back to Completed Reviews
Site Name: Rose Rogue
Owner: Rosie
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 15th February 2009
Site Name
I like the alliteration and it’s short and easy to remember.
Coding and Validation
Your coding has 28 errors. There’s a few potential issues you must fix, first of all.
No doctype and character encoding! You must have a doctype at the beginning of every page. You don’t even have a <html> or opening <head> tag.
It seems you’re using WordPress, which would better be supplemented with an XHTML doctype. But your coding isn’t even validated in XHTML. You seem to follow the right rules, but there are many other things you’re missing out.
In this case you still have a great deal of errors in either doctype, and I suggest you read my validating HTML or validating XHTML tutorial.
So your CSS is validated but I’m not going into any detail on coding. You didn’t even make the layout yourself. I’ll discuss that in the layout section.
Browser Compatibility & Usability
According to Browsershots.org your site looks the same in most browsers.
The header image should be shortened in height. On a typical laptop screen barely any of the content can be seen after the header image because it’s so large.
The navigation’s clear and the font size is okay.
Layout
I can’t review the layout because it isn’t yours and you’ve credited Killer Insight for it.
The layout is great, but since you have a design/hosting site, you should have a layout of your own that reflects this more.
Content
Your sidebar has too many things in it. Welcome messages aren’t really necessary, and the little information on yourself is too long. You’re advertising people and they should be at the top of your sidebar. With the latest premades, the marquee is quite distracting and you should have small thumbnails instead. After all, we’re clicking to make them bigger anyway..
About
On your ‘about the site’ page:
in hostees should be with hostees.
On your ‘about Rosie’ page, there’s no need to repeat that stuff in your sidebar.
I was 14 should be I turned 14.
That’s amazing you have so many websites!
Hosting
This is a separate site (on a subdomain) so I won’t be going into detail. ‘Reviews’ should be ‘Testimonials’.
Design
I’m sure this should be ‘designs’.
These packages are a bit confusing. What are ‘image tricks’? What’s a ‘slideshow layout’? If I’m not familiar with these terms, neither will some of your visitors. You need to assume that your visitor knows nothing about the selling of layout packages, and explain these packages further. I mean, who’s going to order if they don’t understand?
The portfolio is separate so I won’t review it. Also, it’s simply showing all your works so it would be pointless to review it.
I don’t like your premades. Firstly, they’re using celebrity graphics, which is illegal, and there’s too much going on. The background for the Keira Knightley one is much too busy and doesn’t match the photos, while the Selena Gomez one has way too many leaf effects.
Installations
This leads back to your hosting section.
Now this is getting annoying. If they’re all on separate sites, they should open in a new window. Otherwise have your hosting separate and installations on your main site. People can get conufsed when the layout changes.
Extra
The PSDs use illegal celebrity images again.. but they’re not badly cut.
Originality & Creativity
Well, you’ve got the original idea of having a service site, which isn’t too common nowadays. However I can’t say many other things were original or creative, because I didn’t see many of your designs and the ones I did see weren’t too impressive.
Organisation & Errors
Fairly well organised, but links to separate sites could open in a new window and not form part of the main navigation. Otherwise they should be incorporated into the main site, and I don’t see a problem with that.
The sidebar should be cleaned of unnecessary things.
I didn’t spot any errors or broken links, and grammar and spelling was pretty good.
Overall Comment
Rosie, I really like how you help people with your site by offering hosting and layouts. I’m not too keen on the layouts though, because there are a lot of free layouts that other people offer.
I think you could really make your own layout and code your own things because it serves as a better image for you, since you offer these kinds of things too.
Your site could do with a little more organisation. And cleaning of the sidebar! No need for all that stuff.
Overall nothing in your site really stood out to me. I haven’t reviewed a site like yours, and though everything isn’t bad, I’d really like to see more organisation and you making your own layout.
I wish you the best of luck with your site.
