Site Review Request Please

We realise there are various problems with our site UKHotMovies.com and will be revamping the navigation panel etc. in the New Year.

I was wondering if people could be so kind as to suggest other improvements we could make please. Be as frank as you like: tell me what you feel needs improving!

We'd love to have a lot more content on the site, but it is not cost-effective as time spent on additional sections is not rewarded by greater revenue. Therefore, we'd like to keep the site small, but improve the user experience.

Thank you :)

Dear Azam.biz, I am more than willing to throw in my amateur two cents about your website. So there is no misunderstanding, I operate this particular computer's display in 32 bit true color at 1024 x 768 pixels.

So here we go. I will give you my mix of emotions and observations. And do remember, emotions do impact how vistiors travel your site:

1. I just love the navigation bars, and how they light up the hover buttons. Are they compatible with Netscape browsers? Also, though I may like the design, I am left to wonder if this is consistent with the theme of a movie & music portal. I see Star Wars, Alien, Metallica, heavy metal, etc. in the nav bar theme.

2. Why do you leave so much space open in the left and right sides of the screen display?

3. Color combinations and contrasts are appealing, even the Christmas content at the bottom of the home page.

4. I did not hit all the hyperlinks in the scroll down bars on the home page, but it appears your portal is merely an opening to Blah.com, TheHut.com, oneposter.com, etc.... Is there anything original to your own site?

5. Because of the portal setup format noted in #4 above, you seem to allow your own content to be controlled by those other sites. For example, your home page scroll-down bar for music and movies is identical to thehut.com.

6. With the exception of may three or four pages all other hyperlinks lead to some other website. So there is not much more I can add.

Steve Windhaus

I think that you already know how successful your site is. There are almost 6,000 links in and it has a PR of 5, so you're doing ok, aren't you ;)

I like the overall look and navigation system.

Your title tag could be a bit better:
<TITLE>UKHotMovies.com - The Movie Portal for Christmas !</title>
Maybe use some part of your description.

What's the site trying to do? Sell stuff? I opened 'Shopping' and got blahdvd.com in an iframe in a new window. You will sell next to nothing, I'd say, in this manner. If your visitors want blah stuff, they'll go there, cutting you out.

1. I just love the navigation bars, and how they light up the hover buttons. Are they compatible with Netscape browsers? Also, though I may like the design, I am left to wonder if this is consistent with the theme of a movie & music portal. I see Star Wars, Alien, Metallica, heavy metal, etc. in the nav bar theme.

AGREE COMPLETELY, THEREFORE WILL USE NEW DHTML ONES IN REVAMP

2. Why do you leave so much space open in the left and right sides of the screen display?

AGREE - WILL UTILIZE SPACE BETTER

3. Color combinations and contrasts are appealing, even the Christmas content at the bottom of the home page.

THANK YOU

4. I did not hit all the hyperlinks in the scroll down bars on the home page, but it appears your portal is merely an opening to Blah.com, TheHut.com, oneposter.com, etc.... Is there anything original to your own site?

CONTENT IS LACKING, I AGREE. THERE ARE LOTS OF FILM REVIWS, THE LATEST BOX OFFICE CHARTS, ACTOR GALLERIES ETC., BUT IT IS NOT COST-EFFECTIVE FOR US TO HAVE FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBER ADDING ORIGINAL CONTENT; PROFIT IS LOW

5. Because of the portal setup format noted in #4 above, you seem to allow your own content to be controlled by those other sites. For example, your home page scroll-down bar for music and movies is identical to thehut.com.

SORRY, DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THIS POINT. (OUR SITE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS, WHEREAS THEHUT.COM HAS ONLY BEEN IN EXISTENCE A FEW WEEKS)

6. With the exception of may three or four pages all other hyperlinks lead to some other website. So there is not much more I can add.

TRUE. I AGREE. BUT IT'S A CHICKEN AND EGG SITUATION. ALREADY SPENT THOUSANDS OF HOURS ON THE SITE AND CAN'T AFFORD TO SACRIFICE MORE OF MY TIME ON IT WHEN REVENUE IS SO LOW. THEREFORE LACK OF CONTENT.

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> Your title tag could be a bit better

Good point. You are right. Just added that at whim, but you are right, home page title tag is critical and needs more keywords in it.

> If your visitors want blah stuff, they'll go there, cutting you out.

Agree again. That's why we are negotiating partnerships with companies who pay us residual income and focussing on those.


Thanks to both you for you for your constructive feedback. Confirms the weaknesses I thought the site had and provides pointers to other things that need improving.