I could use some constructive advice too

[expertva]

Please keep in mind, I have never really made a page except an angelfire page for my kid's pictures. Long time ago before you could share albums so easily, lol.

I haven't gotten my PPC set up yet, I want to include that. And I do hate the way my counter looks, can you make that only visable to you?

And I want to add a portfolio page. I have made several brochures but the ones I have been for my other business as a massage therapist. It doesn't seem right to add those. There is a debate b/t my dh and I on whether I should create documents now to add as a portfolio page. I say it's still showing my work, just not for an exact company. He says it's dishonest. I'm not sure about the ethics.

Also the other skills I list I am actually very knowledgable but it's hard to show that stuff.

Ok here goes, the truth but not really mean
www.expertvirtualassistant.com

[expertva]

Let me rephrase. I didn't mean PPC, I meant I was going to add an affliate link. 3 kids will kill brain cells.

[skytopdesigns]

i think its fine. its breif andto the point which is important in this fast paced world. you quicky see what your offering and the list of services is good and the prices.

its direct, thats good.

the only part i dont like is the look. a bit old school. an up to date sleek professional look would be more appealing.

you could do some google adwords if you wanted some revenue or some affiliate links on the side

you could ad your previouse work as examples, your work is your work. people would like to see some examples. a portfolio page would be a good idea, then you could keep updating it as you do more.

[roban]

I think your design is terrific but I have no idea what you do or better yet, how you do it and further, what your qualifications are for doing whatever it is you do.

You do Excel spreadsheets? Ok. Where? On line? How? Why should I entrust my valuable private data to you? What safe guards do you have in place? Is this encrypted and if so how. Who are you that I should allow you access to my computer. Are you bonded?

Internet businesses face tough challenges when they have to gain the trust of the faceless masses they serve. You have done nothing to gain my trust and you are suggesting I open my Internet doorway to you and give you access to my life. I don't think so.

It is essential that you fix this if you want to earn a living on line.

[jason32835]

Hello - nice site so far, a few ideas.

I personally find Joomla a great solution for web business that don't have a lot of web design experience. It will take you some time to get the hang of it, but you will end up with a much more professional appreance. check out joomla.org. Your host may even install it for you.

I would ditch the counter. You are advertising how few visitors you have had. Might turn off some people.

In my opinion - it is never a bad idea to borrow some ideas from your compeitors (not steal them outright, but them them guide you)

Here is a company with a similar concept - http://www.taskseveryday.com

You might get some ideas from them. With Joomla - you could set up a site that look just as professional with very little effort. (oh, and it is free)

If you want to retain the "small business" feel to your venture. I would put your very most professional looking picture on the site with a bio.

[JPnyc]

one thing I would change, I would put a detailed description of what the service can do for you, because I read the front page and I have no idea what that service really provides me.

[expertva]

Thanks! Great Ideas. I'll answer some of the question.

1. The excel spreadsheets will not be online, they will go by email or fax to the customer. So no it is not encrypted. I will look into that for the emails though. No I am not bonded, I didn't think of that and didn't think about doing that for an assistant. I will look into that asap!

2. Qualifaction-So much experience. I worked for a doctor's office and set up almost everything from scratch. Also when I was working on my accounting degree, I had to learn excel inside and out. From Formulas to Graph imported to another document to pull down menus and radial buttons. I didn't want to get too much on any page that would overwhelm the consumer. But I will create a bio page. Great idea.

3. As far as example's of my work. Like I said I have done a lot of brochures, spreadsheets, letters, mail merge, insurance billing from beginning to end, and lots of accounts payable/receivable experience. The brochures I have on my computer are from my massage practice. They look really good but I don't want it to seem like I am pushing that. I tried a few with blocking out identifying info and it took out a lot of the aspects that show the design. So is it wrong to leave that info on there?

4. I did borrow some ideas from a few other assistants to give me ideas on what to remember to include and to trigger my mind about the skills I do have. I also looked at some more local pages to get an idea of prices. I didn't steal anything, everything is my wording, my designs, just other sites to refresh me.

5. It is probably going to be of more interest to small businesses since they usually are pressed for time with the employees they have. So if they want say letters about new services sent to their customers but they don't have the knowledge or time to do a good mail merge and letter, I would do that for them. But I also don't want to completely exclude large companies b/c sometimes they need temps for just catch up and not long term.

6. Yeah I don't have enough html experience to do a site design on my own, I have to have templates. If their's a free hosting site, I'm there but I am fairly happy with pd (yuck) hosting I have.

7. The counter. I want to know if anyone is coming by but I do hate haveing it on there. I can set the number as high as I want as the starting point. Is there a way I can see it without it on the page. And I hate the Google Adwords. That will probably go really quickly. It looks terrible.

So, sorry this was a novel, but I love the suggestions and I am not trying getting defensive, just helping to give details on my thoughts when I did it. Now with this if you have any additional ideas, I would be thrilled to have them, I am checking them all right now!

[vbeal]

Ok. I can't say I like the design, but I don't really dislike it either.

If anything, the design says to me that you are a single-person team working out of your home. That is not a bad thing. Been there, done that, still doing it now! Not sure if this is your work environment or not, but the site design makes me think this. In which case, would a business rely on a single person at home with their confidential and private business and/or client information. Maybe for some job tasks you list but not for all.

I would include a personal page on this site which indicates your experience, your credentials, and make this site about YOU and why YOU are the VA the business should consider using.

Definitely add your portfolio and anything you have to show your style and competence, without disclosing any sensitive client information. I personally don't like seeing counters on Web sites, but I also feel the same about google ads. I don't think google ads adds to a professional look.

I would also consider adding some examples to give people a better idea of what you can do. Be very specific. It will enables those reading to visualize and figure out if you can do the job they have in mind (e.g. Creating powerful presentations that you can take with you to conferences and meetings). I would add this as a small section right on the main page and also include similar information on the projects page.

You can also change content on a seasonal basis. Why hire a virtual assistant? could be "Why hire a virtual assistant for the holidays" (include holiday specific services such as custom greeting cards sent to client lists, purchasing gifts, event planning, and things like that).

Good luck!
Vangie