Okay I'm working on ideas for my future website. Hopefully I can get my FPT to work eventually. Sigh...
Anyway, I was curious what your pet peeves where when it comes to cake sites? What are things that are must sees/haves and things you can do with out?
I am not putting up a business site, so I'm not posting prices or flavors. I want to use the site to showcase my cakes and post some how to things.
So tell me what do you love and hate about sites with cake pictures?
My biggest pet peeve is how slow web pages and pictures load!! I am still on dial up (like soooo many other people out there) and these days it seems if you don't have the latest and greatest and fastest internet connection you can't look at ANYTHING!!!!!
Some sites are great, they load quickly and when you click on the thumbnail another window pops up and gives a bigger picture. Even the bigger pictures load fairly quickly on some sites but not others. My hubby said that somewhere in the programing you can make the pictures load quicker without compromising the picture, so maybe look into that.
Sometimes the best way to know if you have made a great site is to just look at everyone elses, then have a surf through yours as if you've never seen it before. Then you can see the differences and you might find some things that annoy you about your own site!!!! 
I like pretty backgrounds and nice size pictures
I agree that the size of the cake pictures is pretty important. I do like the sites that have the click on the image to enlarge option also.
Solid backgrounds are easier for me to look at than a mirage of different colors on the screen (age I guess.....).
If you have different cake galleries (birthdays, weddings, etc.) I like it when all the cakes show up in that particular gallery.
Good luck and please let us know when it's up and going!
Okay a few more questions:
How many cake galleries (birthday, holiday, and such) are too many? Or is there a too many?
What are your feelings on menu bars vs buttons for links?
When I have to scroll from left to right to read all of the text/see all pics...
When everything I click on opens a new window....(I don't mind if you click on a thumbnail and the larger pic opens in a new window, just if you click on the next thumbnail and it opens a new window, and so on)....
Pics too small/no detail shots....
Font size, and the actual font used can make or break a website. Some people adore the cursive that looks fancy, but sometimes it can be difficult to read -especially if the colour is vivid.
How many cake galleries (birthday, holiday, and such) are too many? Or is there a too many?
What are your feelings on menu bars vs buttons for links?
For the galleries, you want enough to help people find what they want to see, but not so many that it becomes like reading a book to find what you want. A dozen or so seems like a nice number, but if you've got an easy-to-read font in a list that fits on a page, then you could probably do more if it makes sense for your photos.
I think buttons can get too busy-looking sometimes, but if you have sharp, clean graphics, then buttons can work. For instance, this CC site is so easy to get around- main menu "Tabs" at the top, then sub-menu tabs/links underneath that. Though I love the information on the site, baking911 is so difficult to navigate- too many colors, boxes, graphics, backgrounds, etc. And the menus are pretty ambiguous.
Pet Peeves:
1. Typing errors.
2. "X"'s where photos should be.
3. links not working
As for the number of galleries, I think you should break it down in categories and maybe not more than 50 pictures per category. You could break the categories down even further, otherwise it just takes to long to look at everything and people might loose interest after clicking on 38, 39, 40.......48, 49, 50....etc.
I also like to see slide shows but wish there was a way to stop on a certain picture then continue on with the slideshow without it starting over again.
KimAZ
I think my pet peeves are...
1) Using pictures that aren't the baker's own work -- I've seen pictures swiped directly off of national websites and it's like "UM, HELLO! That's NOT your cake!" show the knockoff or duplication you did against the picture, don't show someone else's pic like it's original work.
2) I'm also dialup, so keep it friendly on the quick loading (
do as I say, not as I do -- I know my website takes forever, AND, I have dialup)..
3) When you can't see the detailing in the cakes once they're expanded above the thumbnail. If you're proud of your work, then show it, don't try to hide your shell that isn't perfect..
4) Cakes that don't represent the work that the baker really does. We've all seen the sites that show cakes ONLY absolutely FLAWLESS, when in reality, you never see a cake THAT flawless especially from some bakers. In other words, the "truth in advertising"..
5. Cakes with real blooms that are toxic to humans laid directly ON the cake.. I LOVE the look of flowers on cake, but when it's flowers or leaves that are toxic, it just gives me the heebies because you know a bride is going to ask for that specifically to be done because "I saw it on a website"..
Clutter. There is a certain baking website that, while very informative, drives me crazy because everything is scattered, rather than clean and organized.
I agree about music. It is usually some tune that gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Primary colors, particularly red and yellow. Although always appreciated, too much is way too hard on the eyes.
Links that do not work. Some websites have links on them that no longer exist. Please check occasionally to make sure that any links you provide are still working.
If I think of anything else I will gladly let you know.
Theresa 
I agree, too much of 1 thing can be too much overall. I like creative sites, those that keep you interested and don't out you to sleep. I don't like being bombarded with pop-ups and clicks though... gotta click here to see this, or there to see this, only to get re-routed and upset.. if its a link, let it link I am sure you do well! Good luck and let us see the finished product!
I've seen a couple sites for a 'high-end' cake designer and some of their cakes didn't look so great, it was like they just wanted ALL their photos up there, I guess just choose the best looking ones.
We've got a bunch of "well known" upper end bakeries around here that they show cakes that are absolutely FLAWLESS, not a star or dot out of place... But, when they come to the site to deliver the REAL cake, it's anything BUT flawless on the execution... OH MY GOSH! It's like "who are you and why are you claiming to be _____????"... I've also heard the same review of a nationally known baker who has been on the FN about her site versus what her cakes look like in real life.
you can't go wrong with a white background and black text..just look at CC. Have colorful images, but not too colorful backgrounds and fancy text for the main reading. It looks much cleaner and more professional....plus easier on the eyes.
