I need opinions on my website...

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:16 am

I finally decided to buy some webspace and start my own site, mainly for money-making purposes, but I'll probably add some other things as well. I used Apple's .Mac service because it's easy, totally integrated, and has unlimited bandwidth. It may be pricey at $100 bucks a year, but I don't really care!

Anyway, I started the website in order to get my personal tech business running and looking rather official. I think the page looks pretty good, although I'll admit it's a total Apple-fanboy sort of page, but it gets the job done and looks sleek

.

So I've got two questions for you guys,
1. How does the page look on your various screen resolutions, and does it seem to work well and load fast? (Except for my documentary)
2. Do the prices listed for the various service and repairs seem fair? If not, give your opinions, I'm open to whatever suggestions you have.

So..... here's my website!

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:37 am

Very nice, you might want to add though that you are good at computers, maby some sort of guarantee?

-Fel

atari2600a · Post by **atari2600a** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:12 am

looks good on a Firefox window w/ 1 bookmark toolbar & 1 tab bar (-~30px) on my 1280X800 screen running Vista. Could lose the top blank space though, that would make things a whole bunch easier for CRT users.

I SERIOUSLY suggest you learn HTML & stop using iWeb, or any code generator for that matter. They create a lot of clutter, & therefore a larger web document. If anything, use DreamWeaver, as it doesn't shove useless meta tags, comments, & the like in. They also seem to make things look just a tad bit unprofessional to the trained eye. For example, how the font sizes on your links don't look ANYTHING alike, & the Apple & Google links, both of which are things you can easily change to your index & a search tab.

EDIT: Busines.html looks much better though. But do something about your directories, they're just ugly. Remove all spaces from them.

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:59 am

Here's an error:

1280 x 1024, Vista, Firefox

twilightprincess · Post by **twilightprincess** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:03 am

Harshboy wrote:Here's an error:

1280 x 1024, Vista

I got that same thing on XP, using Firefox.

gamemasterAS · Post by **gamemasterAS** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:27 am

twilightprincess wrote:
Harshboy wrote:Here's an error:

1280 x 1024, Vista
I got that same thing on XP, using Firefox.

Same

Tiny XP, firefox

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:56 am

$150-250 for a new ipod HD, and thats not including the HD? $60 to install a laptop HD? Your prices seem like you're Geek Squad or something, but maybe thats because I'm poor and I'd take any amount of money.

You're layout doesn't make sense, I'd have had no idea you had a business if you didn't say something about pricing in your post. Your background might kill 56k'ers, 1/4th of a MB is about a 15 second download with a good dialup connection.

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:55 am

vskid wrote:$150-250 for a new ipod HD, and thats not including the HD? $60 to install a laptop HD?

Sorry I wasn't clear about the iPod prices, those include the parts! And as far as the rather high prices, I based them off Geek Squad's prices, except a whole lot lower...

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:58 am

vskid wrote:You're layout doesn't make sense, I'd have had no idea you had a business if you didn't say something about pricing in your post.

Could you be more specific about how it doesn't make sense? And as far as the business side of things, no one is going to be going to this page without me telling them specifically where to go. I will have told them ahead of time that the prices are in the business tab.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:09 am

Oh, ok.
You're homepage doesn't really have anything, and the links look like they could be part of the title bar until you mouse over them. I can't really target anything specific that I don't like, but its mostly just my opinion, I just like function to come first on a site, appearance last, and your site just didn't do that for me.

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:28 pm

I agree with the above posters.

Your business page looks pretty good, but your main page looks really unprofessional.

I suggest that if you really are setting up this site for your business, make the business page your main page.

If you want to include other stuff, include a link to your personal pages off of the business page site.

Regarding prices: You're free to fix the prices however you want. It's your business.

I do think you're pretty much gouging people in a couple of areas, though. Laptop hard drive installation is almost always a trivial ten minute process. So is installing RAM is usually a five minute process.

Maybe a laptop hard drive install is harder on a Mac, but out of the Gateway, Compaq, Dell, Acer, Averatec, and hp machines I've dealt with, all were easily accessible with the removal of no more than about six screws.

Also, unless you have some certifications or something, I think your teaching prices are a bit high.

sgtpepper · Post by **sgtpepper** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:39 pm

Well I revised a couple of prices, and I'm working on how I wanna change up my homepage in accordance to all your suggestions. I'll post again if I change things up.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:58 pm

$50 to install a laptop optical drive seems extreme, since the most computer illiterate person can slide a switch, pull out the old drive, and shove in the new one.

Post by **bicostp** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:17 pm

I also recommend you ditch automatic website creators and lean how to use HTML and CSS. "Website maker" programs give all the sites the same feel, you know? Besides they create horrendously bloated code and a hand-coded site with its own look will show people that you care about the site. This is important since you're doing freelance tech support. After all, a half-baked website doesn't say "I'll do quality work!"... You want to show that you won't put little effort into it.

http://www.oswd.org has a bunch of nice premade HTML/CSS web templates.

You aren't Geek Squad, and you probably have very low business expenses. ($100 for a year of hosting; that's nothing compared to salaries, a building, and vehicles.) I think your prices are outrageous, especially since you're probably still in high school and have no tech certification. (Honestly I don't know anyone who would pay "some random kid" (no offense) $300 to reinstall Windows.) I recommend you switch to a "flat rate plus parts" pricing system. hey, it works for car mechanics! (I usually charge $25 and hour for labor plus parts. No, waiting 3 hours for the machine to finish defragging itself doesn't count as "labor"

)

Bibin · Post by **Bibin** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:09 pm

Indeed, especially iWeb. They generate too much unnecessary code.

Also, when helping people with computers, it's good to actually own computer(s) with most major systems, like Mac and Windows. Linux, perhaps... see, I'm just afraid that since you're quite the mac user, you're going to blunder in the ways such as

1) Refer to every Windows computer as a PC, which shows the ignorance of the fact that Macs are indeed PC's
2) Every time there's a windows problem, the 'solution' is to 'get a mac' or 'reinstall it'.
3) Say something stupid like 'X system is BETTAR than Y system!!!!1", regardless of the machine's actual speed, since the system's speed is always affected by the hardware.

I'm not saying you'll necissarily do those things; I can't judge you for I don't really know you. I'm just saying that I do see this all the time. Way too often.