Please check out this site - and comment if you like

[grbeneke]

I've recently finished a site and i was wondering if anyone has any comments on it for my - It's my first big project and i'm rather proud of it.

www.miraclemed.co.za

Please be critical - i'm really interested in your thoughts!

regards

[Arne]

For obvious reasons, I'll have ask if you checked if the HTML and CSS validates? :lol:

[grbeneke]

Yes.... and No
I have validated it with the validator built in to HTML-kit which i use to develop the pages - it catches most things.
It said i had valid code.
I then went onto the w3c validator and it gave a very strange error when checking the homepage:
Sorry, I am unable to validate this document because on lines 80-81 it contained one or more bytes that I cannot interpret as utf-8 (in other words, the bytes found are not valid values in the specified Character Encoding). Please check both the content of the file and the character encoding indication.
Well i know the hosting service i use doesn't have its encoding indication set right - but i did a validation with forced encoding and it still had issues.
I can't work out what character its having a problem with - the code all looks fine to me.

[Arne]

Why the validator saying that is because you don't have a character encoding in the file. As you see the "message" is also that you should "check both the content of the file and the character encoding indication". It's not a server thing at all, and not about the content either. Only a missing character encoding.

If the validator don't find any character encoding on a page, it's default is UTF-8 when validate, but if the page is uploaded as something else a lot of charcters renders in a wrong way, as the message says,

Since the pages renders (is saved and uploaded) as ISO-8859-1 you should put in this meta within the Head section:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

When I override the validators default UTF-8 and then then at least the front page tentatively validates as HTML 4.01 Transitional. So all you have to do is insert the meta tag with a correct content type, to get it fully valid. :)

[grbeneke]

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
Thank you very much for that tip - It has now solved a problem that i have been fighting with for about 2 months!!!
Not even w3c could give me a decent answer on how to fix that.

Now that the page validates - we can start looking at layout, usabilty, etc.

COMMENTS ANYONE?

[Arne]

Not even w3c could give me a decent answer on how to fix that.

That is something I also have wonder a lot about. When the doctype is missing they provide a link with information about doctypes. But when the Character encoding is missing, they don't provide any information about how to correct this, neverless any easy to understand information! :evil:

I'll get back later about the layout, usabilty, etc. :wink:

[CaribbeanChoice]

It looks nice. Very good to have pictures of what you are offering.

One thing that I would suggest is that you include links to the subpages on the mail section of the page in addition to the left hand bar. The reason why I mention that is because at first I didn't realize I could click on them.

An example:

http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/vehicles/

On that page, make the appropriate verbage linkable:


Ambulances (http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/vehicles/ambo/) - Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and ICU Conversions
Custom Ambulance Conversions to 4x4's and other speciality vehicles
Rapid Response Vehicles (http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/vehicles/response.htm)
Rescue Vehicles
Mobile Command Centres
Mobile Clinics (http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/vehicles/clinic.htm)


Or alternatively, add a small set of links on the bottom of the page that link to the subsections. Or both. I have done it myself and I have watch other people miss vital parts of the website simply because they concentrated on the BODY of the page, without looking at the navigation. Use the body of the page to direct your visitors to where you want them to go next in the body of the page, which on the page used as an example above, would be either the sub pages you created or to contact you.

By the way, VERY good usage of the Contact Link at the bottom of the page. Always a good idea to direct people where you want them to go, yet give them plenty of options (via the navigation bars) if they want to go somewhere else.

[Nomad]

I'd switch your sponsored links to the bottom of the page and centered. Hate having to scroll horizontal as well as vertical..personal preference but I find this to be an often made comment..nice site and layout though not to sure on colors...again personal prefernce there proably..

Nomad

[grbeneke]

I'd switch your sponsored links to the bottom of the page and centered. Hate having to scroll horizontal as well as vertical..personal preference
I'm assuming you have a 800x600 screen.
The position of the sponsored links was an intentional design choice. All of the main content is (meant to be*) visible on 800x600 resolution and i don't really expect you to scroll horizontally to see any of that if your screen is not big enough. It's advertising and i was kinda trying to be polite by not taking up you limited screen real-estate with extras. And if you have a bigger screen you just get the ads - added bonus for free :lol:
*I think however there is a problem with the main content fitting into 800x600 - please some one tell me if you can.
not to sure on colors...again personal prefernce there proably..
The colours are the company colours (silver and black) and it was decided to keep consistancy with the site and then try to spice things up with pictures.

[Nomad]

myself I'm not really that bothered by adds as I just ignore them anyway and you achive the same thing by placing them at the bottom.

yes I use 800x600 as recomended by W3C for optimized websites. Works well for me on 85-90% of sites I visit and most of them are optimized at 800x600.

Like I said was more of a personal thing as I just do not like to scroll left/right as well as up/down...

I like your intention as to the adds but as I say you'll achieve the same by dropping them to the bottom IMHO

Nomad

[grbeneke]

Hi sorry that this reply is a little out of order with the rest of the thread.
Very good to have pictures of what you are offering.
Thank you :) I had to work fairly hard to get the pics looking as good as they do - they were origionally photos taken in very bad light (very grey and murky) I'm still trying to find the happy medium between quick loading and good looking pics though.

One thing that I would suggest is that you include links to the subpages on the mail section of the page in addition to the left hand bar. The reason why I mention that is because at first I didn't realize I could click on them.

I hear what you saying. I have tried to implement it on the product index
http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/
However i'm developing completely in html source without any fancy WYSIWYG program so keeping all the links un-broken has proved to be quite a mission. I rearranged the directory structure on the Medical Equipment (http://www.miraclemed.co.za/products/trauma/) section and spent ages getting all the links working again. :( But thank you for the suggestion - it sounds very valid so i WILL look into it - more sleepless nights....

By the way, VERY good usage of the Contact Link at the bottom of the page. Always a good idea to direct people where you want them to go, yet give them plenty of options (via the navigation bars) if they want to go somewhere else.
Thanks :) i read somwhere that you should make a sales site like a slide - channeling visitors towards your contact (or sales) page