Need some advice.

1) Excluding the search feature what is the most important link (to you) found on the main page of a search engine?

Links to news items

2) What are the biggest pitfalls you?ve seen other directories make with their front page?

Trying to fit too much on the page. See http://www.canada.com for a good example. It's hard to find anything when absolutely everything is there. Keep it simple.

3) Are there any special layouts that you think would make a search directory really stand out?

As I said above, keep it simple yet organized. The link I gave above is quite organized for example, but too complex. Yahoo! IMO is simple yet disoranized. Find a balance between the two.

4) Are there any special features that could be added to the front page, which would be of great value and interest to you?

Links to current news headlines. I like the way Yahoo does this.

5) Should a portion of the front page contain information of something specific? And if so what?

Maybe links to new features of the site or something like that.. or a site of the day type thing.

6) Excluding search information what links could be provided that would keep you coming back to the directory?

The directory should contain links (that work) to quality sites. I find that half the sites in Yahoo's directory either haven't been updated in years or just aren't there.

7) Do you find scrolling and fading text annoying?

Yes.

Quote: Originally posted by zag

1) Excluding the search feature what is the most important link (to you) found on the main page of a search engine?

If you look at the most successful search engine out there, Google, you can learn a lot. They have no bells or whistles. If people are going to use your site, I would limit what is on the front page, specifically large graphics or javascripting. I would also make sure that your search is relevant and speedy. Upon testing it, it was speedy but not relevant. For instance, a search on Terrorism or Bin Laden yielded 0 records.

my search engine of choice is google, why? cause I dont have to try find the box to enter what i'm looking for, dont get blasted with annoying flashy banners or graphics, arent forced to "click here to win" ... win this, win that ...

all I want to do is search, nothing else

I think the worst search sites would be yahoo, excite and search.com among others.

When you go to a search engine dont you already know what you want to search for? why do they have all these topics? cant I just type in the item I want and look thru the listings?

simple is clean, clean is nice ....

search engines like everything else has gone commercial, which sucks, on any site I will not click a banner to enter, I will not enter my email address and will never pay to view a site or to have one listed.

sorry it wasnt in the order you asked the questions but I think I answered them all.

good luck

Directories are helpful sometimes though. If I'm looking for a general topic I usually go with directory, because that will often give me the best sites on the subject rather than having to sort through search results etc. From reading what zag posted in his introduction it sounds like this is what GoGuides is trying to do.

I really appreciate all the feedback. After reviewing all the comments I made some changes to the design. What about this for the basic look?

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/index1.html

Added news links and cut out most scripting and added a new “navigation bar”. I also added extra links pointing inside the directory to make searching easier.

Am I on the right track are should I go back to the drawing board again?

Quote: Upon testing it, it was speedy but not relevant. For instance, a search on Terrorism or Bin Laden yielded 0 records.

Info added by another member on Team Support.)

Thanks for all the help!

zag

Looks good. A couple of things:

1. Move the search box down a bit and lose the CSS colouring or at least make it paler so it's easier for people to recognize as a form box

2. Rearrange your directory sections so they go alphabetically down one column and then down another column instead of from left to right, then down > left > right. This will make it easier to find things. Make sure the headers line up horizontally too.

3. Redesign the logo. I'm really not too keen on the colours you've chosen - maybe try a pallette of primary colours and definitely lose that drop shadow!

4. Navbar: do you really need the drop down's? I would be inclined to keep it simple and just use regular links. THey seem to be acting weirdly in NS 6.1 too.

What do the little stick figures beside the site listings mean?

Ok, I was just looking at it ready to write something, then it refreshed itself. No idea why....

Anyway, it's back again.

The top navigation,
Hmm.. isn't needed, depending on how many links you end up having I would place them all down the bottom of every page in small font like other sites do e.g:

link | link | link

etc.. blaaa..

Or, if you are going to have lots of links and bits'n'bobs, then how about splitting the search engine/directory apart from it.
So, on the front page, have the search box, directory links etc. then a link to GoGuides.org the site ?
Im not sure how you could go about that because im tired, but I hope you get the idea.

The right hand table, with news etc. is too big. Like has already been said, keep your front page small, fast and pleasent. Again, already said, but Google is the dog's bo**ocks of SE's.

Banner ad, is it needed ? No-one clicks them and it looks terrible. Instead, do the same as google and offer a sponsors box that lies on top.

I have portal site if you are interested at taking a look. Not a SE directly, but does have a directory/SE in it. I hope my front page works the way it is supposed to.

Best of luck, time for food....

Didn't put the topics in order (can later) but what about this design?

