NJ Website Design

Avalon NJ Website Design: Evaluation of the Best and Worst

Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney - June 7, 2017

Avalon NJ Website Design: Evaluation of the Best and Worst

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the websites for businesses, organizations, and associations located in Avalon NJ. This article is intended to be a resource for business owners and website design companies looking to create a new website, or redesign a current Avalon NJ website design.

In this article we have included the following information:

Brief Overview of the Town from a business perspective, and the need for a functional and beautiful Avalon NJ website design.
Best Website Design examples in Avalon New Jersey
High Potential Examples of Avalon NJ Website Design that would do very well with some strategic design/development changes
Worst Website Design examples in Avalon New Jersey
Simple Directory of Web Designers in Avalon New Jersey, or web design companies known for their Avalon NJ website design work.

Opportunity/Need for Avalon NJ Website Design

Analyzing the current business environment and growth opportunities in Avalon New Jersey

Avalon NJ is a very rich area of southern New Jersey. While the estimated median household income in the state is $70k, Avalon’s is $90k. While the estimated median house or condo value in the state is $300k, Avalon’s is more than three times higher at $985k! The houses are beautiful, and the businesses are thriving thanks to loyal patronage and summer visitors.

Avalon is a small town with a population of only 1,283 residents.The average age of residents according to Avalon NJ city data is 62 years, and 96.9% of Avalon’s residents are Caucasian, so this town is seemingly an attractive place for white Baby Boomers to own a home as they are approaching retirement. The adult residents are mostly married, mostly college graduates, and mostly American-born. The crime rate is very low, with thefts and burglaries making up most of the data, whereas violent crime is virtually nonexistent in Avalon.

There are pros and cons to living in Avalon NJ. On the good side, Avalon enjoys pleasant summers, a calm ambience, and pristine beach areas. On the other hand, the cost of living is relatively high, 171% higher than the United States average and there is a high dependence on tourism. The local schools are very good and the student to teacher ratio is 5-1.

Read through this article carefully if your business is located in Avalon NJ, or if you are planning to establish a company there. Your online presence is a huge piece of your business image and identity- Even if you’re NOT paying attention to it, your website says something about your business, good or bad.

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Best Examples of Avalon NJ Website Design

In addition to the most obvious features, there are many little things that make a website design great and effective. Top marks go to beautiful websites that have useful information AND are doing the types of things that make them attractive to Google, while also providing a positive user experience. Through our search, we came across some good and bad local examples of Avalon New Jersey websites. Here’s what we found:

1. Kohler’s Bakery – www.kohlersbakery.com

Numerical Score: 83/100

Design Grade……….. A

Features Grade…….. B

Content Grade……… D

Authority Grade…… C

2. Anjali Power Yoga – www.anjalipoweryoga.com

Numerical Score: 78/100

Design Grade……… B

Features Grade……. D

Content Grade…….. B

Authority Grade…… C

For a yoga studio, this is definitely one of the best websites that we’ve seen in this industry. Usually, yoga studio websites are treated as an afterthought but this one seems to be treated as a priority. The big hero images are original to the company and are high quality, and they make a human connection right away. The media gallery is great because it shows women sweating and really getting a good workout which sets it apart from the generic stock photos of yoga poses that many competitors are using. The layout of the site is nothing special in an of itself with the index-style format, but the balance of text and imagery and the cohesiveness of colors and fonts really serves this company well. Functionality-wise, there is a lot of room for improvement. The class descriptions and schedules and online registration process – all of these elements are embedded but seemingly were created on another type of platform, and it really doesn’t match back to the current website. Its tough to read and navigate and this function is not user friendly compared to the rest of the website. On the other hand, there is an active blog for this business! Multiple authors contribute to the blog and it seems to be updated every few months. There does not seem to be SEO or keywords or tags and categories incorporated into the blog or posts, so that is a huge opportunity for improvement. Overall, the business is on the right track and this website does the job fairly well!

3. Icona Golden Inn – www.iconagoldeninn.com

Numerical Score: 75/100

Design Grade…….… B

Features Grade……. B

Content Grade…….. C

Authority Grade……D

The first thing that hits you on this website is a pop-up screen with a call to action. This website is definitely used as a marketing tool instead of just a thrown-together website for the sake of having one. The Icons Golden Inn website does a pretty good job. There is a beautiful video background of the ocean waves at sunset. Pretty typical of Jersey shore businesses but it’s executed well. The website is mobile friendly and they have reviews neatly posted on the homepage. The navigation bar is overloaded and should be organized better or divided into two menus. This would help visitors the navigate the site easier and find what they are looking for more quickly. A business website should be treated in the same way as a resume, meaning that the most useful and compelling information should be in the top layer and less essential elements should be nested inside of other folders or placed in the footer. You can’t capture someone’s attention effectively if you bombard them, especially on the internet where people want quick answers and easily accessible information. The photos on this website are all stock images which is another problem, because the first thing we see on the homepage should be the hotel property, and there should more original photos than stock for a business like this. This business is doing a good job keeping the content updated as we can see on the current events page listing the dates for live music. An obvious step for this business would be to launch a blog and implement a content marketing strategy to keep the content fresh and ranking the site higher in Google. It’s a great way to encourage vacationers to visit Avalon and share time-sensitive information that would help someone planning their summer vacation to the Jersey Shore.

