Website Review and Suggestions

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 02:02 PM

Please take a look at my site
http://www.bayscapades.com

I am looking for ideas for content to ad that others might enjoy.

ways to make it more user friendly

Just any ideas to improve the site.

**skippytim** · 10-16-2006, 02:13 PM

ROFL,
Redo the entire thing. Trust me.
That wont get 2 visitors

**daytimetv** · 10-16-2006, 03:22 PM

I have to say I agree with skippy...

A good place to start would be to get rid of the backgound image and re-size your title bar so it's the same width as the rest of your page. After that I'd consider reducing the size of your ads, if not the number of ads. Some original content wouldn't go amiss, if all people wanted was google news, they'd just go to google.

**ADAM Web Design** · 10-16-2006, 03:39 PM

As harsh a criticism as the previous two are, they're absolutely right.

This site would have been "good" about 8 years ago but isn't now.

You have no original content, your code is a mess, you don't have a consistent theme throughout, and you're just dropping ads and affiliate marketing BS all over the place.

Start with an idea...an original idea. Build a skin around that idea. Don't even fill it in with content until you get the structure laid out.

Then, when you've got the structure laid out, drop in your original (that's a keyword here) content bit by bit and grow it out.

And lose things like counters, affiliate ads, etc. There's nothing wrong with the ads themselves, but they've been done to death and unless you're plugging the product specifically as opposed to just providing a link, they don't work.

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 03:40 PM

I took some of your advice (you guy go for the throat)
Anything construtive? like usful things to ad.

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 03:41 PM

By the way your not quite right I get about 1900 visitors a month.

**ADAM Web Design** · 10-16-2006, 03:52 PM

That's hard to say.

What is your site supposed to be about? Before we can suggest anything to do with content, you need to have a theme in mind for it. And right now, you really don't.

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 04:03 PM

I am not an web design expert but It seems to me that it is a news portal and search engine.

I also have a email reminder service ,a safelist ,and a banner exchange.

I can see where you are right there are lots of news pages I just dont know what to do with the site.

**ADAM Web Design** · 10-16-2006, 04:11 PM

Well...with the name of it, it almost sounds like it has something to do with the Bay Area. If that's true, and you're from there, that's your answer...focus on Oakland/San Francisco-type news.

Otherwise...I have no idea. News portal/search engine has been beaten into submission.

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 04:29 PM

I would like to get defensive and say your wrong, But my gut tells me your not. I think I will leave it as is for now and like you said come up with an good idea then build it test it and upload it . I do this as my hobby I only started about 4 months ago. I get lots of traffic to the safelist it grows by about 5 a day and the banner exchange is doing ok. I also have a geeklog site I uploaded last night I was thinking of replacing this site with But I cant think of a theme for it either

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 04:33 PM

one more thing. This is the one I put together last night. any ideas where to go with it?

May be I can make it more useful then bayscapades and then replace bayscapades with it.
http://www.bussniesssite.com

**skippytim** · 10-16-2006, 09:34 PM

Is it meant for SF/Oakland? I live near SF

**forumGuru** · 10-16-2006, 10:26 PM

One of the fundamental rules of effective HCI (human computer interaction) is to limit the number of ads and flashy animations. You have to be careful not to overwhelm them.

**bmcoll3278** · 10-16-2006, 10:46 PM

Thanks for the input.
I think I will scrap it for now and start from scratch. That was my first try and the feedback tells me I messed up.

I am starting a new forum on my other domain. It is a script so I did not do much of the design. I need moderators for it if your interested there are no posts yet so check it out and let me know you can use the contact link on the site

http://www.bussniesssite.com
And Thanks for the input on bayscapades I will start on the redesign soon.

the name was for a ebay store at first. Thats where it came from. bayscapades

**bmcoll3278** · 10-19-2006, 01:44 AM

Ok you guys tore me apart. I took your advise and started over. There will most likely be more changes but I found a theme ( free online games) and fresh relevant content an rss feed on gaming articles.

Hopefully it looks a little better take another look please.
http://www.bayscapades.com

**jason_bristol** · 10-19-2006, 04:45 PM

I'm not sure what it looked like first of all, but I'm don't like it.
Here are some things 'I' would change

-A better logo, some form of identity
-Lose the default blue colour is a must with the underlined text.
-Make the text on the right smaller.
-Pay more attention to detail. (eg the '1 User Online' is too big and too far left and just things like the under line on 'All games' is running off on the left, etc)
-I don't like the white foreground contrasting against the black background. I would say pick up to 3 complimentary colour and use these through out the design.
-Lose the serif typefaces
-Give the home page a synopsis

These are just things I would change. I hope some of these help.

**crush123** · 10-19-2006, 10:52 PM

there are too many images on the site
there are too many images
and are well optimised and small
it may take a long time to load on slow connections.
background color is not so attractive

**bmcoll3278** · 10-20-2006, 12:20 AM

Any sugestions for a bg color?

**Arleth** · 10-21-2006, 12:50 PM

users hate to scroll that much, why don´t you just put more pages into the website? It´s also kindda boring.