Misty is horrified that I don't have a new blog post about her Mama to share today. I'm a bit horrified myself, but I swear I have a good reason...
After spending days experimenting, trying, failing, and ripping my hair out while trying to figure out how to fix things, my website for The Whisker Watch was published at 1:49 a.m. Eastern. I might have completed it sooner, but two kids out sick this week and a Science Fair project that was not completed until midnight on the night before it was due takes a toll on a Mom.
Check it out! It's not perfect, but it's good enough to let the world have a peek. Constructive feedback and lavish praise welcome below ;-)
Mama will be here in all her glory for a Special Super Saturday post to make it up to you. If you're lucky, Ruby Roo will peek her head in too.
Congrats Kelly!
ReplyDeleteI love the new website! It looks very professional. The pictures are great and I had no problem understanding things or clicking through the links. Well done-I would call you to take care of Oreo in a few weeks during our vacation if we lived closer ;)
DeleteThe website looks fantastic and is easy to use. Font choice and colors are great! Makes the site easy to read and fun, but not in a childish way. Very professional!
ReplyDeleteOne note -- in your contact info, you provide your email address but it is not "hot-linked" if that is the correct term. By that I mean, you cannot just click on your email address and it pops up into window so that you can immediately email you. Just something to think about - or maybe you did and decided against it. Either way....the site is terrific. Congrats!
I *knew* something was missing. One of the many reasons I am so grateful to have you guys here for me. Thanks! It will be fixed by the end of the day :)
DeleteThe website is QUITE impressive -- congrats!! Looks like a great business (so wish I was closer). One thing you might think about for your Rates & Services page ... something with cats on it? Especially something about multiple-cat households? I've found that petsitters in my area tend to be freaked out by homes with more than one cat and can't figure out how to set their rates, even though it may be only one visit a day! (See WHY I wish I was closer!) Good luck with it all, and I'm sure it'll be a terrific success.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will certainly insert a note about multi-cat households as well. My rate is more based upon time needed than number of animals, so if I can complete the job in 30 minutes the price stays the same. Given my experience around here, if anyone knows how to feed, scoop, and love on a large number of kitties in a small amount of time, it's me. I raise the rate for extra dogs because of the extra time in takes in walking them and leaving the house with multiples.
DeleteNow if they had Love & Hisses level of multiples, I might need to charge just a bit more ;)
good job..... ;)
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! Like Holly, I only wish I lived closer to you. :)
ReplyDeleteRemember how I said I'd probably only comment on things I felt were important now that I can no longer post using the convenience of Anonymous? Yes, well, this is one of those things. :D
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job on the website. Aesthetics are important but I think navigation & content is MORE important. So, my honest opinion is this:
1. The colour choices (brightness) would not have been my first pick but I don't find them offensive (they actually work together) & I get that they bring attention to the different areas, segregate them & make them more noticeable.
2. You've done an excellent job making it easy to navigate & find information in easily identifiable sections. All areas are functional where they need to be.
3. Content is brief & to the point so users don't need to wade through a lot of unnecessary text to find what they need. I LOVE THAT.
4. There are a lot of images BUT they are fun and relate to the services offered, which is key, so it's not overwhelming (maybe a little distracting "Oh, how cute! Wait... what did I come here for?", but animal lovers will appreciate them).
Overall: If I were looking for pet sitting, etc services & came across your website, I would contact you. I don't say that lightly... I have actually NOT used a company because they had a lame website and I thought it spoke volumes about how they represented themselves.
I am so excited for you... and I wonder how you will manage ALL THE THINGS once you start getting calls & need to schedule stuff & drive all over the place! ... but (and this part is selfish) I think we're all going to have fun coming along on the ride with you. I know you won't be able to publish anything related to your clients for privacy reasons but I'm sure you'll be able to share some anonymous type tidbits like maybe: "Client #4's dog licked my toes while waiting for me to fill his bowl!"
~Chris
PS - Sorry for the long comment but sometimes I have a proclivity toward verbosity. :D
Me again! So sorry, but I forgot to mention that I can't wait to see how/where/when you'll be using your logo on the website!
ReplyDelete~Chris
Thank you! My next bit of business is to engage the graphic designer of my choice on Fiverr and pay them five bucks to make my logo into clip art on a transparent background. Then we will see that logo floating around :)
DeleteOh yayyy!! I'm so glad you are trying Fiverr. Maybe I wasn't the only one who suggested Fiverr to you, but I'm so glad you are checking it out.
DeleteBTW, re the orange dot problem mentioned below, if you can't make it work, what you might need is to find a web design template that is "responsive." I've just recently learned about that, and that's where the site adjusts to the size of the device that it is being viewed on (e.g. if it's being viewed on a phone, it will display in such a way that you can see the website properly).
~~Charlene
You have no idea HOW lucky I am.. *waits for Ruby*
ReplyDeleteLove the website, only downside is the dot on the left side is cut off if the window isn't big enough. Viewed on kindle same thing..
Bummer... I like the orange dot. I shall play around a bit and see what I can do to make it visible to all.
DeleteRuby will see what she can do. She notes, however, that it might be Sunday before the Lady gets her act together. It shall be this weekend, though.
Wow, Kelly, the new website is great. And I don't say that lightly. I'm very picky about these things and have a very critical eye about both design and content (whether it be a website, a newsletter, a magazine or newspaper), having had both professional training and experience in both areas.
ReplyDeleteI won't repeat the points made by others already about how well the colors work together, how attractive the photos are and how all the info a potential client might need is all there. Just a really great job, very professional looking. I can't believe you did this all by yourself! I'm so impressed.
Just one nit-picky grammar point (and I know I'm fighting a losing battle on this one because *everyone* says and writes it the way you did): You had, "It doesn't matter whether they have whiskers or scales, feathers or fur, every animal wiggles its way into her heart." But grammatically, "they" should be "it" in order to agree with "every animal" (which of course is singular). But as I say, I know this is a losing battle....
I too can't imagine how in the world you will manage this along with all the other tasks and roles you already juggle. I'm in awe.... And I too look forward to stories about the new adventures with these animal clients.
As a trained English teacher who wrote that particular passage after midnight, I appreciate the nit-pickiness. Noted and already fixed. Thanks :)
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DeleteOh, just noticed one other thing... On the Contact page, the header on the left side currently reads:
DeleteDon't Let Your Pet Miss
Out on the Fun...
Contact Us Today!
If possible (and I know sometimes these website templates don't let you do this), break the first line after "pet" so that "miss" is on the second line and stays together with "out" -- thusly:
Don't Let Your Pet
Miss Out on the Fun
Everyone -- and I do mean *every*one (even the best writers out there and the best editors) -- needs another pair of eyes to look over what he's written, especially if it was written after midnight. Glad you didn't take offense at the nit-picking.
DeleteBTW, this is Charlene -- not sure why my name doesn't show up that way when I identify myself through Google.