Is it eye catching?

[Chef Isaac]

I am looking to know if you all think the homepage is eye catching. I am looking to hook in the reader and hopefulyl drive traffic to the sales page.

http://www.sweetascanbeehoneyfarm.com

I am also wondering if I should do away with the forms.

[Ravenseye]

Hi Chef,

I like it. A little busy, but you have a lot to say! You might want to link to the "stay in touch" form if you want it cleaner. Only those that really want to stay in touch are going to go there anyway. Nice work!!!!

[berkshire bee]

Chef, I really like your home page and I think it is eye catching. Much good information and it's interesting. berkshire

[Chef Isaac]

Thanks for the imputs.

Berk: you got a pm

[AllFloridaBeeRemoval]

is it me, or is the banner image of the bee and flower stretched a bit horizontally?

I think the design is just fine.

[Chef Isaac]

It is stretched..... wait wait.... it is just you. Getting older these days eh??? :) :)

[suprstakr]

great . reduce pixel count on pictures , takes some time to download on dial-up .

[bluegrass]

I think it is a really nice site.

I personally don't like to word organic anywhere near honey bees, but that is just me. I feel the term is getting diluted down from what it is all about. It has become a sale pitch making people think they are getting something in a natural state, that is better for them, when it is not. I don't think that people should be tricked into buying non-certified organic products. Organic was about the environment, not health, and now people don't see that.

Personally I would strip the word organic and talk about treatment free and what that means to bees and beekeepers, explain some of the battles facing the honey bee as part of the domestic food chain. I understand organic from a seller's standpoint, but your site seems to be geared towards public education so I don't think you want to miss-lead anybody.

Nice job with the site Chef.

[John Gesner]

Looks good! Better than mine... What software did you use to build it?

Only comment I'd make is about the picture stretching. I'd fix that just cause it bugs me... But that's just me!

[Mabe]

Howdy Chef,

What a nice site! Very few commercial website pages I've come across recently have offered as much benefit to the customer as yours does and I actually enjoyed looking at ALL of it as I think many will that visit.

Design wise it is pleasant to look at. Of course beekeepers will comment on the slightly stretched image at the heading, but that's easily adjusted. Personally, I would use a slightly different font style (fancier) for "Sweet As Can Bee" and use a slightly smaller font size for "Honey Farm" but keep simple font.

Your copy made me want to order some of your honey and I have plenty of my own!

Mabe

[Chef Isaac]

Blue:

I somewhat agree with you. I should add a section somewhere that explains in more depth. However, when using the word "organic", I am meaning two different things. I mean that my treating methods are organic... heck... I really do not use anything. That, to me, is an organic holistic approach. Also, I let people know that my bees live on organic farms. But I do not say my honey is organic because it is not. If someone asks, I will tell them. But I do see your point.

Organic is not just about the enviroment. It can be about an approach and can be about health. But that is only my opinion.

John:
I use godaddy.com and they have a web site builder called Web Site Tonight. It is pretty cool. I do find myself changing the HTML code every once and a while. However, they have AWESOME support staff 24/7. I love it!

Mabe: thank you for your kind words.

[rantcliff]

Sorry - but I think it is too busy and too much text for a home page. I like more links to take me to what I want to find out rather that what "you" want me to look at.

[Chef Isaac]

Thank you rant for your opinion on that. I do see some of it being too busy.

[Sogal]

I agree it is busy..maybe wordy is a better term. You're losing the impact of the Important Words that will set your honey apart from the bears on the grocery shelves...like hand-spun and bottled, fresh, local, organic, unprocessed, raw. I'd make those larger and keep them on the upper right hand side (most read). Maybe divide that secion into right-hand third to Important Words, then put the quotes into a narrower column to the left of the "Important Words". Our old eyes don't like to have to follow long thin sentences.

I'd maybe put the bee facts, recipes on links I'm impressed with anyone who can put together a web site and your text is great!

[Chef Isaac]

Sogal:

Thanks! I will consider this. I do think some of the homepage is wordy. I will put some thoughts on it!.