TOPIC:

Hi it would be great to get some feedback on how we're doing and how we can do better.
Thanks,
David Hopkins
VPE

What is your club number? It might help you place your club number below your signature in profile settings, so that you do not need to put it in all the time.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Linda

First Impression:
Generic-looking site with stock photograph

Homepage:
I like that I know when the next meeting is immediately

stock photo (I would add a photograph from your club here)
The text invites propspective members to contact you (I would add a link to the contact page) or visit a meeting (I would add a link to the directions page)

I don't know why there is Google+ link at the bottom. To the left of it are your social links with a prominent G+ icon. I would remove the link at the bottom of the text.

Meeting Information/Directions:
Is there a specific room at the hotel in which you meet? I would add that here. Or if there is signage to direct guests, I would indicate that.

Meet Our Members:
I think more members should be highlighted; two does not impress prospective members, imo.

Social:
FB=active; good!
G+=looks like you're just getting started with it; good luck
Meetup=active; good!

Hit Counter:
I am not a fan of hit counters, although others here are. You can receive far better information employing Google Analytics and it does not display publicly.

Your site is a good beginning!

bumped to get more replies

By Way of Background
When evaluating your site, I looked at it with one major question in mind: Will the site grab the attention of potential guests and get them to a meeting? With the assumption that potential guests came to your site interested in learning more about Toastmasters and seeing if your club is one they would want to visit, I would expect that the content of your home page* would:
A. Make it exceedingly clear that guests are welcome to visit the club.
B. Give (or link to) explicit directions for how to get to your meeting room.
C. Say something that distinguishes the club from other clubs in your area.
D. Demonstrate that your club is energetic, active, and vibrant.
E. Reinforces that your club will help them be better speakers and leaders.
F. Briefly describes what Toastmasters is all about.
G. Have embedded links to additional information about both the club and Toastmasters.

Aesthetically, I believe the home page should be professional-looking and appealing. With that, I expect the content portion of the home page would:
H. Use headers that clearly delineate the topics being covered and make it easy on the eyes.
I. Not use any clip art, stock photos, or bad animations.
J. Not look like a ransom note (i.e., it should not have a lot of different fonts or different-sized fonts, lots of different colors, lots of centered text, that sort of thing).

*As our club’s webmaster for the last three years, I have found that having more information on the home page keeps people on the site longer, and then leads them to click more links. Using information from Google Analytics, I found that when our site had less information on the home page potential guests spent less time on the site and clicked fewer links. As a result, I believe it’s important to have more information, not less, on the home page itself. While it’s okay (and encouraged) to link to even more information in the menu, I believe the content of the home page itself should address each of the items mentioned above.

My Evaluation of Your Site
With all of that in mind and focusing exclusively on your home page (since others here will likely provide a more comprehensive review of the subpages), here’s my evaluation:
A. You make it very clear that guests are welcome. Great! You may also want to mention that attending as a guest is free.
B. You don’t have any meeting location information or directions on the content portion of the home page, which forces potential members to search for that information. I recommend being explicit.
C. I don’t believe you distinguish your club. There’s a lot about the value of Toastmasters, but what separates you club from other clubs? Why should I join your club?
D. There’s really nothing on this page that demonstrates an energetic, active, and vibrant club.
E. You do reinforce — very well — that your club will help potential members become better speakers and leaders.
F. See E.
G. Except for Google+, you have no embedded links pointing potential members to additional information in the context of what they’re reading.
H. No use of headers.
I. You do use a stock photo, which is better than no photo at all, though I suggest replacing it with photos from your club, if possible. This will distinguish it from other clubs that use stock photos and also show vibrancy and energy.
J. The page does not look like a ransom note, which is good.

Overall Thoughts
Overall, you sell the value of Toastmasters very well, but I believe you have a great opportunity to distinguish your club. Since the home page is the first (and sometimes only) impression many potential members will have, it’s important that visitors get a sense not only for the value of Toastmasters but specifically what your club offers when compared to other clubs. Do you have a convenient meeting time? Convenient location? Great members? I recommend you tout the things that distinguish your club from others. Even if you don’t go into detail, at least provide the basics so potential members don’t have to go hunting for that information. Good luck!