Help with a web site

[Phyl]

I put together a web site using Microsoft Publisher. You can see it here:

http://www.xmission.com/~pcoumans/abstractsound.htm

For some reason the web site opens fine, but once you've left the main page and then try to return to the main page by clicking on the menus, you get a 404 error. Using the browser's back button works fine.

Any clues? I'm a total web page newbie.

[TheTrickster]

Remember, URLs are case sensitive. A is not the same as a.

Originally Posted by TheTrickster

Remember, URLs are case sensitive. A is not the same as a.

Beat me to it.

The link to your home page (what you posted) is:
http://www.xmission.com/~pcoumans/abstractsound.htm

The URL to the home page on the menu is:
http://www.xmission.com/~pcoumans/AbstractSound.htm

abstractsound.htm is not the same as AbstractSound.htm

Not on Unix servers anyway. On most Windows servers, they are both the same.

[Phyl]

Doh!!!!!!!!!!

[Phyl]

Allright - I fixed it.

Any comments on the design/content welcome.

[Stephen Matthew]

I'm fully aware that this isn't exactly a web design forum, but I'm going to be a little harsh... the design is retro late 90's at best. I felt like I threw up an orange creamsicle while typing in MS Word 1998. Seriously, it appears that you're going after a local demographic, so trendy design isn't really a BIG issue, but professionalism is. I mean, most even casual users of the web today want media and something eye-pleasing. It's expected. There are plenty of templates out there where you could look 1000 x more pro in a few clicks. Otherwise I'd have it done professionally if your budget allows. Also, try to push a "we're your hometown studio" type of slogan. If you don't have tons of other competition, you might be able to establish yourself as that.

[Phyl]

Originally Posted by Stephen Matthew

I'm fully aware that this isn't exactly a web design forum, but I'm going to be a little harsh... the design is retro late 90's at best. I felt like I threw up an orange creamsicle while typing in MS Word 1998. Seriously, it appears that you're going after a local demographic, so trendy design isn't really a BIG issue, but professionalism is. I mean, most even casual users of the web today want media and something eye-pleasing. It's expected. There are plenty of templates out there where you could look 1000 x more pro in a few clicks. Otherwise I'd have it done professionally if your budget allows. Also, try to push a "we're your hometown studio" type of slogan. If you don't have tons of other competition, you might be able to establish yourself as that.

Harsh is fine, I asked for criticism.

I'd appreciate any info you have on where to find other templates. People tell me the web site doesn't display well in anything other Microsoft Explorer, so I will probably redo it after I get some more input.

I'm looking at it in FireFox. I wouldn't say it's that bad. Not as bad as a lot I have seen.

Free website templates are all over the place. Here's the first one from a Google search:

http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/

I like your layout. I don't like the red color. I like how it blends, so maybe make it a different color than red. Something light and subtle.

I'd keep the page structure/layout the same and just improve on the design.

Times New Roman font is pretty outdated. Good for newspapers maybe, but not very pleasing to look at. Verdana at a slightly smaller size is much easier to read.

For headers (headings), I like Trebuchet MS, Georgia, or maybe Lucida Sans Unicode, whichever ones look best. If I use Trebuchet MS, I usually don't make them bold as when the font is big it will be pretty bold already.

So, yeah...keep the layout and placement of everything. Just work on fonts, and colors. I may not even bother getting a template.

Oh, and on FireFox, the menu image for whatever menu item is being viewed on the left, doesn't fill the whole space and doesn't fade out.

On Internet Explorer, the page looks much better but the fonts and colors still need work. Download and install FireFox so you can see what I mean. It's like in 16-bit color mode or something...