# Can a few of you help me please?



## maya (Oct 4, 2016)

Please, go to my website and poke around. Put stuff in your cart. Look for spelling errors, and report back? www.mayamadesoap.com

I'll love you FOREVER! TY!


----------



## Scooter (Oct 4, 2016)

Am I correct in assuming that the coffee bar is the only soap you have for sale now? And you have no perfumes in stock (yet)?

The tinctures look interesting but I do not know anything about tinctures or how they should be used. Is it possible to put information like that online? Or would you run afoul of the FDA if you did so?

Scooter


----------



## Arimara (Oct 4, 2016)

Scooter said:


> Am I correct in assuming that the coffee bar is the only soap you have for sale now? And you have no perfumes in stock (yet)?
> 
> The tinctures look interesting but I do not know anything about tinctures or how they should be used. Is it possible to put information like that online? Or would you run afoul of the FDA if you did so?
> 
> Scooter



She'd probably have to word things very carefully. Tinctures are very potent herbal remedies if memory serves me right.

OP, so far the site looks good. Good luck.


----------



## Susie (Oct 4, 2016)

This is strictly a personal pet peeve, so take this as my issue, please.

I do not like sites that make me hunt through several tabs before I see products.  If I click something that says "soap", I want to see soap.  Not read about how it was made or other info.  If I want to read all the other stuff, I click "about". 

Other than that, it looks fine.  All the additions to the cart worked, I did not spot any spelling errors (although I did not do a thorough check).


----------



## dibbles (Oct 4, 2016)

I like the website. It is attractive and easy to navigate. One thing I would suggest at a quick glance is to replace the + signs with the word 'and'. I think it is fine to leave it as is on the product page (as product name). Also this is just a big pet peeve of mine so the general public might not even notice. The other change I would recommend is either adding a few bottles to the picture of the soaps in the bathing beauty photo, or creating separate photos. I, of course, clicked on the soaps first and was surprised to see product in bottles instead. Your soaps are lovely BTW. And the cart seemed to work.

I am by no means an expert, but I have done a lot of proof reading and would be happy to help if I can. I did notice some things that I would change, but this post is probably long enough. PM me with your email if you want more help from me.


----------



## Scooter (Oct 4, 2016)

Susie said:


> This is strictly a personal pet peeve, so take this as my issue, please.
> 
> I do not like sites that make me hunt through several tabs before I see products.  If I click something that says "soap", I want to see soap.  Not read about how it was made or other info.  If I want to read all the other stuff, I click "about".
> 
> Other than that, it looks fine.  All the additions to the cart worked, I did not spot any spelling errors (although I did not do a thorough check).



Ditto everything Susie said. I thought it was a nice looking site but I felt like it was supposed to be, first and foremost, a store. So when I clicked on "soap" I wanted to see the soap you had for sale.

Scooter


----------



## Misschief (Oct 4, 2016)

maya said:


> Please, go to my website and poke around. Put stuff in your cart. Look for spelling errors, and report back? www.mayamadesoap.com
> 
> I'll love you FOREVER! TY!



On your perfume and cologne page, I noticed a couple of typos. In the first paragraph, second line... absolutes is missing an s. In the second paragraph, petrochemicals has an extra r. Those are the only glaring things I noticed.

Very pretty site, by the way.


----------



## maya (Oct 5, 2016)

Scooter said:


> Am I correct in assuming that the coffee bar is the only soap you have for sale now? And you have no perfumes in stock (yet)?
> 
> The tinctures look interesting but I do not know anything about tinctures or how they should be used. Is it possible to put information like that online? Or would you run afoul of the FDA if you did so?
> 
> Scooter



The coffee one is the only soap up right now, correct. Yes, the F.D.A pays limits the language I can use to describe herbal medicine. And yes, the perfumes are not yet in stock on my website. I have to transfer the photos and info from Etsy and as I am sure you know, these things take time.

Thank you!



