Lucky Bones
Sat, Aug 15, 2009
Shopping | Author: Sitecritic.net
Introduction
Luckydogbones.com is a website selling different types of dog bones online. The look and feel of the website reminds me of internet 10 years ago when everyone is still using cgi and clip art.
The website was developed in early 2006 and I would expect it have a fresher look. In my opinion, the design, layout and colors could be improved alot. I spend about 20 mins browsing the site and must admit that though my impression of the website was quite negative, the website itself was quite functional. If someone is looking to buy dog bones online, they should not be lost in luckydogbones.com.
Form
The navigation menus are on the left and right of all the web pages with each menu item represented by a clip art. I usually find grouping all the menu items in one place more effective. The repeated dog in the background is distracting and I would strongly advise the author to take it out completely. I would also suggest the author to use more professional graphics. The current quality of the gifs looks abit doggy in my firefox browser.
I am not comfortable with using strong red and blue in designing web pages. Strong red especially, is a big “No No” unless you are highlighting certain important text. Using strong blue text with big font size looks unprofessional as well. Furthermore, the dark blue text does not provide enough contrast with the light blue text link. The author might want to consider using lighter or some mixture of warm colors.
Function
In general, I think the content is well covered. Some pages are pretty long, so breaking them up into sections using images is a good idea. For example in image 1, the author might insert an image between the paragraphs to break the monotony of the text. Using quality pictures of dogs eating bones might be a good idea. Consistent in font sizes and alignment in web page design is important. Some fonts are really too small (See image 2).
The images in the shopping cart are all in different sizes. The author should really be more consistent in the item display to avoid confusion. I feel that the author can also display abit more information for each item, for example adding the pricing and a short informational description. Unlike the design of the website, I actually think that the shopping cart is quite good and functional.
Conclusion
The website as a whole is quite functional with good content. However, alot of extra work is needed in its design and usability. By making the website look more professional, the author can give his customers greater confidence when they purchase dog bones from him online.
Popularity: 8% [?]
August 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am
My impression of the http://www.LuckyDogBones.com website greatly differs from the review presented by Joe Edwards. Joe Edwards stated his General Impression was “The look and feel of the website reminds me of internet 10 years ago when everyone is still using cgi and clip art. The website was developed in early 2006 and I would expect it have a fresher look. In my opinion, the design, layout and colors could be improved allot.”
According to WHOIS this website was developed in 2003.
As far as the Red, White & Blue colors used through out all of the pages on this website I believe this website’s author extenuated the fact that all of the products being sold on this website were 100% Made In The USA and that no imported raw product from S. America, Europe or China was being processed not unlike many of this website’s online competitors.
On this website’s Navigation and Design Joe Edwards stated “I usually find grouping all the menu items in one place more effective. The repeated dog in the background is distracting and I would strongly advise the author to take it out completely. I would also suggest the author to use more professional graphics. The current quality of the gifs looks abit dodgy in my firefox browser.” My opinion is that it is better to have all page links viewable without having to use the scroll bar.
If Joe Edwards would of checked out this website’s Customer’s Comment Page he would of learned that the visitors to this website seem to love the different barking dog sounds associated with the nav menu graphics which are simple, fun and load quickly. Hover over the different icons with a dog in the room and the dog will go crazy! This website is geared towards dog lovers only!, WHAT A Natural! Also Joe Edwards should realize 95% of web browsers in use are IE in which the graphics display OK!
I agree with Joe Edwards that the content is well covered and informative and that the Shopping Cart is very user friendly. Again I will disagree with Joe Edwards Conclusion that “Allot of extra work is needed in its design and usability. By making the website look more professional, the author can give his customers greater confidence when they purchase dog bones from him online.” This website was developed, geared and is intended for the younger (ages 8-25) and the older (ages 45+) dog lovers who want and will spend the money to purchase the items on this website. The Google Ranking for this website’s keywords dog bones, smoked dog bones, safe dog bones, natural dog bones, dog bone treats and dog bone chews is phenomenal! They are in the Top 5 for every one!
I believe the intention of the author of http://www.LuckyDogBones.com is to sell dog bones to dog lovers and I believe they nailed it! I believe Joe Edwards should take an extra step or two back and really study what this website is trying to portray and accomplish!
August 15th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
ok that comment was definitely written by the owner or an employee of LuckyDogBones.com. How stupid do you think people are?
August 15th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
LOL In response to your comment above I am not the owner nor an employee of http://www.LuckyDogBones.com. I, my wife, children, grandchildren and a multitude of friends are long time customers of http://www.LuckyDogBones.com. We first discovered their site when my granddaughter was searching Google for dog bones. They were the first link, out of 3,000,000 plus results at that time, pulled up on Google. We placed our initial order and they have had our business ever since. Today they are still the #1 link out of 4,500,000 plus links. Not bad for what you are implying as a ill designed website. I am sure you would love to own a web site that could do the business that this site is probably doing. Their site may not be as polished as a professionally done site but their prices, customer service and same day shipping more than make up for what you may think this web site lacks in design. LOL I hate to inform you but you got the all around ! THUMBS UP ! when I did a poll who was more STUPID you or the website design?
August 16th, 2009 at 8:20 am
to be honest, you got to admit that the web design is not up to standard. if their business is really good, they need to put in some effort in their website.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
amazing… websites like this still exist and there are people who still stand up for it. I thought the reviewer was too soft spoken. time to wake up.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:51 am
To be truthful, it is pretty W-E-I-R-D! They should put in more efford!
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