I Need Honest Opinions....

Business By mrsfish94 Updated 24 May 2006 , 8:49pm by cakerlady

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 9:46pm
post #1 of 36

I was wondering what you gals/guys think about my web site.

I know it's not much....but if you were a bride...would you consider ordering your wedding cake from me?

I want to jazz it up...but I really don't know how

But my main concern....is how presentable it is.


Please be honest....really honest.

Thanks

35 replies
chefdot Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
chefdot Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 9:49pm
post #2 of 36

I think it looks great! Is it a free site that you used? I am looking for one and I like how your pics come up in a different window when you click on them.

BayouGatorFan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
BayouGatorFan Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 9:53pm
post #3 of 36

I think it looks very nice. You do really great work by the way! icon_smile.gif

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 9:58pm
post #4 of 36

yes...it is a free website. And thanks for the comments


Any advice as to maybe make it better???

riagirl Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
riagirl Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 11:02pm
post #5 of 36

i think your cakes look great! i think my only advise is to keep your background uniform. maybe use the white sheet underneath all the cakes or use the same pretty placemat as you have on some of the cakes. i read somewhere here on cc that you can get pretty inexpensive science type background mats at michaels (not sure what they are called or how to describe them..i'll search and repost for you)...i think this would make it more professional looking. otherwise everything else is nice and pretty easy to navigate. congratulations and good luck!

riagirl Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
riagirl Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 11:05pm
post #6 of 36

here's the topic discussion about those science boards...

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-19423-photograph.html

bonnscakesAZ Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
bonnscakesAZ Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 11:42pm
post #7 of 36

I really like it! I like the frames and how you have the drop down to skip to another page. Very nice!

Crimsicle Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Crimsicle Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 11:52pm
post #8 of 36

The site itself looks very nice - but you lose a sense of professionalism when there is household distraction in the background of your pix. Your cakes are very nice, and I LOVE your princess castle cake - and your wedding cakes are just terrific. All the more reason they should be displayed professionally. One note about the site structure....on your opening page, the word "Home" in the larger bolder font seems odd and out of place. (The placement of the page title on other pages works...but not on the home page.) It would also be nice if your name appeared larger - and maybe in a nice font, in a color that harmonized with the other graphics on the site. The site functions well, and that's the big hurdle.

Nice start!

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 12:51am
post #9 of 36

You know I tried to get rid of that "home" on my site but couldn't figure it out...I guess I will email the site company and ask.


I was thinking of cutting out the backgrounds on the photos using a print shop program and placing it on a colored background...I haven't done it yet.

Thanks for all the advice.

Happygrl Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Happygrl Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 4:35am
post #10 of 36

Looks pretty good! One thing I'd change--I'd replace the current pic on your homepage with a more "grand" one. The one on there now is very nice but, if you're really wanting to attract more wedding clients, I think showing one of your great wedding cakes would be a great "attention getter".

Some people are turned off by links/rings on the front page. This was a topic we discussed in a website design class I recently took. It was suggested that business sites create a separate page for links to other sites/rings rather than on the main page. Most people in the class said it doesn't bother them to see it on the main page but others said it made them think of the site as less professional.

For down the road....I've seen several sites lately that have a page on their website dedicated to just bridal clients. Information on the appointment(s)/cake tasting(s), info on set-up/delivery, another link to the wedding cake pics, etc. I think that is a nice way to get a lot of info for the client and make them feel "special" that you'd take that time to put up that extra info (it would feel that way to me if I were a bride). You could also put the links to the local wedding services there.

patton78 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
patton78 Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 5:15am
post #11 of 36

I think your site is a great start, but it seems a little plain to me. I think the home page font should be fancier and the overall layout seems a little plain. I agree with someone elses comment about putting a more spectacular wedding cake on the homepage to draw more attention. Also, I do not get the feel it is for wedding cakes, if that is your specialty, just any type of cake.

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 2:19pm
post #12 of 36

Thanks for those comments....I had not thought about the link thing. I had about the "grander" cake on the front page. I will change that today!!! As for the font....They only have 8 fonts to choose from...that was the best one. I will see if I can type something from Word and cut/paste it to see if the special font will transfer to the site.

I guess I should just pay the upgrade money and set it up as a real website. That way I could really make it look more professional. I didn't really want to have to pay $$$ for it...not yet anyway.

