IronDoors.com is an online retailer of wrought iron doors, and is the first to carry doors from multiple manufacturers & to have a truly superb eCommerce experience.
Target Audience: Middle aged and up, higher income females & DIY males.
Website URL: https://www.irondoors.com/
No. of Feedback Providers Requested: 3
Note to Feedback Providers:
Please note that startups are looking for in-depth feedback that gives them thorough, insightful and actionable input. A ‘superficial’ submission that does not add value, is not thorough (i.e. written in a hurry, with poor grammar, punctuation etc.) and does not offer any constructive feedback is not particularly helpful and will therefore be rejected.
Feedback tasks:
1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Iron Doors. Google “wrought iron entry door” and scan the search results. Where do you see IronDoors.com listed? What does it say? Now, click through the result to arrive on IronDoor’s Website. Given what you see, are you encouraged to buy from IronDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
1) I felt the site was very user friendly and it is clear that you can customize and then view before ordering wrought iron styles of doors. Initially I thought the doors looked great and very unique in their designs. I also liked the fact that you could customize right there on the site because mentally I have a hard time visualizing things without seeing them with my own eyes.
2) I looked at different colors that were offered black or bronze and I also tried putting dimensions in. I felt it moved through very simply in both of these aspects.
3) In Googling “wrought iron entry doors” IronDoors.com was the fourth business to come up on the search. I liked the ad in that it said affordable and make the neighbors jealous. The link took me to the site without problem and the picture was very warming with the entry door and the lighting in the background. Because of this inviting house and the lighting in the background made the door more inviting and elegant seeming. I would definitely consider buying here.
4) I looked at Donatello Doors. I found their shopping layout to be much less inviting than your website and they did not seem to put the time into the presentation to make it more appealing visually.
5) I feel your company did a great job with the web layout making it very inviting and appealing and I also liked the fact that you could customize and picture what you were buying before you actually submitted the door desired.
1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? I looked at the site for about 10 seconds. It is a site that designs beautiful Iron doors. What is your initial impression of what you see? I was impressed initially by the beautiful pictures that I saw.
2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? I wanted to see if it would be easy or hard to customize a door that I liked. It was very easy to do and I was impressed. I really liked that the picture changed as I was making changes to the door. Was anything confusing? I did not come across anything that was confusing. I am definitely impressed with the way this website interacts with me.
3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Iron Doors. Google “wrought iron entry door” and scan the search results. Where do you see IronDoors.com listed? It was listed on the very top of my search results. It appears to be a paid ad and is the very first one listed. What does it say? It says Wrought Iron Entry Doors- irondoors.com and www.irondoors.com/(888) 212-4766
In-Stock Wrought Iron Entry Doors. Fast Shipping & Easy Installation.Now, click through the result to arrive on IronDoor’s Website. Given what you see, are you encouraged to buy from IronDoors.com? Yes I would definitely buy from this site. Can you tell us why (or why not)? For starters, I really love the website, the pictures are just amazingly beautiful! The doors are always in stock and ready to ship. That alone is very impressive. There is a section at the top that gives me information on what to expect and this site has the Norton secured, powered by verisign.
4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. When I searched for a similar site, your ad site came up first and your non ad paid site came up 5th in the search results. The site I found to compare irondoorsunlimited.com. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why? Your site is so much better than this other site. For starters. your site is very appealing with the pictures in the background and looks elegant. The other site looks plain and boring. Your site appears to be trusting, you have a phone number as well as a physical address, the other site only has a phone number and a blank form for me to fill out if I want to contact them. I didn’t see a way to customize a door on the other site, but it was very easy to find and use the tool on your site.
5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have. I just wanted to say that I think whomever set up your site did an excellent job! The only thing I would have liked to see are customer reviews or testimonials.
1. Yes, it’s very clear that you sell iron doors. My initial impression is very favorable. As soon as I land on the home page, I can both visualize (via the beautiful image above the fold) and read (via the name of your site and brief intro text) what your site is all about. There’s no confusion, and the image is extremely inviting. I also like that you’ve found a way to make your endorsements visible yet unobtrusive at the bottom of the fold. As I scroll further down, I like that you provide sample images of your doors, but I would suggest that you not display the prices on the home page. The doors represent a substantial investment, and it might be better not to hit visitors with sticker shock right away. I also would move this “Anatomy of an Iron Door” section to a separate page under the “Our Doors” tab. This is a bit too much information for a home page. I would, however, keep the “Quality Service, Quality Iron Doors” tagline with the quoted endorsement. The “How It Works” section might, again, be a bit too much info for a home page.
2. I decided I wanted to look at your selection of doors. I was quickly able to locate them via the “Our Doors” tab. I selected “All Doors” and was very happy with the various search options, which function well. Nothing was confusing.
3. IronDoors.com is the first advertised result and the ninth unadvertised result. When you ask what the result says, I’m assuming you’re looking for the meta description in the unadvertised result. Here it is: “Always In-Stock and Ready to Ship! Increase your home’s resale value and create a stunning front entry with a new wrought iron entry door. Find The Right Door.” Compared to all the sites that show up in search results before yours, I believe yours is the most uncluttered and visually appealing. But I have to admit that I might not make it to the ninth result, and to a significant degree, my ultimate purchasing decision would be influenced by price. But just comparing the look and feel of your site to these other sites, yours is the clear winner. So, yes, I would be favorably inclined to at least consider purchasing from IronDoors.com.
