# Could someone please critique my website? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849 "2008-11-15T12:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/21 "2008-11-15T23:51:34Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > No idea on what the OP wants, but just wanted to point out that a good kitchen scale can be had for $20 or less. You _can_ spend a lot more on one, but you don’t need to. And once you start cooking with a scale, you’ll never want to stop. It’s loads easier than measuring cups, and more accurate as well. The scales issue is redundant, because that’s all we use over here - recipes use grammes or kg, except where it comes to liquids or small measures, when we use ml or spoon sizes. Using volumetric measures for dry goods is very American. (Though personally I prefer cups for measuring dry goods for baking. But not for semi-solids like butter. That’s just daft.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/22 "2008-11-15T23:55:33Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Using volumetric measures for dry goods is very American. Concur - scales are nearly universal here in the UK. > [@](#): > > (Though personally I prefer cups for measuring dry goods for baking. But not for semi-solids like butter. That’s just daft.) I think American packs of butter are marked in cups so you can cut the right amount off without trying to smoosh it into a measuring cup. I prefer weighing everything, myself anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tomj54](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@tomj54](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomj54)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/23 "2008-11-16T00:22:30Z")
Try using a markup code validator like [http://validator.w3.org](http://validator.w3.org). This will help insure that your page will be correctly interpreted by all of the various browsers out there. I would also suggest that links be underlined and that they change color once visited. I think most people are just used to these conventions by now. Finally about your photo. I think it’s best if the apparant direction of the gaze is not off the page. Just flop the photo (interestingly, most people prefer to see their own photo flopped). ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/24 "2008-11-16T00:29:48Z")
The general look is nice and clean. I believe you are accomplishing your goal of creating something that is both personable and professional. In the “About me” section, however, you do not really provide a compelling reason why someone should trust you to teach them how to cook. The phrases “a self-taught cook who understands the practical realities of cooking at home” and “I strongly believe that learning to how to cook can be fun and rewarding” could describe most anyone including myself, and I would have no business trying to teach someone how to cook. Surely you must have some background in teaching or cooking that you could list. You mention another website, but make no mention of how exactly you are affiliated with it. Are you the IT person? The one who owns the servers? If you have been giving advice and coming up with new recipes that have been held in high regard for the last four years, then say that. There are other background items that you could also have included. Have you catered parties, either informally or formally? Do you have a large family for which you have had to prepare meals on a regular basis? Did you work at a restaurant at some point? Have you entered any cooking competitions? Have you taught or tutored anyone in any subject? Have you given speeches or lectures on any subject? Have you been in any position where you have been face to face with other individuals where you had to communicate ideas so that they could be easily understood? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/25 "2008-11-16T00:47:55Z")
Well I think I qualify as the sort of person you’re aiming at. 🆒 I’ve literally just started cooking, am computer-literate and have already asked for advice [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=492230). I looked at your site: - there seems to be a lot of space on either side of each page (and why have :: several times 😕) - it’s friendly, but who are the ‘experienced and friendly staff’? Only you are mentioned… - you need to say how far you will travel and what times / days you can make - could you not have an online questionnaire, rather than sending one (in the post?) - I would drop the statement ‘I will arrive promptly on the allocated day and time’ … of course you will - change the ‘discussion’ about who buys the ingredients into ‘we are happy to buy the ingredients if you want us to’; incidentally I found it edifying when my mate took me round a supermarket and showed me what to buy for various dishes … this could be a good way to bond with your clients - the ‘about me’ page repeats a little ‘you’re a cook, not a chef’ + ‘cooking can be fun’ Hope this helps! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/26 "2008-11-16T00:52:21Z")
The pictures should be replaced with some stuff you made and not just some raw ingredient vegetable pictures. The pictures are not even appealing ones of vegetables. The pictures don’t make me hungry or want to learn to cook with you. I’m sure you can do better with the pictures, and feature appetizing foods you prepared or are preparing. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/27 "2008-11-16T00:56:51Z")
I think it’s a good start. It’s clean, easy to navigate, and well organized. My comments: I agree that this sentence is awkward: “If you wish me to provide the ingredients, there will be a charge for the cost of the ingredients and for shopping time, which will be agreed with yourself in advance.” Also I think the introductory line “Hello and Welcome to Cook to Cook” is a little awkward, just because of the repetition of “to Cook to Cook”…not sure how you’d reword it… maybe “Hello! Cook to Cook Welcomes You!” or something. Dunno. Anyway, I agree that you need a little more padding between the text and the right edge of your text container. As for the colors I like the main background but the page background I think might look better if it was a slightly warmer shade? A cooking blog would be a boon as well–it would bring repeated traffic to your site and be a source of newly updated material. Static sites die off. The “what I’ll need from you” does sound a bit terse. “Things you’ll need” might be better… In general I’d try to go for a more friendly, conversational tone throughout the site. I know you’re trying to go for professional, but if people want hyper-professional, they’ll go to formal classes. I think the appeal of having someone come cook with you at home and teach you is the informality and more intimate nature of it. The phrase glee points out, “'I will arrive promptly on the allocated day and time” seems very stuffy, for example. And just since it came up, in America what you call a hob we would just call a stove or a stovetop. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/28 "2008-11-16T01:29:45Z")
