allmags4free.com - tell me what you think

[physik3r]

This is my first highly optimized CSS site and I'd like to get some input now that I have been around here for a bit.

http://www.allmags4free.com

Please comment on:

- graphics/colour
- ad placement
- content
- site performance

and anything else you can think of

[physik3r]

Nobody? Come on someone MUST have something to say here! P

[mondine]

Okay, I'll say something. Don't double-post.

Okay, I read this earlier, and forgot that I was going to check back.
The sites okay-looking, but kind of generic. Maybe your logo could be a little more interesting.
And... oh, no. Blinky ads? There's nothing like those to make me want to immediately whip out Adblock, and extinguish those pesky creatures, forever.
They are remarkably annoying.

Now, aren't you glad you asked?

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by mondine

Okay, I'll say something. Don't double-post.

Okay, I read this earlier, and forgot that I was going to check back.
The sites okay-looking, but kind of generic. Maybe your logo could be a little more interesting.
And... oh, no. Blinky ads? There's nothing like those to make me want to immediately whip out Adblock, and extinguish those pesky creatures, forever.
They are remarkably annoying.

Now, aren't you glad you asked?

mondine! always willing the tell the truth!..lol....the site looks like alot of sites that i have seen before, but it doesn't look bad at all. I kinda just zone out the ads on most pages these days

[physik3r]

hehe yah they annoy me too and it's my site! I'm working on some new creatives to get rid of the flashyness.

I'm a bit upset that you think this site looks 'generic'. Yes, it's a freebie site ( to some degree..about 90% of the mags are actually free..not signups or anything ) so maybe you're referring to this. Care to elaborate?

[physik3r]

Originally Posted by Pepper

mondine! always willing the tell the truth!..lol....the site looks like alot of sites that i have seen before, but it doesn't look bad at all. I kinda just zone out the ads on most pages these days

You are right. Most people zone out on banner ads. I believe it is referred to 'banner blindness'. To be honest very few of them actually get clicks. I think I am going to experiment with text ads instead and see how it goes

[mondine]

Originally Posted by physik3r

hehe yah they annoy me too and it's my site! I'm working on some new creatives to get rid of the flashyness.

I'm a bit upset that you think this site looks 'generic'. Yes, it's a freebie site ( to some degree..about 90% of the mags are actually free..not signups or anything ) so maybe you're referring to this. Care to elaborate?

It could just be me. Particularly 'in the line of duty' here, I look at a lot of sites that people post (usually to make sure they're not pulling a fast one).
I guess there are only so many times you can reinvent the wheel.

The basic layout is good and clean, the ad placement (not type!) isn't bad- not too intrusive, and it looks - well, okay. Competent.

Maybe the general public doesn't see these the same way, but when I look at a site, and see the same templates, the same style of logo, the same fonts, it just doesn't make much of an impression.
I like a bit of something to 'grab you'. an interesting and distinctive logo, maybe a bit of bolder design that sets it apart from look-alikes. Like the style of the phrase "Join Our Free Newsletter". I could have seen something exactly the same on a site yesterday (or in the back of a comic book forty years ago).
But maybe that just reflects my personal preference, more that a valid critique.

[physik3r]

An interesting critique, mondine. You seem to point out the fact that the design isn't particularly innovative and I guess I'd have to agree with you. But of course, that wasn't really my intention the first place. If you check my portfolio you won't see much out of the ordinary. I typically go with a basic layout, nothing flashy or complex because I try to make my sites as easy to use as possible.

My goal with this particular site was to present an attractive design that would be memorable, easy to use and appear professional as not to scare away people. A lot ( and I mean a LOT ) of freebie / free etc sites are ghetto and in my experience, presentation is key. I could be living in a cardboard box, but as long as my site looks clean and it's easy to use then nobody is the wiser. Agreed?

That being said, I'm interested to hear what you would do to remedy the points that you mentioned. For example, what would you do to the 'join our newsletter' section to make it better?

Cheers

[mondine]

I agree that you'd want to keep it simple. You don't want anything scary or weird, or confusing.
But sometimes it takes very little to give your site a more distinctive, and personalized touch. With simple things like a change of the font style of lettering, or even simple blocks of background colour.
Logos are important too. A well-designed one can be an advertisement in itself. Like, if yours looked really interesting, you could use it as a 'clickable link' in forum posts like these. Images are very attractive.

There are graphic design forums, here and elsewhere, where you could ask, too. You never know if there may be some talented ameteurs that could give you some good, free ideas. This is a resource often overlooked by site designers.

A few ideas, anyway.

[crush123]

graphics/colour- good
ad placement- some google ads are placed in the middle
content- good
site performance- working well
overall it is a clean site