Hi All,

Open for reviews on the site I made for my father....

www.simionato.com.au

Go easy I'm only 16!

Cheers.

Hello Simo12,

Well done - I quite like that website. It's clean, elegant but simple!

Good work!

Cheers,
Guy

Looking at it again I think it needs to be a little bit wider.....

Hello Luke. Firstly, interesting idea posting your work experience thread. I've never seen that before.

Considering your experience the website isn't too bad. Personally the design doesn't do much for me, but I want to acknowledge going from a blank page to this is still a good accomplishment.

One thing I did notice is that you've got words on the page (surprisingly) - the details are what matter the most to visitors and search engines. While the design is simple, it doesn't distract from what you're advertising. This is a good attribute.

Revisit your pages and rework them slightly based on your visitors likely actions. For what reasons are people going to the website and what are they looking for? Is it better you shape your website around what people are looking for, or to try and forcefully shape people's minds to your website?

• If they're new patients:
  • A little bit of background information (I think you've covered this)
  • How to make an appointment
  • Tips leading up to your appointment
  • Ouch! It hurts! What should I do?
• If they're existing patients:
  • Looking for contact information to make a new booking
  • Find out what times you're open
  • Tips leading up to your appointment
  • Ouch! It hurts! What should I do?

Don't overlook simple actions like "make an appointment". Brain storm some others, weigh whether they're worth adding.

People are going to come to your website for different reasons. If you've got links to phrases or keywords they're looking for, that deals with 80% of your traffic and people are going to love your website (not for how it looks, but usability which is much more important).

Something all business websites should have is a phone number displayed on every page - good work on already doing that. Just add an 03 at the start for professionalism. Another thing that is important is your opening hours, give people the information they want straight away. In emergencies people will want this information quickly!

Your contact us form I see if is a 3rd party script - good idea. However I don't see a submit button to send the form. I see its in a borderless iframe which I have to scroll down to see the button. Check your iframe height. Also check it in multiple browsers (I'm using Chrome) for compatibility.

Once again, back to how people use your site, but more importantly how people find your site. Small word with big importances - SEO or Search Engine Optimisation.

I think you'll likely get some traffic from "dentist brunswick" and other surrounding areas. You need to ensure you match these likely search words up in your body, BUT in a way that looks natural. Changing your title tag to include relevant keywords about the page the user is browsing will also help. Regardless what page I am on now it says "Dr Renato Simionato" - this is a wasted opportunity for you to score some keyword hits with Google. Never forget though, SEO, must look and be natural or Google will penalise you.

Establish a linking relationship with other similar websites you can. This does not mean paying for links or posting on link farms - once again Google will penalise you. It means establishing reputable links with similar websites. Use good linking with potential search phrases if possible:

".. is a good Dentist in East Brunswick. I've seen him before and..."

Have you got a working business relationship with other dentists in the area? Link to them and get them to link back.

Good work on Google Analytics. Also check out Google webmaster tools - they're neat too.

Now I know most of my post can be seen as criticism, 16 or otherwise. I always aim to provide constructive criticism instead of just criticism. The difference is important. Also know that considering the time, I've held back. There is so much to web development I can't cover it all in one post, and I know you didn't come here for a lesson either. What I've posted will hopefully help you add to what is already a website with good body, good (and simple) navigation and structure.

We both know it's not the bestest website ever made ever - but I certainly acknowledge you've done well considering. Keep up the good work Luke.

Oh wow Brendan thanks for all of that! There is really a load of valuable information there I can use. I also pass these ideas onto the boss as he structures most of the content on the website.

Thanks again! I'll be sure to report back here soon with my appropriate changes (Except school is a priority unfortunately!)

Cheers.

Glad you found it helpful. Yes, school is certainly a priority!

Geez Brendan, I didn't expect you to pop his brain so quickly!

I agree with everything Brendan has said - in saying that, i've seen people out there with 'degrees' and certificates in graphics design/multimedia etc. who have done worse. Considering how old you are with no 'real' experience, I applaud you!

Thanks,
Guy

It's my biggest downfall Guy, I say too much

looks good to me. Keep learning web design is a great skill to have.

A couple of quick thoughts.
In FF at least
the home button is slightly lower than all the others on the menu.
personally I am not sure if the bolding the menu item for differentiation is the best way to go as to me it kinda looks a bit odd. Perhaps italics instead?

you might also want to look into changing the backgroud of the site as the disparity between the gray and the white can be a little jarring.

The other thought is that there is no "submit" button or anything on the contact form.

It is a pretty good concept though. Simplicity is king.
Best of luck with your design, you certainly seem to be on the right path.

Built using iWeb 3.0.1!!!

Just joking :P

I like the websites colours since they are nice and easy on the eyes. The website is very simple to navigate too.

One thing missing is the websites copyright.

Pretty cool well spaced design, lacking logo perhaps. Nice colours. Well done for 16 years old

It does not look bad at all. Brendan, thanks for providing that huge list of possible improvements, I am sure that it is something that Simo12 can use to further improve his skills.

Man, keep improving your skills. Good to see that you are proud enough to show this to everyone else here on this board.

I actually really do like the site, however, on Safari the "Dr Renato Simionato" is over the words "Dentist". I would take a screenshot but I am being a bit lazy atm :P

Changing the font size of the text to 29px (instead of the 32px you have it set at at the moment) seems to fix that issue perfectly.

Hi Simo12,

The site is a very good start, especially for your age. I have a couple of years on you (im 18)so bear with me here.

These are just my tips on the technical side of the site.

- In the front end development of sites - that is the html/css side of things - try and AVOID using inline styles if possible. Try and create a seperate .css file altogether.
- As I am saying this I realise that you used a 3rd party program to develop it? iWeb?
- The alt tags for your links up the top do not need to have the .html extension in them, simply having the page name will suffice.
- You need to better format your paragraphs in the 'New Patients' page. Maybe have a read through YourHtmlSource

Brendan seems to have covered the bulk of it

Also H tags are your friend, try and use them often - especially for headings .

Good luck with the site mate.

Cheers
Russ

Yep iWeb...Although I'm now tempted to redo the entire site in dreamweaver and use css files..I just learnt all that at school recently....hmmm...

Thanks for the tips everybody!