Quality Gift Store - I'm looking for improvements

Hi Blue,

Welcome to the forums! I've taken some time to look around this site. I think the colour scheme could use some improvement. The pink, and especially with the blue links, lacks sophistication. I like the black & white with a touch of pink in the logo. I think that would be a good look to use for the site.

I also think the layout could use some refinement. I'm sure you would want this to look more elegant than it does right now. Now it kind of looks cheap. Take, for example, all the clutter in the header. It's hard to focus on one thing in that area. The typography could use some refinement as well.

There are other little things I've noticed. Consider the big pink menu, for example. It's treated with a lot of emphasis, but it doesn't seem to be the primary menu you would want people to use. This is actually a secondary menu (you probably want people to focus on the product categories, not the information about the business). This menu should visually recede in comparison to the products menu on the left.

Another thing is the location of the breadcrumbs. This isn't the usual location for breadcrumbs, and I think most users probably won't see them there at all. As it is, they just add visual noise to the header.

Title tags should include some keywords and/or the name of the business - this is important for SEO. This is quite inconsistent across the site - some pages have the business name but some don't.

This isn't bad overall, but I think it could use refinement. I do like that there are good product photos, and I like the pop-up effect for enlargements. The shopping process is convenient and familiar. The close-ups on the towels are a very good idea. I also really appreciate the "what next" suggestion after something is added to the cart.

Hi Megan,

Thanks for your analysis and comments. Good points about the header, blue links, and meta tags. And I will look at emphasising the category menu.

I'm not sure where the breadcrumbs would go if not above the content - that's where they usually go in my experience.

We're going to focus the site and products more on gifts and gift baskets etc to better position the site in its niche. I think it's not entirely clear right now what the particular focus of the store is.

Your feedback is appreciated, thanks.

Blue

Your site is well organised and I like it. But there is a big advertising at the header of the page, and it distracts a little. So, I would better remove it, or place it to some less visible place.

Blue,

I like your site tremendously, but it seems as though your homepage is overloaded with information. when there is too much for the veiwer to see they tend to focus on one primary item or leave altogether and find a more appealing site. Items like the "Lismore Homeware Store - Online Homewares Australia" should probably be placed in it's own section or maybe on the page about the store. Hope this helps.

Hey, this is a nice site, these colors make me very comfortable!

Hi Paulclawsonclass and Pottiq,

Thanks for the feedback. I made colour alterations in line with Megan's recommendation and it looks better. Also a new background pattern and a few other things. I agree the home page is too busy and I will work on that in the forseeable future. Simple store homepages seem to be the go now and I presume are more effective.

Youre site has a nice overview and looks very clean. But still I miss some details in the elements of your website. Maybe you can make the pink come back more often in the site and some shadows will help I think.

Good luck