Critique on site design

I would like a critique on my website. Just to give you some background of my business, i started it in 2009 as a side thing, which i only mad emoney for a year, until i had to put it on the side burner while i was in school, and since i couldn't afford advertising. Now i'm finishing up my degree and i want to start it back up. Likewise, i want to spruce up my site. It's mainly a computer business where i provide tech services, but i also teach photography, and sell my photos, which are only landscape and macros. I thought i would throw the lessons in there because many people are buying SLRs and not knowing how to use them. But, i'm looking into selling used computers i refurbish, as well as actually selling photos thoug the site, so i'm looking for ideas on how to do that. But overall, i'm looking for a critique on the site, don't be nice, just give it to me straight, what do i need to fix, improve upon, what's good, etc. I use Apple's iWeb to create the site, i know it's not as professional as Dreamweaver, but i don't know how to use that, nor do i know how to code websites. Thanks

www.mkstudios.comxa.co​m


Oh and P.S., the comxa.com i have at the end is since it;s a free domain, i decided to do this until i start having a full time income, which i don't right now since i'm still a student.

You need to edit your link above, get rid of the comma after www and replace it with a full stop!

PS, there's nothing wrong with free.

Oh woops, thanks for pointing that out. Yea i agree with you there

I'll let others critique the functional and aesthetic aspects to the site; the thing that stuck out most to me was the tone, the feeling one gets reading the text. Some portions strike me as, well, odd.

In a general kind of sense it comes off to me as something put together by a much younger person, or perhaps a more insular unexperienced person. Declaring oneself the president of their (non-existent) company is very strange; and the judgment used in including this (as well as the about me bio questionnaire, the use of the word 'apartment' on a price sheet, your offering to go out with them to buy a computer at no cost etc.) may be adding up to an overall picture that turns people away. In other words, it might not add up to a picture of an actual business that people feel they can trust.

If this was me looking for computer help / photographer etc., I would not make it past the home page.

Thanks Chris, i must say that i haven't updated this in quite some time, so that accounts for the biography being the way it was. I never thought about those points you brought up. Originally when i created the business, i was making house calls in the dorms where i was living, so that's why i had the apartments in there, but i do see what you mean.

That is a free domain? Still pretty cool lookin'

One thing I notice is the photo of you. Being that a portion of your business is about taking photos, it seems like you should have a professional-looking photo of yourself and not a snapshot.

Also, I'm not entirely sure how fixing computers and learning about DSLRS go together? I mean I understand that you have two skill sets, but putting them together on one site seems a bit jumbled to me. I mean, I am sort of a "free-lance" (poor term but you get the meaning) lawyer as a day job, and I am also starting a photography business. I have two separate websites for those two things. Because the customers for one will not be the customers for the other.

@kaydendylan, thanks i did all that in iWeb, which then FTPs it to the site, it works out for my current needs

@RachelLyndsey, i guess i kept everything together because i have both services on my business cards, one per side. I guess i consider it more of a conglomerate since it's joining different services together into on, it's still kind of along the lines of technology services though.

It's an odd website concept. Computer fixing and photography? Try one of the other as most advice would be.

Change "about me" to "about", it just sounds and looks better.

Your photos are photographic photos but your design is emphasizing computer services since you have that on the navigation bar before photo gallery since people read left to right. If you really want both on your site, make one of your two photos of a computer. This might look a little silly which would lead you to create a different website for each type of service: photographic print sales and one for computer repair.

Your photo gallery paragraph doesn't make you sound as good as it could. "here are photos I've taken over the years" makes you sound like snapshots from your life. Read other websites to understand how to make yourself look professional. No paragraph is also an option letting your photos speak for themselves. And the list of number of photos in the gallery make it seem like it's linking into smugmug or zenfolio. Does a viewer need to know how many photos are in the gallery? I say no.

Hi Matthew

You ask for it, here is my comments:
is it me or does every page have a different font? try have a consistent font and size through-out the site
Computer services's page is all in capitals(IT TAKES LONGER TO READ)
I would move "MK STUDIOS - PHOTOGRAPHY & TECH SERVICES" above the navigations
I personally think 700px wide is abit tight, I would expand to 800.

I dont have much time to work on it cause Im in a airport lounge and my charger is in my checkin bag

but I think something like this may look abit nicer