4. As an example, I’ll pick canteradoors. com. This site’s home page is scant on visuals and text-heavy. Since home furnishing and design is a very visual business, this lack of big, bold images doesn’t serve it well. There’s a lot of information about these doors, but it should really be relegated to “Products” and/or “Services.” As a potential customer, my overall impression is: “Well, here’s a lot of text I have to slog through.” And I don’t have the visual appeal to pull me in. I also don’t see any endorsements, something which really sets apart IronDoors.com from its competitors. (They do have an “Accolades” tab, but the visitor would have to click on it to get to the endorsements.) Another main difference is that Cantera Doors doesn’t have your advanced search feature. Instead of letting the customer take control of the search and filter for features that are important to him/her, it directs the customer to a different page for each category and, ultimately, product. To me, this is a less appealing way to browse products because it requires multiple click-throughs and takes away my ability to see all products at once and fluidly shift between categories. I also like that IronDoors.com has detailed information about selling points and features of iron doors as well as about the delivery and installation processes and ongoing maintenance. This is value added information that I think will appeal to customers and also help your Google ranking. In contrast, Cantera Doors seems to want to encourage visitors to contact them for more detailed information. However, if I’m shopping on the web, I’m doing it because it’s more convenient to be on the web than to call or visit in person, so I appreciate having as much information as possible available to me before I have to pick up the phone. In conclusion, I prefer your site to Cantera due to more compelling visuals, an easier product search process, and more in-depth information.
5. I’ve already commented quite a bit on the home page and the product search feature under “Our Doors.” What I want to focus on right now is how you organize your information. Your site provides a lot of detail, which is fantastic, but right now I think it may prove a little bit counterintuitive to find. For example, when I think of “Support,” I might think of “Installation,” “FAQ,” and “Contact Us,” but I wouldn’t think of “Why Iron Doors.” “Why Iron Doors” is a page of selling points. It’s something you want visitors to see early on in order to sell them on your doors. Also, you have a wonderfully in-depth section on features on your home page, “The Anatomy of an Iron Door,” but it doesn’t really belong there, either. It’s too overwhelming for a home page, which is just a brief introduction. Here’s what I would suggest: Rename your home page tabs. Call the first tab “About Our Doors” and put the “Why Iron Doors” selling points page and the “Anatomy of an Iron Door” feature page under that. Next, rename your “Our Doors” tab as “Product Search” or “Find a Door” or something of that nature. Under “Support,” have “Delivery,” “Installation,” “Care and Cleaning,” “FAQ,” and “Contact Us.” Get rid of “What to Expect”; it’s redundant. Now, if you really, really want to have more extensive copy on your home page, put modified (shortened) versions of your selling points right below the fold. (These selling points could stand to be a little shorter anyway, even on the “Why Iron Doors” page. It just runs a bit too long.)
That’s about it. I think you have a visually beautiful web site that’s easy to search, and that counts for a lot when buying home furnishings. You also provide a great value added service in regard to all that extensive information about installation and maintenance. If you can reorganize some of your information so that it’s displayed in a more logical way, I think that will help visitors find what they’re looking for without getting unnecessarily overwhelmed with details before they want them. Good luck!
1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
The doors are gorgeous. The header photo is great. Did you also do the railing around the balcony? Is this another product you have?
Are front doors just your lead in? I mean, if you do front doors, do you also do inside doors? If you do balcony railings, do you do staircase railings?
Additionally, your name feels a bit misleading. When I see irondoors.com, I don’t think of wrought iron. I think of heavy metal protective doors, i.e., a safe. I don’t know if there are any safes made of iron, but that’s what I think of.
2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
I decided to see if I could answer the question posed above. The only product I saw on the site was front/entry doors. So, I’m assuming that balcony railing is not a regular product of yours.
However, there was no statement of clarification.
Are railings a custom product or do you have an affiliation with a company that makes railings and other wrought iron products? If you do not, then, I suggest that as beautiful as the header photo is, it is misleading or confusing.
3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Iron Doors. Google “wrought iron entry door” and scan the search results. Where do you see IronDoors.com listed? What does it say? Now, click through the result to arrive on IronDoor’s Website. Given what you see, are you encouraged to buy from IronDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
First, I used Comcast’s search powered by Google and irondoors.com was 4th. Then, I went to Google.com. Irondoors.com was 1st, but this was the ad not the regular listing. Irondoors.com was 2nd in the regular listing.
I am encouraged to explore further. Not many people are going to buy an item that is several thousand doors based solely upon a home page, including me. I am going to want to check other sites. I would see if I could get referrals. I would check out recommendations. And I would want to speak with people, maybe visit a showroom or a house that has your doors, so I can see them for myself.
4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
I went to Home Depot’s website. I didn’t expect the site to be as elegant and it wasn’t. However, I know that Home Depot is everywhere, so I can see product. What I liked about Home Depot is the variety of doors at various price points. There were some for under $1,000—they are most wood with inserts of wrought iron, I think, and glass. And it is the wide variety of styles that appeals to me.
Viewing Home Depot showed me that while your selection is beautiful, it also may be limited. However, I don’t think all the doors on Home Depot’s website that look like the inserts are wrought iron really are. So I would want to do more research. Maybe check out the websites of the companies that make the doors.
5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
Viewing Home Depot along with your site, would show me how little I really know about doors. Before buying anything, I would want to do more research on quality of wrought iron, doors, the companies whose doors you and Home Depot sell, etc.
Basically what I’m saying, this isn’t something I would buy without understanding the value of what I’m getting.