Feedback: Our first B&B website

[Arks]

I know you have more pics coming... but no one else mentioned something that stuck out like a sore thumb right on the home page..... Make sure they change the pic of the front of the house... The rocker with a broken slat sticks out (pic a cartoon character's thumb after being hit by a hammer.) I can see it clear in the other front view as well... would not notice it as easily if the other pic was not there!
Don't mind the twitter/FB stuff at the bottom of the page but do not think giving their FB page equal billing to the Inn and Restaurant page is the way to go. While social media is the rage - especially by the younger set, they still come to the website to find out about the B&B/Restaurant NOT to go to FB....
Needs lots more info!!! Rooms? there are 10 - what's the difference? do they have private baths? TV's,..... people want to know.
Nothing makes me say WOW I have to go to this place! - There is so much rich history in and around that area... The attractions page just does not do the area justice.... get that innkeeper busy, I have tons of things to add to that page and it has been years since we romped in that area..

I thought the broken slat was busted off by the people consuming the booze on the header and used as a weapon. Just sayin...
"Am lookin' for the man who shot ma paw!"
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I thought the broken slat was busted off by the people consuming the booze on the header and used as a weapon. Just sayin...
"Am lookin' for the man who shot ma paw!"

That's fine, JB. You deserve that double martini after a hard day's work!

 

[David Pearce]

Man you guys are harsh
I understand the dislike with the color and images, and I'll discuss it with the client. Like I mentioned the rooms and restaurant pages are incomplete so those will be improved soon.
As for the Facebook and Twitter, while some might not like it being pushed on the website, the reality is that social media is a huge marketing tool and it's only going to get more important. Every day there are marketing articles from major sources about how important it is. Here's one from today: http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-key-social-media-findings-that-affect-your-business
Having social media accounts promoted on the website increases engagement (this particular inn has gained two new likes and two new followers in the few hours since I posted this). Wait until you see what Facebook unveils later this week (https://www.facebook.com/about/timeline). They are going to truly change the internet, and having a strong social presence will more than ever directly correlate to business success (in any industry).
I'm very curious about those of you making SEO comments. We have significant experience and a pretty successful history with website SEO before this B&B venture. I'm confident as this website ages and gains incoming links it will rank well for the targeted keywords (kentucky bed and breakfast, lexington ky bed and breakfast, versailles ky bed and breakfast).
Otherwise thanks everyone for the input, we'll definitely take all the comments into consideration and will make changes going forward!.

Sorry it seems harsh David, but you asked for the nity grity truth.
Sorry, but a company that really knows about SEO would never have the title bars reading the way that site has them. If your key words are basically the ones provided above, then you're missing out. SEO needs to be added for attractions, local landmarks, and many other things in the area. Most of our bookings come from search terms that have nothing to do with bed and breakfast! If someone is looking specifically for a bed and breakfast, then they'll find your inn. It's trying to grab the market that hasn't stayed at a b&b you want to convince to stay with you. Keywords and SEO need to reflect that. A 10 room b&b should also have key words of hotel, motel, boutique hotel, etc.
I know you're just beginning the site and are continuing to do work on it, but it still falls short on some basics.
We know social media is important and will be even more so as time goes on, but it doesn't need to be in your face in prime real estate. If you don't grab your target market with your home page and make them want to investigate further, then you've lost them forever.
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Sorry, but a company that really knows about SEO would never have the title bars reading the way that site has them. If your key words are basically the ones provided above, then you're missing out.

Those keywords are the main keywords for the overall website. Each individual page is optimized for that pages content (including attractions for the attractions page).
As far as title bars go I can only assume you're referencing that the keywords should be the first thing in the title? While surveys and studies have shown this positively correlates to high rankings, it's a rather controversial topic. Titles are not only for search engines. They provide a significant benefit to real people as well. They are what the user reads and sees in the search engine, they're what show up in browser tabs, they're what show up when a user bookmarks your page, and they're what show up when a user shares your website on facebook and twitter.
What's important is that the keywords are in the title, how much their position in the title (first thing) really matters is up for debate. We think it's not worth the user-experience loss you get. And titles should be no longer than 70 chars which also limits the amount of keywords you should use.
Google has a history of changing their algorithm to provide the best experience for the user. When I search "Bed & Breakfast website design" I don't want a bunch of pages called "Bed & Breakfast website design", I want to know who and what those pages are. Google knows this and we think they're going to devalue the keyword position factor soon (if they haven't already). They change their algorithms over 500 times per year and much of what the SEO experts base their opinions on is stuff from 6 months ago.
Like I said we have significant experience doing SEO work on websites unrelated to this industry and have found a great medium between providing for search engines AND for real people.
If anyone wants a full break down of current SEO factors see the SEOMoz study: http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors.
There's better ways to rank high than to sacrifice the way your page titles read to actual people. In fact if you're not careful with your titles you can reduce your rankings, as the click-through-rate of Google to your website is a significantly growing factor in search rankings. If users aren't clicking your website because your title doesn't catch their eye then your ranking will decrease. We like our titles clean and pretty.

