[Closed] One of those critique my website threads

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<div>The website you were trying to reach: www.blackteaonesugar.co.uk</div>
<div>The reason the website is being blocked: Corporate Defined Block
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Sites that are not currently rated or that cannot be rated into any other category.

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Get your site content rated...

Eh?

I like it. I'd add some more images of your creations to the homepage. Also have actual contact details, phone/email on your contact page. Probably useful to tell people where you are based geographically.

I'm looking at it on a phone BTW.

Thanks. The homepage is a gallery that changes image every 4 seconds by the way. Not sure if you hung around that long 😊

Good shout about the location. I need to add that.

It is a horrible font, can barely read what it says.

I like, which reminds me that I have a huage cable reel that I am going to paint and do a mexican style mosaic with ceramics.

I had a good idea but I’ll keep that to myself or you can have my idea for royalty payments lol

eh?

Your site is blocked by our corporate filter.

Maybe it hasn't been crawled by whatever rating/content service we use, but I'm not 100% on how it all works.

Usually it's small websites which don't have much SEO gubbins behind them and haven't been categorised.

It is a horrible font, can barely read what it says

Really?

I thought it was modern, simple and clear. Soho Condensed it is.

Thanks though. My Dad said words to that effect too. 😁

Site looks good. No idea how you would go about getting your site rated or whatever - never heard of that. @Jimdubleyou's company must have some fairly strict firewalls.

My main comment is the rotating images gallery looks a bit odd with various sizes (aspect ratios) of images. Would maybe look a bit nicer with a small frame around the images, and having the images all the same aspect ratio.

Not sold on the font especially in white on grey but it does look stylish so maybe suits the target market. The home page is a bit empty.  I'm not sitting around watching one image (of 37) that changes every 4 seconds. I'd make it more like the gallery page and maybe add a line or two more about you and what you do.

My main comment is the rotating images gallery looks a bit odd with various sizes (aspect ratios) of images. Would maybe look a bit nicer with a small frame around the images, and having the images all the same aspect ratio.

Thanks. I know what you mean. I can set them to all fit to size, but then inevitably some get cropped where you don't want them to.

I'll look into that. 👍

That font seems horrible to my eyes in body text. It's readable in the larger headings but I'm afraid I don't think it's very attractive, or even anonymous.

As above, the font has to go.

With iPad on my lap, I can’t read it easily without zooming.

Make it clearer you do stuff for money! I knew that from your post going in, but still had to hunt to see “commissions”. Even if it’s jusg something like “Making your bespoke...” rather than “specialising”.

I like the overall feel of the site, and I think the photography generally does a good job of showing off what are clearly some lovely pieces of work. I'm not sure the scrolling gallery starts with some of your best work, if I'm honest, I might tweak the order so that some of the most beautiful pieces come up early on, rather than the more rustic ones.

I'm also not a fan of the font, and on your "About me" page I found it hard to read and therefore off putting. It may partly be that I am never a fan of "white on dark" text, it is more likely to make my eyes hurt, but I do like the overall colours and tones so I'd just change the font to something slightly less "thin".

Navigation is clear and simple.

Have you got any happy customers who'd be willing to offer quotes or reviews?

Overall, good job!

Yeah, looks good, not convinced with the slow responding nature of the site i.e. when clicking image next, navigation, etc.

And absolutely change the font - it really is hard to read - as pointed out it's too skinny/thin.

But other than that very good 🙂

I'm just in the process of launching my own e-commerce business and for the last month or so been creating content for my own site.  I was reading a good blog about content and how often some people concentrate on the story about themselves, rather than what they want the reader to do / the experience they will get.  If the purpose of the site is to attract / generate custom, particularly commissions then you might want to take people through that journey? Maybe if you have some examples and going through that process?  Also if you have links to FB/Instagram and link through other interest groups? The days of stand-alone websites are dwindling as they don't pass muster against the Google machine and the need to keep content constantly updated.

I thought it was modern, simple and clear. Soho Condensed it is.

Thanks though. My Dad said words to that effect too.

With your dad on this one!!

It's not readable easily so I gave up trying.

