Looking for Feedback on New Agency Website

[mlastfogel]

Hi all. I've been lurking for a while and have found the forum's collective wisdom to be very helpful with some recent decisions. So, thanks for that!

I am in the process of building a new Wordpress based site for our independent agency. I'm more of a visual guy than a content guy, so it should be obvious where I have put the most effort thus far. I appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,

Mike

virginiainsuranceforless dot com

Sorry, I'm not active enough to post URL's yet.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

One of the better sites - well done, but just so you know, I'm using Chrome and when I click to get a quote I can't use the drop down bar to choose my line of insurance.

 

[mlastfogel]

Thank you sir. It won't drop down because our rater, Silverplume, has not released the home product in Virginia. I clicked it for about an hour before I figured it out.

 

[Larry Tew]

Two things:

1. A leading zero in your phone number on the "contact us" page.

2. TOTAL DEALBREAKER FOR ME... there is no "about us" with a real name of a real person. I personally would not take a business seriously without being able to put a real face to the business.

 

[maksim]

The design looks good.

I am on Opera so it is not bad. I dont like the menu to the top right as opposed to where it belongs, top left.... the design of it was based for that.

In any case, my real issue is the name of the website... unless your name is Walmart, you cant really compete on price. Secondly, is that the type of business you really want to run?

If yes, by all means go for it. Personally, I dont do auto etc...however as a consumer, if you name is price.... and i find someone cheaper by a penny, I am going there.

 

[jeremyeast]

I am a WPalholic myself and looking at the original theme compared to what you did with it, (WP Theme: MyProduct | Smashing Premium Wordpress Themes) I am very impressed with your work.
It is totally original design for an insurance site and looks nothing like anything else I have seen, but still you need a stronger call to action.
I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do by looking at the home page. Basically fix the coupon quote button to be more grabbing and you got yourself a great site. As I write that I am sure you worked on it for hours though and I apologize if that is the case. You can still use it somewhere else though just not as your prime call to action.

 

[mlastfogel]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. One thing i have learned with web design is to not become emotionally attached to my work. The criticism is well received and very helpful.

Larry: You made a great point regarding the personal touch. I've considered a professional photo shoot of our staff and this could be a great reason to finally make it happen.

Maksim: We have been in the same location for 27 years and do quite well with referrals. The idea with the website is to expand our market a little. My thoughts are that the majority of people shopping online are interested in price, so why not focus the website on that crowd.

As an independent agent, we actually can compete on price. Building a comparative rater into the site that will give a prospect options will hopefully win some business.

I understand your point to be that we need to decide if we want to a price based model vs. a service based model. We are service all the way, but in this market, price is winning the day.

Jeremy: Elegantthemes is top-notch. If anyone is interested in Wordpress, I highly recommend checking them out.

I've struggled with that button. It is based on the Belcher Button. Supposedly, the ugly thing is supposed to increase conversions by upwards of 325% or so. The thing is ugly, but if it works... it works. Ultimately, I agree with you and will likely change it soon.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone!

 

[GoCubsGo]

Nice. I don't like the gray font on a gray background. Change the font to dark blue or dark maroon and see how that looks. Be careful you don't make it too slow to load for those with older computers or dial up.

 

[mlastfogel]

Nice. I don't like the gray font on a gray background. Change the font to dark blue or dark maroon and see how that looks. Be careful you don't make it too slow to load for those with older computers or dial up.

Thanks for the font suggestion mustfastpitch. I switched to a black font and believe it is an improvement.

 

[mousidd]

Overall, a great start! I do agree with Larry regarding the "About Us" page. The addition of the "About Us" page would give your site some credibility.