as a maker with a website, I'd love some concise feedback

[Madeline]

if any artists and makers out there have time to review my website I'd love concise direct feedback. Also hoping this actually gets to the correct group online.  

So my website is finecreationsjewelry.com 

Thank you in advance for taking a moment and your review.

[Andy-Zach]

I went to your website and found it quick and attractive. I scanned up and down the whole menu hierarchy without a problem.

My one problem was on the welcome page. You say this:

"Visit Station Street Studios - Arts in the Village Third Thursday

17 Station St. 2nd Floor (accessible)

Local businesses including Hipstitch, Feet of Clay, Station Street"

without ever providing a state! Who knows what state you're in? Are you even in the United States? And it wasn't in your about page or on your resume.

So if you want people to visit you, provide a map and a full address. That should also be part of your contact information.

Speaking of your resume, I thought that was a good addition to your 'About' page. I'll make one for my page!

I also like your idea page showing past works you've sold. What a great way to get more sales!

I wish you all the best,

your friendly, humorous scifi author,

Andy Zach

[Madeline]

YES!  Friendly and humorous and Correct!

I've used some of what you suggested Andy and will approach again tomorrow to juggle a bit more.  I am glad to have your input and thankful that a few of my things spurred you onto an idea for your own site.

Weird, we Massachusetts people in our bubble think it's all happening here 🙂

expand the bubble - down with silos!  UNITE! 🙂

[OhHandmadeByNat]

Hi Madeline

Your website looks really good.  

I just have a few thoughts, you can take what suits you and leave any that don't.

On your top menu I would move your returns policy to be visible to your customers and I would also add a delivery and a contact us page on there as well. 

Most customers don't like to search for any information they want.  The general rule is try to keep everything within three clicks, and customers generally like to see how much delivery will cost, how to contact you and what to do if they want to return a product before they will even look at what you are selling. 

Having this information visible to the customer without having to search also build trust with the customer.

On your website you have a page Madeline's Story and also under Appointments and Classes, you have a page titled staff.  Both pages are about the same person, unless you plan to hire more staff I would just combine both pages under Madeline's Story.

I would put the restringing  services on your services page under Appointments and Classes, just to keep all your services on one page.

Your customer Reviews are hidden away under the more menu, these help build trust with new customers is there any way you can add a couple of these to your product pages or other pages, especially your home page.  Just one or two different ones per page and if you can put them on your product pages make sure the reviews are related to the product either they are for that product or for a similar product.

One last thing could you use stories page to write about the metals and processes you use and why you use them and how they benefit help the customer, to help provide extra information to your customers and help them decide which of your products, metals etc meet their needs.

Hopefully you might find some of that useful.

Nat

[Madeline]

thank you Nat. I have used some of your suggestions already. I'll need to take more time to implement the most important 2 - stories to connect with and no more than 3 clicks. Very insightful. I appreciated it. 

AND I loved your work. It's an important aspect of life: comfort in what we do and what we wear!   

Stay well!

[OhHandmadeByNat]

Thank you for your reply.

I am so glad you found some of my advice useful.

I just took another look at your website and I love what you did with the top menu, it makes all your information so much to find.

I hope you have lots of success with your business and website.

Nat

[eblakerart]

Hello, 

1) the welcome page that comes up first when get to your website - I wouldn't have it scrolling. 
The first one is a picture of the work with your "Argentium -The Finest Silver" then it scrolls to blank top portion)

I would delete the second one.  They are different sized fonts and colors. (Other than that - it's just repeating itself.) Consistency is good for your brand.

 2) I would slow down the time of the scroll.

 3) I would decrease the size of the picture of the jewelry so the "Welcome to fine creation jewelry isn't cut off at bottom” (I know you can scroll down to see it fully - just would be cleaner on initial view.) 

 4) News you can use - I would add the city and state to each location you have shown - so customers don't have to hunt for it.

5) There is a lot of information on the first page - maybe create top tab to say "events" and put all the places that you will be.

6) I would add another tab at top with  - "Contact" and then put your information  :  whatever information you would like to give, example :  Email, phone, etc.

7)  on the first page you state:  Email me for Custom work - if you could create a link of your actual email address on the word "EMAIL" that way your customers can click that and it will open an email for them to send.

😎 Under the Service Menu: "STAFF" in the description about Madeline - It talks about "MY Dad...."  then later in paragraph it explains about Madeline as "HER passion...."   If this paragraph is written like Madeline is writing it - I would say:  "I love working...."  "My passion for nature..." I discovered the nature of...... "   "stress in my life..."   "I have been teaching..."   "for my students to learn...."
This way it would be consistent of Madeline writing the paragraph about herself.  (It would be matching the "Madeline's Story under About Madeline.)

9) Under the FAQ tab - Return policy -  "Gift Cards are available....." the word "PURCHASE" is highlighted blue - takes me to a 404 ERROR Page - the link didn't take me to where you wanted it to go. 

10) The Gallery of Possibilities tab - then clicking on the Gelatin SIlver Prints Selenium toned tab - I clicked on that looking for pictures of the prints - I would make the font smaller on both of the scrolling pages - with possibly putting up the prints of the trees at the top.   I would also slow down the timing of the scroll - it was hard for me to read so fast.  (beautiful prints of the trees, by the way!) 

