Content Ideas for a Broker's Website - Ideas Wanted!

[NYCSavage]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the Mods (with a commercial link ) here is the starting point:-

Jackson Yacht Services Jersey Channel Islands

Had a quick look at the website you designed and I can see what you are trying with it, I do have a few negative comments about it:

Firstly, there is no fluidity about it
Usability is none existent
Menus are found in different positions
Layouts change on each page (uniformity)

And now the positives:
I like the background
erm...it works! lol

As a web designer I'd love to help, problem is that with the work (and coding) required, the money involved would be at least 4 figures! The site would need to be coded in PHP, a new easy to use CMS feature would need to be included for ease of use for the owner, a new colour scheme created, all the boats listings would need to be added, and thats not even adding the time for all this :s

Jackson Yachts might as well give me a nice 20-30ft sailboat lol

I hope you take this as constructive, but I would first get the code working, then redesign the skin to sit on top of the page

Good luck with your project

[David_Old_Jersey]

Thanks for the feedback .

Originally Posted by NYCSavage

Had a quick look at the website you designed and I can see what you are trying with it, I do have a few negative comments about it:

Firstly, there is no fluidity about it
Usability is none existent
Menus are found in different positions
Layouts change on each page (uniformity)

And now the positives:
I like the background
erm...it works! lol

As a web designer I'd love to help, problem is that with the work (and coding) required, the money involved would be at least 4 figures! The site would need to be coded in PHP, a new easy to use CMS feature would need to be included for ease of use for the owner, a new colour scheme created, all the boats listings would need to be added, and thats not even adding the time for all this :s

Jackson Yachts might as well give me a nice 20-30ft sailboat lol

I hope you take this as constructive, but I would first get the code working, then redesign the skin to sit on top of the page

Good luck with your project

Time to fess up, this has been on the back burner (for 6 weeks now?)........the website is still as I found it - and me not being a Computer Mumbo jumboist is essentialy what I will have to work with (the fella who built it - 6 or 7 years ago? - is still around and "supports" the website (no idea what that actually involves - likely next to SFA), so a few tweeks may be possible (especially if someone starts rasing the question of WTF are you actually charging for? )....but no budget for a blank page approach (by him or anyone else).

But given the size of the likely boat listings (in the dozens not the hundreds) I think the limitations can be worked around (mostly I think by adding extra blank pages - within the website or externally) - at least to bring into the circle of "good enough" as my take is it will be all about the content, with the website being very much secondary............Time will tell on that of course! (note to self: get off arse ).

[NYCSavage]

Just re-read my post and realised that I may have sounded a little too negative and so for that, I am sorry.

But on thing I must pick up on:

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

But given the size of the likely boat listings (in the dozens not the hundreds) I think the limitations can be worked around (mostly I think by adding extra blank pages - within the website or externally) - at least to bring into the circle of "good enough" as my take is it will be all about the content, with the website being very much secondary............Time will tell on that of course! (note to self: get off arse ).

It doesn't matter if it is 1 listing or 1,000,000 listings, the same code still needs to be designed plus it allows for future growth at Jackson Yacht Sails. I don't quite get what you mean about adding blank pages. What is the point?

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

the website is still as I found it - and me not being a Computer Mumbo jumboist is essentialy what I will have to work with (the fella who built it - 6 or 7 years ago? - is still around and "supports" the website (no idea what that actually involves - likely next to SFA), so a few tweeks may be possible (especially if someone starts rasing the question of WTF are you actually charging for?

Lol if your client provided a 30ft (plus) Beneteau as payment, I'd give him a website that he would be proud of, 5 years support PLUS a way for people to actually find his website (using enhanced SEO tricks)

Haha give him my number

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by NYCSavage

Just re-read my post and realised that I may have sounded a little too negative and so for that, I am sorry.

I didn't take it that way at all. My response was not intended as defensive - just trying to explain where I am in this.

But on thing I must pick up on:

It doesn't matter if it is 1 listing or 1,000,000 listings, the same code still needs to be designed plus it allows for future growth at Jackson Yacht Sails. I don't quite get what you mean about adding blank pages. What is the point?

Lol if your client provided a 30ft (plus) Beneteau as payment, I'd give him a website that he would be proud of, 5 years support PLUS a way for people to actually find his website (using enhanced SEO tricks)

Haha give him my number

In an ideal world there would be a blank piece of paper - and a budget to match. but there ain't either . There is not even a budget for me , so I can't really say the Broker is a "client" (especially as building websites is not what I do). Call it half a favour, with an eye on the future - depending on the results, which may one day turn into cash for related stuff (probably won't though!). Besides, I have been on a very good deal on the yard's working mooring for a few years now.........

My take is that the existing website is good enough ("hey look, we are a boatyard - doing boatyard stuff" ) - the yard has been going in same location since WWII so is fairly well known locally , so a website does not add anything fundamental - but nonetheless this being the 21st century IMO good to have one.......I see the listing side as part of the website, but seperate (at present part of - but in the future could standalone, whether a DIY abortion or simply by buying in from Yachtworld or similar)........and what makes the listing good (or not!) will simply be the content. Where the Listings will fall down on is a lack of funkiness or searchability, but that is what it is.......the blank page thing is simply using whatever can be obtained online for free (from outside the exiting website - with link(s) from the current (minimal!) info, likely to host something directly off an Excel Spreadsheet. In your technical terms that likely to be called a DIY abortion . and you are probably right ).

