Are You Giving Visitors A Reason to Revisit Your Blog?
This is a guest post by Christopher of CreativeBlogger.
Be sure to read the whole post in order to find out how to get a free critique of your blog.
Bloggers are stat junkies.
We obsess over our inbound links, our mentions on twitter, and our daily visitor count. We do this because blogging is a solo activity–most of us don’t have personal connections with mentors to tell us what we’re doing well and what we need to improve.
In other words, we’re all flying blind.
This is why we turn to our trusty analytics. The numbers provide measurement of our progress–what we are doing well and what we need to improve.
Every blogger uses the analytics of their blog differently, but for the most part, the daily visitor count is what seems to attract the most attention … especially when you’ve just started your blog and those first few visitors start trickling in. It’s exciting and rewarding, but it’s also pointless if your blog has nothing to offer visitors.
I’d like to explore why you should pay less attention to the daily visitors count, and spend more time concentrating on giving visitors a reason to revisit your blog.
Doing this will free you from the upset you experience when a drop (either slight or extreme) occurs in your daily visitor count, and enable you to focus not on how many people are visiting, but rather how many of those people are revisiting.
Forget The Daily Visitor Count
Though increasing your daily visitor count can be emotionally rewarding when unsure about your efforts as a blogger, your daily traffic means nothing if you’re not giving your visitors reason to revisit … a reason to subscribe, follow you socially, or buy your products.
The way you achieve this is by providing something your visitors want … something they need. The way you measure it is up to you, but Google Analytics provides a nice feature that spotlights the New Visitors and Returning Visitors.
Offer Your Visitors Something Valuable
Giving visitors reason to revisit your blog comes down to what you have to offer. Whether you offer helpful content, exclusive ebooks, entertainment, or anything else the community of your niche might desire, you need to offer what your visitors want if you hope to build both the readership of your blog and its social following.
The following list includes just a few things you might offer your visitor depending on your niche:
- Exceptional content
- Exclusive content
- Free ebooks
- Premium ebooks
- Classes
- Community
- Humor
- Entertainment
- Personal Insight
- Expert Advice
- News
- Inspiration
- Encouragement
- Affiliate opportunities
- Services
- Discounts on products and services
Unless you provide some some of offer to your visitors, they’re probably not going to revisit your blog.
Would you revisit a blog that offered you nothing?
Help Visitors Find Your Offering
If you plan on concentrating on attracting regular readers by publishing exceptional content, consider making it easy for visitors to find you most popular posts. One way to achieve this is to create a section in your sidebar for popular content.
This will maximize the chance your visitors will see the value you offer and consider subscribing or following socially.
Likewise, if you offer a free ebook or complimentary service of some sort, be sure you highlight it near the top of your blog.
Make It Easy to Revisit
Once you successfully provide your visitors with the value you have to offer, you need to make it easy for your visitors to revisit.
There are a variety of ways for you to make it easy for readers to revisit your blog, and they all revolve around providing them the value they hoped to receive when they first became interested in your blog. This value should be accompanied by a link back to your blog.
A few places you can achieve this include the following:
- RSS subscriptions
- Email newsletters
- Social status updates
Setting out to attract revisits rather than one-time visits is a much more efficient way for bloggers to build their readership and social following.
The Blog and The Birdhouse
The blogger’s relationship with their reader is much like that between a birdhouse and birds–unless the birdhouse offers something birds find valuable (either food or shelter), birds aren’t going to revisit it.
Likewise, unless you offer visitors something they find valuable, it’s not likely they’re going to revisit your blog.
What do you offer your visitors?
Get A Free Critique of Your Blog From Me
Update: Free critiques have been closed – please see my latest post to get your free critique
If you’re interested in finding out whether or not a first-time visitor would consider revisiting your blog, post a link to your blog in the comments section below – I’ll be visiting every blog and posting a critique.
What each critique will offer:
- My first impression of your blog
- The power of your offer
- How I’d like to revisit (Twitter, Facebook, email subscription)
- Tips on how to improve your offer
- Presentation tips
So, the question still stands … are you giving visitors a reason to revisit your blog?
Post a link to your blog below to find out!
cc image credit: seishin17
Christopher is the editor of FuelYourBlogging & FuelYourVenture. He’s an abstract painter striving to make full-time living from his creative work by the time he’s 30, and shares his journey at CreativeBlogger … Subscribe | Twitter | Facebook
Thanks for the post and encouragement. Here is my site, http://joshcousineau.com would love to know your thoughts.
-Josh
Nice blog, Josh!
When I first visited your blog, I noticed a couple of things that created a positive impression on me. First, your latest post is timely, which tells me you’re on top of things. Second, you’re posting regularly, which tells me there’s probably more to come tomorrow … and the next day … and the day after that.
Your offer is powerful, but I think there can be improvement here. You make a big promise to your readers in the sidebar, but had I been a casual visitor with a shorter attention span, I probably wouldn’t have seen it. Consider boosting your promise, “to add a theologically informed voice, not just noise to the conversation,” to someone more prominent on your blog, such as the header, tag line, or above your ads. I’d also recommend adding this promise to the title tag of your blog, so people will see your offer in the search engines, and above your address. This might also help boost your serp with the search engines because it includes a few keywords you’re probably interested in ranking for. It’s an awesome promise – it just needs to be adjusted so your visitors can’t miss it.
I’d definitely want to revisit this blog. I’d either want to revisit directly via link from an email from you or via twitter. I see you offer rss feed subscription options, but you have to ask whether or not your community is savvy to rss … most aren’t … I’m not even 100% on it. If possible, consider concentrating on collecting email addresses from your subscribers – this puts you in direct contact, enables you to analyze, and avoids the whole confusion surrounding rss, which is one of the main reasons why visitors opt not to subscribe. I just noticed you offer an email signup form – consider bumping this up to the top somewhere. Same goes for social links.
Check out this post I just wrote – Where’s The Best Place On Your Blog For Social Links? http://goo.gl/haC7Q
Within it is a link to the best social plugin I’ve seen from a blogger in your community that you might like to connect with.
Think about boosting your offer into the view of your visitors – the offer is pure and valuable, so I have no doubt you’ll be able to gain more returning visits as well as subscribers and social followers.
Thanks for sharing your blog with the community, Josh!
Thanks for the review. I will make some of those switches in the hopes of better reaching people. Thanks for your site!