Arimara said:


> She'd probably have to word things very carefully. Tinctures are very potent herbal remedies if memory serves me right.
> 
> OP, so far the site looks good. Good luck.



VERY. Thank you!



Susie said:


> This is strictly a personal pet peeve, so take this as my issue, please.
> 
> I do not like sites that make me hunt through several tabs before I see products.  If I click something that says "soap", I want to see soap.  Not read about how it was made or other info.  If I want to read all the other stuff, I click "about".
> 
> Other than that, it looks fine.  All the additions to the cart worked, I did not spot any spelling errors (although I did not do a thorough check).



That is a really good point and it did cross my mind for a minute. I bet I can change things around so the SOAP tab has soap listings on it. I'll try it and see what I think. Thank you!


Thank you everyone. I appreciate the feedback.



Misschief said:


> On your perfume and cologne page, I noticed a couple of typos. In the first paragraph, second line... absolutes is missing an s. In the second paragraph, petrochemicals has an extra r. Those are the only glaring things I noticed.
> 
> Very pretty site, by the way.



Thank you! I am an atrocious speller. I really appreciate the help.


----------



## Scooter (Oct 5, 2016)

That one soap did look nice. I like the pencil line.


----------



## cmzaha (Oct 5, 2016)

I really hate all the plus signs and the minus signs on page one. Not sure what the pink thing above sitting on the top of the paper on the Perfume and cologne page. Sorry but to me it looks like a dead pink turkey, I am sure it has a meaning but it is not to pretty


----------



## navigator9 (Oct 5, 2016)

First of all, I love the look of your website, the colors the graphics,  I'm definitely drawn to the overall look. If I ran across your site by  accident, I'd definitely be taking a further look. The photographs of  your products are also very nice. I found it easy enough to navigate,  although I thought the "shop" tab should maybe take me to categories to  choose from, instead of a page with lots of mixed items. 

As for typos and others...On the perfume page, "_*mayamde's *_perfume + cologne" (missing an "a")
"No  petrochemicals, no fragrance oils, just plants, flowers + magic". Maybe  it's just me, but the "magic" bugs me. Seems kind of hokey. I'd prefer something like "years  of studying aromatherapy."
On the soap page, at the bottom of the paragraph mayamade is again missing an "a"..."_*mayamde*_". On the contact page under "privacy policy" the date "March _*12h*_" should have a "t" in there. "_*mayamde*_  will retain only the information" (missing that "a" again). I have to  admit the plus sign used in place of the word "and" every time,  gets to me, too. And I know what Carolyn means by that "dead pink turkey"...I kept asking myself, "What the heck is that thing???" But overall, a very attractive website.

P.S. Found a couple more typos... These products are not intended to  diagnose, cure, or treat any disease or _*aliment*_. (ailment) Consult your health  care practitioner before starting any health care _*regiment*_. (regimen)


----------



## Kamahido (Oct 5, 2016)

I looked at your soap listing on Etsy and I have to say I like the bullet-point listing style better. Also I would rename the "Soap" tab "About Us". Calling it soap makes me think it is where I go to see your listings. Perhaps just my personal preference but it is my two cents.


----------



## dixiedragon (Oct 5, 2016)

On this page, the photo of the shelves covers up some of your warning.

http://www.mayamadesoap.com/-herbs--apothecary-

I'm with Susie in that I'm clicking around and the products to buy are not easy to find!


----------



## Dahila (Oct 5, 2016)

where is the link to website???????? found it and hate the way you need to click so many times to find something


----------



## maya (Oct 5, 2016)

dibbles said:


> I like the website. It is attractive and easy to navigate. One thing I would suggest at a quick glance is to replace the + signs with the word 'and'. I think it is fine to leave it as is on the product page (as product name). Also this is just a big pet peeve of mine so the general public might not even notice. The other change I would recommend is either adding a few bottles to the picture of the soaps in the bathing beauty photo, or creating separate photos. I, of course, clicked on the soaps first and was surprised to see product in bottles instead. Your soaps are lovely BTW. And the cart seemed to work.
> 
> I am by no means an expert, but I have done a lot of proof reading and would be happy to help if I can. I did notice some things that I would change, but this post is probably long enough. PM me with your email if you want more help from me.





