Critique My Website Please

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am not trying to drum up business for myself, I am just looking for honest criticism of my website.

Before I post the link, a slight preface: I have been working on databases for many years now and have had the advantage of learning on-the-job, and taking a lot of input from co-employees and incorporating their suggestions and ideas. I think I have something that you can’t find anywhere else, specifically in the legal field. My goal is to create individualized programs for small law firms.

So, that said, I have created the following website: Attorney Case Management

Do I get my point across?
Does it look professional?
Am I too wordy, or should I go into even more detail?
Give me a grade, and feel free to make any comments.

Thanks in advance.

2

Two background images–the one with the alt “so easy, even an attorney can use it” and the squarish background behind “attorney” are broken in firefox. That’s probably about 1/4 of web visitors, so it’s not negligible. Looks like you exported from Word–that results in bad code.

It’s solid and clear but it’s also certainly not professionally done, like say these guys: http://www.perfectpractice.com/html_version/other_case.html. Though even they are not truly well done; I don’t see any really good sites in the first page of hits. With the first look, looking right is half the battle! Drop the textured background and pick a light ivory; even better if the text can be in a lighter box. The basic layout is good, but a little design sensitivity and making the titles as graphics (and smaller; understated==sophisticated) would really help you look professional.

Ideally you’d want online download and permissioning, testimonals by happy clients. I know it’s a pain when you’re starting out but it does help. Examples from other users would really, really help. And some nitty gritty details about why you are special. Like “due to our efficient management, attorney A was able to handle 5 cases where he had only 3 before!”. Or if you can’t get that specific, just “improve caseload by up to 33% !”

I’ve been doing law firm and software websites for about 10 years, so I have a bit of experience here. Feel free to email me or post asking for more.

3

Thank you Gaudere for the suggestions!

I can easily add testimonials, but I always thought they were kind of bogus, as those could be from Uncle Jay and your cousins or something - but willing to consider that option as well. As far as examples, I do have another link I send if someone is really interested and wants to see what I have done - but don’t want to just let “lookyloos” get in there and try to copy what they see, so have kept those links to demos a little close the the chest.

I will probably re-work the website in a week or so, and I will most certainly email you with the link for any other tips or suggestions you might have. And yes, a lot was imported from Word and I had no idea Firefox doesn’t like Word, so to speak.

4

I would remove the periods from the descriptive statements on the left side. Otherwise, it looks pretty good to me. I don’t think it screams “unprofessional” at all.

5

“So Easy even an Attorney can use it!”

Is risky - esp being the 2nd-3rd thing they notice and being the 2nd biggest font on the page. You know your market but just as a thought exercise pretend:

82% don’t care 12% get a chuckle and find it mildly funny and 6% are mildly to moderately offended or put off. What has that gained you - really? I doubt any of the 12% would buy because of that – I can see some old school corporate folks kind of bailing out on that.

Just my $0.02

6

To back up what Gaudere said, I’d also get rid of the background image and just have a solid colour. Background images always make me think of everyone’s personal webpage 10 years ago, where you put whatever you could on the site, just because you could :).

Examples or testimonials would help too - screenshots or maybe even a demo version download. I think I understand what you’re offering (I’m not an attorney!), but a page or two with “For example, Chap A wanted more functionality with regard to something-or-other, and didn’t want to be distracted by such-and-such. We removed blah and inserted thing, and they all lived happily ever after”, some screenshots would help here.

I also agree with RSSchen that the full stops after your bullet points can go.

As for my own input, a box round the main text would be nice, although not necessary, and something to the right to balance out the bullet points on the left would help (or just move the main text over to fill the page).

In my browser (IE 6 on PC at 1024*768), there’s a horizontal scroll bar for no apparent reason, and the page continues about an extra 50% at the bottom of the page - did you specify the page size?

7

Personally, I wouldn’t use Word to generate any of your HTML. It produces crap and you’ll be chasing weird bugs forever.

Currently your site generates over a hundred validation errors, so fixing those would be a good start.

8

I agree with LionelHutz. Word is probably producing the 10" of blank space at the bottom of the page, and the sidescrolling. At least on my screen, which is 1024x768 (that is a fairly standard resolution). Imagine how it looks on a 800x600 resolution screen.

Actually don’t imagine. Change your conmputer’s resolution to 800x600 then view your site. See how it scrolls. ick.

Otherwise, it’s one of the least offensive “Critique My Site!” sites I’ve seen. But like others have said too…sort of lacking in content.

9

Thank you all for your responses so far. I created the Website with the software that came with my MS Professional bundle and then uploaded it to the site. Having never created a website before, this is a real fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants attempt and I appreciate your suggestions.

I will be taking your comments to heart when I go back in and fiddle with it next week, so if there are any other comments or tips, let me know!

10

I would second taking out or simplifying the background. And I would agree that the slogan is risky; think of a more positive way to emphasize its efficiency and ease of use

Streamlined for today’s legal professionals
Customized for each client’s needs

etc.

11

The top banner is way too big - takes up way too much real estate. It takes up the upper 45% of the screen. Also, maybe you could stylize your banner or make some sort of logo with the company name, instead of just plain text.

I agree that the patterned background needs to go.

For the text, I really like 11px Verdana. It would make the page a little tighter.

Also, screenshots of your software would be excellent! Your page could use some more visual interest.