~Josh
My pleasure, Josh! Keep up the awesome work.
Hey Chris,
I’m looking to one day freelance full time and want to be professional about my site including my blog. Here is the direct link to it http://bit.ly/9opYwJ
Thanks for your feedback!
Jenny
Beautiful design, Jenny!
Your website is very welcoming and easy to ingest, which is a breath of fresh air considering how chaotic the web (and real world) can be. The first thing I thought about your website when I visited was … “this is a professional,” so you’re definitely spot on in terms of presentation.
As a first time visitor, I’m not completely sold on your services yet – don’t get me wrong, your work is amazing (the best I’ve seen actually), but it’s rare a first-time visitor will invest in anything until they discover just how awesome you are.
The way you help them discover you is by offering social proof (which you’ve done with your testimonials) as well as something upfront … for free. This is just the way consumers are these days – they want to experience your work before they buy it. This is why many bloggers offer a free ebook for their readers – they’re putting together exclusive content into a package and offering it to potential readers for free. However, there is a catch. Usually bloggers require readers to opt in to their newsletter or subscribe to their feed before receiving it. Likewise, I’ve required a comment from the readers here in exchange for their free critique.
A few offers I’d consider making your visitors include the following:
1. Run a competition – winner gets free services on a project.
2. Provide small services for free in exchange for testimonials.
3. Offer a free ebook in exchange for email subscribers.
These are three powerful offers your visitors will most likely find valuable. Competitions are great buzz generators – especially if you get creative and require something that also provides social proof from the people entering. For example, announce you’re running a competition on your blog, require people write a post on their own blog stating why they NEED your services and which services they need exactly, and link to it in the comment section of your blog.
Providing free services always blows people away, so if you want to boost your testimonials section and social proof, this is a good strategy. In addition, it also provides people a reason to subscribe to your blog … who would want to miss the opportunity to get free services?
Free ebooks can help persuade incredulous consumers into investing in your services.
As a first time visitor, I’d be interested in connecting with you via twitter in order to find out when you’ve posted something new to the blog or offer a special on your services, but the only button I see to twitter in the lower right hand corner … the corner of the basement. Consider bumping your social links up in order to boost your social following … after all, a lot of returning visitors will come from social networks. I linked to this post in the comment above, but I think you might find value in it as well:
Where’s The Best Place On Your Blog For Social Links? http://goo.gl/haC7Q
You’re the pro regarding presentation, so there’s not much to say there, :D I really dig how clean the sidebar is though … the only thing I’d consider working on in that department is providing a link to your services page. Exceptional work, Jenny.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you for your compliments and all your feedback! I appreciate the time you took to answer. I totally agree with you about how social networking should stand out more. I will definitely try to create a sort of free ebook, sounds like a good idea. Again, thanks for your input!
Jenny
Thanks for submitting your blog, Jenny. You’re doing great work – keep it up!
Love reading your posts, though I don’t comment often. Would love for you to take a look at my blog!
Nice blog, Carina!
I love the playful theme you’re using. As a first time visitor, I knew there was something fun going on at your blog … and because you’ve articulated what you’re blog is all about in the header, it didn’t take long to figure out what it was, and what the blog had to offer.
For book lovers, your offer is clear and upfront, which helps first timers decide whether or not their interests align with yours. That said, because the tag line is so broad in its focus, I wonder if you might be missing out on the opportunity to encourage visitors to swing by again. You mention that you’re reflecting on books, reading, and literacy, but looking at your main menu and categories, it looks like you have even more to offer!
Consider revising your tag line in order to include more specific examples of what your readers can expect. For example, here’s a possibility:
“Book reviews, fun reading challenges, and reflections on everything literature from a 20-something high school teacher”
This goes further than giving your visitor an idea of what they can expect – it tells them exactly what to expect. The last few paragraphs of your about page does this exceptionally – especially because you’ve include the word, readathons!
Combining a few points from your about page to your tag line will create a compelling tag line, which in turn may increase the chance that a reader chooses to return.
Overall, you’re blog looks like a great resource for book lovers!
I would love for you to cast your eye over what I’m doing… Just decided to change direction a little bit and could do with the input right now! You can find me at http://www.findahappy.com
And thanks for a wicked post!
Eleanor
Great blog, Eleanor!
I particularly like how awesome your header is – nice job keeping it simple, fun, and commanding all at the same time … sign of a great copywriter!
As a first-time visitor, your blog definitely made a positive impression on me due to it’s professional presentation, snappy copy, and simply sidebar and menu. I couldn’t help but think “this blogger knows what she’s wants to say, and she’s going to say it well.”
That said, I became a little confused as to what you were offering visitors somewhere between catching a glimpse of your email subscription form, the content, and the about page.
As it stands, the subscription form promises the following:
“Happiness in your inbox once a week. Subscribe and feel the love.”
It’s a solid promise. You’ve definitely got a huge amount of interested visitors at this point, but I’m afraid they might become confused as I did when reading a few posts, which seems to focus on your move away from the 9 to 5 (congrats by the way!). If not, then they might miss the value you have to offer when checking out the about page, which focuses on your services as a freelance writer.
To me, it seems like you may have three peas in a blog … meaning, there are three different offers here – all of which are separately valuable and exciting to the right visitor, but perhaps not as much when combined. In essence, I think you need to articulate what you want your blog to be about. Because your domain revolves around the promise you made with your subscription form, I’d consider dedicated that blog to fulfilling that promise by providing quips and tips on how to find happiness in life. Next, I’d create a blog completely dedicated to the trials and tribulations of breaking free from the 9 to 5 and working your way through as a freelancer. Focus on providing the most helpful content you can for others interested in following your footsteps as a writer for the time being – there’s always time later to promote your services, offer a premium ebook, or even create a line of services available at discounted readers of that blog later. Finally, create a blog where you can be the pro. I personally think it’s important, at least in the beginning while you’re trying to find clients and build your readership, to keep the two separate, but that’s just me – it depends on the individual. However, I do think you may risk turning people away from your services if you divulge your struggles with the job … people investing in services don’t care about transparency, they want the best of the best. In addition, created two different blogs will help your reach as both blogs grow independently from each other, because they’ll both attract clients of their own.
