Having worked on and gone far with site design and implementation, the management of Enyimba FC has asked me to start getting involved in the advertising aspect of the project. They had been emphatic about this and now they want this implemented.

Site Advertising

The idea is, the site http://www.enyimbafc.net/ should advertise as much as it can. It's not that they are saying paid adverts should splatter everywhere on the pages, but that there should be adverts, one way or another.

I'm not looking into Google AdSense for now, since traffic isn't very heavy. But I just could give it a shot, if it seems a nifty utility. It's more a banner thing by some popular brand here in Nigeria.

Bright ideas anyone?

(Lest I forget, lots of sections of the site aren't up yet, so don't mention that . As soon as I have the materials on that, I'd do. Again, CSS-Freaks, don't lambast the codes et al. There's so much to do that there's no time building an XHTML 1.0 Transitional compliant site.)

I would just appreciate reviews on appearance and most significantly, the advert thing.

Hi,

If I may make a few suggestions:

Most likely, you designed the site using a monitr with low resolution. On my screen, there's a huge gap on the right. If you centered everything, or used relative widths [%], it'd be slightly more pleasant to the eye [it already is].

One thing about advertisements is that they shouldn't be intrusive. The user should be able to enjoy the browsing experience without having floating ads or popups explode in his face.

Since it's going to be a banner thing, have you thought of integrating the banner somehow into the Enyimba banner. Good examples of such integration can be found at PHPFreaks, Hotscripts and the almighty ESPN.

It might be too late to refactor the page to implement what I have in mind, but here it goes:

1) Have a banner ad at the top and bottom of the page. Highest bidder gets the top as users will c that first

2) Have a tower ad on the right hand side. This would mean shrinking the width of the page to accomodate that. either that or take out what u hv right now and insert the tower ad there.

3) as for potential ads, I would make the pple who advertise on the jerseys my first target

4) cd also make use of layers

5) dont exlcude adsense as, especially if enyimba goes far, at least a lot of africans will go to the site.

6) hv the management start advertising the site all over the country and continent. This will generate the traffic that dictates ad revenue. It is the only way companies will know it is worth advertising on the site.

As for compliance , it isn't mandatory. After all, when u enter ur car, u dont care how it works to crank up, you just care that it starts and takes u from A to B. Having said that, by implementing standards, you cd significantly reduce load time as well as know for sure that your site will come up properly on all browsers.

I hope this helps.

nice site, but why is there a large empty space on the right? can't the page fill the entire screen?

Not bad at all. Good work

Guy despite the fact u hit me to so hard dat i still can believe my eyes doesn.t mean i wou;d not contribut to ur post and dat does't mean u shouldn't call or send me mails anymore mind u the world doesn't end here.

first u should tell ur chairman to employ someone to do the advert search(an un someone to go about talking to companies) that we disscussed b/4 now then u do the web placement arrangement

U can also mail webmasters of some bigclubs and ask them how they go about their own.

u did a very good job

Ah, thanks people.

But there's something hugely wrong here, and that's the Subject of this topic that has been altered. I didn't mean to inquire about advertising the site, but rather, advertising on the website. Those two are mutually exclusive, but whoever changed the initial Subject I used didn't seem to have noticed it.

Managment of Enyimba FC simply want to the site to generate revenue. They want to make money out of advert placements on the site, and this is what I'm kind of flustered about. Consequently, it's the sole reason for this post of mine and I'm happy people have responded to it.

Zahymaka, the table has been aligned left, prompting the empty spaces you see at the right. My Acer TravelMate laptop has got its highest resolution at 1280 x 800 and that's how I've worked, using same resolution. Check out IBM's site ( http://www.ibm.com/ ) to see the same huge gap to the right. Or even Computer Associates, http://www.ca.com/

my2cents, I've already copied your post and saved it to my HD. Would be needing it when I start putting those banners.

E-Jaja, thanks for your remarks, but this isn't the medium to express anything that might have transpired between two of us. I'd surely tell the Chairman that. By the way, how do I mail webmasters of big clubs asking them that sort of thing? Remember this is business.

Farriel,

Farriel:


Zahymaka, the table has been aligned left, prompting the empty spaces you see at the right. My Acer TravelMate laptop has got its highest resolution at 1280 x 800 and that's how I've worked, using same resolution. Check out IBM's site ( http://www.ibm.com/ ) to see the same huge gap to the right. Or even Computer Associates, http://www.ca.com/

You could as well check out adobe's site -- www.adobe.com. One company sticking to bad practices doesn't mean others do. Aligning the table center should enhance the appeal.

