Rate this web site?

[tdn]

And don't sugarcoat it. Tell us what you really think!

http://www.steviesgourmetsalsa.com/

[Duckster]

First Impression: Visual Appearance - Simple and direct. Kinda boring. Is that all there is? Your salsa may be hot but the site is less than mild.

First Impression: Design - Amateur. Way too much white space. Leaves me wanting more. Don't center everything. Why must the menu be just a PDF? You can make a web page for fast lookers as well as a PDF for those who want to download a copy to carry.

First Impression: Code - Amateur. A rough mix of old coding techniques and new ideas. The design lends itself to a coordinated mix of tables (layout) and prersentation (CSS) but is not utilized very well. The design lends itself to an all-CSS site. No attempt made at accessibility.

[tdn]

Amateur and kinda -- what's the word? -- Cletus the Slackjawed Yokel-ish?

I agree especially on the PDF. That ain't gonna fly.

BTW, it's not my site, it's my cousin's. She's already stated that she doesn't really want to turn it into a web-based business. I think she's off to a good start.

[Duckster]

Well, you asked!

Yes, it's a start. I suggest she check out the open source web designs at http://www.oswd.org/ for inspiration and actual code she can use.

[Derleth]

The PDF-only menu is stupid, stupid, stupid. It will lose this place business. And you don't need Adobe Acrobat to read PDFs, despite what Adobe might want us to think.

The background images on the navigation bar are annoying. Do the colors need to change? No. Should I need to wait for an image to download? No. Why are they there?

That mailto: link is perfect spambot fodder. Expect the address to get more than it share of junk mail.

Why the hell is the 'Contact Us' page so complex? Do you really want phone numbers and fax numbers and work phone and home address and organization name and so on ad nauseum? If you want people to send you emails via the page, reduce it to a simple textbox. If you want it to be an order form, make it one.

All that said, it's a pretty good site. It is navigable (even relatively attractive) in Lynx, which is important if you want Google to like it and index it correctly. (You do. You really, really do.) There is a lack of the absolutely most annoying (non-PDF) Web faux pas, such as misuse of the FONT tag (if you're using it, you're most likely misusing it), Java (same deal), Flash (don't even think about it), and the reliance on Javascript for navigation. The information (except the all-important menu) is all clearly accessable and discoverable, and the use of color is fairly good.

It could be improved, mainly by simplfication, but it's got a good foundation to build on.

[Derleth]

Finally, one pet peeve I nearly missed: Why do you need a webcounter? Who the freak cares how many times your page has been hit? Webcounters are the intersection of vanity and technological ignorance. The information does nobody any good whatsoever, not even the webmaster (who is more concerned with actual logs and load averages), and presenting it to the public is tackier than tattooing your IQ across your forehead.

[Sal Ammoniac]

Originally Posted by tdn

Amateur and kinda -- what's the word? -- Cletus the Slackjawed Yokel-ish?

Oh, it's not that bad. In fact, if you were to rate all the websites on the planet, this would be in the top quartile. The bar is pretty low, after all. Think of the site as charmingly rustic, rather than yokelish.

How's the salsa, by the way?

[Evil Captor]

I liked the overall look of the site, but it has some serious problems.

First of all, the text has some grammatical problems. For example:

Stevie's Gourmet Salsa in Knoxville, Tennessee, is dedicated to providing you with homemade gourmet southwestern salsa to complement your Mexican cuisine. From chunky to sweet, my delicious condiments will make your mouth water. Our southwestern-style salsa is bursting with rich flavor and made with a complex combination of only the finest ingredients.

The first sentence is written in third person, the second sentence is in first person (MY delicious condiments) and the third sentence immediately switches back to third person (OUR southwestern style salsa). Pick a person and stick with it.

But it's the following text that really made my eyes roll back in my head:

With 3 great favors ranging from Mild—with just a hint of heat is appealing to most palates, Super Hot—For those that like to feel a little burn. It's not real hot, but has quite an after burn. And our signature favorite and one of our best sellers, same heat as the mild but with sweet and juicy pineapple chunks. From chunky to sweet, our delicious condiments will make your mouth water.

First of all, I only count two flavors (Mild and Super Hot) instead of three flavors listed. The sentence structure is all wrong. The simplest way to show what I mean is to write it out correctly: "With flavors ranting from Mild, with just a hint of heat, to Whatever, with Whatever heat, to Super Hot, for those who like to feel the burn, our salsas appeal to every palate."

Now, I think if you are going to call a salsa Super Hot you should not then describe it as "not real hot." It will confuse people. It confuses me.

But far worse than any of that is, as has already been pointed out, is the fact that the menu is on a PDF. I did not download that PDF. Many people will not download that PDF. Since you want to make it as easy as possible for people to order your products, putting your menu on a PDF is a REALLY BAD IDEA. What you want to do is provide a link to an HTML page with your menu on it, on the very first opening screen. You want people to get to that menu and order that salsa, whatever it is, as quickly and easily as possible.

[ZipperJJ]

I won't go over the design as I am tired but two things...

She has a bunch of actual testimonials. Why not use them on the front page under "TESTIMONIALS" instead of "one lady buys 6 jars a week"??

And if she has a domain name, she should have email with her domain name. I am not usually inclined to buy anything from anyone @hotmail.com. boooo!

Ok I can't resist about the design....

she has all that brown space on the left under the menu. Why not show some pics. Like of uhm...salsa?

[Derleth]

Originally Posted by ZipperJJ

she has all that brown space on the left under the menu. Why not show some pics. Like of uhm...salsa?

Uh, no. This is a bad idea. The site is fast to load and responsive. This attractive quality would be much reduced if the empty spaces were filled with inane, content-free images.

[Caught@Work]

Click on the form on the contact page without completing anything and SOMETHING happens. Dunno what. Presumable, she'll get a bunch of blank email.

Also the redirect after the form submit goes to http://webservices.websitepros.com/0...21191C2ECEB78F

Huh?

What's the deal with scripts/popup.js?

Y'all gonna pop us to death sooner or later?

[Mangetout]

I don't mind the layout at all, but the colour scheme is very... brown.