Virtual Assistant Forums | Work from Home

Five To Nine Office Solutions · #1 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009

I'd be interested in honest critiques of my site, Five to Nine Office Solutions. I'm particularly questioning these areas:

1. Lack of a logo
2. Should I change the tagline to include what it is I do?
3. Is the color choice drab, or professional?

Of course any other comments are welcome as well. Thanks!

belliveau · #2 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009

Cindy

What can I say? I'm inspired! I've been planning mine for a year or more now, but yours is so professional looking it makes me want to get on an do it! Now!! I don't think it needs a log, I love the colour, and the name, though I have to say I didn't "get it" until a couple of seconds then it made me smile. I think the name Five to Nine says it all and you don't really need a tagline in my view, but your target market may not immediately realise what you're selling, so it might be a good idea. All the links work well and your articles are very well written. I wish you well. Good luck! The only tiny thing I'm not sure about is the diary dates - it might make people wonder how up to date everything is, but as it's so subtle I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Kind regards, Belliveau (getting busy on my website right now - honest!)

AwesomeAssistant · #3 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009

Hi Cindy. I see more and more people using blogging platforms for their websites. I guess since my husband and I have run our own web design business for years that I still like a 'real' website versus a blog site. But that's my opinion.

Regarding a logo, I don't actually have one either. However, in your case I strongly recommend one. Why? Because it would be so easy to do. Your 5 to 9 name means you could create a clock logo highlighting the 5 to 9 and I think that would be so cool.

This tagline, Our workday doesn’t end at five o’clock either, says it all.

I do think a little more color could be used. Just some splashes of something here or there.

Nice job!

Five To Nine Office Solutions · #4 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009

@belliveau: thanks for the kind words.

I'm concerned too that my target audience might not immediately know what my business is. That's why I put the "About the Site" paragraph on there. Otherwise it just looks like a blog.

@Sue: I really struggled between blog and a more traditional website. In the end I went with a blog for two reasons--they're so easy to set up and maintain, and I think blogging is a great (and inexpensive) form of marketing that any business can benefit from. So as long as I was going to have a blog... I agree about the clock logo; I just really stink at design. Guess I'll have to find someone to design one for me. Thanks for the feedback!

Ivy Freelance · #5 (**permalink**) 04-24-2009

Hi Cynthia. Your site is great! I really like the blog format myself - it's my preference for my own site as well.

And I'm the opposite from Belliveau - I prefer to see the dates. It's when I don't see them that I wonder how up-to-date things are. Not sure if your theme allows, but you could take the dates off the static pages and keep them on the blog/article entries. I need the year shown as well though - or I don't know if it's this year or last or two years ago. The services page shows 07 April, which would mean April 2007 to me (not April 7th) if I didn't compare it to the blog dates.

I think your colour scheme looks very clean and professional. You could add a splash of colour, as Sue suggested, by adding a few pictures. Or if you did have a logo, that might do that for you.

Love the name - wish I'd thought of it! I think the "Office Solutions" part says what you do, so not sure you would need to change the tagline.

Deb

Five To Nine Office Solutions · #6 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009

Hi Deb, thanks for your thoughts. I agree with your ideas about the dates, and have added the year (I would wonder if that entry might not have been written in 2006, too) to blog posts, but removed the dates all together from the pages. Good call.

Funny thing about pictures--I have a few other blogs I maintain, and I am a BIG advocate of a picture for every post. The problem is, I cannot seem to find decent pictures to pair up with these posts. I'll have to look harder I guess.

Thanks again!

AwesomeAssistant · #7 (**permalink**) 04-25-2009

I completely understand why you went with a blog. About the clock logo: I bet you could put out feelers here and find someone who could design a logo inexpensively.

Originally Posted by Five To Nine Office Solutions

@belliveau: thanks for the kind words.

I'm concerned too that my target audience might not immediately know what my business is. That's why I put the "About the Site" paragraph on there. Otherwise it just looks like a blog.

@Sue: I really struggled between blog and a more traditional website. In the end I went with a blog for two reasons--they're so easy to set up and maintain, and I think blogging is a great (and inexpensive) form of marketing that any business can benefit from. So as long as I was going to have a blog... I agree about the clock logo; I just really stink at design. Guess I'll have to find someone to design one for me. Thanks for the feedback!

Bernice · #8 (**permalink**) 04-28-2009

Wow, Wow and Wow, instead of doing a critique I was found myself engaged in reading the articles, a great strength. It looks FANTASTIC from what I have seen... and read! I'm sorry but I have little to offer.