Scooter said:


> Ditto everything Susie said. I thought it was a nice looking site but I felt like it was supposed to be, first and foremost, a store. So when I clicked on "soap" I wanted to see the soap you had for sale.
> 
> Scooter





cmzaha said:


> I really hate all the plus signs and the minus signs on page one. Not sure what the pink thing above sitting on the top of the paper on the Perfume and cologne page. Sorry but to me it looks like a dead pink turkey, I am sure it has a meaning but it is not to pretty





navigator9 said:


> First of all, I love the look of your website, the colors the graphics,  I'm definitely drawn to the overall look. If I ran across your site by  accident, I'd definitely be taking a further look. The photographs of  your products are also very nice. I found it easy enough to navigate,  although I thought the "shop" tab should maybe take me to categories to  choose from, instead of a page with lots of mixed items.
> 
> As for typos and others...On the perfume page, "_*mayamde's *_perfume + cologne" (missing an "a")
> "No  petrochemicals, no fragrance oils, just plants, flowers + magic". Maybe  it's just me, but the "magic" bugs me. Seems kind of hokey. I'd prefer something like "years  of studying aromatherapy."
> ...





Kamahido said:


> I looked at your soap listing on Etsy and I have to say I like the bullet-point listing style better. Also I would rename the "Soap" tab "About Us". Calling it soap makes me think it is where I go to see your listings. Perhaps just my personal preference but it is my two cents.





Dahila said:


> where is the link to website???????? found it and hate the way you need to click so many times to find something



EVERYONE THANK YOU! Thank you so much! I really appreciate your input. I will be correcting the errors asap. I really do appreciate the help. LOVE.


----------



## dixiedragon (Oct 5, 2016)

cmzaha said:


> I really hate all the plus signs and the minus signs on page one. Not sure what the pink thing above sitting on the top of the paper on the Perfume and cologne page. Sorry but to me it looks like a dead pink turkey, I am sure it has a meaning but it is not to pretty


 
It's an animal skull, my guess is deer. I think it's a reference to the desert, which she mentions on one of her pages. But she is in Minneapolis, so kind of weird.

Maya, it really looks like you spent more time picking out pretty clip art and taking pretty pictures than actually thinking about the function of your page. Form should follow function.


----------



## cmzaha (Oct 5, 2016)

dixiedragon said:


> It's an animal skull, my guess is deer. I think it's a reference to the desert, which she mentions on one of her pages. But she is in Minneapolis, so kind of weird.
> 
> Maya, it really looks like you spent more time picking out pretty clip art and taking pretty pictures than actually thinking about the function of your page. Form should follow function.


LOL, I will buy the animal skull, but Pink..... I might have thought of that if she lived in Arizona, or some other desert. Still looks like a dead turkey 

Forgot to mention on the soap page, which I agree should be soaps not an about soap. Very few customers know or care what the process is. Sometimes to much information is not good. I also would not describe the process of making the tincture. Keep it simple. You are giving enough info for them to make their own. 

And it super bugs me that mayamade is spelled with a lower case m. In my opinion, which does not always mean much, is a huge grammatical error. When you use the name in reference to your company it is impossible to distinguish it as the company. I noticed in some descriptions your company name referenced.


----------



## Rusti (Oct 5, 2016)

Are you using a drag 'n drop builder for this or are you writing your own HTML and CSS and using a cart plugin? I'm not going to comment on your products (except that others are right, when I clicked on the products in the navigation, I kind of expected to be taken to the storefront for them).


----------



## Obsidian (Oct 5, 2016)

I also do not like all the + signs, not even a little bit. It makes it look lazy, like you couldn't take the time to type out the word "and". In regards to the pink skull, if you are marketing towards vegans, why would you have any kind of skull on your site?

