One part of what I do that I really enjoy is reviewing websites I haven't had a proper look at before. Not just for http://www.thesiteguide.com/, but in order to drill down and see what's great, what's not, and what I might be able to help with in terms of what's not going on that should be, and what might make a difference from a conversion perspective, which, let's face it, is what really matters.What appears at thesiteguide.com is the commentary review, but what interests me far more is what is going on on each retailer's website in terms of usability, functionality, layout, photography, basic SEO etc.
So Saturday morning I sat down to review http://www.fifiwilson.com/ I had a really nice surprise, as this online boutique is a really attractive and interesting place to browse. The products (designer-but-different clothes and accessories) are handpicked so that the offer is far away from the norm, the site design has a pretty, idiosyncratic feel about it, and there are lots of reasons to make you want to stay a while and, if the look is for you, to buy.
Everything here give a nod to fashion but incorporates an element of fun, and there's a lots of well written and well thought out commentary about each piece plus back and front shots (essential now if anyone wants to compete with the major online fashion stores).
My comments, in short (and I asked Fi's permission before I wrote this), were that a 'Just In' category would work well, the sign-up box wasn't clear and that she needed to take a good run at her Title Tags. Plus a few other small items.
One of the comments I got back was that she had been let down and frustrated by her web developers and needed a good one, so I'm hoping to talk to IMRG/ISIS in the near future about creating a list of the good, the honest and the reliable (watch this space). I think it's badly needed. Let me know if you agree.
Back to Fifi, her comment in her reply to my review was one of the nicest I've received. Very few people bother to say thank you or pay compliments (don't you agree), what a difference when they do.
You can find Fifi Wilson's site review for http://www.thesiteguide.com/ here.