Man firstly, i think you should take the suggestions so far serious.For instance, no body goes to the desert to place advertisements.To get people to advertise on your site, you first must be able to assure them those ads will be seen.So you actually start by advertising your site.
Apart from what has been mentioned so far, you can use the side boards along the fields, print on match tickets and even tv commercials before matches.If you think you can get people to advertise without first advertising, then it's your first major step wrong.
Secondly, i must say you have done a good job with the site.But men!Football is entertainment and the site dosen't have to look like a bank site. Be it gif, flash or whatever just have some animation it helps to create the feeling.Check out www.arsenal.com. There are lots of animation and it still loads fast. For example the match fixture boards should be animated.
Think about it.

Guy firstly, i think you shd take the suggestions so far serious.For instance, no body goes to the desert to place advertisements.To get people to advertise on your site, you first must be able to assure them those ads will be seen.So you actually start by advertising your site.
Apart from what has been mentioned so far, you can use the side boards along the fields, print on match tickets and even tv commercials before matches.If you think you can get people to advertise without first advertising, then it's your first major step wrong.
Secondly, i must say you have done a good job with the site.But men!Football is entertainment and the site dosen't have to look like a bank site. Be it gif, flash or whatever just have some animation it helps to create the feeling.Check out www.arsenal.com. There are lots of animation and it still loads fast. For example the match fixture boards should be animated.
Think about it.

Zahymaka, that's hugely funny!

I shouldn't be sticking to any company's site, yes, and I haven't done that here. I was just pointing out that it isn't an entirely awful concept, since it's used by other people. (Note: Still not sticking.)

The Adobe's site, isn't that a design built on the pre-existing Macromedia's site design? Not that it's bad, no. It's a really pleasant site to visit, but if I remember correctly, they used to have their former design flushed left. That was before the acquisition, oh, how I hate that acquisition.

Would move it centre and see anyway.

Brushparke, I go animate some aspects of the site. Too many people don mention that one to me.

some images have extra borders like the last one on the left for example showing the chairmans pic, try to work also on increasing margins of text within their containers. Applies to all the site content.

Animation might work for this site, but not too much. Something is missing, but I still cant figure it out. It looks dry.

Good work. I think banner ads is the catch.get the mgt and the team sponsor, Gov Kalu to do the awareness and the sky is the limit.

I suggest you create a forum or member zone so inorder to convince prospective advertisers.

Yes Kazey, animation might work for the site but not too much. And I agree with you that something is missing. Something that I can't place a finger on, that makes it look sort of, bland?

Walemuse, talks are going on about the awareness. They are waiting for the CAF Champions League to kick off in July. Then, all Enyimba matches would be on National TV and so they are hoping to use that medium. I told them about sidecards and all, like someone here pointed out and they've agreed to that.

As to the forum, I was working on that but the Chairman has asked me to put a hold on that first.

guy i am not trying to bing up an issue that should not be discussed here, i only made that comment becos i no if it were my post u would go pass it and make no contribution consider what happend. the truth is that i have left every thing to u and ur concess i have a clean heart as u have alway no me to be initial talk and thats all

down to the issues of the day

come were is the professionalism in u, u used to talk so much about being professional when it come to things like this has the ABA syndrome affected u how do u think the my Ma in penhall do all his things so cool that begin to wonder if he was trained abroad, it becos he consults his colleagues abroad and tel them the problem they givehim some ideas and he implements its and verse versa that why there is this word professional colleague

guy mail this guys nd tell therm the problem u are encountering and they would be willing to help mind u they are different "not u" they are professionals willing to help

secondly u or chairman or who ever could do so talking to to some sports marketing companies like osmi MSI etc they would be willing to help or u paya markting consultant to plan out a strategy for u guys.

the penhall site dies not look like ur hand work

Ah, whose work does it look like then? Did you get the link correctly at all? Just in case you didn't, it's http://www.penhall-consulting.com/ And what did you say you have left everything to? Is that word conscience?

Thanks all the same man, I'd put that OSMI bit in my mind.

I wdnt go for animations just because other websites have it. When I visited arsenal.com guess what did I look at most? The animation, and not even what was in the center column. Not good, if they wanted to disseminate information there.

Here is an idea though - arsenal.com has a section called "goal of the month". U cd put something similar on the site. Then right before the video rolls, you put an ad ("this video presented to you by bournvita - yes, another opportunity to do a highest bidder gets all for the rights to the beginner ad. Also cd hv one at end of video).

Also, for hints on how best to target your intended audience, visit www.adknowledge.com

I assume you are logging all hits to the site so you can justify the amount of money you will charge clients.

I hope this helps.

Thanks man, thanks. I'd implement this as soon as I'm through with some work on ground. Most probably next week. Thanks man.

the design is nice and pretty simple and professional looking. Keep it up.

I think i figured out what is missing. The headers background for content headings. Use an image tab with a satin blending for the background.

THis I mean in the -> Last action? Headline News? etc etc.

The content below them should also have a thick border to contain the contents,

Hello fellas

I am quite impressed with the kind of suggestions and support that you give on this site.

