Let me review your blog!

Banx63

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Excellent. Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.

Yeah. I agree with you on the opt in. Sounds a bit suspect (even though it's basically just coral and Ladbrokes offers)

It's not live yet anyway until I find a dam autoresponder!

The 17 videos was from another site i had. Just using it as filler for now really. Plan to change....

Again, thanks for taking the time dude.
 

Countrymadegirl

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Hey, I know you already took a look at a blog of mine, but I've had to create a new blog because my domain/hosting expires this month and I'm not in a position to renew, so have created scribblesinbloom.wordpress.com could you take a look for me? I'm so gutted as I finally got my DA to 10, and then this happens! :(
 

Jon

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Hey, I know you already took a look at a blog of mine, but I've had to create a new blog because my domain/hosting expires this month and I'm not in a position to renew, so have created scribblesinbloom.wordpress.com could you take a look for me? I'm so gutted as I finally got my DA to 10, and then this happens! :(
What's stopping you renewing?
Have you seen our offer with Kloudhost on the right hand side, it's only 17.50 for the year and they will move your domain / content all over ;)
 

Countrymadegirl

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What's stopping you renewing?
Have you seen our offer with Kloudhost on the right hand side, it's only 17.50 for the year and they will move your domain / content all over ;)

What's stopping me is that I don't even have 17p to spare right now. I am unemployed, we have just moved, my husband only started his new job last week and I'm unable to work because I'm agoraphobic. :oops:
 

Jon

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What's stopping me is that I don't even have 17p to spare right now. I am unemployed, we have just moved, my husband only started his new job last week and I'm unable to work because I'm agoraphobic. :oops:
Crikey that's a lot going on at once!!
Moving house is always a torrid time on the finances!! Hopefully things will improve now your husband has started his new job ;)
 
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Banx63

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What's stopping me is that I don't even have 17p to spare right now. I am unemployed, we have just moved, my husband only started his new job last week and I'm unable to work because I'm agoraphobic. :oops:

House move is often a good time to clear the decks and list some stuff on eBay/gumtree/facebook for some extra cash $$$

Best of luck with it!
 
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Jon

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Hey, I know you already took a look at a blog of mine, but I've had to create a new blog because my domain/hosting expires this month and I'm not in a position to renew, so have created scribblesinbloom.wordpress.com could you take a look for me? I'm so gutted as I finally got my DA to 10, and then this happens! :(
Hi @wordsbyashlie

You've only got 1 post on there at the moment so it's hard to me to extensively review the site however I will say.

The theme you are using is excellent. Great use of pink alongside the banner pic of the flowers. The black text also works well.

The one post you've got up there is very well written and easy to read for such a personal topic. Your 'About Me' page is also well done you just need to add some direct links to your social media accounts and your email address so people can start following and communicating with you outside the blog.
 

Countrymadegirl

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Hi @wordsbyashlie

You've only got 1 post on there at the moment so it's hard to me to extensively review the site however I will say.

The theme you are using is excellent. Great use of pink alongside the banner pic of the flowers. The black text also works well.

The one post you've got up there is very well written and easy to read for such a personal topic. Your 'About Me' page is also well done you just need to add some direct links to your social media accounts and your email address so people can start following and communicating with you outside the blog.

Thank you for this Jon, I'm planning to move some of my posts from wordsbyashlie over to scribblesinbloom, and will link up my other social media accounts like you said. :)
 
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Jon

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Hi Jon

I'd appreciate your feedback on mondayformonday.com
Hi @david90
Here you go!

Design

The colour scheme is nice – it makes it very easy to read and look at. The white means it’s not too busy looking when you arrive at the homepage. Overall the design is simple and modern which makes it feel trustworthy and reliable.

I like the layout on the homepage of recent blog posts – it makes it easy to find new content. And the way that you can find different blog posts by month is a good idea – a lot of websites will make you go through manually to find one. The menu across the top is nice and easy to navigate, it’s good to have such clear headings that will take you where you want to go. The subscribe form is good, it’s nice to not have one that pops up at you whenever you go to the homepage.

Content

Overall I think the content is really good. Each post seems relevant to your site and what you’re trying to accomplish. Each piece seems well researched and informed providing the reader with some good knowledge. The content itself is easy to read and the subheadings and bullet points make it very online-friendly. The sentences are a good length and there isn’t too much unnecessary information which takes up room.

One thing I would say is that there isn’t very many links to outside sources. A good practice whenever writing blog posts is to link to outside sources as this draws in extra traffic. There are a few sources linked which is good but a good number of sources to link is at least three. This also makes the blog post much more SEO friendly.

For better SEO you could also consider using more images on each blog post. Most of the posts have one image but the more images you have, the better it will work for you. Obviously don’t use hundreds of picture but two or three will look more appealing to visitors. You can also use more meta tags on images which will help with SEO.