By Location: Best/Worst NJ Website Design

High Potential Examples of Avalon NJ Website Design

There are a lot of websites that kind of fall in the middle. They’re not good, but they could be worse. Most of these “high potential” website design examples are placed in this category because they scored low on our evaluation, but the businesses themselves are so great that we see a huge opportunity for success. Here are the local websites we found that don’t stand on their own yet, but could be absolutely killer if they made the right moves.

4. Hassis Mens Shop – http://hassismensshop.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade C

This website is mobile friendly
Has a modern design and the branding and style is complimentary for a mens clothing shop
Great photos of the products in the store. Only problem is there’s only one with a model and it’s really tiny. Website lacks the human connection overall.
There are outbound links to all brand websites according to what the store carries, but there are no products listed on the website. That’s not a great strategy, because the bounce rate will be high and visitors will likely buy directly from the brand or other dealer
The About Us page is grossly underdeveloped. 2-3 sentences and a link to a PDF does not justify getting its own page. Every website needs an About Page but this one looks like they’re cutting corners and it’s not helping their authority or user experience.
The most current item in the “Latest Updates” section is from 6 months ago- that’s years in the decades in the fashion world.

5. Concord Suites – http://concordsuites.com/

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade C

Outdated Design- Useless wasted margins, crowded pages, not enough white space
Great video right on the homepage
Original photos of the rooms aren’t bad
Updated content- current pricing and deals
Not a mobile friendly design, which is an enormous no-no by today’s standards.
There is virtually NO content marketing or onpage SEO on this website
The About page has broken image links
If not for the video and easy to navigate layout, this website’s score would have earned a D. Much room for improvement.

6. Lewis Purdy Real Estate – http://avalonnjrealestate.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade C

There is a dysfunctional online presence- two different websites for this business, and both seem to be updated. Different contact information. It looks like they’re fighting with each other for ranking. That’s an unusual approach, and definitely not helpful.
Homepage is lacking! No properties to hit you right in the face. You have plug in search criteria to find anything.
This website has SEO and on page keyword targeting definitely in play
The site is responsive but some of the elements don’t translate well on mobile
Very plain design- boring blue background space with smaller active area in middle
Lots of great testimonials
About me page is coming soon? Just un-publish it until you’re ready to go live.
Lots of resources that may or may not be helpful – calculators? Trash schedule?

7. Oceanside Seafood – http://www.oceansideseafoodavalon.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

This website has an excellent hero image
The Awards are displayed as social proof
Unfortunately, there are empty areas on the website. (specials, e.g.)
There are specific listings for “fresh market” so the page is not useful
There is no digital menu to view onscreen
The business itself looks like a great place, but the website doesn’t do a good job to attract new customers or delight existing ones
Content is extremely limited and not updated. The ranking for this site is suffering big time.

8. Tonio’s – http://www.toniosavalon.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

This website has an excellent hero image
It’s a duel website- Pizza / Seafood – but neither side has much depth
There is a cohesive nautical design on seafood side
Far too basic on the pizza side
No content or About page of any kind
There aren’t any calls to action or “next steps” to guide the visitor through

9. Preppy Palm – http://www.thepreppypalm.com/

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

This store looks cool and the story behind it is interesting. Unfortunately, the content is not displayed in a way that’s compelling or leads the visitor to dig deeper
The site is not mobile friendly or responsive so there goes half of the audience right off the bat, not to mention penalties from Google that impact visibility and ranking
The New Designs link in the menu doesn’t work
Great original photos, but the image sizes are way too small. They should be blown out and displayed as hero images.
There is no call to action
The footer has “our collections” images to show what’s in the store, but the images are not clickable. It’s not a user friendly site.

10. Sundae Best – http://www.sundaebestavalon.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

Hero image is the right placement but the photo is so cropped! It’s the most boring presentation of ice cream imaginable.
The good thing is that this website is mobile friendly.
Memorial Day hours are posted at the top and center of the homepage- but that holiday has passed. Needs an update.
There is technically a blog, but it’s strictly used for posting a list of the flavors and the blog is only updated when the list changes. No SEO. No images. Just a list. Not a good use of a blog.
The coolest thing about the website is the collaborations with the local businesses- They have flavors/desserts named for local bakeries and shops. That’s really a cool idea.
There is a Yelp button but no online reviews are integrated onto the site

11. James C. Otton Real Estate – http://www.cbotton.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

There is a live chat and social media buttons are easily accessible
This website design is not visually pleasing or modern
It looks like a careless project- the alignment of text is off, and certain elements are sloppy in display
There is a player with an error right on the homepage
Date in footer is three years old- maybe it’s time for an upgrade
Not mobile friendly

12. Avalon Hodge Podge – http://www.avalonhp.com

Avalon NJ Website Design Grade D

Right off the bat, you know what this company is and what they offer
There are resources like a page dedicated charter boats but no outbound links
Not updated site- footer date is almost ten years old
There are typos and grammatical errors even on the homepage!
No keyword optimization on the pages- no blog. Needs content and better photos.

Worst Examples of Avalon NJ Website Design

Choosing the worst websites in a town like this is painful. As a web designer in the Avalon area, I’ve seen these types of mistakes over and over that are wreaking havoc on these businesses and killing their SERP ranking. Some of these websites are so terrible that I’m assuming they came free and ready-made with a domain purchase. The mistakes are numerous and easy to avoid if you’re a web designer who know’s what you’re doing.