My biggest fear has come true. I worried that if I re-designed my web site I would stop getting orders. I went ahead and redesigned it – trying to keep as much of the header information the same so people could still find Maine Warmers in Google searches.
I muddled through hours of classes for 6 weeks learning Dreamweaver CS4, thinking it would be intuitive (like the old Macromedia Dreamweaver). It wasn’t. I think the people who wrote the code for this program must have taken lessons from those who wrote the Federal tax code.
I studied the 800 page DREAMWEAVER CS4 The Missing Manual for 3 months beyond that. I talked with a variety of people about what was important to them when they looked for products and purchased online, and I looked at a variety of e-commerce web sites. I experimented with different designs, keeping in mind usability and accessibility. I drew out a plan, arranged it in MS Publisher, and created a re-designed site in the new $400 Dreamweaver CS4 program. Then I created another site and another, finally ending up with one that met my goals of organizing and compacting information into a smaller area, looking decent and consistant.
I have had a number of people review the site to make sure it is working well and to help me work out a few bugs. But it has been four days without an Internet order and that is a mystery and a worry. Determination and resourcefulness will help me root out the causes and fix them, but it will mean more 3 AM problems solving sessions until the orders begin to come in again.
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Maine Warmers is an e-commerce store selling microwave heating pads and iced packs. People find the site by searching for Neck Warmers and Back Warmers to help relieve sore muscles.
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