That’s just one suggestion though. If you’re not interested in separating the three offers you make (one to those looking for happiness, two for those interested in becoming a freelance writer, and three for people that need to hire a freelance writer), consider focusing in on one or two (most likely finding happiness and what it’s like as a freelance writer). Your offers are exceptional and stand on their own, but when combined become entangled.
Your presentation is stellar and your voice and insight is definitely sought after. Keep up the fantastic work, and I’m sure you’ll be able to grow your business, your profile, and help people find happiness.
Fantastic. Thank you so much for your feedback. To be honest, I already had a niggling idea that this was the case – I suffer from seriously mixed messages on my blog. Time to start shifting stuff around!
Thanks again!
Eleanor
Thanks for volunteering your blog, Eleanor. You have a lot to offer with this blog – looking forward to seeing what you do in the future!
This a great blog and a great suggestion regarding creating reasons to come back! See, I’ll be coming back to your blog to see what you said about mine!
I’d love to see your thoughts and I plan to create more interactivity as you suggest.
Nice, Toby!
I’m not sure if it’s because I edit a chocolate blog, or because chocolate is truly a universal attraction, but I was instantly drawn to that image of chocolate on your front page – great use of imagery there!
The first impression your blog had on me was pretty simple; I knew it was a personal blog, which then created an interest in who you were and what you write about. The first thing that helped me fulfill this curiosity was your tag line, “An endless fascination with stories.” Clicking over to your about page helped increase my understanding of what you were likely to be writing about, and of course, noting the pages you’ve linked up in your menu bar also helped.
That said, I think there’s room for a little improvement in terms of finessing the offer you make. As your blog stands, the actual offer you make visitors seems modest and focused toward friends, who are already interested in staying in touch and seeing what you’re working on and what’s new, because you don’t really promote the value visitors will find. As a writer with a personal blog, I think the best way to compel new readers, such as myself, to return is to offer something we value, such as your insight as a writer … what it’s like to be a writer and what you can share in terms of advice that might help aspiring writers. Consider Stephen King’s book, “On Writing,” which is half memoir, half how-to based on his experience – perhaps you might find a nice balance with this structure as well. It would enable you to talk about what’s going on with you, offer advice to those interested in becoming writers, and even promote your work.
In essence, I think you should consider promoting a few areas of your blog, such as the writing life and creativity, in order to show first-timers what value you have to offer.
It’s tricky, because when running a personal blog, much of the value comes from the insight and stories you share about your life … unfortunately, that type of value doesn’t strike first-time readers because even though it may have relevance to their life, they don’t know you yet. People know Stephen King, so they automatically want the value he offers, but when it comes to bloggers like you and me, we have to prove to them we have something to offer … that usually comes with content that has less to do with our personal lives, and more to do with something they’re interested in, such as writing or reading.
I also edit a blog where writers can write, and one of the things I’ve seen a lot of writers doing is actually offering free short stories via iTunes and download from their own site. I noticed you have a few project samples available for preview, but they’re not promoted anywhere on the front page. As a writer, this is a great way to provide people a reason to follow you.
Overall, the presentation of your blog is perfect and you’re strike an instant connection with your first-time visitors due to the image in the sidebar. I for one will be following your blog, so you’re definitely doing something right!
Chris, I’m so thankful for the time you took and your thoughtful and helpful critique- now I’m a big fan and am promoting you on Twitter and to all my writing friends!
Way to add value. Your feedback is spot on and you got what I’m doing. Great suggestions and I’ll consider how to implement them.
I think this was such a good idea (the critique) I might just try it myself (LOL).
Thanks Toby!
I’ll bite. Tell me ‘the truth’ about what you think about this blog ‘o mine! It’s http://www.buttuglysweaters.com/blog
:D Judy
Awesome blog, Judy – definitely gave me a giggle.
The first impression your blog made on me was definitely compelling – I wanted to know what it was all about … how a blog could possibly be called butt ugly sweaters … what happened on the blog … who was behind it.
Your about page settled it: “I’m Judy … a woman who envisions the world wearing ugly sweaters and am willing to do my part to make sure that everyone has access to the ugly sweaters they deserve.”
Not only does this introduce you along with a picture, but it also introduces the website using the same tone the blog strikes with the first-timer … humorous. It’s a funny site and a funny about page, which makes me think this blog has funny stuff to offer … mainly butt ugly sweaters. Because humor is one of the most valuable values to be able to offer visitors, my guess is the first-time visitor will definitely be back. If they’re not convinced yet, a glimpse through your blog will definitely catch their eye due to the creative way you’re promoting the products for sale.
The only thing I might see helping boost the value you offer to first-timers might be to take advantage of the sidebar space by promoting timely sweaters, such as holiday sweaters or the upcoming 2011 line. In fact, promoting lines or sweaters in the works, on their way, or otherwise unavailable at the moment is a great way to get people to subscribe to your site via email, which in turn gives you more direct marketing power.
Overall, you’ve got awesome value. Keep up the butt ugly … I mean great, work! :D
Good ideas. Thank you for your input. Change is good!
:)
Judy
No problem, Judy! Keep up the good work.
Hi, Christopher. Are you regretting the offer yet ;-)
I’d love a critique of our company’s blog section. Enjoyed reading your post, please keep up the good work.
Regards,
Tim
Hey Tim!! No way – I love helping out!
Your blog made a professional first impression on me … I could tell it was a company blog right from the go. This impression created two thoughts: one positive and one negative.
The positive was that I knew there was bound to be regularly updated content on the blog due to the investment the company had made to create and manage a blog. For me, its always cool to see companies getting involved with blogging, because it reveals the company understands the value of getting active within their community … and by continuing to publish content regularly, you’re creating value visitors desire.
The only negative thought that comes to mind usually occurs right after the positive, which concerns the actual quality of the content on the blog. Many company blogs outsource their content, resulting in lower quality content that doesn’t add much to the conversation taking place online. This is something that most visitors will quickly be able to see though, so there’s not much you have to worry about here. However, your blog shares one thing in common with those company blogs no one seems to be able to connect with – and that’s the actual presentation. The company blogs that outsource their content tend to be stark in presentation, withholding any sign of personal presence. This limits how easy it is for readers to connect with your blog and find the value.
Consider adding profile pictures of the team behind the company blog somewhere if possible – this will increase the human aspect of your blog, thereby making it easier for first-time visitors to connect with you.