Also what does some of that cost? At the moment looks like if you have to ask piss off 🙂

If you want to sell something give me an idea

Also where are you? Local to?

Yeah and hit social media hard with it, best way to get traffic and attention these days

I like it and don't have a problem with the font. Would be helpful if you included some information about how/where you source raw materials - principally wood.

Recycled materials?

'traditional' rocking horses?

I have understandable man-love for your skills, but good Lord that font is horrible.

ditto the font, hard to read. Otherwise it's good, apart from home page.

IG, fb yt etc would be first ports of call nowadays, I only ever used my website as an online portfolio when I was trading.

I notice your fatbike got the most views on yt, haha!

tidy up IG, separate work from play,

Ur wbsit is sarcin

I wanted to swipe through your images on the home page but couldn't so had to wait 4secs for each one. Got bored of that quickly

Your man skills are enviable though

Nice overall.

Few tweaks needed to make the user experience better and lead people to contact you.

First thing i would do though is make it responsive so it worls better on all devices.

It is a horrible font, can barely read what it says.

This.

Plus, I don't want to browse through 44 images of furniture in your gallery one at a time to see if something takes my fancy. I'll give up very early on. Put all images on as thumbnails so I can see at a glance which ones I want to look at.

Don't like the name much either to be honest. Comes across more as a hobby site than a professional craftsman offering a service.

Oh my days that font is horrible.

Not keen on;

The font.

The grey background. It's dull, which doesn't reflect your work.

Like your blog, but can't help thinking putting the services you intend to offer in the present tense would sound a bit more positive;

'As a bespoke cabinetmaker, I produce one-off furniture...' etc. Big yourself up a bit, innit?

Love your stuff btw, that reclaimed wood/steel bench would have been perfect at our  place. 🙂

Good luck , you deserve it.

Specialising in bespoke furniture, joinery, and outdoor spaces.

The font makes the full stop look like a comma, which is a bad thing. As is the font.

Best of luck, though!

So you all liked the font then right?

😁

Thanks all. Bed now, but I'll fully digest your tips, so thanks for that. 👍

The font is awful and it's too difficult to contact you.

Stick a phone number on there and ditch that contact me form. Folk can email using the linked email address of required. Oh and maybe use an email address that matched the domain?

Good luck!

The font is illegible and my eyesight is good! I've got 5g and I clicked off waiting for the gallery to load. Everything need to be bigger bolder, and brighter.

Agree wth contact info, I'd have it bold along the top inc into your tagline not lost down there in the murk on the LHS just make it tha big bold header blackteaonesugar@yahoo

Bigger bolder, brighter faster.

Take with a pinch of salt, not trying to be a dick;

Font is difficult to read.

Services provided need to be more clear.

Location? Work radius? Post?

Contact details do not look great, phone number? I would get a proper email address (cheap and looks so much more professional)

nice, but not liking the font, or the hotmail email

Most of these are personal opinion so take with pinch of salt...

I like the clean design.

Personally I'd make the images on the homepage into more of a classic carousel so that it's obvious that there's multiple images - I didn't realise that for a while and given there's nothing else on that page there's no reason for me to hang around on it. Maybe move/copy a bit of the About Me blurb to the homepage?

Your social media links and email don't display on my phone. I'd also remove the email and add a human check to the contact form to avoid spam. I'd consider making the social links more prominent, below the title or something.

On my phone the menu button and website title don't line up, not a big deal but a little attention to detail bit (this could be just my screen size though, lining stuff up across all devices isn't always easy).

I'd put most of what you have on the main landing page with click through to more detail on a out you, pricing & the process (process is really important for some people... They want a personal service not just the furniture) and a proper gallery.

You might be better off with a wordpress template or something.

Area and some contact details are a must, as well as working radius as noted above. Waste of everyones time if you are the other end of the country.

FB and IG are good but I'm not sure they are as important for your likely market as others?!

Def change the font + echo other comments about the image gallery implementation. It's sluggish and not easy just to scroll quickly through images.

Oh my days that font is horrible.

Noted. Change in the pipeline.

I was reading a good blog about content and how often some people concentrate on the story about themselves, rather than what they want the reader to do / the experience they will get.  If the purpose of the site is to attract / generate custom, particularly commissions then you might want to take people through that journey? Maybe if you have some examples and going through that process?