However, while on the subject of links, there are good links to other content on the site. This makes it easy for readers to navigate between different posts. The links at the bottom of each blog post are also helpful as they allow readers to get to similar pages. Too often it’s hard to find related content and you end up searching through the whole site. This way readers can find what they’re looking for with minimal effort. This is a good thing as it makes people feel that the site is reliable and helpful.

Thoughts for the future

More images I think is the first thing to do – and one of the easiest. If you have a source of images then that’s easy but if not then you can use Pexels or Unsplash. The content that you are creating deals with a lot of information so any pictures will help liven the text up and make it more interesting for people. Also consider using infographics where appropriate – when explaining how something works for example.

Another thing to do would be to link to outside sources and make sure that these links are secure. The few links you do use are secure which is great – just keep on top of it when using more links. Overall the design and look of the page are great – keep it up. Make sure to keep the page user friendly and make sure every page is in the right colour scheme.
 

david90

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Hi @david90
Here you go!

Design

The colour scheme is nice – it makes it very easy to read and look at. The white means it’s not too busy looking when you arrive at the homepage. Overall the design is simple and modern which makes it feel trustworthy and reliable.

I like the layout on the homepage of recent blog posts – it makes it easy to find new content. And the way that you can find different blog posts by month is a good idea – a lot of websites will make you go through manually to find one. The menu across the top is nice and easy to navigate, it’s good to have such clear headings that will take you where you want to go. The subscribe form is good, it’s nice to not have one that pops up at you whenever you go to the homepage.

Content

Overall I think the content is really good. Each post seems relevant to your site and what you’re trying to accomplish. Each piece seems well researched and informed providing the reader with some good knowledge. The content itself is easy to read and the subheadings and bullet points make it very online-friendly. The sentences are a good length and there isn’t too much unnecessary information which takes up room.

One thing I would say is that there isn’t very many links to outside sources. A good practice whenever writing blog posts is to link to outside sources as this draws in extra traffic. There are a few sources linked which is good but a good number of sources to link is at least three. This also makes the blog post much more SEO friendly.

For better SEO you could also consider using more images on each blog post. Most of the posts have one image but the more images you have, the better it will work for you. Obviously don’t use hundreds of picture but two or three will look more appealing to visitors. You can also use more meta tags on images which will help with SEO.

However, while on the subject of links, there are good links to other content on the site. This makes it easy for readers to navigate between different posts. The links at the bottom of each blog post are also helpful as they allow readers to get to similar pages. Too often it’s hard to find related content and you end up searching through the whole site. This way readers can find what they’re looking for with minimal effort. This is a good thing as it makes people feel that the site is reliable and helpful.

Thoughts for the future

More images I think is the first thing to do – and one of the easiest. If you have a source of images then that’s easy but if not then you can use Pexels or Unsplash. The content that you are creating deals with a lot of information so any pictures will help liven the text up and make it more interesting for people. Also consider using infographics where appropriate – when explaining how something works for example.

Another thing to do would be to link to outside sources and make sure that these links are secure. The few links you do use are secure which is great – just keep on top of it when using more links. Overall the design and look of the page are great – keep it up. Make sure to keep the page user friendly and make sure every page is in the right colour scheme.

Hi Jon

I really appreciate the feedback. I'll definitely look at adding more outside links and images to my posts in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to review my blog.
 
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Jon

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I'll play... www.gptgenies.com, you're not allowed to use the word swagbucks in your review :)
GPT Genies

Design

The homepage is incredibly fun and catchy – it definitely draws you in straight away. The banner along the top and the little avatars are really individual and will help you stand out from others with similar sites.

The rest of the homepage is fairly straightforward – the lists of all recent posts are easy to navigate. It’s not too busy with loads of colour everywhere. I would say that there is a good amount of colour and words mixed with white space. That way when a visitor is looking at the page they don’t feel too bombarded with information.

The banner along the top is also easy to navigate and find your way around. This is good as a lot of sites try to get too fancy with their headers – I like that you’ve kept it simple. The one thing I would say about the design is that the pictures which accompany your blog posts could be more eye-catching and maybe more in keeping with the theme?

Content

The content all looks relevant and interesting which is great. Each piece seems to be a nice length, without too much irrelevant info or jargon. Because each blog post is nice and simple, it doesn’t take too long to read. People losing attention online is a huge problem for sites these days, but the content on your page should make it easy for people to stay focused.

The use of headers is also good – it breaks up longer pieces of text nicely without seeming too disjointed. You obviously understand your audience well as each piece is aimed at a specific group. The posts where there is more information is also broken up well with infographics – perfect for an online audience. It makes information easier to absorb.

On this note, the information you’re providing is incredibly easy to understand. Those pieces where you’re instructing people how to do something are really great. They are clear and to the point, without being condescending or overly complex. It makes what you’re trying to teach easy to understand and will likely put you on the map as a site which offers reliable information in a simple way.

I would say that in order to increase your SEO ranking you could look at introducing more images into your posts. Google and other search engines love an image, so by including at least two in your posts you are likely to make the cut above those who have only one image. However a good point for SEO is that you link to other articles within each piece. This makes it easy for visitors to go between articles – but also increases your chance of getting people to visit other pages on the site.