I am a green horn in the profession, but working tirelessly to cut my first teeth in this field. I am among th team developing the Nigerian National eGovernment Portal. This platform is to be used as the central access point for eGovernment deriverables.

Waiting for your contributions.  www.enigeria.com.ng

youngies:

Please help to look at this site and tell me what I am not doing well and how to draw traffic to it especially through adverts.

Waiting for your contributions. www.enigeria.com.ng

No offence, but I think you guys should employ a web designer to do the work

youngies,

I would definitely listen to Kazey - the site could surely use some help. There is rich talent right here on Nairaland. Perhaps you should post a request for proposal on here?

If the site is truly the Nigerian eGovt Portal, I personally think it deserves to look better than the way it does now. As always, I have posted a lot of comments you could adhere to (do a search for "review this site" or variations of that string) and see what I and others have to say. I don't want to bore anyone or myself by typing the same stuff over and over.

I hope this helps

@my2cents

Thanks for your comments. But I would have preferred you point out directly what I am not doing well and what you will like to see, before asking me to turn it over to nairaland.

How else do I learn and be a pro like u people in nairaland?

Yes, Youngies. You might wish to check out what my2cents had said, lots of the reviews here on Nairaland would help you.

Your site's layout scheme and content isn't really aesthetic, far from it. Try working on your layout, your colour scheme, etcetera.

Aha, this one jumped at me when I first checked it out, your banner.  Do something to it. The guy's smiling face, the bevelled slogan, the bevelled coat of arms, and the colour. Try adding other faces, making them less conspicous. Change the slogan's font, remove the bevel. Increase the size of the coat of arms and make it a sort of watermark and then adding a smaller version on it.

Your nav should also be changed. Use simple CSS and ditch the images.

Constraint your main content's table structure to be symmetrical with your banner. If you use a % based table, try placing the banner in a % based table and add an overflowing colour to the cell so it gived the banner a continuing illusion. Of course your cell colour and banner colour should match.

There's a lot more I could want to do to it, but these are the few I can point out now. Remember, all these are just my opinions.

By the way, the scrolling news above the banner should be placed somewhere lower, I had to scroll the page to the top, and then focus on it to see the news tick by. You might want to use a cell that's 190px by 80px somewhere below where you've got the member's area, citizens area, etc. Check out www.enyimbafc.net and notice the Quick Match Updates section to the right. Perhaps that might sit nicely. Don't you think?  

So much have been said, just make the changes you can.

And Kazey, thanks for remembering that. I'll experiment and post. Meanwhile, I've animated the Next Match column and added some motions to the interview of the week shot. Look at it and tell me how it looks.

Farriel,

Maybe its just me, but is it possible to make that spinning thingie on ur "interview of the week" to loop just once? Once I got on the site, my eyes immediately went there and I suddenly felt as if I was being hypnotized, seriously.

Youngies,

In addition to what Farriel has said, I will say stuff that I haven't said in other reviews:

1) remove the polls section in the center column and put it to the right, thus expanding main content

2) Re-examine your left nav. When I click on it, it expands weirdly and when I click on another, there's a huge gap left. Bad, very bad

3) I wouldn't have everything load on the same page. Get rid of the frames. Besides, frames aren't that usable or SEO-friendly. Also, users tend to have problems with printing

4) Change your font style

5) On the search form, use an actual button and make the "search this site" string disappear when the user clicks in the area. There should be some javascript on google that can help you with that.

I still strongly recommend that you look at past reviews. I don't know about the part of me being a "pro". One thing I do know is that in order to succeed in anything in life, you have to put in the time and effort. In this case, that involves using Nairaland's search feature. Won't cost you any money, just a little bit of time

I hope this helps.

My2cents & Farrier

Many thanks again. You have been very resourceful to me, I will go review the site with all things you pointed out.
Please dont hesistate to give me more direction if I ask you again

Hello,
Pls have alook at text-nigeria.com and comment. I will like you pros to say something as i am feeling every bit of your discussion in here. Sorry for diversion

haywhy,

Site is pretty heavy - 48 secs on a 56K modem. Remember, u rnt necessarily creating a site for those with fast connections at a cybercafe using satellite speeds. there are pple (i was once one of them until 3 months ago ) who still use modems. In fact, it appears to me you have more graphics than content.

The white lines in the green area are broken b/w the home page and the other pages. No search functionality. Why flash for navigation? Finally, my pet peeve: y no actual photos of nigerians on the site?

Thatz all for me.

Guy
my cousin Idah peterside the famous Supersport commentator is comming to nigeria by Weekend and i have talk to him on the problem of advert on ur site he finding it intresting so call me if ur chairman is intrested. And how do i get the CDS

Add your site to http://www.Wetinbe.com for totally FREE advertising