Hello all the way from New Zealand. Just wanted to say thank you for your article as even though it covers the basics all bloggers should be aware of, as you probably know yourslef, I see SO many blogs missing these essentials – so very timely. Will share the link with some of our clients (many who are definite stat junkies!). Many thanks, Anna :) PS, our blog is http://www.marketinggum.com if you get time for a critique.
Hey Anna, thanks for spreading the word!
It’s clear you’re pumping out a lot of value for your readers over at your blog. I love the playful brand you’re creating – definitely solid and helpful.
I was a bit overwhelmed by your blog the first time I visited – I think mostly because there’s so much information to ingest. However, once checking out a few single posts and your about page, it does become a little easier to take in. You’re offering awesome stuff for your visitors, so I’m sure they’re subscribing and revisiting naturally.
One thing I’d spend some time thinking over is the subscription options. Specifically, I’d think about replacing the search bar with a signup form so I could present the offer upfront and perhaps capture a few interested readers in the process.
Overall, I’ll definitely be checking out your blog again – just subscribed!
Wow, thank you for the constructive and overall positive review, really pleased to know I’m not doing too badly.
Thank you for subscribing as well, is it weird I feel honoured?! I mean that sincerely by the way.
Love the idea of having the sign up form where the search bar is, great advice.
Thank you again :)
My pleasure Anna!
Been blogging for 6 months and would love some feedback.
Thanks for your time
Hey Bob, nice blog! By the look of it, I would have guessed you’d been blogging much longer.
You’ve done a great job revealing your offer to your first time visitors with the header and tag-line, so there’s absolutely no confusion regarding what your blog is all about. You’ve given the visitor a look at who’s behind the blog, the most popular content, and options regarding how they can stay in touch – it’s my bet your first-time visitor will see the value you’re promising and return.
That said, I think that’s the one place you may be able to think about amping a bit at your blog – the promotion of how people can return.
Consider revising the call to action “Subscribe to Satisfying Retirement by Email” to something that includes the value you’re offering your visitors. For example, “Start every morning with a tip on how to enjoy retirement.” This encourages visitors to subscribe by reminding them of the value you provide.
Keep up the awesome work, Bob!
Much appreciated, Chris. The idea of a daily tip is one I like and will explore. Your supportive comments made my day!
Thanks, Bob – it was my pleasure!
Hi Chris,
great post, great tips and information. I would appreciate alot if you could take a look at http://www.gorillagolfblog.com/ and give us some feedback.
Best,
- Kristiina
Nice blog, Kristiina.
By the look and feel of it, it’s clear you guys are running a solid, professional blog. It’s welcoming, you’ve struck a nice balance between personal and professional presentation, and you make it clear how people can follow you if they want to stay in touch – all together, it’s in great shape!
The only thing I’d consider reworking is the tag line. As it stands, the tag line is pretty broad, which is fine, it may keep visitors from “getting it” right away. You offer a great deal of value to the golf community, so try to promote that as much as possible.
Consider throwing in one or two main keywords in your tag line, such as golf and news. It will help people connect why they should follow you socially or revisit the blog.
Keep it up!
Thanks a million Chris for your feedback!! We’ll definitely take it into account and see how we can improve :)
All the best,
Kristiina
Glad to be of help!
I’ll never turn down feedback!
http://newevolutiondesigns.com
Thanks!,
Tom
Nice work, Tom.
By the look of the top menu and general professional presentation of the blog, it’s clear you have a lot to offer your readers. The content is solid, helpful, and extensive, and your visitors will see that right off the bat.
The only thing I can see that might turn first-time visitors off is the prominence the 3rd party ads have within the blog.
Since it appears you’re offering your own services to your visitors, why not bump your own ads into those spots, reserving 3rd party ads to areas of the sidebar (if you depend on them)? This will help promote your own services and build your brand, which will help first-time visitors figure out what else you offer … because right now, for the first-time visitors that find a post on the search engines, their focus on the content might enable them to overlook that upper menu.
Reminding your readers of the latest discounts or packages available in the header, footer, or both header and footer of your posts will enable you to amplify that you have more to offer than content – that you provide professional services as well.
Just an idea though. You’ve got an awesome blog, and you’ve created some really nice work for your clients as well. Keep up the good work, mate.
Thanks Chris, I appreciate your feedback very much! Your advice does make sense. Something to add to the list of never ending website ideas :)
Hey would love a review of our site. We update the stories, add more adventures, and keep it up with twitter and Facebook. Would love to hear your thoughts! Great article BTW
forgot the link http://www.feistyflies.wordpress.com just for ease
Hey DParker – thanks for reading!
I just checked out your blog and enjoyed the overall style of it – edgy and dark, yet (as of now) it’s snowing!
Seems like a lot of fun.
One thing I would think is articulating what your blog offers your visitors … that is, people that don’t know you or have any connection with you or your crew – because it’s up to those type of visitors to make the blog grow, which I’m assuming you want, so they’re going to need to understand what exactly your blog offers in terms of value.
I had a bit of a hard time learning what the blog was about due to the way your menu is set up, which is a bit cryptic to me as a first-time visitor. While it may not be as cool to host the good-old home, about, and contact links in the menu, it’s the best way to help give visitors an idea of where they are, who you are, and what the blog is all about.
As of now, it seems you’re offering humor, but there isn’t much that promotes it.
The tag line is close, but still doesn’t make it clear that your visitors are in for a laugh (if that’s what you’re going for). Spend some time articulating these aspects so your visitors can see upfront what they can look forward to in the future from your blog.
As the editor of a small blog on writing where writers can collaborate on projects, I know you’re on to something really fun here. With a little time focusing in on the presentation of what visitors will find at your blog, and why they’ll like it (if they’re the right reader), you’ll be able to build your following and sell more merchandise.
Humor is a tough sell – especially when it involves stories and inside experiences people outside your group won’t be able to connect with, – but by taking the time to provide people more information about the people behind it, you’ll capture the attention of people and they’ll give you their time.
Keep it up!
thank you thank you thank you!
no prob! thanks for sharing your blog with us.
Aloha,
My wife Toby enjoyed your comments and has me implementing them as we speak, thanks…
We both started in June and have been at it ever since. Have a look, any feedback would be appreciated… http://www.nealstudios.net
Mahalo,
Mike
Hey Mike – it was my pleasure!
Though my view of your blog was kinda limited due to my smaller, 12″ display, I was really impressed by the creative woodwork and photography featured on your blog!