I've only looked at the soap description and it sounds pretty good but I'm not sure you really need to explain the fatty acids, your general consumer won't know what it means or care. I would be careful using words like moisturizing too, that can put your soap in the realm of cosmetics and they are regulated.

Your pictures are nice but again, please ditch the neon pink skull. your products would look nicer against something natural like a nice slice of pretty wood and maybe a spray of greenery or some autumn leaves.

On your about page, I think you use your name too often. For example "mayamade's formulas are based in a time honored tradition using modern techniques and knowledge. Whenever possible mayamade uses organic, fair trade, biodynamic, wild harvested ingredients providing you with the best soap and apothecary items."

could become this and not sound so repetitive
"mayamade's formulas are based in a time honored tradition using modern techniques and knowledge. Whenever possible we/I use organic, fair trade, biodynamic, wild harvested ingredients providing you with the best soap and apothecary items."

Since you are speaking about yourself and your company, its ok to use I or we once in awhile. I'd also capitalize Mayamade since its a proper noun.


----------



## HappyGoNaturally (Oct 5, 2016)

I can tell you've put much time into your site!  It's a process, just like anything else!  

I did notice a couple of things during a quick glance -- "mayamade is also at various popup shops + art fairs around the twin cities are." ... area missing an "a" ... I know you're not using capital letters on proper nouns, but it might look better for the name of a city that includes two words, my opinion anyway!  On another page, there is "regiment" -- should be regimen.  Best of luck with your new site!

P.S. I see someone already noted regimen, but I wanted to add that I couldn't understand the pink object either.


----------



## osso (Oct 5, 2016)

The site is pretty and eye catching.

I agree with what some others have said about the plus signs. Stylistically, I like them for category headers and product names, not to replace the word 'and' in paragraphs, product descriptions, etc. I think the -dash- separating your category descriptions is unnecessary and a little distracting as well.

I think the site would flow much better if you had your 'about mayamade' category include your information about soaps, herbal products, and perfumes. (Instead of having them individually listed in sections where people expect to find products.)

Then your product categories can lead to listings for those items...or clean it up even more and just have the categories broken down under the shop section. I think it is easier to shop categories, rather than a random mix of items.

*"An infused oil is really simply to make, very basic directions are fill a small mason jar with the herb you want, for instance Arnica, fill with a skin loving oil, I like olive oil. Let set in a dark cupboard for about six weeks. Strain, reserving the oil and use the oil as a muscle oil."* If an infused oil is a product you are selling, I would omit this.
*"I have detailed directions on how to make these on my blog."* Again, no need to change anything on your blog, but I wouldn't make a statement like this on your site. These statements say "these are easy to make" rather than "these are expertly crafted, buy them from me."

"A glycerite*s* is a non alcohol tincture made with glycerin. A fluid extraction of herbal components." Should be glycerite?

"None of mayamade's products have not been evaluated by the F.D.A. These products are not intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any disease or *aliment*. Consult your health care practitioner before starting any health care *regiment*. They are for informational and historical purposes only." First sentence is a double negative, use one or the other. Also your picture is partially covering this disclaimer. A couple misspellings.

"A salve or balm is an herbally infused oil made solid with a wax, I use a vegan wax or locally *source* beeswax to solidify the herbal oil. I frequently add essential oils to salves for their properties." sourced

"My potions are organic or wildcrafted (meaning wild found, from the woods to the desert, where ever I am.) when ever possible, never treated with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or irradiated." wherever and whenever, omit the period in parentheses...
Here's how I would change this sentence:
"My potions are organic or wildcrafted (meaning wild found, from the woods to the desert, wherever I am) whenever possible and never treated with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or irradiated." Or wild harvested or foraged are nice terms.

"mayamade soap is created *in* (with) what is known as the cold process method. Cold process means extra heat isn't applied to the soap except to melt the oils and butters. It means that the scents I use have a chance to stick around, the oils and butters *and* (have the) opportunity to really nourish your skin and the organic botanicals (to) do their thing."