Again thanks for all the comments....they have been really helpful!!! thumbs_up.gif

CakesByEllen Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CakesByEllen Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 2:33pm
post #13 of 36

Ok, you wanted honest feedback, so here goes. Please remember these are just MY opinions and not meant to hurt feelings or anything.

- you need some sort of nicer font for your business name. I would try to pick something and stick with it for all your business cards, invoices, letterheads, etc. Perhaps a bit of color or something to "jazz" it up.

- your pictures all need to be a bit more cropped. I really don't care much about the background (nice or not), I want to see the picture. All your pictures look very dark as well. A photo editing program should be able to lighten them up. This happens with my digital too.

- consider seeing if you can soften the edge of the picture so it blends better with the background.

- I agree you need a more wow cake on the main page. Possibly a collage of cakes? Think about it. I'm not sure.

- do not put other links on your main page. create a page of links if you need to. It's distracting and makes me think about leaving your site to go to one of those sites (before I have even explored your site)

- I know this is a "free" page and you can only do so much, but think about getting frontpage or some other authoring tool. The photos page is nice enough, but would be nicer if instead of going to albums, you had thumbnails of the pictures in those albums that people could directly click on. Less navigation for the user.

- Give your cakes better names than Ethan's and Arianne. Remove personalization and it will be easier for someone to want that cake (if they don't feel like they are taking someone else's cake)

- crop, crop, CROP!

- lighten, lighten, lighten!

- I would put your royal wedding cake on the main page.

Good luck, I hope some of this helps.

I have to think about updating my own page one of these days ... seems like there is never enough time!

candyladyhelen Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
candyladyhelen Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 2:42pm
post #14 of 36

I think Ellen has some good points. I too would put the Royal wedding cake on the front page. Your cakes are wonderful! May I ask about your basic wedding cake? I have to make a cake tomorrow w/dots. Your's are so perfect. Any tips? Thanks, Helen

dailey Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
dailey Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 2:47pm
post #15 of 36

i think you're off to a good start. however, i would change the cake on the main page like already suggested. that is the viewers first impression of your work. also, i apoligize in advance if i missed it but do you have pics of wedding cakes on your site? i saw that you mention them but never actually saw one. if not, why not consider making a dummy one and adding that to your homepage? good luck!

cakemommy Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cakemommy Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 3:00pm
post #16 of 36

Let me start by saying that I love all your cakes! They are very beautiful! I am no web expert but I would change the back ground page to a more pastel color. Something more inviting that will show the cakes like either a baby blue, pink, lavender.......! Move the tabs to your other galleries more to the left side. There is too much empty space on the left and it just crams everything together. I would use the same background for your cakes unless they were set up on site like wedding/anniversary cakes!

Definately have another page for links. Choose one of your wedding cakes to put on the home page. Maybe try softening the edges of your pictures especially the wedding/anniversary cakes. They are so beautiful and I don't want the background to distract from them. The bride needs to imagine that cake at her reception.

Other than that what everrone else is suggesting is great. Again, I am no web expert. My website is just a gallery on our family's website that my BIL runs so I am thankful at least for that because we have family all over this country so it's easier for them to all go to the same place to see our pics instead of bogging down their email ya know! icon_razz.gif

You certainly don't have to worry about whether your cakes are going to attract attention because they definately attract mine!!!!!!! thumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif


Amy

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 8:25pm
post #17 of 36

Thanks all....so so much!!!! This is the feedback I so wanted. I will work on the website this afternoon. I'll post when I have made some changes and you can tell me if it looks better.


Thanks Again!!!! thumbs_up.gif

PeaceOfCake Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
PeaceOfCake Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 8:51pm
post #18 of 36

I agree with the others - your cakes are amazing! I think you need to boast about yourself a bit more on your site. You are extremely creative and one of the best things is that your cakes are "custom designed" according your clients' wishes. Many bakeries have pre-set designs, but there isn't the "custom" element there. Just like it's neat to have jewelry made that you designed yourself, I think that's exciting for a bride with a cake as well. You should put this upfront and center as this is one of your biggest selling points. You mention that you are a small "bake house" which makes me think that you are baking out of your house. While this may be true, it may sound more professional to convey the same message in a different way, e.g. "we limit the number of orders we accept so that each client will receive highly personalized attention." Just an example off the top of my head. As someone else suggested, I think you might want to change the names to something more sophisticated. Your "basic wedding" cake is beautiful, why not call it "Simply elegant" or something like that?