Awesome work.
As a personal / portfolio blog, it appears it’s doing exactly what it should be doing, which is showcasing your work and establishing your profile as a pro with the web community.
Keep up the great work you two!
Mahalo, Chris :)
Yeah, I noticed that on my friends ipad.
Had to “fix” the width to keep the side bars from overlapping…
Thanks for taking the time to have a look.
Keep up the great work!
Aloha,
Mike
Cool, Mike! Keep up the awesome work. :D
Hey Chris, I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger award!
Congrats for being a great blog I enjoy following!
http://www.tobyneal.net/2010/12/13/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Here’s the rules:
1. Share 7 things about yourself
2. Pass The Award to 15 bloggers recently discovered (or however many you can manage).
3. Notify the blogger recipients.
4. Link The blogger who gave the award.
Thanks so much, Toby! You rock!
13 FREE critiques so far …
I’m hoping we can get at least 20 blog offer critiques posted, so I’m going to need your help. Please spread the word about what’s going on here – I’m providing FREE critiques to anyone that posts a link to their blog.
The critique will revolve around one or all of the following points:
My first impression of your blog
The power of your offer
How I’d like to revisit (Twitter, Facebook, email subscription)
Tips on how to improve your offer
Presentation tips
Share this with your friends on facebook and twitter so we can get at least 20 critiques posted.
Hey there,
Thanks for the tips. I totally agree that focusing on daily visits is kind of pointless.
I’m currently working on offering services through my blog.
Here’s my address: http://fernandotarnogol.com
And thank you for the critique as well!!
Hey Fernando – thanks for sharing your blog.
As a first-time visitor, I was impressed by the overall presentation of your blog … it made a great first impression on me due to how quickly I was able to figure our what it was all about, which was mostly thanks to the main menu.
One thing I’d recommend considering is concentrating in on creating content relevant to the categories which are most connected to the services you’ll be offering. This will build your profile as a pro in your niche, which in turn, will increase your influence and attract more clients. Before you can do that, however, you’ll need to create a page where people can learn about the services you offer and how the services will help them.
As you start building your profile as a pro and offering the value you have in store for visitors, attract visitors to your blog by offering them something free upfront.
Your content is strong – especially over at Gradkin, – so people will see the value you’re offering in terms of blog content. This is enough to get visitors to subscribe and follow you socially – yield this power to your advantage by advertising your own services in the post footer if possible. This will remind people you offer even more value on the premium level. Over time, as your influence grows, your followers will feel comfortable investing in your services.
From what I can tell, your content offers great value to just about everyone considering it revolves around career development and how to improve. I’m going to go ahead and subscribe via rss (though, how many in your niche are savvy in this department?). Consider bumping up your email subscription option toward the top – this way people will see the option is available, and you don’t have to worry about losing potential followers due to their inexperience with rss and readers.
Again, a great way to prove to your readers, both first-time and regular, is to create an ebook for those interested in “feeling the water” regarding your exclusive content. If you succeed in proving you offer awesome value offsite from your actual blog, you’re more than likely to attract people to your premium services.
Overall, it looks like you’re on track to building your client base using your blog! I look forward to checking out your content.
Where do I start…
First of all, thank you for all the feedback.
You are absolutely right, the niche I mostly write about does not convert well to RSS (I moved the mailing list widget up a few slots and over RSS).
I’ll try to tie my content as much as I can to the services I’ll be offering in the future, and yes, the ebook is in my plans (I just haven’t found the time to do it).
As I said on twitter, thank you for taking the time to give everyone’s sites a critique, we really appreciate it.
Best!!
F.-
It’s been fun! Keep up the awesome work, Fernando.
Hi Christopher,
Wow, what an awesome offer. I’d love to take you up on it, here’s my blog’s url: http://rebeccatlittle.blogspot.com It’s not much yet, I began it because I am working on a book (paranormal fantasy) and as a hopefully-soon-to-be-published author, I’ll need one. Let me know what you think, especially what I should do once my book hits the market (::crossing fingers that it will:::).
Thanks so much for the early Christmas present and here’s hoping you have a wonderful holiday!
Rebecca
Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!
I think you’re in the perfect spot to get a blog going and start building your profile as a professional writer.
I like how simple and upfront you present your blog and its content – as a spastic web-junkie, I’m not the easiest judge when it comes to focus … but this really does the trick in terms of pulling my attention to the major areas of the blog, such as the headline, your profile information, and content. Nice work!
I think the best place to reach out to others and start building your profile as a writer is within the writing community, which you seem to be doing well over at writer’s digest – this will help you grow your followers, which in time, will share the value you provide to their friends. In terms of the value you offer, you’re in the same boat as Toby – you need to showcase your creative talent upfront in order to get people to invest in it further. Now, this is in terms of a more DIY approach, in which case you can offer free samples of books for sale at the iBookstore or any other marketplace.
If you’re approaching a more traditional path in print, I’d recommend providing your community with an insight into your world as a writer … how you write, musings about writing, challenges, blocks, and more. This type of content will be of value upfront to the people you want to follow and support you, so they’ll be likely to return or read your blog regularly. Once you build a substantial following, you’ll be able to tell them about your latest work, which can be extremely value if you’re trying to increase awareness or sales. This may even have some impact on the publishers interested in your work – if they happen to check out your blog and notice you have a substantial following, they’ll see it as a sign that you have major influence, and thus, may be able to help them promote your work.
In either case, you’re on the right track.
Showcase your polished work by making samples available for download. Tap into various online communities, including ScribblePlay.com, and prove to the community that you know your stuff.
Thanks for submitting your blog! Looking forward to seeing your work!
Thanks so much for having a look at my blog and giving your feedback! You’ve given me some great tips which I plan to implement. It is so very nice to hear I’m headed in the right direction. I’ll also definitely check out scribbleplay, which I had not heard of prior to your critique.
Again, thank you so very much!
Rebecca
Awesome! Thanks, Rebecca.
Hi,
thanks for this article and proposition!
(See critique in English below)
Mon plaisir, Choko.
En tant que visiteur première fois, j’ai été un peu dérouté par l’image dans l’en-tête à côté du contenu du blog … il est difficile de dire si elle implique ou non des aliments. Autre que ce court moment de confusion, j’ai été impressionné par le contenu de votre blog. Comme un blog mettant l’accent sur une cuisine internationale, vous faites un excellent travail présentant aux visiteurs des informations et un aperçu qu’ils trouveront utiles.