11) I would also add your company name, address, and contact info at the bottom of all the pages. 

The rest of the site looks good - your work is beautiful!!  Best of luck on your site and your business!

[Madeline]

thank you thank you. I've taken many of your suggestions and implemented them.  You took great care and checked links!  I do that periodically and it is amazing the 404's I can encounter.  I'm very appreciative and want you to know how meaningful your care was.

[DinaLRosenberg]

HI!

There is an empty white block right under "email me for custom work" that is taking up unnecessary space.... 

The scrolling message is cute but ultimately does it lead to online sales? probably not.

Under the contact/social media glyphs @ the bottom of the page I'd like to see your address and hours.

I would love to see some photos of the jewelry on people in addition to product shots.

[Madeline]

Many thanks Dina!  I've implemented some of your suggestions. They were spot on.  One that I'd love to use is the contact info at the bottom of the page.  It appears to me that sq doesn't allow that.  I'll call them tomorrow to see IF they can walk me through that.  Once, while taking a cyber security course offered through my hometown, I was told NOT to have that sort of info on the website.  So many things could be counterintuitive. Of course we want to be found: by certain people 🙂

I'll get some modeled earrings on there now!  Again thank you so much for your time.

M

[Madeline]

Quick, I hope, question. The photos being worn. Specifically where would you like them to be seen? I ask because in my IG feed there are many. SO I suspect you mean somewhere else?

tx, 
M

[Twiggy]

Are you sitting down ?  I have imagery where Ive changed your site to black header but it won’t upload! It did in my reply -  It really makes your logo pop out more. 

Hi this is constructive crit.

I’ve looked at your header code and you could maybe put your SEO for the landing page into Gemini to create SEO for the page and socials  in page settings I have done this below it might differ as I only know UK.  Also you main title page banner is welcome you need to put some heavy text in there stating what you do with keywords - again ask Gemini ( google what it would be looking for or even out in your web page and ask Gemini what would google pick up on this web page. I’ve done this below. 

Your logo is black and silver and by changing the background to black it changes the dynamic of the page. I’ve shown you an example - the colours of your page might not fit the brief for neuro diversive - 

You also have scroll on for Arabic try changing the direction.  As your site gets larger the scroll can take a bit of time to load on a first page load.  You can also add a banner at the top in the main editor page to say “welcome when they enter as you main page block of text states. 

I put this in Gemini. Got this back.

I can't directly access websites to check their content, but I can help you with some general keyword research and suggestions for improving the main block of text on your website, https://www.finecreationsjewelry.com/.

Keywords:

• Primary Keywords: Consider what products or services you specialize in. Here are some examples:
• Fine jewelry
• Handmade jewelry
• Bespoke jewelry
• Engagement rings
• Wedding bands
• Earrings
• Necklaces
• Bracelets
• Signet rings
• Secondary Keywords: These keywords can target your location, style, or materials used. For example:
• jewelry designer
• bespoke jewelry
• Sterling silver jewelry USA
• Ethical gemstone jewelry

Optimizing the Main Text Block:

• Content: The main text block should be clear, concise, and informative.
• Briefly introduce your brand and what makes it unique.
• Highlight the types of jewelry you create and the materials you use.
• Mention your design process and commitment to quality.
• Consider incorporating a call to action, such as inviting visitors to browse your collections or contact you for a consultation.
• Keywords: Naturally integrate your primary and secondary keywords throughout the text block. Don't overuse them, though, as this can appear unnatural.
• Location: If you have a physical store in “state”, mention it here and include your address.

Here's an example of how you could rewrite the main text block:

Fine Creations Jewelry - Handcrafted Jewelry in Brookline, MA

Welcome to Fine Creations Jewelry, where we create beautiful, handcrafted jewelry pieces designed to last a lifetime. We specialize in [mention your specialty, e.g., bespoke engagement rings, unique necklaces], using only the finest materials like [mention materials you use, e.g., ethically sourced gemstones, sterling silver].

Our experienced designers work closely with each client to create one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect their personal style. Whether you're looking for the perfect engagement ring, a special gift for a loved one, or a unique statement piece for yourself, Fine Creations Jewelry has something for everyone.

Browse our collections online or visit our store in YOUR LOCATION to see our latest creations. We also offer bespoke design consultations - contact us today to discuss your dream piece!

[Twiggy]

[jbculpep]

Might just be me but I find your base font size a bit small. Could be the font or just that I'm getting old (yikes).

Speaking of fonts, your opening Welcome block (the top part using the Butler font) seems to have too many visual tricks which break up the flow of reading. Bold, Ital, etc.  Seems a lot in one paragraph.

Have you tested your site against color blind simulators and the Web Content Accesibility Guildelines (WCAG)?  While a lot of the WGAC would not apply to the content I've seen on your site, the color contrast parts may apply. The soft colors are nice but it might be interesting to see what they look like to all audiences and if there is adequate contrast for good visibility. I know you can get browser plugins that allows for this testing but there are doubtless other tools or even websites where you put in your url for testing. Not a criticism, just a pondering.

Of course the secret sauce is to SEO everything you can , provide new content, and drive social engagement to bump your traffic.  Those never ending efforts have the biggest payoff in terms of sales and followers.

Good luck.