Anyway, my two cents for what it's worth. My husband is a web designer so I actually don't have to worry about it because he does it for me!

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 27 Apr 2006 , 10:16pm
post #19 of 36

I changed the picture on my web. I can't do anything more today...I got to make dinner!!! LOL!!! Thanks again for all the advice and comments.

I went through all my pictures using my picture fixer...So I will need to invest some time tonight and replace all the current photos. Some pictures I have lost...so those can't be fixed. But I am working on it!!!


Thank you all again ...so much!!!!

CakesByEllen Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CakesByEllen Posted 28 Apr 2006 , 1:59pm
post #20 of 36

mrsfish,

For the photos you have lost, you can always download them from your website! Do the right-click/save thing.

Good luck, I can't wait to see the revised site!

MainCake Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MainCake Posted 28 Apr 2006 , 2:44pm
post #21 of 36

mrsfish, I checked out your site yesterday and liked it a lot. I prefer a site that is organized like yours and doesn't have a ton of stuff on every page. Too much on one page is distracting, I think. I agree that it does look better with the bigger cake on the home page. Great job! The only thing I noticed is that on your 'Contact/Links' title thing, part of the C in Contact and part of the S in Links are cut off. It looks like it's just a formatting issue, maybe it needs to be resized to accomodate all the letters....

I think your site is really nice! You make beautiful cakes!

JulieBugg2000 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
JulieBugg2000 Posted 28 Apr 2006 , 2:52pm
post #22 of 36

I agree with everyone else's opinions, and I have to say that I love the chocolate cake with the swirling flowers! For some reason it just jumped out at me, it's great. icon_smile.gif

missyjo30 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
missyjo30 Posted 28 Apr 2006 , 2:56pm
post #23 of 36

I think you did great the only thing I would do differently is have all the info able to fit onto the screen where you don't have to scroll down to look at everything. I like to see a lot of photos, so maybe have more pics available without having to click on a thread. Also I would make the pictures that are in the frames bigger, it's hard to see them. If you're not sure how to change it, I would go to a web designer. Great job though, I hop one day to be able to have one.

jennrick1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jennrick1 Posted 28 Apr 2006 , 3:05pm
post #24 of 36

I think you have a nice start to your page. I agree about putting one of your "grander" cakes on the front. You have beautiful cakes and should put them right up front to catch the eye!

bush1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
bush1 Posted 29 Apr 2006 , 4:21pm
post #25 of 36

Good job on getting your site going. I agree with the others that for your home page if you are only using one photo I would use the royal wedding cake photo. All your cakes are beautiful but that one really jumps out at you. Since you have the basic butter cream photo, would it be possible to show maybe five or six really grand examples on that same page so that everyone looking can imagine their cake. Maybe one with gold or silver dragess, one with a gumpaste swag if you use gumpaste, one with a monogram dusted in a gold or silver dust and maybe one that incorporates the more contemporary colors, pink/brown, brown/blue. I'm kind of rambling but I can definitely picture it. Almost like when you look at bridesmaids dresses and you can kind of click on another color and that will appear on the big picture. Anyway, great job and much success!!!!!

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 4 May 2006 , 5:04am
post #26 of 36

Ok...I tried to change the lettering on my site. What do you think?

CrystalsCakes5 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CrystalsCakes5 Posted 9 May 2006 , 12:47am
post #27 of 36

Mrsfish94,

What is your website address? I would like to check it out. Thank you.

mrsfish94 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mrsfish94 Posted 9 May 2006 , 2:04am
post #28 of 36

if you look on the bottom of my post there is a button with "www" on it...you can click on that...it will take you there

My site address is.... www.simplycakesbysusan.zoomshare.com

PeaceOfCake Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
PeaceOfCake Posted 9 May 2006 , 5:22am
post #29 of 36

I really like the font change on the front page and the new photo that you added - a much grander cake! I think the font is a little bit hard to read on the smaller pages, like the one with the flavors and types of cakes. Maybe you could make those bigger or use a complimentary font for that part? IMHO....

PeaceofCake

PieceofCakeAZ Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
PieceofCakeAZ Posted 9 May 2006 , 10:01am
post #30 of 36

The new font looks much better!

Great looking cakes too!

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%