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I created my website awhile ago, and now wish that I had someone design it for me. I just don't like it anymore. I would like to re-design my website, give it a fresh look. Please take a look and tell me what you think, I'm open to any ideas or suggestions!

 www.concreteconceptsinc.net

Thanks!

Julie

It looks pretty nice, neat and organized.  An image or logo in the header could spiff thing up a bit.  Maybe some close up images and some descriptive words about the concrete would give people a better idea of the different looks.

Hi Julie,

I think your photos would look better on a black background.  I'd restrict the size of your page content to a readable width ... even though the background color of everything could be the same to make it look like one large seamless page.  I'd only use one slogan on the home page, saving "Concrete never looked so good" for the photos page. "Concrete Concepts specializes in . . . " could go on your About Us page. 

Something like this perhaps: mock up.    Do you have a logo image you can use?  (gray in photo)

I'd make a two-tiered navigation structure (buttons are pink in the photo above):

          Concrete Stamping

                    About Stamping

                    Stamped vs. Pavers

                    Colors & Patterns (put the charts on this page, too)

          Ideas [or some such]

                     Pools, Decks ...

                     Retaining Walls

                     Driveways ...

          Projects 

                     Completed

                     Current

           About Us

                     Mission Statement

                     History

                     Contact Info

A link to your Contact Us page could go in the footer, along with a Home and Site Map link.

Hope this will spark some ideas. 

I have just a couple of thoughts to ponder.  The first thing to decide is what do you want it to look like?  Check out other sites and see what you like and dislike.  Look at colors, layouts, images, etc.  Then make a test page off navigation and experiment with layouts and arrangements.  See if you can duplicate or improve on the things you like.  This is the place to experiment and try things.

I would shorten your tag line to "Concrete never looked so good!"  Doesn't that tell your story?  You probably shouldn't describe your primary medium as "ugly."

I would suggest fewer pages for a business site.  Many fewer.  Home, About Us, Contact Us, and perhaps Gallery are enough.  For the Home page, the points on the "Concrete Stamping" page should be there, and told with images.  Those points would make a good bulleted list.  Visitors don't want to do a lot of reading.  Don't babble about flexible design options.  Show them to us.  I found the retaining walls particularly interesting.  They say you have 15 seconds to grab someone's interest.  Pick four or five images that represent your work and arrange them nicely.  Edit them to smaller sizes than they are now.  All you need to do is capture the interest of a customer.  Move the mission statement to the About Us page, or eliminate it altogether.  Put some testimonials on About US or the Gallery.

There's a couple of ideas.  Good luck.

www.fidalgoweather.net
Check the Masters Forum for help and good ideas.
For beginners: Getting started with OLSB.

I’m not a designer, but I look at lots of Web sites and I had a couple of thoughts for you as you rethink yours.  

First is to consider a more creative layout so all of your text isn’t sprawling across the page horizontally. You might be able to get more examples of your work on your Home page if you used a two column format, for instance. You could even rotate a “featured design” on your Home page every month or so to keep it fresh. I'd also make sure your service area is listed prominently; it's kind of buried now.

You could also experiment with the fonts you’re using and come up with something a little more interesting. Same with your header; you could jazz it up a bit by putting some art in it … maybe a few chunks of stamped concrete could be artfully arranged.

Finally, I think what could make a really big difference is if you could get some photos with people in them, lounging at poolside or barbecuing on the new patio, walking down the pathways, etc. Right now all the photos are pretty sterile. I think it would really warm up your site and make it more engaging for visitors if you could showcase your work in a way that suggests it improves people’s lives.

My 2 cents worth. Good luck to you.

Liz