I agree..no music, or objects that follow your mouse when you move it.
Get a jpeg compressor program that can resize all your pictures before you post them. I have one called "Advanced JPEG Compressor" this will help those with dial-up and you are able to maintain picture quality. This just allows you to resize all pictures at once without having to open them one by one in another program.
Good Luck! If I can think of anything else I will post it.
My 2 cents worth.....
Music: Saw an article that reminded us how brides/clients may be searching for cakes while at their job, so if your site has music on it, the person will have to click out immediately so their boss doesn't catch them scrolling the internet.
Backgrounds: Keep it simple. I found some good info on one website, but when I went to print the info, the background - while it looked pretty on the screen - didn't transfer well to my black & white printer. The final printed copy was unreadable!
(oooooooooh, someone just reminded me to work on a non-exsisting link.)I agree about putting others work on the websites-thats just not right. I got a new camera for christmas so pictures that are more recent are soooo much better....and every once in a while I see something I dont like in the icing-but, its my work, you dont have to choose that one, but get an idea. Let me go fix that link-
I want to thank everyone for your comments! I agree with alot of them. I do not dig music on webpages, I don't like busy backgrounds or backgrounds that change with every page. I do not like 20 big pictures on one page, as I too have dail up. I do believe in thumbnails that lead to regular sized pictures.
I didn't have alot of needless graphics, and no animation on my first site. The only graphics that were not a cake picture was my banner with two smaller graphics on either side of it, and a divider line. I want my pictures to be the focus, not something flashing on the screen. That is why I am unsure about if I want to use buttons or not.
I would never put a cake up on my site that is not mine, espeically since this is to show off my work. My main reason for the website is so that when I do new cakes I can let my friends know to look at my site, so they can see the cakes and look at how many or how few they want, with out me having to bombard them with pictures. My mom also likes to show off my cake as well as my SIL. So this is just a way to make it easier for all of us.
I think when I did my orignal site I had almost every one of my cakes, except a very few that I just hated. I know that because a cake wasn't my favorite doesn't mean that others would not like it. I think the most thumbnails I had on one page/group was 24ish. My cake pictures were broken down into 9 cake groups. That was several years ago so I have alot more cakes pictures now.
I still can not get the program I have to work with my hosting site, but a friend of mine did get another program to work. So I'm not sure if I am entering something wrong or if it is the actual program I have. Hopefully I will be able to figure it out soon and work on the site.
There is currently one page to my website. I didn't make it, so I have no control of the size of the pictures. But I have to say it is better than what my friend started with. He thought he would be cute and put "Your home for PORN cakes" in big bold letters with a picture of one of my boob cakes below that. I checked the link before put it in this post and it was fine, so hopefully he hasn't played around with it again.
I made the banner using one of my cakes. I'm not sure if it will be the banner that stays or not. It isn't anything super impressive, since I don't know really know how to make grapics. This is also the background I am leaning towards and I plan to use blue, black and red for my fonts.
http://texassugarart.com/
Thanks again to everyone for your comments. They have helped me and I am sure they will help others that are thinking about making their own sites.
I like sites that are easy to navigate around and look at. If its not easy to navigate around I won't stay on the site. I don't like the music either. And I really dislike when people don't catagorize their cakes. If I am checking a site out and looking for some inspiration, I want to be able to click on the catagory closest to what I am looking for and look at those cakes rather than having to look thru every single picture. I also like being able to click on a pic to make it larger, man is that frustrating when you really want to see a close up of a cake and you can't !
Don't know if you're looking for more input, but here's my 2 cents:
Too busy is too, too annoying to deal with! Too many fonts, too many sizes, etc. I am a teacher and I taught a high school yearbook class for 5 years. Rule #1 about laying out a page -- don't overdo the elements. Pick a couple of elements, like the catchy sidebar that CC uses right here and stick with it throughout your sections. Use the same type font to introduce gallery pages, use the same layout for pics and wording, etc. Change up the elements a bit for various sections -- like your homepage shouldn't look exactly like your gallery page. The viewer's eye will grow accustomed to knowing what to look for and they will become comfortable with that. They will anticipate what to look for, etc. It's avery subtle thing, but it can make all the difference. That other baking site, though very informative, is far too scattered and jumbled. They chose wacky fonts for serious content, and it's terribly annoying. I love their content, but I can't stand going to find it. Not to mention their type is too small.
Also, please nothing moving on the page -- no flash, no cutsie little animations -- just the facts and let the pics speak for themselves.
Good luck!
Sarah
I think my pet peeves are...
5. Cakes with real blooms that are toxic to humans laid directly ON the cake.. I LOVE the look of flowers on cake, but when it's flowers or leaves that are toxic, it just gives me the heebies because you know a bride is going to ask for that specifically to be done because "I saw it on a website"..
I had a bride who wanted Orchids on every cake. I made her put down a piece of circular parchment on every cake--She had a cow about it!
Speed and browser compatibility are the keys. The minor stuff will take care of it self like pop ups and text size ect. This company called Websiteforge will host your website and you can build it yourself. You will have unlimited bandwith usage and unlimited uploading of photos for about 40 bucks a month maintence fee and for about 1,456 bucks you will get unlimited e-mail names and a full fledged fast website. Look into that because it is very cheap and fast and easy for a average user to build a web site.
I can't stand a site that is un-maintained... broken links, pictures that don't show up... it drives me batty!!
Also - on one of my computers, I use firefox, and it makes me crazy when certain sites either don't display or don't display properly...
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