New Site

creativeexpression

On my website www.creativeexpressiononline.com I have done everything I know to do to bring in new customers. I have also pushed the usrl for the website and the smugmug address to google. My interest is in how best to reach the web shopper, regardless of what they may be shopping for, i.e., how to bring in people from across the web. It strikes me that the best smugmug site in the world will be of little use until the general public is aware that the images are there. What have others done via the web to bring people (shoppers) in who are not familiar with smugmug or your own web presence?

Mike Lane

creativeexpression wrote:

On my website www.creativeexpressiononline.com I have done everything I know to do to bring in new customers. I have also pushed the usrl for the website and the smugmug address to google. My interest is in how best to reach the web shopper, regardless of what they may be shopping for, i.e., how to bring in people from across the web. It strikes me that the best smugmug site in the world will be of little use until the general public is aware that the images are there. What have others done via the web to bring people (shoppers) in who are not familiar with smugmug or your own web presence?

first things first, and no offense here, but I'd start off with having a site that was well designed. Your page is full of text and links and information and yadda yadda... It's all centered right down the page. Most of the text is white, some is yellow. To be honest with you, I can't imagine going to your page and seeing anyone who was serious about selling anything on the web. There are a few teeny tiny pics that really look like they could be great. You mention Life Magazine which hints that your photos made it there. If so that means your photography really must be top notch. Don't detract from your photos with a site that looks like it was on Geocities in 1997.

Seriously, no bad feelings here hopefully. If you want to sell, don't drive people away with your site. Also consider starting a blog and joining the Photographer's Blounge

cwphotos

I agree with Mike. Trying doing a search for some free web templates. They usually have some nice ones out there that are a great start. :

DavidTO

cwphotos wrote:

I agree with Mike. Trying doing a search for some free web templates. They usually have some nice ones out there that are a great start. :

I would just hire Mike. He's done some first-rate work.

bham

Creative expression,

I took a look and my first impression was very little pictures, alot of text. First I think you need to keep it simple. Many websites have a lot of info, and to honest I didn't read far, but you need to organize it. Yes giving info and info is important but showing what you do and examples (I am assuming it is a photography website, but by the low #'s of pics if I didn't know it was a smugmug account, I would have bet it wasn't).

To me the about page is almost a better home page, than the home page. Remember you don't have to cover everything on the home page. Think of a website like an outline to a paper(like they used to make you do in high school/college). The home page is the outline.

I think you should check out these sites as places to maybe model yours after. I am trying to learn to customize mine, but right now it isn't a priority so mine is not a good example. But here are a few that I plan on modeling mine after:

www.moonriverphotography.com

www.shaystephens.com

http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/

http://www.cb4photo.com/


These are just a few ones to start with. Most people put there website in the sig line of the dgrin messages. Check a few out for other ideas. And most importantly post questions here a dgrin. Most people here are very helpful and give more info than they get, because at one time they were in your shoes trying to learn.