The ads are hugely irritating. there are no-ad free hosts out there - google for them or head to listing pages such as
this. Some examples of hosts are
Eco Hosts and
Brinkster. Don't be scared by free ASP hosts - ASp is a scripting technique that I use but it still uses HTML so you can host an ordinary HTML page there.
This is going to sound harsh, but as a professional in the IT business and someone who has worked on many professional web portals and sites, I'll list a few criticisms. DON'T take them personally, but I have been knocking around on t'internet and writing web sites for 10 years (started by using vi on Unix! that was a nightmare) so I know what makes a good site.
These comments apply only to the home page as I haven't had a chance to look at the others, but people will base their opinion of a site on the first page they see, so get this right and more than half the battle is won.
Firstly, get rid of the animated graphics. Most people are irritated by them.
The word HOME is obstructed by the graphic - improve the spacing.
Try and make sure all graphics are jpg format where possible. The quality is higher but the file size is lower making them a winner all round.
Your introduction should not be bullet pointed and should not start until below the graphic otherwise it is quite hard to read. Also do not use block capitals.
avoid using characters like @ in normal text - it smacks of teenage txt msging and most people find it annoying.
Counters can be a bit tacky - visitors aren't really interested in how many you've had. People get counters so they can see how many visitors have come to their pages so I would get one which provides this functionality for you without being visible. After all, its a graphic which takes extra time to download.
Unfortunately, some of the techniques you have used tend to make the site look like something constructed by a teenager, but you can change that dramatically with very little effort and have a site that looks good and works well. Just because you can have flashing/scrolloing text, animated graphics etc etc etc doesn't mean you have to use them. The best sites are often very minimal and clean. Remember, if your visitor can't read it clearly, they won't bother at all.
Experiment with different fonts, font sizes and weights. Stick to black text unless you are using a dark background (I've seen bright yellow text on light backgrounds which is unreadable). Your text must be clear and readable. This is the most basic key to writing a good site.
Like I said, this is constructive criticism from an IT professional. Whether you choose to take it or not is of course your perogative, but follow these guidelines and you'll be looking at a good first site.
One more thing - make sure you keep it up to date if you want return visits! Sounds obvious but its the biggest mistake made by those new to writing web pages.
Good luck and keep trying. No-one writes the perfect page first time so just keep at it until its right and you'll have learnt a bit and you'll get a sense of satisfaction.