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/index4.html

I think this is more inline with the feedback I'm getting.)

zag

the layouts a lot cleaner but the search box now is kind of tucked away in the corner.

how about

---------
banner
---------
search bar
---------
news
---------
search topics
---------

expanding across the page (just an idea)

The kids and family font needs a little tweak to match the rest.

I like the second layout best but it looks somewhat boring now! Don't like the logo at all - font or colour, I don't find Comic Sans at all professional looking. Go back to the previous one with the teletubbies on it

So I'm getting a "thumbs up" on this part of the design?

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/index6.html

zag

That's a yes from me

They're not teletubbies...not a one of them is purple and they don't have little mirrors on their tummies!

But thanks for saying we should stick with them, though. I agree, especially in light of recent events.

Our logo's little people come from that old children's song, part of which goes, "Red, brown, yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight..." and are a representation that we are all one people working together. Narrowing it down a bit, we are all one family at GoGuides.Org...

I'm following this discussion with a lot of interest, so y'all keep it up!

Cheers!
gayl

PRAY FOR AN END TO THE MADNESS!

Hiya Gayl, you confussed me for a minute, I take it you are part of the GoGuides family then. Welcome to TWF

Yes, ma'am...I'm a GoGuide.

Thank you for letting us talk it out here on this board!

: )
gayl

Hi, was going to explain the 'teletubbies' but I see that Gayl already did a fine job of that...: )

Thanks for giving us your input, I too am following this thread with great interest.

Laurie (also a member of GoGuides.org Team Support ~S~)

Welcome Laurie

How many of you are there????

Thank-you for the welcome..: ) If you mean how many are there in Team Support, there are 6 of us.

Laurie

Another GoGuide.
Just saying thanks to all who've looked the site over. Please keep the suggestions coming. I agree with Megan's review.

I do think there needs to be a difference in the reviewing of a "Search Engine" and a "Directory". Not sure if the comparing of Google to a directory is comparing apples to apples. I do understand the principle of simplicity that was being expressed in the comparison.

Zag, I agree with Webmistress on the last design.

Tony

What about this design?

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/index8.html

zag

Relevancy? I entered a search for Scottish Fold, which is a breed of cat. (I have two of them.) 9 results, none of which had anything to do with the search. So I went back and tried it in quotation marks, which is usually the definition of a phrase, and got the same 9 results, none of which had anything to do which my search.

I'm the webmaster for a USAF Korean War veterans group. So I searched on "Korean War". Again nothing relevant came up. Your site brings up pages on "Jewish Americans in the Civil War" and "Alabama African American Genealogy" when I did a search for "Korean War"?

Sorry, but your site isn't real helpful to me. I wouldn't bookmark it and I wouldn't go back.

I like that one & welcome aboard Tony.

I too have a directory but it is clearly billed as a business directory, listing sites that cover a certain area (the south coast of England). Maybe to get away from people assuming it's a search engine (and coming up with irrelevant searches) you need some kind of statement of what type of sites you have listed and if they cover a particular area??? Also what software do you have running your search?

TheGizmoid,

why not add some sites you find relavant to help other searchers? I'm sure there will be many that could benefit from you knowledge.

We are looking for help on design ideas on our new directory. What did you see you liked on the designs posted here? What didn't you like? etc.

Thanks,

Tony

zag,

I like the new design 8. The body needs centered though.

TL

For Gizmoid...

I'm sorry you couldn't find what you were looking for, but you must remember we are a fledgling site. Perhaps a better response would have been to volunteer to add some of your favorite sites? We can use all the good help we can get!

I've added some Scottish Fold sites this morning, so your search results should yield some relevant results.

Again, please don't hold our newness against us. Come on down and help!

Cheers!
: )
gayl
GoGuides Team Support

Well, I went back and see that you did add some Scottish Fold sites. Sadly, not mine, so I went ahead and submitted it, as well as the Korean War site and hubby's computer site. But when I tried to go to page 2, I got "Error 400 Bad Request" and when I use my back button get "Data Missing". This was in NS4.6 (Mac). It seemed to work okay in IE4.0.

My point about relevancy was that I'd rather see "no results matched your search" than to see stuff that is entirely irrelevant or to have to search through the chaff to find the wheat.

As for the design, well, I'm not real crazy about the logo. I think I'd separate out the navigation bar.

One of the first things I noticed on the main page is that the center column appears to be wider than the left one.

In IE the search bar is a lavendar color that doesn't really go with the blues in the logo. It's white in NS.

It took me a minute to realize that the categories *are* alphabetized but that they're horizontal rather than vertical. I think most people are more used to vertical.

