New Website

I agree, it looks good Bob.
The only thing is that I couldn't find the "currently available" page that you talk about on your home page.
 
Simple and easy to navigate. I see nothing wrong with it. Nice knives there too.
 
Very Nice site. Good choice for your home page picture. It shows well why custom is different from Wal-Mart. :) You pictures show diversity and they load fast. (They also show off your talent nicely.)

Constructive Critique;

  • Some field use pics
  • A links page
  • Your own Domain
Rob!
 
I like that you use some natural settings as backgrounds in some of your pics. A few of your pics had that taken-on-the-kitchen-table look, it's common to see. I'd go with a lightbox for pics you want to take indoors, but definitely keep going with the moss, stone, weathered wood, leaves etc. background look with the outdoor pics. It's very zen, looks great.

The pipe hawks were my favorite. Nice work.

Not to be a spelling/punctuation nazi, just a couple things I noticed in the text on your landing page.

My name is Robert Mayo.

I have made edged tools and cutlery as a hobby since 1998. In the beginning I was only going to try and make myself a hunting knife superior to the ones I could find in a store, at which I succeeded. After making that first knife doing stock removal there was no quitting.

As I gained knowledge and experience I began making both hand forged and stock removal knives . After a few years in 2003 I found out about the internet and the wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.

I then started forging pipehawks and tomahawks and have been gaining in knowledge and skill with the generous help from the many bladesmiths I have talked to. I'd omit "the" here. It's unnecessary. Or rephrase it "with the generous help of the many bladesmiths I have talked to."

Thanks for your interest in my edged art, be sure and check out the currently available page. A semicolon might work even better as a pause here, but it's probably not your style.

It is best to contact me by email, as I am on dial up internet and the ph. line is usually busy.

There's some stuff here and there elsewhere in the site, not too bad, I'd be glad to go over it a little more if you'd like.

I like your site. It looks good and the overall feel is simple and welcoming. I would like to see a shop tour, but that's always my favorite part just because I'm a maker, too.
 
Thanks folks!
Pat the available page is coming.
Rob the reason i use the free page is i'm a knifemaker i don't make money at this!
Salem i appreciate the help feel free to correct me, allso i do not have a shop i have a dirty old garage.

Bob
 
I like your website. It is attractive, legible, seems clear, and easy to navigate. Good job!

I have never designed a website but I worked 30 years in the field of instructional media (audio visual) and made numerous audio and video instructional programs. With any sort of communication there are several questions that need to be addressed, who is the audience, what are you trying to get across to them. The message of course is tailored to speak to the audience.

I'm just not real clear about the purpose of the website. Is it to sell knives? If so, that point seems rather understated to me. I don't mean beating the viewer over the head with sales pitches, but mention it less obliquely and a little more directly. Maybe tell them you would like to discuss making a knife for them.

I'm sure this is version 1.0, and as you get feedback from users etc you will continue to modify to site to be even better than it already is.

LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Sun Prairie, Wiscosin
 
Looks great:thumbup: I think the next time I go home I may have to get in touch with you to see some of those beauties in person.

George
 
No problem Robert. You know, I use a free site host (sites.google.com) but pay for a domain name from Godaddy. Whoever you want to use, I should think you'll be able to get a custom domain name and probably a custom email address for less than $20/year. I did. Then you just set your site and your account at your domain name provider so that anytime someone clicks on www.rmayoknives.com, (for instance) or searches for it, they wind up at your site. That way you can look really professional with your matching email address and website URL, printed on some nice business cards.

I don't know if you plan to, but it's a good idea to submit a sitemap to Google and Yahoo for search engine visibility. Otherwise, it may take several months to be able to find your site even with a specific google search.

Just my $0.02.
 
Salem Straub said:
No problem Robert. You know, I use a free site host (sites.google.com) but pay for a domain name from Godaddy. Whoever you want to use, I should think you'll be able to get a custom domain name and probably a custom email address for less than $20/year. I did. Then you just set your site and your account at your domain name provider so that anytime someone clicks on www.rmayoknives.com, (for instance) or searches for it, they wind up at your site. That way you can look really professional with your matching email address and website URL, printed on some nice business cards.

I don't know if you plan to, but it's a good idea to submit a sitemap to Google and Yahoo for search engine visibility. Otherwise, it may take several months to be able to find your site even with a specific google search.

Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...

Cool how do you submit a site map to them.
Bob
 
Go to "google webmaster tools" by searching, they will walk you through setting up a webmaster tools account, adding your site, creating and submitting a sitemap. Doesn't cost anything, and it's easy. Then you'll aso be able to track the finer details, such as how much traffic per month, coming from what countries, percentage of hits generated by direct traffic versus search engines, most significant keywords that find your site, all of that. It can be handy.
 
I like it. Attractive, simple to navigate, the knives show well.

Hope to see more of your through carved steel handles show up in the gallery though. All
I've seen have been spectacular.
 
Great job on the web site. The knives are also great, I'd love to have some talent....

Don
 
Looks great Bob! I really like to have a single place to go to look at all your amazing creations.

May I suggest you have a a section with pics of your different equipments? Grinder, Anvils, Forge, etc...I know you feel it's only your garage, but you have to realize some of us DREAM to have such a place to work!!!

Also, do you have pictures of all the other knives you made? I know there's many more (hint: look over your head when sitting at your kitchen table, buddy :D) It would be nice to have then somewhere on your site. You take great knife pics.

Anyway, that's it for now. Great work!
 
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