On 24 August 2021, I posted my response to an email I received offering to improve the content and layout of my website. On 27 August 2021, I received another such email, this time from James… Here is his e-mail followed by my response.

Dear Team at ben-bennetts.com,

Not sure if you knew this but your website ben-bennetts.com has some problems that you might want to consider looking into. I spent 2-3 minutes looking around and found:

– It doesn’t work properly on Mobile Phones, at all (which is how people browse the web these days).

– It doesn’t adjust properly when you resize the screen (Google recommends RESPONSIVE Websites rather than ADAPTIVE)

– It’s hard to read on larger displays

– The design looks really, really dated compared to some of your competitors.

I actually do web design as a living so I figured I’d reach out and let you know there’s serious room for dead easy (and affordable) improvement. If you would like, I can send you some of my previous work samples.

I can develop the website on a more advanced platform at an affordable price. That price also includes making it complete mobile responsive which will support all modern devices including all ranges of screen sizes.

Is that something you’d be interested in?

Thanks & Regards,

James …

End

I replied on the same day. Here is what I wrote back to James.

Do you know what? I receive approximately one of these can-I-help-you? email mailshots once a week with offers to improve my website. Usually, I just bin them but, in your case, I thought I would reply.

First, I don’t sell anything from my website. It’s a blogging website. Sure, I list my books but I don’t write books to generate a vast profit. I write books, and blogs, for enjoyment so I am not interested in ‘upping my position’ on search engines or improving the cosmetics of the display.

Second, to your four points below, you might be interested in my responses. You said:

– It doesn’t work properly on Mobile Phones, at all (which is how people browse the web these days).

My pages display very nicely on my iPhone and my iPad so I don’t understand why you say they don’t. Have you really checked my website or is your comment a generic comment you insert in your email mailshot? Also, I disagree with your parenthetical statement implying that people only browse via a smartphone. I know many people who, like me, still use a laptop and browse more comfortably from their laptop.

– It doesn’t adjust properly when you resize the screen (Google recommends RESPONSIVE Websites rather than ADAPTIVE)

Assuming ‘It’ refers to my website’s contents’ response to pinch-out on a smartphone screen, I disagree with your statement. My contents, text and image, adjust properly when pinched out and back again.

– It’s hard to read on larger displays

I’ve no idea what ‘It’ refers to in this sentence. If, again, ‘It’ refers to text and graphic content, the display on my laptop screen is superb. It’s where it was created before uploading. Beware the indefinite pronoun with an undefined antecedent!

– The design looks really, really dated compared to some of your competitors.

Define dated! My layouts are very similar to modern-day newspaper layouts. Are all modern-day newspapers ‘dated’ in their layouts? Also, because I don’t sell product, I have no competitors. Who do you think I compete against? And, by the way, if you really want to use really to intensify your criticism, you really only need one really, not two; or preferably none at all.

James, I would suggest you do more homework before sending out emails like this.

Have a nice day!

Ben

End

Five days later, there has been no response. I suspect I’m off his email mailshot list.

(^_^)