The main "problem" will be getting into Google etc (SEO) - but not a fundamental problem given we are a small island getting known (again) locally as having an active brokerage is not a biggie and not really a Google thing. A few links here and there, plus word of mouth should do the trick............However, it would be nice to be able to tempt a couple of folks over to Jersey now and again for a boat - and therefore appearing well in Mr Google would be useful (and where Yachtworld does work very well - my feeling is that for most brokerages it is the SEO ).......at some point it may become useful to spend some money on that end. But I doubt the budget will be 30' Beneteau! But that for later.

No doubt once (if?!) something does materialise that the website will get lots of "input" . and some of it likely fair comment.....

[NYCSavage]

Ok, reading between the lines.....no boat? lol

On serious note, I charge between £150 and £1,000 a WEEK for SEO work and I know some people charge in excess of £5,000 a week! The higher the competition niche, the higher the money, eg someone wanting page 1 on loans or viagra will cost a lot more than someone who wants page 1 on the subject of eating fruit (a bit random but my daughter is sat in front of me eating an orange as I type this). Google have changed things now so its not just a do something once and be on page 1, now its do this 1 thing plus 20 other things on a daily basis plus do that 1 extra thing that your competition arnt doing to get it to stay on page 1 lol

So my advice to you/your client is buy multiple books about SEO (preferably those that talk about "Penguin" changes, and spend a good 2 or 3 hours every weekday working on SEO. Working on this at weekends would be advantageous also

Best of luck

[hellosailor]

David, I think I'd totally disagree about the web site. yes, it uses old code but personally I'd say to get a book on HTML3.2, "incredibly old code" and that will make the site vastly simpler AND MORE SECURE and let you knock it out in one weekend, even starting with knowing nothing.

Static pages? Who cares, there's no need for zooming logos and interactive whatnots there. The existing code includes hooks for Javascript, and *every* active scripting technology is also a security risk and a complication that creates compatibility issues for some viewers. You don't need any of that newfangled crap that has been making the web such a hard place to visit these days. (For instance, MS IE9 fails to load about half the pages on the web, and that's with the security settings on default, not turned up higher.)

Yes, the pages do float about a bit. Mainly the "location" page breaks the template, but it isn't that hard to make one template and then use it for all your pages. These days, there are A LOT of packages, many free or cheap, some free from web hosting companies, that will offer you dozens of templates to use. Or, you can just take one of the pages from the existing web site, clean it out, make it your primary template and roll from there.

Don't even need CSS really, HTML 3.2 will do very nicely and adding a "contact form" to give folks an option to fill in a form & have it sent to you, will be the hardest task because that will require some type of scripting, which depends on what type of host your site is running on. (The ISP should be able to clue you in or give you a start on that.)

What is the saying? A camel is a mule designed by a committee? Avoid the temptation to make it a glitzy "Yachtworld" site full of features it doesn't need. Yet. Clean it up a little, then take your time going forward adding features when or if there's enough inventory to make them really useful--not just "pretty pretty shiny shiny". Oh look, there's a squirrel! <G>

[David_Old_Jersey]

Much to think about.........

........also some stuff to actually do .

[NYCSavage]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

David, I think I'd totally disagree about the web site. yes, it uses old code but personally I'd say to get a book on HTML3.2, "incredibly old code" and that will make the site vastly simpler AND MORE SECURE and let you knock it out in one weekend, even starting with knowing nothing.

Static pages? Who cares, there's no need for zooming logos and interactive whatnots there. The existing code includes hooks for Javascript, and *every* active scripting technology is also a security risk and a complication that creates compatibility issues for some viewers. You don't need any of that newfangled crap that has been making the web such a hard place to visit these days. (For instance, MS IE9 fails to load about half the pages on the web, and that's with the security settings on default, not turned up higher.)

Yes, the pages do float about a bit. Mainly the "location" page breaks the template, but it isn't that hard to make one template and then use it for all your pages. These days, there are A LOT of packages, many free or cheap, some free from web hosting companies, that will offer you dozens of templates to use. Or, you can just take one of the pages from the existing web site, clean it out, make it your primary template and roll from there.

Don't even need CSS really, HTML 3.2 will do very nicely and adding a "contact form" to give folks an option to fill in a form & have it sent to you, will be the hardest task because that will require some type of scripting, which depends on what type of host your site is running on. (The ISP should be able to clue you in or give you a start on that.)

What is the saying? A camel is a mule designed by a committee? Avoid the temptation to make it a glitzy "Yachtworld" site full of features it doesn't need. Yet. Clean it up a little, then take your time going forward adding features when or if there's enough inventory to make them really useful--not just "pretty pretty shiny shiny". Oh look, there's a squirrel! <G>

I couldn't have out it better myself (although we disagree on 3.2). If your doing any reading up then you might as well do it on as new a version as possible. In this case, if the site has no bells and whistles, then why not just use HTML 5?

[hellosailor]

"In this case, if the site has no bells and whistles, then why not just use HTML 5? "
I remember HTML 3.2 being supported very nicely by "all" the browsers, and with the shift to HTML4 the web turned to a mess. I don't think HTML5 fixed that, it is still a case of "well, this page works in that browser but that page doesn't..."
So, the oldest simplest solution. Although I wouldn't be surprised to hear some genius pulled support for the legacy code, somewhere.

Which is not to say that hiring a pro, who will know odd quirks and anticipate future needs, isn't a better way to go. But for dave, here and now on a near zero budget and timeframe? A box of templates, whatever old HTML book is in the library, one long weekend and he should be good to go.

[NYCSavage]

PM sent, hope it helps