I have to wonder about the wisdom of changing the grammar to what sounds good for Americans. I’m sure if she redoes the site to sound good to us, it will sound odd to her targeted audience. Parts of the site could use rephrasing, but she should give any British posters opinions higher priority. One pound of butter comes in four wrapped sticks. Each stick is 1/2 cup and each wrapper has marks for tablespoons, so you just cut at the mark and don’t have to use a measuring cup or scale at all. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/29 "2008-11-16T06:04:50Z")
I’m a graphics professional, and have worked on a few websites for money, so I’ll limit my comments to the overall look of the site. (You seem to have gotten plenty of comments on the content.) I second the notion about some sort of rollover effect for the links. It is standard design procedure now, and most folks will expect it (and maybe get momentarily confused when they don’t see an underscore or color shift when the cursor hits the link). The background color is OK. I might suggest a slightly warmer color, something a little more inviting. Whatever hue you’re comfortable with. But be sure to keep it more towards the pastel shades and less saturated; something too bright and over saturated can really be off putting for the eyes. (Especially on other peoples’ cheap monitors.) The black text on white background for the body copy is a good, clean look. I would suggest giving the headline type a different color, just to add a pinch of visual interest. Especially if you’re going to have a page with a fairly deep column of text; it will help break the monotony. (That ‘Suggested Lessons’ section, perhaps?) I also suggest applying a different color to the background of both the banner and footer sections. A color complimentary to the overall page background color. That will help define the different spaces–banner, body, footer–that much better than it is now. If you choose a darker color, then of course you will have to reverse the text in each section. (I recognize you have some colored type in the banner art, so you’ll have to be careful to pick a color that keeps the red “Cook” and gray “to” readable.) Also, if you can I’d put some sort of vertical rule on the right edge of the section links column. Again, it will help better define the space that is being created by those bottom left aligned images. If you or your designer set these pages with CSS, it should be a very quick and easy fix to apply that border, either to the DIV tag or to the left frame itself. Finally, I second the idea of getting specific pictures of dishes you’ve prepared, rather than using generic stock art. It will help convey the message that your meals are unique, and thus worth your customers’ money. Hope some, any, or all of that helps. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/30 "2008-11-16T10:27:18Z")
Try this: ```auto

Cook to Cook - cookery classes in your own home

Cook to Cook is a unique way to learn to cook - in your own kitchen! If you're based in London, we come direct to where you live and teach you in the comfort and privacy of your home. No travel to cookery schools, no strangers' kitchens, no huge class sizes with minimal attention: we tailor our one-to-one classes to your requirements, your own cooking equipment, and at a time that's convenient to you.

We teach cookery to all levels of competence. Whether you're an absolute beginner, want to learn how to impress with a special dinner party, or simply need some inspiration for midweek meals, we have the expertise to help you.

``` ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/31 "2008-11-16T11:11:14Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I’d just start with a simple statement of what Cook to Cook is, and pepper it with words and phrases that come out of the question “what do I want people to be looking for when they find my site”. Talking of pepper, here’s a simple idea Presumably, quite a few of your clients are total cooking noobs. You’re obviously a pro. You have bucketfuls of every herb and spice known to humanity, they don’t. For a “nominal” fee of say £2.99, it would be easy supply pre mixed herb/spice mixes for individual dishes, even if the client is happy to buy the rest of the ingredients. Tiny jars are [really cheap](http://www.ebottles.co.uk/showbottles.asp?familyid=29), as are sticky labels. What you get: Profit 😃 Free advertising “Francesca’s Chicken Currymix [www.cooktocook.co.uk](http://www.cooktocook.co.uk) :: 07786 233 944” What they get: Chicken curry just like you make, without the need to buy 17 different spices. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/32 "2008-11-16T19:04:21Z")
Firstly good luck with your venture. I like the picture of you - you look friendly and approachable. The site is neat and clear - there’s not too much going on or annoying clever graphics. Up post **glee** recommends the idea of you going shopping with the client - that would be such a good service to offer. I think many people are already overwhelmed in the supermarket / market - not knowing whether a generic item would do just as well or better than a brand name or how to tell if something is fresh. I’m always glad to run into one of my professional chef friends (I have lots) in the supermarket as they’ll often suggest some additional item or point out a good bargain or seasonal veg or fruit and a quick run down of how to prepare it. Being English I know what a hob is and I agree on the kitchen scales being a normal part of English cookery. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/33 "2008-11-16T19:46:22Z")
