Hi there,
Firstly let me say that your site is excellent. Very functional and
easy to follow. I am a very critical person by nature, and I had to
really work hard to find any faults with your site. There are some
though, which I list below in order of seriousness, and although none
are especially bad, even the most minor irritations to the visitor's
experience could see them leave before purchasing.
(I'm using Windows 98 / Internet Explorer 6.02 / 1024x768 / Cable)
Apply Now
---------
http://hypnoticworld.com/course/apply%20now.asp
This page is redundant, as all the information is contained on the
next page. One extra page between them deciding to buy, and filling in
their credit card number, can make a big difference.
28 Day Guarantee
----------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/guarantee.asp
There is nothing on the page. Well, that was my first impression, and
it would be for most of your customers. This important information
appears several screen lengths down the page.
Subscribing via Alcohol Script page
-----------------------------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/subscriptions/alcohol.asp
There are two links. One goes to subscribers.asp which is an excellent
page - it explains everything and offers options. However the link in
bold leads only to the PayPal page. Keep the first link, ditch the
second.
Hypnotherapy Diploma Course - Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------------------------------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/course/FAQs.asp
At the bottom of this page I am unsure what to do next. The process
has been quite linear, and I was convinced to buy the course. Now the
next step (I've been following each link labelled "Next Step:") is
"Email with any questions you may have". I don't have any, should I?
Why is this the next step, shouldn't the next step be "Purchase
Online"? Wait a second, perhaps I am supposed to follow the stack of
links just above there... I'll try the first one "Introduction to
Course"....
And I ended up back at the home page. I tried the "How to Sign Up"
link next, but this is for offline purchases. I tried the "Application
Form" form link and got a blank page.
This page needs a lot of work. I suggest that the first link after the
main body of text should be Next Step: Purchase Online (in Bold)
Then include some of the other links below this, and annotate them
with a one-line description. I'd just have these and forget the rest:
Start your own business - how this course can help you start a new
career
Alternate ways to sign up - you can use a cheque or money order
Email with any questions you may have - and we'll get back to you
within 12 hours
Course Image
------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/course/index.asp
I can't see any reason for having all the text within an image. I
thought that it was an ad, because it looks different to the rest of
your site. The image ALT tag says "Loading... please wait a moment" -
and I found myself waiting for something to happen...
Length of Free Scripts
----------------------
Some are rather short. I appreciate that size doesn't equal quality -
but it can affect purchasing decisions. There isn't much you can do
about it, but perhaps you could play around with different fonts or
perhaps some little pretty graphics to break up the text and make the
smaller scripts appear more substantial. I'd seek the opinions of
others before changing the site live.
Email link
----------
At the top of the page - simply labelling it "Email" means that
someone new to your site might click on it wanting to email you.
Perhaps you could create a Subscriber's Only page, with the link named
the same. It merely needs to have the email log-in form, and a listing
of the latest scripts etc that only subscribers can access. It would
further reinforce the idea of "this site has stuff that I need to be a
subscriber to see".
Contact Us link
---------------
A "Contact Us" link should lead to a page which contains email, phone
and address details. Many people use web-based email, and clicking on
the link can cause a program to run which they didn't want to use.
I've been on the web for 8 years and I still forget to look at where
the link is going before clicking on it.
The easiest way to get someone to email you is by providing a form on
the contact page. Drop-down boxes allow you to get information from
them that they might not include if they were using their email
client. You can ask them if they are a professional or new to
hypnosis. You can ask them where they are from, or even incorporate
one or two questions from your survey page, which most people won't
ever get to.
Talk to Other Users
-------------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/chat.asp
Would be more accurate to label this link "Forum". Because of the
nature of forums - you read and read and post and forget about how you
got there - I would have the link to the forum "Enter our Community!"
opening in a new browser window.
Support link
------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/support.asp
At the top of the page - might be more accurate to label it Help, and
include contact details or a link to a contact page.
Request a Script
----------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/whats%20new/request_a_script.asp
Please ignore the message I sent :). After sending it I ended up at
the UK version of your site, which looks different and adds a little
confusion to the experience.
Bravenet
--------
Your site would appear more professional if you got rid of Bravenet's
services and little ads. Most of their services can be duplicated for
free or cheaply.
Banner
------
I don't know much about ASP, but I presume that you can track how many
people click on the banner at the top right of each page. It wasn't
immediately clear to me that this ad would lead me to an internal
page. It is hard to tell, but for the people that don't click on it,
it might have a subtle negative effect (this site has banner ads...).
This would be a good spot for a very serene image, something soft and
natural.
Home Page links
---------------
There is no need for having two so close to each other at the top left
of each page.
Good Things
-----------
Logo is fine. The most famous logos on Earth are usually nothing more
than a word or two using a font and colour. It couldn't hurt to link
the logo to your home page.
Colours excellent. Considering hypnosis is a calm and focussed
exercise, your site reflects this well. Except for the scrolling text
in the side menu. I find it annoying - your site already has many
links to the scripts, so it wouldn't be missed.
Lots of content. I suspect you get plenty of visitors from search
engines.
Consistent layout. The top and side menus are always the same. When I
arrived at the home page, I thought right, I want to check out that,
that and that. After visiting one page, the link to the next I wished
to see was in the same consistent spot.
Subscription options are excellent. $4 to access all the scripts for
one month is great value, and then hopefully the customer stays
subscribed.
----------------------------------
It looks like I've given you a lot of work to do! If you have any
questions about my answer, just request a clarification and I'll get
back to you.
Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga |
Clarification of Answer by
robertskelton-ga
on
30 Jan 2003 17:27 PST
Hi again Faith,
Firstly, the logo link isn't working. The code is currently:
<a href="/hypnoticworld.com">
You need to change it to:
<a href="http://hypnoticworld.com">
Book of Hypnosis Scripts
------------------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/scripts/book%20of%20scripts.asp?from=index
I find the page to be too narrow, with lists in columns. I'd prefer
the contents of the book to appear below the description rather than
alongside.
Are they the same scripts as I can access by subscribing? They have
been ordered differently , but many appear to be on the same topic.
Although it says "These hypnosis scripts plus many more are available
on subscription", I am still unsure if there is any difference.
Online version? I would prefer it to be called an e-book. And a
screenshot of one of the e-book pages would let me know exactly what I
was getting.
What are the advantages of an e-book over being a subscriber? It's
certainly cheaper to take out a one-month subscription and copy all
the scripts. You need to tell me why an e-book is better.
I don't know how many non-UK visitors you get, but having the option
of buying through Amazon USA might be useful. USA visitors may already
have all their details at the USA Amazon, so they can just make a
one-click purchase. They'll also feel more comfortable about
currencies.
Complete Guide to Self Hypnosis
-------------------------------
http://hypnoticworld.com/whats%20new/selfhypnosis_course.asp
This page has a much more appealing layout. There are two problems:
- The two links to Amazon are: "Click here for your Guide" and "Click
here for more information". While these are okay to leave there, you
need a bigger bolder link which says Buy Now, or Buy Online Now, or
Purchase This Book, or Purchase Online.
- What am I buying? Is the online book something I download, or
webpages I gain access to? If I am downloading it, how do I get a CD?
Is it the content from a CD that I download, or a physical CD which
will be mailed to me?
If the CD Cover image actually looked like it was a CD case, it would
be more clear that you are offering a physical CD. Linking the images
to Amazon can't do any harm.
If it is a physical CD, then non-UK customers might have to pay a lot
more for delivery charges.
I think the subscription page is fine as it is.
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