I recommend looking for a local web designer you can work with to create a professional-looking site. Part of the design package should be writing copy for the site, but if you have specific questions you can always post the copy you already have and what message you are trying to convey with said copy.
Krista,
Check out moonfruit.com They have some very affordable plans and once you master the software, I believe it's possible to create a nice looking website. I actually hired a web guy and was disappointed with the results, so ended up doing it myself. Hope this helps.
im having some trouble setting up my website to look professional.
i have a free site through weebly.com
i cant seam to word things correctly where it sounds professional.
please give me any tips you have on organizing my website.
moonfruit.com builds sites in Flash, which you'll want to avoid...Flash sites are more difficult to navigate, will not be indexed in search engines as well as non-Flash sites, and will not run at all on many mobile devices.
As with most services, you get what you pay for when it comes to web design.
Jason...you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I have been very happy with moonfruit and I am "getting what I paid for". You are correct that is is based on Flash, although that is about to change to HTML5 http://blog.moonfruit.com/post/2012/01/30/Moonfruit-websites-to-be-published-in-HTML5
Additionally, my site is indexed well within the major search engines and moonfruit also has a mobile display. The original poster just wanted a suggestion on how to make her website look more professional and I offered my advice. I'm not sure she is interested in flash or SEO suggestions at this point. Moonfruit software has a very comprehensive software interface and as stated earlier, it works great for me.
moonfruit.com builds sites in Flash, which you'll want to avoid...Flash sites are more difficult to navigate, will not be indexed in search engines as well as non-Flash sites, and will not run at all on many mobile devices.
As with most services, you get what you pay for when it comes to web design.
Good news that they are moving to HTML5, but if OP is struggling with Weebly I don't think a similar solution like moonfruit will be as helpful as talking with a professional, especially with the concerns around writing professional copy.
BTW you might want to look at the non-Flash version of your site, for some reason it is directing me there with Firefox, and none of the links are working correctly.
Jason...thought this also might be of interest to you. Moonfruit also published each page in HTML specifically for the search engines
http://support.moonfruit.com/entries/474622-how-does-my-sites-flash-get-read-by-search-engines
moonfruit.com builds sites in Flash, which you'll want to avoid...Flash sites are more difficult to navigate, will not be indexed in search engines as well as non-Flash sites, and will not run at all on many mobile devices.
As with most services, you get what you pay for when it comes to web design.
I don't have Firefox but I can't find the non-flash link issues on my browser but thanks for the heads up. We've spent a great deal of time on the website and have become fairly competent with the moonfruit interface. We initially attempted to hire a couple of web people, but were underwhelmed by the mockup sites they provided. Our moonfruit website continues to serve us well. Since we specialize in homemade cakes, we wanted a clean, but not corporate design.
http://support.moonfruit.com/entries/474622-how-does-my-sites-flash-get-read-by-search-enginesn
Good news that they are moving to HTML5, but if OP is struggling with Weebly I don't think a similar solution like moonfruit will be as helpful as talking with a professional, especially with the concerns around writing professional copy.
BTW you might want to look at the non-Flash version of your site, for some reason it is directing me there with Firefox, and none of the links are working correctly.
What are your long term goals with the site? A good looking site is key but just as important is the fact that Google (forget the other SEs) can find it and index it and you have the ability to update the site frequently and edit the meta tags. I have always avoided Flash sites for ranking purposes....
I would talk to a professional web designer who understands SEO and can make the site look good. A site that looks crappy and displays specialty cakes isn't going to convert a lot of people. I've had a lot of people work with us just because the local cake decorators don't put a lot of attention on their sites.
I definitely agree that a pro would help with wording and make your business seem more legit. You might also think about changing the background and font colors. My eyes are now burning from trying to read the all the neon info. Also, the "Why do cakes cost so much?" section needs to go - just my opinion. If they have a problem paying what you ask for, they won't care to read about why they should change their mind.
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