Thanks for all the help. - I’ve flipped the photo of me, and I’ll get my friend to change the font colour of the contact details at the bottom to red and give the hyperlinks an underline. - Thanks jjimm, your text is now on the front page, as well as a link to the blog. - The “How it works” page is adjusted to make it less stuffy. Feedback welcome. - The “about me” section needs a bit of re-writing to be friendlier, I’ll work on that tomorrow. - A slightly warmer colour for the background - I’m having difficulty finding a colour I’m happy with! I’ll keep experimenting. - I’m going to look into getting some photos taken. I don’t have any appropriate contacts, but you’ve convinced me it’s worth making some effort for. > [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](#): > > I’m a graphics professional, and have worked on a few websites for money, so I’ll limit my comments to the overall look of the site. (You seem to have gotten plenty of comments on the content.) > > I second the notion about some sort of rollover effect for the links. It is standard design procedure now, and most folks will expect it (and maybe get momentarily confused when they don’t see an underscore or color shift when the cursor hits the link). > > The background color is OK. I might suggest a slightly warmer color, something a little more inviting. Whatever hue you’re comfortable with. But be sure to keep it more towards the pastel shades and less saturated; something too bright and over saturated can really be off putting for the eyes. (Especially on other peoples’ cheap monitors.) > > The black text on white background for the body copy is a good, clean look. I would suggest giving the headline type a different color, just to add a pinch of visual interest. Especially if you’re going to have a page with a fairly deep column of text; it will help break the monotony. (That ‘Suggested Lessons’ section, perhaps?) > > I also suggest applying a different color to the background of both the banner and footer sections. A color complimentary to the overall page background color. That will help define the different spaces–banner, body, footer–that much better than it is now. If you choose a darker color, then of course you will have to reverse the text in each section. (I recognize you have some colored type in the banner art, so you’ll have to be careful to pick a color that keeps the red “Cook” and gray “to” readable.) > > Also, if you can I’d put some sort of vertical rule on the right edge of the section links column. Again, it will help better define the space that is being created by those bottom left aligned images. If you or your designer set these pages with CSS, it should be a very quick and easy fix to apply that border, either to the DIV tag or to the left frame itself. > > Finally, I second the idea of getting specific pictures of dishes you’ve prepared, rather than using generic stock art. It will help convey the message that your meals are unique, and thus worth your customers’ money. > > Hope some, any, or all of that helps. Thank you, very helpful. I’ll pass it on to my friend, who is more technical than me and will know how to do things like vertical rules. > [@JKilez](#): > > Surely you must have some background in teaching or cooking that you could list. You mention another website, but make no mention of how exactly you are affiliated with it. Are you the IT person? The one who owns the servers? If you have been giving advice and coming up with new recipes that have been held in high regard for the last four years, then say that. > > There are other background items that you could also have included. Have you catered parties, either informally or formally? Do you have a large family for which you have had to prepare meals on a regular basis? Did you work at a restaurant at some point? Have you entered any cooking competitions? Have you taught or tutored anyone in any subject? Have you given speeches or lectures on any subject? Have you been in any position where you have been face to face with other individuals where you had to communicate ideas so that they could be easily understood? The answer to every single question except the last one is “no” 😃 I don’t have any previous teaching experience, I have never been a professional chef and only cook for two people regularly 😃 However, I am a naturally good cook (if I do say so myself), I flippin’ LOVE cooking, and I’ve been doing [101 Things](http://101things.wordpress.com) for nearly 4 years. The blog’s very popular, been named by national newspapers as one of the best British food blogs, etc and blah. I’ve put that on the front page now. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/34 "2008-11-16T19:49:48Z")
you left the h off of http in your link to 101 Things. Maybe a mod can fix that for ya. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/35 "2008-11-16T19:54:22Z")
D’oh. Mods, if you’re passing, please fix. If not, there’s a link from the cooktocook site too. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/36 "2008-11-16T20:15:56Z")
> [@Francesca](#): > > I’ve been doing [101 Things](http://101things.wordpress.com) for nearly 4 years. The blog’s very popular, been named by national newspapers as one of the best British food blogs, etc and blah. That would be even better if you linked to the Telegraph article. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/37 "2008-11-16T20:20:23Z")
> [@Francesca](#): > > I’m having difficulty finding a colour I’m happy with! I’ll keep experimenting. This might help - find a photo with colours you love, then feed it to an online palette generator like [this](http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/) one - the results can be surprisingly good. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/38 "2008-11-16T20:27:11Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > That would be even better if you linked to the Telegraph article. Unfortunately, it’s not online. It was in a magazine section. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/39 "2008-11-16T20:31:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > This might help - find a photo with colours you love, then feed it to an online palette generator like [this](http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/) one - the results can be surprisingly good. I’ve been using this site: [Hex Hub HTML Color Codes: Hexadecimal codes for named colors used in HTML page features](http://www.december.com/html/spec/color.html) The current hue is the one I’m happiest with. I think I do want a green since it’s both warm and indicates freshness and healthy food. It could be warmer, but I also want it to be neutral. It’s ridiculous how much time choosing a background colour is taking! ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849/40 "2008-11-16T20:43:52Z")
> [@Francesca](#): > > D’oh. Mods, if you’re passing, please fix. If not, there’s a link from the cooktocook site too. Gotcha covered. By the way, your site looks real good from this end! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-critique-my-website/472849.md?page=3)