Other than that, the layout seems good, navigation is consistent and logical, loads fast on a 33.6.

Good luck with it.

Wow! If all our GoGuides put as much thought into our site as you did today........!!!

Thank you for giving me a chance to make it better, and thank you for the great analysis....and with which I agree....except for the logo part and I'm kinda partial to it. : P

I'm very glad you added your favorite sites. I just simply ran out of time this morning, or would have done more. Sad to say, my time is seldom spent adding sites these days, but I can when I really need to do it! LOL

Hopefully, you will keep an eye on us, let us know when we're going astray, and give us a pat on the back or a kick in the pants as needed in the future.

Muchly appreciated!
: )
gayl

I know this is going to sound bad, and I dont mean it to but its looking like a pop up site now, well not a site, just a pop up.

try this; have the page showing on your screen, turn your has away for a minute or so then turn back, what do you see, what catchs your eye first?
I got the personal animated banner, so first impression would be uh oh, porn site, wheres that X.

I realise a search site is probably one of the hardest topics to layout but I feel (and this is just my opinion) that it needs to feel more personal, lived in, more user friendly instead of a robot.

The logo isnt related to the rest of the page by shape or color so looks like more advertising, the power ranges (i didnt say telly tubbies ) maybe make the top banner (navy blue, light blue, navy blue) blend around the page, make a skinny side border and bottom with curved inner corners - give it some feel, some life, some oomph, the search result pages have part of a bottom to it already.

Just curious, since there are six of you doing this, shouldnt it show six figures on the name? or maybes it just not related

(I'll get off my soap box in a sec ) A couple of things I always search for is exchange rates and tutorials, searching for exchnage rates gave me 35 results but topics seem to be rates for houses etc, am I meant to use quotes for two words? do I seperate words by commas? Also while on the results page it doesnt show me what i have searched for, except in the title bar.

I also did a search on NZ, got 3 results which all related to NZ in some way or another so is good but did a search for new zealand and got 154 results, on the first page of results there are three with more than one person icon, one being uterine fibroma treatment (2 people), another being the family based vining racing (3 people)(never heard of them before) and the other with 3 people is a new orleans USA street ghost stories site, you have nz rugby on that page but is only person icon, should be 5 if they are meant to show how realvent to the search they are.
The second page has no new zealand related sites, nor the third but has a lot of 2 and 3 people icons

Sorry for being picky, just thought Id bring these things to your attention.

good luck

All your comments are very much appreciated.

Say.....have you given any thought to joining us? We can surely use an experienced graphics person!!! [That invitation is open to all who have made these great observations.]

I cannot address the search function, but have sent previous concerns and questions off to our programmer(s).

The colors will (eventually) come together. That's a promise, so it's not a big concern at the moment. As for the five figures in the logo....as I stated above, they're related to the words of the song...."red, brown, yellow, black and white" and that is why there are five of them. The number of members of Team Support have no relevance to the logo. But it was a good question. : )

Thanks for the good wishes and the advice, and I hope you will watch our progress and let us know how we're doing on down the road....and if you decide to join us, the more the merrier!

I like this forum!

: )
gayl

Little more advice please.

GoGuides.Org has two different designs for the front page. Please let us know which design you would like to see us use and what we could do to improve the design you like. All feedback (good or bad) is greatly appreciated.

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/index9.html

http://www.goguides.org/repair/test/indexpaul.html

Thanks,
zag

I like index9 since it's easier to read. I do like the fact the second one fits on the page, but is too hard to read.

Just wanted to thank everyone for your help on design.
Using suggestions from here we finally decided on the page we have loaded.

TL
GoGuides

I don't remember this site for some reason but it looks nice.

I think our front page turned out great www.goguides.org and for that I really appreciate all the feedback from here. I also think this forum is a great place for getting advice so we placed a link just off our front page "Public Help Forums" that links to this message board! Hope it sends this site a ton of traffic down the road.

zag

1) Excluding the search feature what is the most important link (to you) found on the main page of a search engine?

The Directory. (Used more than search engine)

2) What are the biggest pitfalls you’ve seen other directories make with their front page?

Too much info and advertising on the front page.

3) Are there any special layouts that you think would make a search directory really stand out?

Keep it simple.

4) Are there any special features that could be added to the front page, which would be of great value and interest to you?

Anything related to the subject I am searching.

5) Should a portion of the front page contain information of something specific? And if so what?

It should be related to the subject I am searching.

6) Excluding search information what links could be provided that would keep you coming back to the directory?

Forum. That's the main one I would use a lot.

7) Do you find scrolling and fading text annoying?

Yes. It also seems to slow page downloads.