En tant que rédacteur en chef de plusieurs blogs de cuisine, j’ai été un peu surpris de voir si peu de contenu visuel de votre blog – la communauté de la nourriture est tout aussi heureux de partager leur nourriture visuellement à travers la photographie comme ils le mangent, afin d’avoir des images est si peu de limiter la valeur que vous offrez aux visiteurs.
Pensez à ajouter des images (prises par vous si possible), afin de donner aux gens un look plus personnalisé à la recette. Cette étincelle plus de commentaires et de l’activité autour de votre contenu, augmentant ainsi la valeur d’autres trouvent à partir de votre blog.
Comme un blog de recettes, vous avez beaucoup de concurrence puissante – la clé est d’apporter un regard plus personnel à la recette que les principaux acteurs peuvent éventuellement fournir. Ils annonce des milliers de recettes par jour … dont la plupart n’ont aucune idée personnelle. Focus sur la fourniture d’un poste personnalisé avec la perspicacité et des images, et vous augmenterez la valeur que vous offrez à vos visiteurs.
maintenir le bon travail!
(English)
As a first time visitor, I was a little confused by the image in the header alongside the content of the blog … it’s difficult to tell if it involves food or not. Other than this short moment of confusion, I was impressed by the content on your blog. As a blog focusing on international cuisine, you do a great job presenting visitors with information and insight they’ll find valuable.
As an editor of several food blogs, I was a little surprised to see so little visual content on your blog – the food community is just as excited to share their food visually through photography as they are eating it, so to have so little pictures is to limit the value you offer visitors.
Consider adding images (taken by you if possible), in order to give people a more personalized look at the recipe. This will spark more comments and activity around your content, thereby enhancing the value others find from your blog.
As a recipe blog, you have a lot of powerful competition – the key is to provide a more personal look at the recipe than the major players can possibly provide. They’re posting thousands of recipes a day … most of which lack any personal insight. Focus on providing a personalized post with insight and pictures, and you’ll increase the value you’re offering your visitors.
keep up the good work!
Awesome article! Would you be willing to critique my blog for real? I’ll trade you a couple of recipes for your time! I want to make it bigger, badder and better, but don’t know what else to do without spending tons of cash I don’t have.
Thanks for posting, Christopher – will share!
Of course, Sarah!
To say the least, your blog was one of a handful that really got me thinking about what makes a visitor return. You offer one of the most interesting offers I’ve seen … it not only compels the community within the food niche, but it also has the power to catch the attention of the casual passerby as well.
The one area I think you need to concentrate on improving is the presentation of your blog.
It pretty much revolves around the header – this is the prime real estate of any web space, so it’s the best place to brand your work. In your case, you’re missing this opportunity because there is no title. In addition, the tag line is also a great place to brand your work and share with people what you’re doing. The upper most text on your blog, where you explain what you’re doing, is great, but chances are people are going to miss it because they’ll be skimming to your content.
Your offer to take visitors on a journey across the world, spotlighting the tasty dishes along the way is a solid offer … you just need to make sure everyone remembers who’s behind the blog, and what the blog is called. This will help people discover what your blog is all about faster, and help you brand your blog so you can really expand and build your influence.
Thank you, Christopher – How DO you brand something? I’ll add the title in. Also, I think I’ve got too much crap on there and it looks a little messy. I’ll work on that too. Thanks so much for all your expertise and for answering my questions!
A brand is something recognized by consumers for being produced in a certain way … for achieving something unique. Coca Cola produced soda in a unique way that people enjoyed, and in turn became the biggest brand on the planet.
That success was achieved because Coca Cola promoted their brand.
Branding your blog is like adding that secret ingredient to the dish that makes it YOUR dish. However, unlike most family recipes, branding involves promoting YOUR dish as well.
You’re doing something really unique on your blog, so the next step is to promote it to others and get people to spread the word. The best way to do this is to create visual supplements that represent your brand. Coca Cola created their logo, which is now recognized all over the world. Think about how to strike visitors with your presence and remind them of your brand – your adventure around the world from the kitchen.
Check out http://www.fuelyourbranding.com/ for more on branding!
Hi Christopher – I’d be really interested in hearing your critique of my blog (www.merrypad.com). I’ve been working on it for a month or so, and my mind is admittedly in the analytic gutter (my 9-5 job is all about data and ROI and measurement so I that’s where I’ve leaned my “bad habits”). My blog targets a niche market of home improvement/decor/design junkies, and my writing style has evolved to become sort of my stream-of-consiousness (trying to really present myself as a transparent, open-minded and creative writer, someone that people can relate to).
I appreciate your time in advance – looking forward to your advice and thoughts!
Emily
Hey Emily,
Thanks for sharing your blog with us! You’ve got a really good thing going on over there. As a first time visitor, I was really attracted to the to-do section of your blog. I enjoyed seeing there was so much you were not only going to be working on, but sharing with your readers as well.
You’ve got a great offer at your blog. The only thing I would consider tightening is the about page.
Because your front page doesn’t share a tag line or title tag that describes what the blog is all about, your first time visitors will be looking at your about page for this information; consider revealing upfront what the blog is about.
For example, take a moment to welcome visitors to your blog and informing them what it’s all about … something along the lines of “Welcome to Merrypad – a blog about home improvement, decoration, and design.”
Your intro is great, giving backstory about you and the blog itself, but some visitors might not have the patience to discover what your blog is all about … they want to find out as fast as possible.
Overall, your blog looks solid, and I’m sure the community of the niche will find your insight valuable. Keep it up!
Thanks for the feedback! I’m working on an update to the header (or sidebar) to incorporate more detail about what the site’s about. I’m also working to build up twitter and facebook identities for quick, less labor-intensive updates for quips that wouldn’t quite fit into a daily post, so if anyone’s interested in following me, please do!
Excellent!
19 FREE critiques up so far … I’m looking for one more blog to critique for free before moving on to the next topic, which will be announced shortly.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about my blog. Thanks for this offer!
My pleasure!
So, as a first-time visitor, the first thing I noticed about your blog was the leaderboard ad in the header … for me, this tells me you’re more interested in monetizing your blog than building your brand because it’s an invitation for visitors to leave your blog. There’s nothing wrong with this, but as a blog offering great value, you might be missing out on dedicated readers because of this.