"I* think of it as getting ready for a party*,*(period) (new sentence After)*a*fter the cure, each bar should last between one and six months."

"Factors (affecting longevity include) *like*(unnecessary) using a wash cloth or other bathing scrubbie, allowing the soap to dry between uses, not leaving soap in the bathtub and of course trading back and forth between two or three bars, giving the soap a rest between uses." 

" If you are storing mayamde soap please do not store it in a warm, humid place*,*(period, new sentence) try your dresser drawer it will lightly and beautifully scent your clothing."

I didn't look through individual listings much, but my advice would be to watch the run-on sentences with lots of commas. It can be hard to follow and information overload. Periods are your friend.

Hope those notes made sense and were helpful. Overall, it is looking good.


----------



## HappyGoNaturally (Oct 5, 2016)

So nice for people to honestly evaluate, really good suggestions too.  I'd like to comment on this one though so we can have a semicolon debate, lol.  I think rather than a period, it should be a semicolon.  



osso said:


> " If you are storing mayamde soap please do not store it in a warm, humid place*,*(period, new sentence) try your dresser drawer it will lightly and beautifully scent your clothing."


----------



## osso (Oct 5, 2016)

HappyGoNaturally said:


> So nice for people to honestly evaluate, really good suggestions too.  I'd like to comment on this one though so we can have a semicolon debate, lol.  I think rather than a period, it should be a semicolon.



Yep, a semicolon would be appropriate.


----------



## maya (Oct 5, 2016)

Thank you! I so much appreciate the honest and constructive feedback. I corrected the spelling and grammar errors and I removed the dead pink turkey. Lol.  I also really appreciate the compliments.


----------



## Susie (Oct 5, 2016)

osso said:


> Yep, a semicolon would be appropriate.



I was about to do a whole proof read with suggestions, but you got everything I noted.  Thank you!

One further thing I would do is avoid this claim so you don't go afoul the FDA:

 It means that the scents I use have a chance to stick around,the oils and butters and opportunity to really nourish your skin and the organic botanicals do their thing.


----------



## maya (Oct 5, 2016)

K. I took out the nourishing claim, and hid the pages you all suggested that I form into one page. When I can get it done, I'll combine them into one page. I put the about page and the calendar and contact page as one. 

Again, thank you everyone for the help.


----------



## Susie (Oct 5, 2016)

That looks much better!

When you get a few more products, I would divide them out by type.  Soaps with its own tab, tinctures with their own tab, etc.


----------



## TeresaT (Oct 5, 2016)

I took a look at the site, too.  Although I understand the advice to capitalize "mayamade" in the site because of the personal pronoun status, I would not.  That is your trademark or logo.  That's what people are going to associate you and your company with:  mayamade--in lowercase letters.  What I would do, however, is change the "mayamade" in the body of the text to the same font you are using on your product labels or the cursive writing on the website.   I noticed that the name "mayamade" on your labels is in different fonts.  You might want to stick to one font for "mayamade" throughout all of your products and the website.  That way, it will easily and distinctly be recognized as YOU.   

I do agree with everyone on the use of the + instead of spelling out "and."


----------



## maya (Oct 5, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> I took a look at the site, too.  Although I understand the advice to capitalize "mayamade" in the site because of the personal pronoun status, I would not.  That is your trademark or logo.  That's what people are going to associate you and your company with:  mayamade--in lowercase letters.  What I would do, however, is change the "mayamade" in the body of the text to the same font you are using on your product labels or the cursive writing on the website.   I noticed that the name "mayamade" on your labels is in different fonts.  You might want to stick to one font for "mayamade" throughout all of your products and the website.  That way, it will easily and distinctly be recognized as YOU.
> 
> I do agree with everyone on the use of the + instead of spelling out "and."



I like that! I am working on changing a couple of things around. I FINALLY got labels done, yet again, that I really like so of course I want to change them around again. lol.


----------

