Anything I can do?

[rrm1012]

Hi everyone, I just made this website and I am a little new to web design. Anything I can do to make it better? Thank you for all your help!!
-rrm1012

[DC856]

Anything I can do to make it better?

Yes. Hire a designer.

That you feel compelled to ask this question pretty much is its own answer. Google is a modern wonder. I suggest you look at competitor sites like The Upper Deck. Study any design style developed over the last fifteen years. Study visual merchandising. Study use centered design and information scent. Study SEO.

Then you'll be ready to hire a designer. To say anything else is to barely scratch the surface of the encyclopedic number of changed you could make. If you can't rattle off twenty changes all on your own, then the answer is obvious.

[rrm1012]

Hire a designer? A little harsh don't you think? I was just asking for advice.

[actmedia]

Hi rrm1012,

You have well-tried. And i think my suggestions can help you succeed to few extent...
1.Pls avoid the white background if you can - since it gives something like an unfinished look..
2.Decrease the font size or use some other font you are comfortable with, in the other content filled pages.
3.Change the color of the welcome note from red to any other your fav. colors that will seem inviting than alerting.
4.Since its a sport site.. you can be more sportive with the looks.

And it isnt bad from someone who is new... go ahead improve a lot and get back rocking

[rrm1012]

Thank you very much for your help. I will make those changes. I just bough books on PHP/MYSQL,Javascript,and CSS. I think that should help me. Any other Languages or programs you know of that could help me out? Thank you very much.

[MHoppal]

I have just a few suggestions not already mentioned:

Extend the banner to a larger size, or use a logo on either side of it to fill the entire space. People are accustomed to a full-width banner.

Pick three main colors (not at random, I would hope) that complement each other. One should be medium-dark. This will be the color for your links and buttons. Another one should be darker, for the background. And the last one should be light, which will be the color for the text content. You may need another one for headers in the content, but you shouldn't have to worry about using headers in the links, because your buttons are good.

If you're genuinely trying to sell anything, try using shades of the color blue or green, which typically have a calming effect, and most people will shop more when they're calm. However, that's if your audience is American. In China, red is calming. Look up a little bit on color psychology to help you figure out what colors you can do to make people more likely to shop. It doesn't necessarily have to look good to you; it just has to trigger something in your audience's minds.

An exercise you can do if you're still learning the coding side of development: Have a drop down menu of different countries. Affect how your site displays depending on which country they choose. You could even do this with pictures of flags.

I hope this helps a bit.

Regards.