 

[EmptyNest]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...boring! Sorry, but the site looks industrial. No warmth.
Get the FB off the main page, or make it smaller and put it at the bottom.
There is absolutely no SEO built into that site.
Personally, I hate it when the rooms are just numbers and not named. They have no personality and the photos that are on the reservation program are bad. The rooms need to be decorated, they just look sterile and uninviting.
I dislike the tweets, news, etc., on the bottom of each page.
Once you click to check availability, it's not obvious how to get back to the main site. It needs to either be integrated into the site or open in a different window.
With such boring rooms, it doesn't give you much to work with as as web designer as far as grabbing the prospective guest with emotion. It seems very hotel like..

Reservation Nexus always tells their clients to NOT have it open in a new window. The link back to inn is the upper left corner.

 

[EmptyNest]

Kind of blah and boring. Nothing really attractive to say WOW. Photo definitely need improving. Typical WORDPRESS set up which is ok, but just doesn't look welcoming. Ok for a normal site, but for a B & B...needs the wow factor upped. Lots more you can do with this theme. I use this site for many of my clients. Love KARMA and their support!!

 

[Samster]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...boring! Sorry, but the site looks industrial. No warmth.
Get the FB off the main page, or make it smaller and put it at the bottom.
There is absolutely no SEO built into that site.
Personally, I hate it when the rooms are just numbers and not named. They have no personality and the photos that are on the reservation program are bad. The rooms need to be decorated, they just look sterile and uninviting.
I dislike the tweets, news, etc., on the bottom of each page.
Once you click to check availability, it's not obvious how to get back to the main site. It needs to either be integrated into the site or open in a different window.
With such boring rooms, it doesn't give you much to work with as as web designer as far as grabbing the prospective guest with emotion. It seems very hotel like..

Reservation Nexus always tells their clients to NOT have it open in a new window. The link back to inn is the upper left corner.
.

Yes, and a lot of web sites use their reservation page for their room photos and don't have a separate rooms page. I think that's a mistake too.

 

[Samster]

Really took a look at the room photos on the reservation link and the guest rooms need a lot more pizazz with the addition of artwork and accessories. Also, they need tables and lights on both sides of the bed. Lack of good bedside lighting is one of the most frequent complaints by travelers. I need more info about the rooms, too.
Hopefully, they're still tweaking all of this...

 

[user 26]

I know you have more pics coming... but no one else mentioned something that stuck out like a sore thumb right on the home page..... Make sure they change the pic of the front of the house... The rocker with a broken slat sticks out (pic a cartoon character's thumb after being hit by a hammer.) I can see it clear in the other front view as well... would not notice it as easily if the other pic was not there!
Don't mind the twitter/FB stuff at the bottom of the page but do not think giving their FB page equal billing to the Inn and Restaurant page is the way to go. While social media is the rage - especially by the younger set, they still come to the website to find out about the B&B/Restaurant NOT to go to FB....
Needs lots more info!!! Rooms? there are 10 - what's the difference? do they have private baths? TV's,..... people want to know.
Nothing makes me say WOW I have to go to this place! - There is so much rich history in and around that area... The attractions page just does not do the area justice.... get that innkeeper busy, I have tons of things to add to that page and it has been years since we romped in that area..

I know you have more pics coming... but no one else mentioned something that stuck out like a sore thumb right on the home page..... Make sure they change the pic of the front of the house... The rocker with a broken slat sticks out (pic a cartoon character's thumb after being hit by a hammer.) I can see it clear in the other front view as well... would not notice it as easily if the other pic was not there!

good eye, copperhead! the porch pic zoomed past me so fast ... i didn't even take a second look when the pic came around again. wow!