Excellent point. I will get on to that too.

 Probably useful to tell people where you are based geographically.

Indeed. Oversight due for change.

I like the overall feel of the site, and I think the photography generally does a good job of showing off what are clearly some lovely pieces of work. I’m not sure the scrolling gallery starts with some of your best work, if I’m honest, I might tweak the order so that some of the most beautiful pieces come up early on, rather than the more rustic ones.

I know what you mean. Until now it was always just a portfolio, but yes, I probably need some more 'normal' pieces to represent what I can do too.

Make it clearer you do stuff for money! I knew that from your post going in, but still had to hunt to see “commissions”. Even if it’s jusg something like “Making your bespoke…” rather than “specialising”

Noted thanks.

I like it and don’t have a problem with the font. Would be helpful if you included some information about how/where you source raw materials – principally wood.

Recycled materials?

Good idea, although looking at many other timber sites, their claims to sustainability often seem a little hollow (especially the ones I look at where I've worked at and know the score...) But yes, it's important to emphasise impact.

I wanted to swipe through your images on the home page but couldn’t so had to wait 4secs for each one. Got bored of that quickly

Yes, I think if you click them they open up in a swipe-able gallery but I take your point. I think a thumbnail gallery may work better.

Don’t like the name much either to be honest. Comes across more as a hobby site than a professional craftsman offering a service.

I came up with that name years and years ago when producing videos for our furniture course. Don't know why but 'A Black Tea One Sugar Production' just came into my head and I stuck with it.

I actually kind of like it these days as I see so many vans about with 'Dave Smith Carpentry' or something, or websites called 'Bob Bumberclart Furniture Designs' or the like, that I think this is a bit more memorable. My Bro in law did suggest I'd get folks stopping me to ask for a cup of tea and some cake, but I reckon it'll start to sound more normal the more it's said, like most things.

Strangely, a couple of years back I noticed that Mr Ed Oxley of mountain biking and trouser fame was using the name 'White no Sugar' on his films etc. It's a total coincidence, both being mtb'ers and all is even more of a coincidence I suppose, but hey, It came out of my own messy head years back Ed I swear! 🙂

Stick a phone number on there and ditch that contact me form. Folk can email using the linked email address of required. Oh and maybe use an email address that matched the domain?

To be honest, I thought twice about adding any email on there as I didn't want to be spammed to death by patrolling robots or something. The website builder I am using is WIX and I'm not totally sure if there are any controls in there to make sure people are human. I hate contact forms myself but it works.

What sort of things could I do to make contact better but not get spammed?

I would get a proper email address (cheap and looks so much more professional)

nice, but not liking the font, or the hotmail email

Well, I have blackteaonesugar at hotmail dot com. I realise a hotmail address isn't perfect but yeah, it's free and it's just little old me.

Personally I’d make the images on the homepage into more of a classic carousel so that it’s obvious that there’s multiple images – I didn’t realise that for a while and given there’s nothing else on that page there’s no reason for me to hang around on it. Maybe move/copy a bit of the About Me blurb to the homepage?

Yes, I think the galleries need to change style.

Your social media links and email don’t display on my phone.

Very difficult to get it working across all platforms. I keep checking it on my laptop and then smartphone, and have made a few changes. I'll look into that one thanks.

I’d also remove the email and add a human check to the contact form to avoid spam.

This is what I'm worried about. I'll look into whether that is an option on Wix. What about if you make the email address a photograph? Often those checks are photos. Does that work?

On my phone the menu button and website title don’t line up, not a big deal but a little attention to detail bit (this could be just my screen size though, lining stuff up across all devices isn’t always easy).

Noted thanks.

I’d put most of what you have on the main landing page with click through to more detail on a out you, pricing & the process (process is really important for some people… They want a personal service not just the furniture) and a proper gallery.

You might be better off with a wordpress template or something.

Area and some contact details are a must, as well as working radius as noted above. Waste of everyones time if you are the other end of the country.

FB and IG are good but I’m not sure they are as important for your likely market as others?!

All good points thanks.

