

Tear Apart My Consulting Page, Part 2 - gk1
http://www.gkogan.co

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Ryel
I'll probably get downvotes here but to be brutally honest (with no mean
intentions) I'll say that I really dont like anything about it. IMO you should
hire someone to build your website, or just buy a theme for $50.
(themeforest.com)

I originally moved to NYC to do essentially the same thing you're doing. I
gave it up and started coding after banging my head against the wall working
with founders/product/marketing teams that could talk all day about funnels,
optimizations and product flaws but at the end of the day werent capable of
actually doing anything about it. I know that the field is not so much
competitive as it is brutal in that 85% of your job is convincing the client
that they need you when they really dont. They don't need you to survive.
However... if you're good, they could make a significant return on their
investment in you. That is what your selling.

They do not need you, but without you... they're leaving money on the table.

One thing I noticed is that 9/10 of my clients were product oriented people.
What this means (IMO) is that you're website should look great. When your
clientele is the demographic that makes up HN, than you can skimp on design
and get away with a truly phenomenal product. A great example here is Tarsnap.

I would look into ghost.io and wordpress, among many others.

Also I think you need to make sure that you put your best work into your own
brand. You could do so much more to make a better direct connection between
your home page and your blog. Right now they appear to me to be 2 separate
entities, and initially I thought they were 2 separate domains. Also you
should have a bigger social presence front and center on your website. You do
a great job of getting these damn posts on the front of HN but you yourself
arent capitalizing on the traffic.

Anyway... This is getting really long but goodluck! Let me know if I can help
in any way other than my useless drivvle on HN lol.

~~~
gk1
Ryel, greatly appreciate you taking the time to write that out. No way would I
downvote that -- it's exactly the type of constructive criticism I was hoping
for. I'm taking your feedback seriously and will use it.

I've kept the page bland because I spend more of my time on client projects
than on my own site, and most projects have come in through word-of-mouth.
However, I realize that's not sustainable, and I should really blog more often
and work more on the personal promotion front.

Edit: Can I buy you coffee in NYC? Can't find your contact info. Mine is in my
profile.

~~~
Ryel
Yeah absolutely let's figure something out. I'll send an email later today

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DanielStraight
Sure, why not.

I'm not a designer or part of your target audience, I'm just a heavy internet
user and HN reader saying what I think as I go.

1\. Requires 1200 px width to render properly. Not everyone maximizes their
browser. Needlessly breaking the header into two lines when there is plenty of
space to spare seems odd. (I tested in mobile, and it doesn't have this
problem in mobile... OK, it does wrap to two lines, but I expect wrapping on
mobile. Oddly, I think every aspect of your site looks better on mobile.)

2\. Wait, who are you? I think you should have at least a picture and your
name as part of the header content.

3\. Why is this two columns? How exactly am I supposed to read this? Left
column first? Top to bottom? It's almost presented as if it's a table, but
it's not. It's two sections of content. Given that this site seems designed to
_read_ not scan, it's confusing. (Again, this is better on mobile where it's
one column, then the next.)

4\. As someone else said, the funnel section should come first.

5\. "Configure Google Analytics" does not sound like something I should pay
someone to do. I think you can find a better word than configure. Presumably
you have some particular skill at using Google Analytics and you aren't just
talking about something anyone could do... but "configure Google Analytics"
sounds like something anyone could do and it's your first point of what you
do.

6\. "Want to do it yourself" section should be at the end, maybe?

~~~
gk1
Daniel, thanks for taking the time to share that. All of those are valid
points, and ones I missed.

Your first point about the width is a good catch. For some reason there's only
about a 100px range in which this happens, then it's normal in all other
browser widths. I'll investigate.

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hissworks
Font color: The difference between #333 and #444 is tremendous. #333 against a
white background appears black on white. While perhaps you convey a 'weaker'
message, it's easier to read.

Editing to add:

The columns Increase Conversions and Understand Your Funnel should be swapped.

You identify two segments of work at the very bottom of the page (one week and
two weeks) but in sum it reads like you're just a guy who comes in and sets up
GA. Rather than obfuscate this, make it more transparent and up front: I'm a
guy who knows GA and I'll guarantee that I'm going to find value in what
you're not optimized for, let alone tracking.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

~~~
gk1
James, that's very helpful -- thank you! Just today I was trying to find the
right wording for the column about funnels, so this feedback is right on the
mark.

(Aside: Unfortunately the mods didn't deem this right for the front page and
took it down, so people who would have otherwise shared helpful feedback now
can't do that.)

------
gk1
OP here. About two months ago I asked HN to tear apart my consulting page. I
wanted to hear unfiltered and merciless feedback, so that I may improve it.
Several people did just that, and it's helped tremendously. I made some edits
since then, but there's always more room for improvement. I hope to get some
more honest feedback. For example:

What strikes you about it?

Which parts did your read, and which did you skip? Why?

Are there any major questions left unanswered, that aren't worth emailing me
about?

Do things make sense? (I'm trying to avoid buzzwords as much as possible,
without over-simplifying things.)

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sopooneo
As others have pointed out, you desperately need a designer. This site comes
across as amateurish. Either go much simpler, like nothing but text on a page,
or get a pro or use a professionally created template. Right now you are on
the downslope of the uncanny valley of web design.

------
schneid
Spelling: "continously" isn't a word :)

~~~
gk1
Good catch, thanks!