On the list on the left, you could use some nice stylized bullets. There are some good free ones here:
http://www.stylegala.com/features/bulletmadness/

And here is a tutorial on how to use images as bullets:
http://css.maxdesign.com.au/listutorial/introduction.htm

12

instead of the mildly insulting slogan “so simple, even an attorney can use it”
how about:
"Designed for attorneys, by attorneys (not computer geeks!) "

13

In addition to the good advice you have already received, may I add a few more things?

  • The first bullet on the left (No huge manuals to dig through) breaks to two lines for me. I’m using Firefox with text size set to “Normal” so I don’t think it’s something odd about my settings.

  • i suggest reworking the copy to place more emphasis on the benefits delivered. In your main copy, for example, it takes until the 4th paragraph before you say what the key benefit of the program is. You do list capabilities in paragraph 3, but without the context of the high-level benefit, those are less useful.

  • In my experience, bullets work best when they highlight key benefits. Right now the first three are about what your program isn’t, not what it is. They’re also in the form of feature descriptors (No huge manual) rather than benefit descriptors (Easy to learn, with powerful on-screen help).

  • You really need more pages. As nyctea scandiaca suggests, adding screenshots is a good thing. Take a look at other software sites – usual categories of pages beneath the main page are Screenshots, Features, Testimonials (or Case Studies), Support, Downloads, Contact Us.

Good luck with your project.

14

I actually like the background. It’s subtle, and I think we have gotten too extreme in the no backgrounds “rule”.

You might want to italicize “your” in “Case Management Software Designed Specifically For Your Needs”

Also, I think it is a little too wordy and negative. Some ideas on the overall text:

15

You guys are all great! Thanks for the suggestions and I will be applying most, if not all of them and seeing how it looks then.

I am especially glad to hear from you Firefox people as, first of all, I didn’t know so many people use it and certainly didn’t know how if affects the overall look. That could be tricky for me to fix, as I am somewhat of a novice in website building and am currently forced to rely on the MS software I have been using.

As mentioned, will be fiddling with the site later this week or early next, and will get back to you to get reactions to the updates.

Appreciate all of your feedback!

16

I see you built it using Microsoft Word. At best, this means the code bloat is excessive. At worst, never a good idea if you want to be seen as a quality, “professional” site.

It does not validate under CSS rules.

It does not validate under HTML rules.

Link Check fails.

It does not validate under Section 508 requirements. Although not a requirement for non-federal government web sites, you would do well to make it so.

In this age of SPAM, it is never a good idea to include an email address. Build a web form and/or disguise the email address from SPAM trollers.

In short, if you are planning to market a quality software product, you would better build the site with a decent web tool. Otherwise, why should I believe that software application is top notch if the code for your web site is sub-standard and amateur?

Well, you asked. :smack:

17

I’m a professional webmaster/marketing manager, with a lot of web design experience, though I wouldn’t claim to be a great designer. I’ll give you my blunt opinion, since you asked for an “honest critique”, which you may not like, but you may also consider that my experience might give me some insight.

The design is really old fashioned and amateurish. And also, without even looking at your source code, it’s screaming “Microsoft” to me. The title and banner are way too wide - the site becomes left/right scrolling at 800 x 600 - and they don’t really contribute anything to the design. In Firefox, two background images are broken at the top of the page.

The background makes the site look like a 1997 Geocities “here’s my CD collection” home page.

The font for the bullets on the left looks clunky. The copyright info doesn’t need to be at the top.

Way too many words on the front page. You don’t explain exactly what the product does until paragraph 4.

There’s a huge amount of blank space at the bottom of the page.

In short, in my opinion, and please don’t take this the wrong way, as I want you to succeed: it sucks.

My recommendations:

Don’t use a Microsoft product. There are lots of nice templates available on the web that you can download, and lots of free WYSIWYG software to drop the template into.

Stick to a fixed-width design, that’s 800 pixels or less. My personal preference these days is to have it centered, and then to fill in the blank space either side in larger screens with a soothing colour or a neutral gray. Maybe a 150px wide nav menu on the left, and the text on a white background filling the rest. Here’s a random example of that style, though that’s way beyond my abilities in quality.

Create a navigation menu on the left (where your bullet points are) but also put a contact link in a convenient location within the design, on every page.

Keep the front page pithy, with bullet points or links. Make sure you say what the product is immediately. Make sure that someone visiting the site for just 15 seconds will be able to recall what your service is. E.g. “Attorney Case Management is a program that allows a single attorney or small office to oversee an enormous caseload”. Break down your detail of the product over several pages, or make a linked FAQ page with a bulleted list of questions, and internal links that jumps to lower down the page.

Keep the fonts consistent, and keep highlight colors in tune with the design colors. Use a nicer font than Arial - Verdana or Tahoma.

Make a contact page, with an obscured email (or you’ll die of spam).

If you want further advice, you’re welcome to email me.

18

Another note specific to marketing software - a screen shot or two on the front page can immediately get the attention of people and make it clear that you’re sellig a software product. Just make sure that your software has attractive, well-designed screens as well.

19

Well, it has now become abundantly clear that I have more than just some minor tweaking to do on this site.

I think I am probably going to toss the whole thing out and start over from scratch. Luckily, I do have quite a bit of free time coming up, and from the sounds of it, I am going to need every minute to get this up and running and looking good.

Every comment so far has been spot on, so I do appreciate your input. Blunt is good.

20

DMark, I tried to email you but your email is obscured. Drop me a line and I’ll offer you a template and some further assistance, pro bono.