"You have tried to access a web page which is in violation of the [place where I work] internet usage policy. The details of the site and why it has been blocked are shown below.
Based on your corporate access policies, access to this web site URL: www.blackteaonesugar.co.uk/ has been blocked because the Web Category: Unrated is not allowed. "

Ooh, I must be a bit racy! 😉

I'm not sure what I do about that. If anyone knows anything about it please let me know.

"BlackTeaOneSugar" may be funky as a name but it doesn't do you any favours when it comes to searching for bespoke joiners.

Other than that I find it all very pretentious, but maybe you want to sift out clients that just want boring furniture.

You have plenty of pictures, which is the main thing. Are there any prices on there (I gave up reading because of the typeface)? Examples of previous work and what it cost might give people an idea of whether they are dealing with Viscount Linley (i.e. wasting their time).

I’m not sure what I do about that. If anyone knows anything about it please let me know.

https://www.metatags.org/meta_name_rating

Well, I have blackteaonesugar at hotmail dot com. I realise a hotmail address isn’t perfect but yeah, it’s free and it’s just little old me.

The hosting probably comes with a free domain email, check if it does

Where are you based? I can't really tell. I could use someone like you but if you aren't local to me (Surrey) then it's probably not going to work .

Initial thoughts (I've looked at the homepage, 'galleries' and 'about'):

- Get a proper email address. You have a site, get the email address that does with it. Hotmail screams (to me) of amateurism. I'd also go with the contact form suggestion, unless you like spam.

- The 'about' page is far too wordy. You can lose a few paras there. I don't want a welcome and I don't need to know about your avenues, 'taking shape' or personal commissions (that suggests vanity projects, or things that aren't commercially viable); I'm far more interested in your what you've done for others and what you can do for me.

- Font is either needs to be bigger or different. Tough to read at the moment.

- Too many photos. Show your very best work – less than 10 per gallery would be good. It'll also speed-up any pre-loading. You can use Instagram and FB as bigger evolving backstory galleries.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but I work with content quite a lot; the above are personal bugbears. That all said, very best of luck with everything! I started out wanting to be a furniture designer before making a decision based on 'rational' logic  (ha!) and switching to graphic design on my year out (purely because of employment opportunities) – it's a wonderful, wonderful thing to do.

Don’t like the name much either to be honest. Comes across more as a hobby site than a professional craftsman offering a service.

This is a good point but I quite like the name.

I'd shorten the name down to BlackTea Furniture or somesuch.

Just give up the sugar.

You say you specialise in joinery, furniture and "outdoor spaces". Do you mean outdoor spaces or do you mean sheds? A garden is an outdoor space, as is a field, wood, road, ocean etc.

Hi,

I won't mention the font which on a mobile device is almost invisible

( https://www.screencast.com/t/uPUwztogBwUQ).

1) Make all images in your slider the same size.
2) Fewer images per gallery/ per slider to improve load times. use Google PageSpeed Insight tool to test or pingdom
3) You can't go wrong with black text on white background
4) Get a proper email address.
5) Nothing wrong with the name. Keep it, it sounds good, is quirky and doesn't have to relate to anything.

6) Think about who your target market is and tweak the content to target that. Is it local? If so where, which area/towns. Is it a demographic? If so tweak it.

There is a book called Building a Story Brand that you can get on Amazon for £8-odd. It is the best resource I've found for simplifying small business marketing.

Keep your name and all the bits about your business that you like and just simplify the messages, fonts and layout.

Other than that I find it all very pretentious, but maybe you want to sift out clients that just want boring furniture.

What is pretentious about it? Genuine question.

I'm not about making things that mass-market retailers make if that is what boring is. There's no point. I just enjoy the craft of making and enjoy making things that are different.

I don't usually give my pieces names and speak about how 'I wanted to explore the juxtapositional interplay between the textural qualities of teapot and wombat'...for instance, like many furniture designers do. So which bits are pretentious?

Where are you based? I can’t really tell. I could use someone like you but if you aren’t local to me (Surrey) then it’s probably not going to work .

