Home Page Blues, I need your eyes Options

[Syne Wave]

I have a sound studio and have made a web site for it to help generate business.
Although I get hits, I don't get any business from it. SO I wanted to ask your unbiased opinion on my home page.
I read so many of these advice columns about web pages and how to make them work. SO I am thinking that perhaps I have got it wrong - maybe.
I would be really grateful if some of you folks would cast an optic over it and post me back some constructive suggestions.
First one is that if you don't have broadband it loads too slowly. I know.
HOME PAGE only please.
Thanx
www.soniczone.co.uk

[swilder]

well dude.. I don't want to rain on your parade. but look at your website. then go look at the websites for other pro sites.

the hit factory
http://www.harrisgrant.com/projects/hitfac...tory-about.html

tell me. which studio would you rather record at?

Scott

[minskybabs]

Hi there mate, youre homepage looks OK for a first attempt, but remember less is more!

You are asking a huge question what is wrong - good advice from the previous poster Scott to look at other studio sites. Remember if you view the source you can see how they made their page if you know web design.

In all seriousness you may need to get a graphic designer to design the look and feel, or best of all a graphic/web designer to do it all. Maybe a musical one who needs a cheap/free demo?

Think of an anolgy, would a first time singer sound better than Elvis/Robert Plant/Janis Joplin (insert your favourite singers name here).

Answer - there is a very small possibility, but it is highly unlikely!

There are loads of places to look on the web with design ideas, it can be very personal and subjective, I personally don't like animated gifs, centre aligned text, "wacky typefaces" or purple and green colour combinations, and why have you used images for your text? But this may be just me, someone else may love it!

Simple simple simple is a great starting point for a site, optimise you images to keep filesize down, look at some of the templates you can get for Dreamweeaver or on various CSS tutorial site. Never use Frontpage themes. If you are exporting from a Graphics programme you may be able to export text or have empty divs etc. I have fast broadband at work and it took a LLLLOOOOONNNG time to load the whole page.

But finally remember, why would you choose a studio? I would never choose one based on just it's website, I would want a personal recommendation, or at least an opportunity to hear some work... A website can't make you money on its own, but unfortunately it can make people think you are a bit amateur and scare them away!

Keep on trying, find something you like and "imitate" it.

Good luck Minsskybabs.

[X4fer]

Hey, coupla thoughts... First, I think it's a nice site. Congratulations. I tend to think it's wasteful energy to think the calls aren't coming in because the site isn't as nice as a much larger and well financed outfit.

In fact, ME, I might consider your site before some of those nicer ones because even if I'd rather record at the high-end place, I probably couldn't afford it, so I might actually be more drawn to a site that looks like it was designed by the business owner him(her)self. So don't let that stuff discourage you.

In the realm of (hopfully) constructive feedback, I thought of a couple of things while on your site. First, I would like to see a picture of the engineer's room. You could use it on the "check out the equipment" page. Something that just gives us an idea that the place looks reasonably well organized and "together."

Of course, a picture doesn't tell me whether or not your skills and the equipment itself is any good! So....

You might consider including a sample mp3 or two of stuff you've recorded and mixed. Better yet, put some testimonials from clients on a page, so we can at least get some quick references from folks who've paid you to do work for them.

Finally, just putting up a site won't do you much good if you're not in the search engines. You may have done this already, I don't know, but advertising the site is almost as important as publishing it. If people don't know it's there, they won't call you from it!

Good luck!

Daniel

This post has been edited by X4fer: Tue 22 Feb 2005, 16:41