ZoomConcept Reviews
Minor Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Branding Issue: Try creating a logo for the website since it builds confidence with your audience and that the website is 100% legit and not a "e-mail scam" were you end up selling the e-mail list to people. -
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Ryan Hertz commented:I agree that it a logo would make the site a little more legitimate and professional. It may not make a huge difference, but I don't see any reason not to do it.
Serious Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 I'm not a fan of the layout because you create too many blocks, making it feel unorganized.The reason why this is happening is because your theme is divided in 2 columns that aren't even, and each column is then broken into 2 other regions.What i would do is focus on having a single column design rather then 2,since i didn't notice any advertising on the page which is good since it makes it feel a lot more legit which will build trust in your brand and people will know that you aren't just to make money with ads but actually build value to your product. -
Ben Gillbanks commented:
The content falls within a 12 column grid so whilst the main block isn't even it is structured. In addition I feel that having the main block positioned off center makes it stand out more so that users know it's the primary action point.
Critical Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 CTA Issue: What you have here is a common error in conversions, you're basically giving the user to choose either A.test or B.login....this is extremely wrong because people want to be lead they don't want to choose,if you look at big brand websites they never ever do this.If you look at the homepage of conceptfeedback you will notice that there's only one CTA(call to action) and that's "get started".My suggestion is move the paragraph that begins with "create websites...." and place it where the "Try before you buy" is.The blue button move it on the right around where the "remember" checkmark is and above it place Try before you buy and be sure to make it the same width as the blue button.Make the whole header bigger so it will reach just under the login button and place in the center of the screen a image similar to what coverflow looks.And you got yourself a stunning page that will convert well. Positive Feature on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 I like the colors and overall feel + navigation so good job. 2 Like it,well balanced but you could change the site5 ad to something that will fit better your website colors New Idea on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Instead of going vertical try going with an horizontal approach and maybe add a second row so you could display 8 themes or maybe implement them as a horizontal slider. 2 Make it as a drop down and place it at the top similar to what Facebook has. Summary:
A good start but you should do some research on landing pages to get a better feel of things.Also you could check the homepage of conceptfeedback and prosite.com for some great examples.
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Minor Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Sounds repetitive to have Wordpress theme preview twice, above the fold, and both looks like logo of sort... You could possibly remove the top left Wordpress Theme preview, and move all your navigation links to the left, and may be add a call to action like phone number or email address on the top right, or could even have LOGIN / Sign Up buttons.. -
Ben Gillbanks commented:
The top left logo is consistent, and the one in the header is only there on the homepage. I considered hiding the one in the top left on the homepage but I don't like the idea of the header changing from page to page. I like the idea of adding a 'test a site' button to the header though.
Critical Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Competing with the overal site. As soon as i see the whole page, This is the first thing I notice.. You can try fading it and making it GrayScale and could even try moving it below all your footer links. Positive Feature on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 I love the header.. New Idea on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Login button doesn't go with the rest of the site., 2 Too many links, too close to each other. You can try moving the View All themes button below all four themes... 3 Could Possibly add facebook like box / Twitter feed to utilize the space.. 4 Can add a link saying "Read more from the Blog", to take them to a blog page.. -
Ben Gillbanks commented:
I'll do this once I have more than 2 blog posts :)
5 You can also add Facbeook Connect to make it easier for the users to signup. -
Ben Gillbanks commented:
As new blog content is added this space will fill up
6 I would add Blog as a navigational link at the top.. -
Summary:
I don't immediately understand what the site is for and how it works. How is this different than the wordpress.org theme directory or prothemedesign.com? I think "Try before you buy" conflicts with "totally free". I'd like to know what I'm going to get when I register, what the limitations of a free account are, and how much it might cost to get the full version. On the about page you say "people would like to test themes by other developers as well". How does that work and where do those themes come from? I hope this helps.
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Ben Gillbanks commented:
Thanks for the feedback!
So did you genuinely not understand what the website is about, or do you now understand and it wasn't instantly clear?
I have tried to clarify the proposition a bit more on the homepage and I will tweak the about page as well.
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Ryan Hertz commented:
I've gone back and looked at it a second time and I still genuinely do not understand how the site works. I think that you are offering a service similar to http://www.elegantthemes.com/, but I'm not sure.
On the about page, the first sentence really doesn't help: "WordPress Theme Preview is a site, born from a frustration at the inability to preview premium WordPress content." I'm not sure what you mean by this because most themes in the Wordpress directory have a live preview. Elegantthemes.com does as well.
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Ben Gillbanks commented:
ok - so to clarify then, I am not talking about previewing how the themes look, but instead previewing how they work. You are able to create a temporary WordPress site and then test the theme options and administration panels. This is something that is normally hidden from view.
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Positive Feature Login and Blog placement
Giving value to other sections.Summary:
I would definetely not give such a valued space to login. What about adding it simply to the menu? Also, I feel the "From the Blog" section is less important than actually testing the themes. Thus, I think it could be interesting to move that section below the "Recent Themes" section, expanded to full width by the same occasion.
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Ben Gillbanks commented:
Thanks for the feedback Oliver. I must admit I have been thinking similar things myself so it's nice to have them confirmed for me!
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Minor Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 Poor Alignment: This should really line up with the login box to create a two column layout. At the moment, it seems very accidental. Critical Problem on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 These theme thumbnails don't work: They should offer a taste of the actual theme and tempt the user to click to see the whole theme. Part of the problem is that they are far too small to achieve their purpose. They also seem more concerned with emphasising "Startbox". New Idea on http://wpthemepreview.com 1 This doesn't link back to the homepage. This is a problem, as most people expect site titles to take them back home. 2 This area doesn't work. An opening graphic should visually convey the meaning of a site. This graphic merely consists of text and a background colour. The background colour doesn't even tie in with any part of the site. Overall, this area seems like an after-thought to the design. Summary:
Like RH noted, it is really confusing to work out the purpose of this website. I actually went through the sign up process and was still confused. One problem is that the sign up process makes references to creating a 'new site'. I think you really need to tighten up the process, so users are aware that they are not getting a fully functioning website, but are instead getting a place to try out new themes.
To be honest, I think you need to scrap this concept and start all over. A good landing page should place priority on pushing the themes to the user, as this will tempt the user into clicking on to the rest of the site.
Unfortunately, your layout doesn't allow for this. The thumbnails, in particular, are just too small to work. The layout tends to give too much priority to secondary elements such as the blog and the sign in box, none of which actually help to sell your services.
The site does have some plus points. The colour scheme is bright and cheerful. It gives the site an identity without conflicting with the themes being presented.
Sorry if I sound harsh. You obviously put effort into your work, but I think your layout is working against you.
Summary:
Love the brightness of the site as a whole. Its true what other people have said here that the login button under got an account? login! doesnt match the other buttons, maybe what i would do is do the login button the same blue and layout of the test wordpress themes big button but not as big and wide.
- Peter
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Ben Gillbanks commented:
Thanks for the comments. I don't think the login button is all that important though. It uses the OS default design so users should not be confused by it :)
If people are going to think the site is a scam I can't see a logo making any difference?