In addition, I look over the main menu, I notice that most links have little or nothing to do with credit or finance in general … rather, they’re targeting advertisers.
You’re definitely offering some powerful content that a lot of people want and need, and by the looks of your social profiles, you’re helping people revisit your blog … but because you’re main focus is monetizing your blog, you’re probably missing out on encouraging those revisits.
One way to overcome this, yet still monetize your effort is by focusing on selling premium content, such as an ebook or service. Unlike ads, eboks don’t hog up your blog space and distract readers from what your blog is all about. Better yet, they don’t yank your reader away from you when they become interested. My guess is if you were to swing toward the ebook model, you’d be able to build your brand, readership, and even monetize your efforts better.
This will enable you to focus on your topic and create compelling content that helps people, as well as enable people to find the value of your content without having to dig past the ads.
Promote your ebook, service, or class in the sidebar of your blog and footer of each post and you’ll be satisfying your readers and making money.
Just a suggestion, but I really think your offer deserves to be in the best light possible – you’re providing great content!
Here’s our blog – looking forward to reading your feedback.
Hey there,
Okay, so upon visiting your blog for the first time, it was easy to figure it was all about gaming. However, your tag line, “Gamer’s Resource,” is a little broad, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to find. As you know, game blogs can includes everything from news, commentary, tips, sales, and more – but unless you make it clear upfront to the visitor, they might bounce off your blog before they discover how cool it really is.
There are two options that come to mind here:
Revise the tag line so it includes more specific areas of focus, and add a category widget so your visitors can see what you’re blogging about upfront without having to sift through the content to find out. This will help your visitors decide whether or not the blog is for them.
I have to say, the overall presentation of your blog isn’t very friendly, which might discourage visitors from returning. Obviously advertising is a major part of your blog, but if you can, consider minimizing the sizes of the ads within your content … two giant blocks in the post header and footer are a big turnoff for me personally … it just makes me feel like a pawn in their financial game. Consider the smaller rectangular sizes. In addition to ads, the about page is … bare to say the least. If you are interested in getting your visitors to return, you need to reveal more about yourself and make a connection with them, otherwise, they’re not going to trust you.
In terms of news, you’re definitely offering it to your readers (that value comes with how fast you deliver it), but your presentation might be holding you back from building your dedicated readership.
Keep it up!
Thank you, Christopher, I appreciate your candor. Mrs. Accountability
Thanks for sharing your blog, Mrs. Accountability! :D
We’ve reached 21 critiques all about giving your visitors a reason to revisit here in the comments section!
Thanks to everyone that shared their blogs – it’s been a lot of fun!
If you didn’t get a chance to get a critique, jump over to CreativeBlogger and check out the following post:
Will Your Blog End Up Like Pluto?
I’m providing more FREE critiques – this time all about avoiding negative conclusions about your blog.
Each critique will cover similar points as the post above, however, geared toward avoiding how a visitor makes a conclusion about your blog – they are:
- First impression of your presentation
- Is the title remarkable?
- Is the tag line concise and accurate?
- Is the about page simple?
- What your blog offers its readers
Swing by and check it out – it’s a new blog, so I really appreciate it if you’d spread the word any way you can.
Also, keep an eye open for my next guest post here at FUEL!
Hi Christopher,
I would value your thoughts on my blog http://www.renovatingitaly.com.au
Currently I am looking for clarity of direction – everyone we meet loves our stories about life in Italy and renovating. Our renovations to date and the project to renovate an entire Italian derelict village (in the pipeline) are the main topic. We will be buying, renovating, and then selling properties in Italy and would like to inspire and also help others wanting to do the same thing.
PS just updated the about page with help from your post…
ciao
-Lisa
Hey Lisa – I just wrapped up with the 21st critique on this post, but I’m offering a similar critique over at my blog, CreativeBlogger … and it’s FREE!
Will Your Blog End Up Like Pluto – offering free critiques all about avoiding negative conclusions from visitors.
Hey everyone, I just posted another workshop post where I’ll be offering free feedback to everyone that submits a link to their blog post in the comments section.
Check it out!
Find out what visitors learn in just 10 seconds on your blog!
I would (probably) enjoy a critique! Mine is titled “Encouragement and Motivation”. I post a summary of my sermon on Mondays and a post of encouragement on Thursdays that is couched around a quote. Other posts could be simply about a holiday greeting or my bulletin articles or newspaper articles.
Thanks for the freebie!
Hey Jarrod, thanks for reading!
As your posts focus on encouragement and motivation, there’s no question you’re providing great value for a lot of people, so you’ll probably find a more value from my latest critique offer …
“What Do Visitors Learn In Just 10 Seconds On Your Blog?”
This will provide a bit of insight regarding what a new-visitor actually learns about your blog in just 10 seconds. If interested, submit your link over at those post – I’d love to take a look.
Happy Christmas!
I would love to get some feedback. Thank you
Thanks for reading Hal! I’m not longer providing critiques here on this post – check out my latest and submit your blog to get a free critique all about what visitors learn from your blog in 10 seconds.
“What Do Visitors Learn In Just 10 Seconds On Your Blog?”
Cheers!
Hi Christopher,
I’ve been blogging a while, but not very regularly (as you will see). Any input you can give to help me be more regular in my posting would be greatly appreciated. I’m the pastor of a small, but slowly growing church, and would like to be able to get more of my community to see the blog. My hope is that I will be able to address some of the issues our community is dealing with as it concerns following Jesus and why it is so important. If you have ideas on how to get the word out better would be great. My blog site itself doesn’t seem to get much attention, but it is also fed to my facebook page, where I do get a number of comments.
I think Jarrod’s comment above is a great idea for addressing the regularity.
My blog address is http://www.brianlacroix.com.
Thanks for this!
Brian
Hey Brian,
I’m not really familiar with your niche, but one way you might be able to post more regularly is to try to unite your blogging with your work at the church. For example, before delivering a sermon, consider publishing a preview of it for the online community that might not be able to attend in person. Likewise, you may be able to stream your sermon live (has that been done yet?) and provide a review.
That’s three posts you may be able to provide on a daily basis depending on how active you are.
On top of that, it might help to remember that posts don’t necessarily have to be long … often times, the best are short.
