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Your Input Please...

by ragstworiches
7 replies
Hi,

I've been given my dad's website and he has asked me to critique, I can see various things wrong with it, but would be looking to see if any of you had any interesting ideas for improvements. He says he paid like $6000 for the site and seo a few years back, which seems to me he got ripped off.

My thoughts so far are,

*In need of graphic overhaul, looks very pre web 2.0
*Doesn't really seem to grab me or interest me directly
*seo seems ok for very low yielding local keywords related to chester, but can't see anything else.
*Mortgage calculator should be downloadable tool with link for improved seo
* Doesn't appear to be submitted to google local business search.
* No Search Bar
* Newsbox hard to read
* Blue typing from bottom links hard to read
* Link to gay wedding site seems irrelevant and out of place on links tab.
* the hosting link doesn't look good, and in my opinion shouldn't be there if paid for design

So if anyone has any ideas or disagrees I'm all ears. obviously the main aim of the site is to convert to sign ups/calls.

Chester Insurance Services | Life Insurance | Mortgage Brokers | Unsecured Loans

Cheers guys, Phil
#input
  • Profile picture of the author Social Experts
    looks so ****. look into google maps cash and get that. it will help with gettin hits.

    pretty much everythin is wrong
    Signature

    Chill.

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  • Profile picture of the author badboy_Nick
    Hey Phil

    I have a LOT of experience in the finance market, especially on how to convert people in giving you their details/quote. Obviously, the most important thing is to make any visitor fill out a short form so you can give him a call.

    At the moment, Loans is very unspectacular, so brokers have branched out to other markets such as Debt Management and Insurance to survive.

    What you want to be doing is create a smaller micro-site for just 1 offer, such as Life Cover and market it as a standalone site with the sole purpose of capturing a potential customer. Trim it down and market it as "fill out the form or leave the site". This path always gives me the highest conversions.

    Any questions let me know,
    Nick
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    Read my incredible story: www.affiliatechamp.co.uk
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    • Profile picture of the author ragstworiches
      Hi Nick,

      Cheers interesting approach, I think he does have other sites, so perhaps does this to a small extent. But I agree sign up or leave is a good approach.

      Freshmaker I also agree this is the area I am gonna first look into, I could be wrong but doesn't seem it is on google maps or if it is it is not obviously placed.

      Thanks, Phil
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      • Profile picture of the author Social Experts
        Originally Posted by ragstworiches View Post

        Hi Nick,

        Cheers interesting approach, I think he does have other sites, so perhaps does this to a small extent. But I agree sign up or leave is a good approach.

        Freshmaker I also agree this is the area I am gonna first look into, I could be wrong but doesn't seem it is on google maps or if it is it is not obviously placed.

        Thanks, Phil
        Yeah it's not on it but a website like this can be featured on google maps for a finance related keyword and google maps results are always on the first page. So.. If you can do the steps shown in Google Maps Cash (the WSO) then you can make it look like your website is a physical business with offices and stuff and be on the first page.

        Just my 2c
        Signature

        Chill.

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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    There is a massive amount of wasted space above the fold. The logo, the graphic of the buildings and the scroll to the left do absolutely nothing for this site. Nowhere above the fold is even the slightest mention of a benefit.

    Why would someone want to do business with this company? Any page has only a few seconds to grab the reader and get them to take some sort of action. There's nothing on this page that does that.

    This appears to be a lead capture page. The opt-in box to the right mentions signing up for a free quote. Big deal. Every mortgage site does the same thing and many are doing it far better.

    I'd suggest you develop a giveaway item with both excellent value as well as a high perceived value. Perhaps a tip sheet with 11 tips for getting the best mortgage or something like: Avoid These Three Fatal Mistakes In Getting Your Next Mortgage. Whatever you go with needs to make you stand out from your competition and offer BENEFITS to your visitors.

    The page needs to:
    1. Capture the visitor's attention
    2. Shout out the benefits of doing business with you
    3. Offer an enticing freebie to capture leads
    4. Show how and why you're different from your competition

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author ragstworiches
    Hey,

    travelinguy I totally agree the page doesn't really say anything striking and the top part is pretty much a waste of time, good points.

    Again freshmaker, thank you I will look into it.

    Phil
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  • Profile picture of the author Baselstm
    I would put up a newsletter at least to capture emails and you could go back and sell them financial products.Use elance to hire an expert
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