Critical thinking: Web experts rate the design and effectiveness of seven industry Web sites

Pool & Spa News, May 7, 2004 by AmyJo Brown, Margi Millunzi

What Clicks

* Overall design is top notch.

* Effective use of color differentiates the sections of the Web site.

* High-quality images. Using JavaScript to rotate the home page images is a good choice.

* Intuitive navigation makes it easy to get around.

* Most sections are quite comprehensive, displaying lots of photos, guides and links to suppliers.

* A comprehensive site map helps users find all the information.

* There's a lot of good information, especially the pool and spa care guides and company history.

What Crashes

* The copy doesn't give a compelling reason for visitors to leave their e-mail address, call or drop by for a visit.

* Company should consider offering downloadable copies of the pool/spa care guides for free in exchange for e-mail addresses.

* Images on the secondary pages load at a slow rate. Some image optimization might help. It would also help to use text in place of some graphics, The more images used on a Web page, the longer it will take to render in the browser.

* A "Frequently Asked Questions" page can be extremely valuable. However, only one question/answer is listed on the spa section's FAQ page. It could use a few more to be effective.

Cal Spas of Fort Collins Fort Collins, Colo. www.coloradospas.com

Our Web site was great when we designed it in 1998, but now it's fairly stale. We maintain our site in-house. Because our store's sales took off last year, I haven't had time to update the site. Having something up there is better than nothing, though. We're in a tech sector and they're used to computers, so if you're not on the Internet, people will wonder about you. It gives you legitimacy. Selling spas on the Internet isn't a good idea. Instead, we try to be a source of information for new and existing customers. Because the factory's site is more current, I put in a link to them so there's some updated information. I want to show customers who I am, how long I've been around and what I can do for them. After the sale, we want to be the place customers go for owner's manuals, instructions on chemical routines and more.--Steve Denlinger, owner

What Clicks

* There's a strong page that discusses the benefits of spas.

* This site offers an effective contact form and a link to e-mail addresses, so people don't have to use an external e-mail application to send a message.

* The site has the potential to be a great resource for customers.

What Crashes

* It's pretty clear that this site was authored in FrontPage, which uses cookie-cutter graphics and layout tools. I'd recommend creating your own graphics.

* Too many different fonts and colors are used. Also, the text becomes difficult to read over the water droplet background.

* The site has a lot of information, such as the page on spas, but it's two to four layers deep. A better navigation system would fix this problem.

* There's a need for more descriptive sales copy that appeals to the visitor's interests.

* The "Up" button, which appeared throughout the site, was confusing. Replace it with the conventional "Home" button to redirect to the home page.