't feel I can comment, but as a potential customer, I was surprised I couldn't see any pictures of the outside of the house.
There seems to be a lot of grey/blue. The pictures you have are great, it would just be nice to see more.
Hope this helps
Vikki
There seems to be a lot of grey/blue. The pictures you have are great, it would just be nice to see more.
Hope this helps
Vikki
-
victoriac
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Bansko, Bulgaria & Canazei, Italy
- Contact:
I think the site looks very nice and clean but I would agree about putting the links in a line across the top, rather than floating - it just makes it easier for your visitors.
Also, as soon as you can I would add a bedroom photo - when we were getting our places ready I didn't have any bedroom photos on at first and I had so many emails asking for bedroom pics as people do like to know where they will be sleeping!
It does look very nice so try not to worry too much as you are definitely on the right track.
Also, as soon as you can I would add a bedroom photo - when we were getting our places ready I didn't have any bedroom photos on at first and I had so many emails asking for bedroom pics as people do like to know where they will be sleeping!
It does look very nice so try not to worry too much as you are definitely on the right track.
I don't know how much you have changed in the light of the above comments but I like the home page, although the photos are too dark. We are in the same sort of area in the UK (just inside Wales) and can therefore make the following comments which may be relevant:
- public transport is very important as a large proportion of our visitors come for the walking so I think the bus and train references on the home page are good
- the main thing I couldn't find on the home page is the number of people the house sleeps - this is vital to avoid frustration for guests - and for you, getting unsuitable enquiries. I would say it sleeps 4-5 but emphasize to any party of 5 that the 5th is a sofa bed.
- we get very few foreign bookings
- lots of bookings are for weekends, at best long weekends. We do get bookings for 1 or 2 weeks but we need the short bookings to make ends meet
- Charles Cawley, who runs an agency for border properties, is on this forum and will be able to tell you more about last minute bookings.
If I knew how to get the level of bookings for Wales that we get for Bavaria, I would be on a beach right now, instead of this forum!
- public transport is very important as a large proportion of our visitors come for the walking so I think the bus and train references on the home page are good
- the main thing I couldn't find on the home page is the number of people the house sleeps - this is vital to avoid frustration for guests - and for you, getting unsuitable enquiries. I would say it sleeps 4-5 but emphasize to any party of 5 that the 5th is a sofa bed.
- we get very few foreign bookings
- lots of bookings are for weekends, at best long weekends. We do get bookings for 1 or 2 weeks but we need the short bookings to make ends meet
- Charles Cawley, who runs an agency for border properties, is on this forum and will be able to tell you more about last minute bookings.
If I knew how to get the level of bookings for Wales that we get for Bavaria, I would be on a beach right now, instead of this forum!
Thank you for all the comments! As I said originally, this site isnt intended to be slick, we cant afford it and Daniel, our nephew already agreed he would only create a basic site as a reference point so this is all that's intended for now. So lots of links and detailed graphics, etc are not something we are that concerned about right now.
However I appreciate the advice and already feel the same way about pictures. We have already asked our nephew Daniel to update the site with a larger gallery with lots more photos including the bedrooms, outside, garden, bathroom. I will ask him to simplify the home page links into a list.
However I appreciate the advice and already feel the same way about pictures. We have already asked our nephew Daniel to update the site with a larger gallery with lots more photos including the bedrooms, outside, garden, bathroom. I will ask him to simplify the home page links into a list.
Website feedback From You Folks!!
Can't you ask Daniel to change 'tarrif' to 'tariff' for you??? One sees it misspelt so often and I can't be the only person to find it annoying! Can I?!