Thank you so much for your input! The word “niche,” unfortunately, may be one of the bigger downfalls for me, as I don’t know that I could actually identify one…Thanks for the reminder that the posts don’t have to be long. Merry Christmas!
Anytime Brian!
Thanks for the offer. I am just getting started blogging with an emphasis on training deacons in my church. My link is minofeducation.wordpress.com
Hi Warren,
The critiques have been closed on this post, but there are currently two available elsewhere:
What Do Visitors Learn In Just 10 Seconds On Your Blog?
Will Your Blog End Up Like Pluto?
Visit which ever sounds most interesting to you and submit a link to your blog. Hope all is well!
Hey Warren,
I originally thought of closing these these comments after a certain point, but I think I was wrong in that decision, so I just wanted to get back to you regarding your blog — sorry for the wait:
I checked out your blog — it’s fantastic! I think you have a lot to offer your community, and you’ve managed to focus it to a pretty specific niche. Offering a little review of books will certainly help many people, so I think you’re definitely off to a great start as a new blogger. Keep it up!
Hi, Christopher. I’d welcome any observations you have about my blog. I’ve been doing the blog about 2 months now, and my analytics show steady growth. How do we set up finding about analytics regarding revisits? Thanks again for your insights. — Paula Bird
Hey Paula,
Google Analytics enables you to track revisits vs new visits under the visitors tab. Thanks for submitting your blog, both here and the other post – looks like you’re on a roll!
blog address is http://www.pastorlarrydmcgarry.blogspot.com
Hey Larry,
Though I original set a certain date which I would close these Feedback Friday comment sessions, I think I was wrong in that decision and just wanted to get back to you regarding your blog:
It looks like you have a lot to offer your viewers, Larry — I know there are a lot of people looking for this type of content online as well, as a way to stay connected with their religious practice as much as possible.
Looks like you’re providing them a place for that! Awesome job! The only thing I can think you might be able to improve is your sidebar — simply because the section all about you is so far down, it’s difficult to see who’s behind the blog, which is important when building a following online.
I’d consider omitting the map and other widgets that our community (web publishers) finds interesting and focus on providing your following with the content they’re interested in — your about section, your most popular posts, and the best way to connect with you socially.
Keep up the awesome work, and keep inspiring Larry!
Hey Larry,
The critiques have been closed here, but you can get one over here:
What Do Visitors Learn In Just 10 Seconds On Your Blog?
Will Your Blog End Up Like Pluto?
Hey, I like that you take time to honestly critique the blogs, etc. I will post mine soon. Thanks
It’s my pleasure, Kim!
I’m currently offering feedback regarding how helpful your sidebar is, so if that sounds like something you might be interested in please post your blog in the comments section.
Here’s the latest post:
http://www.fuelyourblogging.com/does-the-sidebar-of-your-blog-help-visitors/
Votre blog est vraiment bien et très riche pour les amateurs d’écriture et de rédaction !
Merci, Brendon!
Hmmmm….so, from your post about branding and links you sent me to (which we excellent, thank you) seems as though I need to come up with some kind of logo that will instantly servas a visual cue/reference point. So next question….is that something an amateur like me can design, or do you recommend working with someone who specializes in branding design? I imagine that can be costly?
There are plenty of designers out there looking to build their portfolio … and to them, the portfolio is worth more than money, so they’re not interested in money. However, there are also plenty of pros that have the experience that will make a difference.
I’ve heard great things about 99 Designs, but haven’t had a personal experience with the community yet. It’s a place where you run a competition basically – you inform the community of what you need, and they create it. That enables you to see a great amount of work before committing to one design. The person with the best design wins a cash prize.
Anyone use this community personally?
I think visitors would connect with your blog faster if you had a nice banner near your header. It’s a great photo, but that might work better on the about page.
Great idea. I had it first. Just kidding.
When you get a chance….www.todayhaspower.com
Funny, it’s such a no-no to put your site in the comments, it feels a bit weird. But, in a good way:) Thanks
Hey Rob!
We’ve developed into a community that respects each other’s comments section, refraining from being self-promotional … yet, sometimes it’s good to be a little rude here and there — kidding!
That said, I’ve never seen so much of the community come together in one place like this before.
I checked out your blog — you’ve got a great promise for your readers!! Off to a great start there. I think you might be able to polish your first impression and overall presentation a bit by reducing the words you use in your menu. While it might contribute a little to your search engine optimization — only a little, — it’s ultimately pushing the links near the latter portion down to a second line, which for me personally isn’t desirable. Maybe that’s just me though.
In addition, I think you should consider scraping the “nofollow free” banner in the upper left — it bears a term specific to search engine optimization — a lof of bloggers still don’t know what that term means, — so imagine what the majority of your traffic, which I’m only assuming is focused on self-improvement and lifestyle content, must think when they see something that has little relevance to them. Just a suggestion — I could be way wrong if your traffic consists of guest posters and marketers interested in that sort of thing.
I really dig the simplicity of your “start here” button, but the sidebar could use some polishing. I know it’s tough to get rid of things you’ve included, but you have to evaluate whether or not what you’ve included is helping you achieve your ultimate goal, which seems to be selling your ebook. If a widget isn’t contributing, consider scraping it — the less distraction you have from your ultimate goal, the more likely your visitors are to become aware of it.
The last thing I’d consider consolidating is the social icons you have below each post … again, unless you’re seeing positive results from these, it’s best to stick with the majors where the people are (facebook, twitter, google+).
It looks like you’ve got some great content published, and you’re gaining a lot of interaction from people socially as well as on your posts directly (though your comment count often becomes lost within the tags / categories you file your posts under). Keep up the good work!!
Hi Christopher
I am hoping that I am not too late for a free critique of my blog. moncoeurestdanslacampagne.blogspot.com. It started about a blog about my new life in France. I felt that it wasn’t very original and then I thought of a new idea. How about advising people on how to make the move, how to ditch the 9 to 5 and to make the dream of moving to the country. Also I thought that it could inspire people who were not in a position to move to France, and would like to inject some flavour of French country life into their urban lives. I am thinking of offering an Ebook that will give insight,inspiration and practical help too.My blog is on Eblogger – do you think I should move to Wordpress? Would it mean starting from scratch as I really love the graphics and would be sad to lose them. I am serious about developing the blog as a source of income. So I would really appreciate any suggestions.
My pleasure, Anna!