To redesign or no

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by Hansman, Jun 3, 2009.

  1. #1
    Hello,

    I run www.nopests.com and we do pest control in New York, NJ, and CT.

    We are debating weather or not to redevelop and redesign the website due to lack of a back end, making it very difficult to update.

    We compete with Orkin (orkin.com)

    I would like to redesign to make it a cleaner more easy to navigate interface, and inform visitors of everything we offer. Also for SEO, and maximizing the amount of keywords is why i think to redesign.

    Let me know what you think
     
    Hansman, Jun 3, 2009 IP
  2. Martin K

    Martin K Active Member

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    #2
    first of all i thing you don't need these "huge" buttons in the header. You don't need 200x200 box for 3-5 words :) I thing you have enough space to put your keywords, often not the lack of free space is the problem, but the author writing abilities. However, if you need more space you can simply extend the "width" attribute, you don't need total redesign. Of course it's up to you to redesign or not.
     
    Martin K, Jun 3, 2009 IP
  3. morg

    morg Peon

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    #3
    I didn't even realize those things in the header were buttons until i hovered my mouse over them i suggest using something more universally known as a navigation bar.
     
    morg, Jun 3, 2009 IP
  4. masterx07

    masterx07 Guest

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    #4
    I agree that the navigation button should be changed. They are also placed over your left side menu on the homepage. Also the background should be one color -- the site is already very coloful, so the background should be simple and a unique matching color.
     
    masterx07, Jun 3, 2009 IP
  5. 3drendering

    3drendering Peon

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    #5
    I agree with all please Try to do this...
     
    3drendering, Jun 3, 2009 IP
  6. bluebenz

    bluebenz Well-Known Member

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    #6
    I think if you compared with orkin then you will want to redesign you website.
    If you have problem with the back-end, this is a good starting point to make your website working by finding a new web developer company/firms.

    But honestly, for me, design is only take 10% -20% of your success in bussiness.
     
    bluebenz, Jun 4, 2009 IP
  7. dreaminjected

    dreaminjected Active Member

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    #7
    Be careful about a complete redesign, you may find yourself docked a bit by Google search engines. You can get back to where you were, just takes time. This has happened to us once before.
     
    dreaminjected, Jun 4, 2009 IP
  8. shelle

    shelle Peon

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    #8
    I'm gonna go against the grain here.... I don't actually think you need a re-design. I think there are areas that if tweaked would hugely improve your design. The big buttons and the picture of the couple at the top right of the page for example look off-centre and out of place. Also kind of makes it look like a dentists website.

    I personally think the orkin website looks boring and generic. What you could take from their website are their call to action strategies, such as the schedule service now box that they have in their flash header box. At the moment, your home page isn't really driving me anywhere.
     
    shelle, Jun 5, 2009 IP
  9. Hansman

    Hansman Peon

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    #9
    i have given this a lot of thought, I would like to implement a Wordpress background, to make it easier to edit information and to expand the website. Some design tweaks would also be needed to remove the stock photograpghy, and fix the bottom menu buttons(sometimes the page lods odd)

    Do you think some how implementing the blog feed on the homepage would be beneficial for SEO?
     
    Hansman, Jun 5, 2009 IP
  10. Gallabanga

    Gallabanga Peon

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    #10
    Is that a template from template monster? looks kinda familiar...
     
    Gallabanga, Jun 5, 2009 IP
  11. Straightupimp

    Straightupimp Peon

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    #11
    Change The Nav Bar For Sure
     
    Straightupimp, Jun 6, 2009 IP
  12. B.Kenis

    B.Kenis Peon

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    #12
    I would change the nav bar too
     
    B.Kenis, Jun 6, 2009 IP
  13. reliableguy1

    reliableguy1 Peon

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    #13
    Hello..

    I ill suggest you to Re-Design Your website from any Freelance Web Designer. like i am dealing with one freelance webdesigner hafizkhurram dot com

    Bye
     
    reliableguy1, Jun 13, 2009 IP
  14. jezzz

    jezzz Notable Member

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    #14
    Yup! slight modification required to the top of page! because it not looks much unique & professional
     
    jezzz, Jun 13, 2009 IP
  15. madihrb

    madihrb Member

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    #15
    Yes the site needs to redesign, as it middle fonts are too small which makes difficult to read whereas on the other site it header buttons are too big.
     
    madihrb, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  16. BadBoyzStudioZ

    BadBoyzStudioZ Peon

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    #16
    Here is the deal:

    Site looks fine. You are gonna get people who design sites hitting you up now because you mentioned a buzzword they look for. Not really necessary. Let me explain why I say that.

    Your business is not about websites. You are not an eCommerce site that depends heavily on traffic to sell merchandise. I doubt that you sell many pesticides in the mail or on eBay, probably laws against that. You are a service oriented business that generally works through word of mouth and referrals from satisfied customers. Am I right?

    OK... Well, your website is no more than a glorified business card. A brochure. Your main source of advertising dollar is probably better spent on local television, radio, or hard copy news advertising. People may come to your site once, but I can guarantee that unlike YouTube, you are not a social mecca. It is designed to give customers two things...

    1.) A reference brochure to follow up from a referral. A customer mentions you, a TV ad, or an employee hands out a business card.

    2.) To establish a support mechanism for current customers to go online with any issues or to reorder/order a service.

    Your website is never going to be your main revenue source. You are not selling software, ebooks, or any digitally accessible product or service. You only "represent" on the Internet.

    You can take it from there. The site looks fine and all you might want to do is review the navigation (I did not do anything like that), ensure that you are facilitating any vistor and they can contact you with ease. Other than that... I would not waste my money on a redesign.

    That is my opinion. It is not advise, it is what I have experienced. You can go from there.
     
    BadBoyzStudioZ, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  17. lorddan01

    lorddan01 Active Member

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    #17
    To compete with the other site, I suggest you make the interface more user friendly. It is unclear initially that the large buttons are infact navigation, but I disagree with other posters on this thread, I feel that they complement the sites theme since no other Pest images are present.

    Your logo I personally think is not suited to the theme, and if you redesign it you should consider an accompanying favicon since your site currently displays a blank page favicon in my browser. Apart from them small changes, I like the site and its current navigation
     
    lorddan01, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  18. rustang289

    rustang289 Peon

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    #18
    You are going to have to redesign if you want more backend control. Covert all of your pages to a database.
    add an admin area to update those pages. The list can go on. And as far as your website not being your main source of revenue, 60% of consumers use search engines as their first tool to find local buisness and 60% buy from those buisness. Having the ability to update your website yourself is very important and will save you $ in the long run. shop around for a good web devopment company remeber the next one is just one click away.
    I think the problem you are going to have is finding a web devoloper who is willing build a website that you can update! That won't cost you lots of $:)
     
    rustang289, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  19. rebelinlove

    rebelinlove Peon

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    #19
    Yes, I definitely reccommend redisigning your site to keep up with competition. The background should be more consistent too. You ought to use one background style for the whole page reather than cutting it off at one point.
     
    rebelinlove, Jun 17, 2009 IP