Silkroad Online Forums

Gaigetech is my repair business and such, and I've recently chose to start running gadget recommendations, gadget reviews, tips & tricks, and local sales. I was wondering if I could have some constructive C&C on the blog portion. (not the business part of course)


http://www.gaigetech.com

Registered

yah I definitely need to get the forums fully operational

I tossed it over the right, I'll see how I like it there, and I'll see about lowering the image as well

Not to sound like a douche, but I think this would be taken more seriously if you had a Non-Blog style layout for your services. I know that whenever I go to a site for the first time, if it looks like a blog, I leave without looking into it further.

^ Agreed, don't use blog format, just looks shady as ****. Also, services should never be the last tab.

it could be a possible issue but I doubt it would affect my customer base, I actually expect the blog portion to draw people in

I suggest making a Landing/Welcome page at least. If it does do well, then that's great. If not, give a different format a try.
I find side bars more appealing for tabs than on the top as well. If you could make it so they are static and didn't scroll with the rest of the page, that would be a great addiction. For example, only the Blogs posts scrolled while their mouse was hovering over it. It prevents scrolling down half the page and then back up to the tabs.

Yah I will think about integrating some of those features as well, kind of put it there if needed

On the top navigation bar, Services is the last option. On the side bar, it's the first option. It needs to be standardized.

actually if you notice everything is in order except for services, this was my fix for having services last on the nav bar

Why not have a separate blog... Just to promote your "main" business site? lulz

Well I want the blog portion to be able to help my customers

looks like vomit, homo.

Most important thing is, how will people know about your site?
Facebook ad. would be a good way to get customers.

Yeah of course... xD But honestly, It looks pretty messy right now.

What should I improve on then so it won't look messy


and K.K. I have quite a few ways of advertising

I see a phone number. Time to blow dat shit up! C:

lol I've already prepared for that, my cellphone can easily blacklist and my office phone can too

Its white everywhere and its kind of a pain on my eyes, and the layout is hard to see that way.

TBH I dont think anyone cares about the hours of operation that on the tab on the right, suggest that you put it in the services page

ALso move services to the top of the menu on the right.

Speaking of hours, that would depend on time zone, which aint provided, nor is your location.
where is your shop? I know you provided a map in the contact page, but it is not that obvious and a non-tech savvy person wouldn't be able to figure it out.

Other already pointed out the blog thing, but why is there two menus at the top and right?

Tread carefully with the jailbreak thing, you do not want big corporations on your ass. Put in some subtle wording for it so it'll fly under the radar.

Last and most important (imo), when i first visited the site,my first thought was that it was a product selling site (since i'm seeing a video purchasing guide) that sells computer parts. Someone actually looking for your services would be mislead and might leave before finding out what you actually do.

Shorten your Sidebar, make the font a little smaller.
Your header could be shorter, and you can overlay the "Online Consultant" Link over it to the far right.

Hours of operation could be significantly shorter.

on the hours i thought about doing that but it just doesn't feel filling, i'll see what I can do to touch it up

also I got the forums changed, and I think they'll look better, I just need to add categories etc etc

I also added the share feature

Add some colour to your blog. Seriously!
Remove the navigator links that appear on the sidebar etc.. (Live Support, Services)
Well, If you want to keep "make it smaller"

That's enough for now.. lulz

I think it looks good! Don't let all the haters get you down and remember who this site is for: computer illiterates. (right?)
One thing that I did think about was the prices on virus removal and standard fix. I would personally be more inclined to use an hour wage. An hour repairing a printer could net you less than an hour removing viruses right now. The prices depending on the product seem unfavorable to you. You could be losing out on money if you're only repairing 'cheap' products, while your work is basically the same. I'm also not sure if a maximum price (I'm assuming $20-$50 means at least $20 and at most $50) is in your favor. It's possible you spend working on something for very long and can still only earn $50. Having only a minimum price would be more favorable, imo.

And maybe a business tip: I once read a small article in a local newspaper about a 'millionaire' 14 y/o who was fixing up pcs. He said most of his work came from the elderly (trendy grannies trying email and facebook etc). He would place ads in homes for the elderly and then via via the entire home would find about him. He really got his business going that way, and I could imagine it would be a great place to advertise for you as well.
When families visit their folks in a home the word spreads again. Old people die too, and new people move in. New people with new PCs begging to be fixed! It's a bulletproof business plan, old people.

yah my target audience is towards older people, as why I got a haircut and I dress nicely everyday.

A note on the cost, I thought about hourly wages, but I don't think I'll do that until I get a little more business and have a right to cost more. I also find it unfair to consumer because when I repair things I'm usually just waiting, not actually doing. I could always lower the price when I'm letting the software work. I usually don't take long either to repair things, 2 hours top. Thanks for the love :3

Decent, clean up your spelling and grammar. I'd think services should be on the main page, maybe in a side column while the blog shrinks a bit.

Friend of mine does this for rates:

virus removal and problems: 1 hr minimum, $60/hr
Installs: $30/hr

Heh, he does barter sometimes too - people have paid him with chickens, beer, cords of wood, gold rings, etc.