Good shout and I'm going to add that. Leamington Spa, Warwickshire by the way. Nice and central 🙂

This is what you have on your web site:

Since then, I've travelled along many related. avenues

an architectural joiner making complex builds for houses

I've explored many practical and creative avenues in my work

I can offer you creative and beautifully crafted solutions to whatever you need

<span class="color_16">To communicate my ideas I use CAD software such as Sketchup</span>

Nothing awful, but a bit flowery and use of words like "builds" and "solutions", both words that could be replaced to advantage by "work", imho. Also how many people after a shed know or care about Sketchup? Would they need a software package to view it?

Contrast this with what you put in your original post:

I’m setting myself up as a maker of bespoke furniture, fitted furniture, joinery and outside spaces (sheds, summerhouses etc) all with more emphasis on the one-off.

This is straight and to the point and a model of clear writing (apart from the use of "spaces" - but you define that afterwards)! It's also what anybody coming across your web site would want to know from the off. You're trying too hard on your website, and to me it comes across as a bit pretentious. Just think what the potential customer needs to know, then write it down. In the "About me" section I'd list your qualifications and experience (i.e. as a proper list).

I'm not trying to knock you down, just offering some hopefully helpful criticism as per the OP :-). I may be wrong!

Also you could add how far away you are prepared to work and deliver.

Have a look at this for an example:

http://www.jamesbespokejoinery.com/about

They do go on about their "journey" but you can forgive them that because it's so much easier to read the typeface!

Thanks Nico. I understand what you're saying.. I'll take a look.

Regarding the font,

I kinda like it, as fonts go.  It's quirky and different.  However.  It's grey text on a grey background, a very fine typeface and small lettering.  On a relatively high-res screen it still dithers in an ugly manner, I can't imagine it's particularly readable on a smaller device.  If you absolutely must keep it, you need to increase the contrast and maybe bump up the font size a couple of points.

Hotmail email address screams amateur hour.  You have a domain name, use it.

Your home page is the first thing visitors will see and there's no content on it other than a cycling set of images.  I can click through and discover that you do commission work but really, why would I?  It looks at first glance like a hobbyist page / vanity project, if you're selling something then you need to hit them with your sales pitch front and centre.

The gallery needs work, as others have said.  No-one is going to sit there clicking through 40-odd images in case something takes their fancy.  Strip it down to half a dozen examples of your best work, maybe add images inline with body text elsewhere rather than just a gallery.  I'd perhaps organise it by project - so have a picture of a bench which someone going "ooh, a bench" can then click through and see more photos of that project.

Look at your image descriptions.  "Perspective 2" - of what?

Having "everything else" and then more menu items after it sets off my CDO.  If there's more stuff then it's not "everything else," is it.

What's the point of "making images"?

The videos don't show in Chrome - I'm guessing it's a Flash thing?  I just get very fuzzy static images.

What manic puts sugar in tea? (-:

Nothing wrong with Soho; just use regular (or thin), not condensed.

There only seems to be Soho Condensed, so I've changed it all to 'Avenir Light', along with a few other changes.

Thanks for all the feedback folks. It's a great help.

https://www.blackteaonesugar.co.uk/

Incidentally, I already pimped my ride with some graphics, and I used the Hotmail email address so I'm a little reluctant to change it again now, although I appreciate what people are saying about it not looking overly professional.

[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1836/29062480227_63a78da173_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1836/29062480227_63a78da173_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Lh9NRi ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr

I was driving through my town and I heard a bloke shout after me to stop a minute. He came over, said he was a plasterer and that he had been thinking of calling himself 'black tea NO sugar' and wanted to take a picture of my car...

Can I sue him? 😉

 I used the Hotmail email address so I’m a little reluctant to change it again now

No reason they have to be the same....

Can I sue?

If he presents himself as being part of your business or linked to you when he is not - that would be “passing off” which as I recall is a criminal matter.

More often people complain about Trademarks.  They don’t need to be registerred to afford protection but it makes things easier - especially as you are relatively unknown.  UK registration is not too expensive but probably enough to make you question it!  You can add a small TM to the end of your name and beside your logo though which asserts your ownership and might just scare away anyone looking to rip it off.

i’d be more upset if his branding looked very like mine than the name was similar.

the easiest thing to do though is register the domains blackteanosugar.com and .co.uk if he has not already!