Thoughts for the Future

For the future I would recommend that you start thinking about adding more pictures into each post. This is purely for SEO purposes but would also serve as another way of breaking up bulkier pieces of text. When adding images be sure to make sure they’re relevant to the information you’re providing. Also try to make sure that the images are eye catching and stand out from other images out there. Pexels or Unsplash are a great source of copyright free images.

Overall though the scheme of the site is great – there are some really unique bits about it – keep that up. The avatars are a great way of getting people to know who you are, so make the most of this whenever you can. Your about page is a real stand out and helps visitors get to know you – which people love!
 
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GPTNikki

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Hi @david90
Here you go!

.

Thanks, much appreciated. I'll ponder on your points about graphics - most of our users read on their phones or have wifi/broadband that is busy doing other things such as running videos, games, radio etc for GPT sites, so we do try not to be too graphics heavy, but I see your point about SEO (which incidentally is my day job), although I don't 100% agree with it :)

Much appreciated, is it ok to pass on to my fellow admins?
 

Jon

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Thanks, much appreciated. I'll ponder on your points about graphics - most of our users read on their phones or have wifi/broadband that is busy doing other things such as running videos, games, radio etc for GPT sites, so we do try not to be too graphics heavy, but I see your point about SEO (which incidentally is my day job), although I don't 100% agree with it :)

Much appreciated, is it ok to pass on to my fellow admins?
Aye, you can do whatever you want with it ;)
 

Jon

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Freedom at 55 Project

Design

I like the ‘clean’ feel of the homepage. It’s very modern and minimalistic – which means it isn’t too overwhelming when you first arrive on it. You’ve obviously chosen a colour which you like and have stuck with it which means all of your pages flow nicely and fit together well.

I do like the way the headline/logo drops into a banner as you scroll down – it feels quite modern and allows the user to navigate easily from page to page without having to scroll back up to the top. There is a fair amount white space which divides user into two camps. Some people prefer white space as it makes the content easier to read, but some people prefer to have more to look at. Maybe consider putting the heading in a colour, just to break up the white space a little? It’s a tricky one to get right – you have to find the balance.

It’s nice that you can reach the recent blog posts right from the homepage without having to navigate through different pages. The images that are included with the posts are good and relevant, but try to keep the titles looking similar. For instance on some posts they are white and centralised but on other they are left-inclined and in a grey box. Having each image and title look the same will give a more cohesive overall look to the page.

In terms of the design of the content, there is a common theme throughout all the blog posts where it’s formatted in one line at a time. I’m not sure if this is deliberate or if there’s a coding issue but it makes things a little hard to read. Although internet users don’t like reading huge chunks of texts, having one line at a time breaks it up too much and means it doesn’t really flow.

Content

The content is good and seems relevant to the theme of the blog. You are posting new stuff regularly which is good and will get people coming back again and again. The titles for the blog posts however are a little wordy and you could maybe make them shorter and a bit snappier. Unfortunately people online don’t have the greatest attention span and if the titles are too long then people may tune out before they’ve even read anything.

I like the tabs for personal finance and personal development – it provides an easy way to see blog posts which are more specific. It works for people who want to find something quickly. However there is a slight inconsistency with the headers and titles on whether they’re capitalised or not. For example ‘start here’ isn’t capitalised but ‘Blog’ and ‘About’ are. It’s only a small thing but it does make the difference between looking professional and looking a bit amateur. It’s something really easy to change so it’s no big deal.

Thoughts for the future

One of the first things I would do, simply because it’s the easiest, is to make sure that all your headers and titles are consistently capitalised. This is also a good time to change the images to make sure each title is the same too. Although a small thing, it’s little things like this that make people think your site isn’t reliable.

Changing the format of the blog posts is also something I would prioritise. You don’t want to put people off by having hard to read content – because it’s actually very informative. You seem to have a lot of passion for what you do and know what you’re talking about, so it would be a shame for some simple formatting issues to put people off. Overall though, I like the idea of the site, and if you change up these few things I’m sure it will be a real contender!
 

Jon

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OK, I think I'm ready for this!
www.moneyformummy.co.uk

Money for Mummy

Design

Arriving on the homepage is really nice. Everything looks clean and well-designed – it looks like everything has been well thought out before you’ve published the site. I really like the logo at the top – it’s fun and unique and definitely something I would remember. The page title and subtitle are good and catchy. The white background looks clean and makes the content of the page stand out.

It’s incredibly easy to find your way around the page – all of the headers are nicely titled to help you. Each page isn’t too busy which is nice to look at, again it’s easy to see what is content and what is an advert etc. I would say that on the posts page, it would be nice to see a little excerpt from each post with a related image. This is just to give people an idea of what they’re clicking beforehand.

As it stands, the posts are just listed in bullet points which is nice and clean looking but having a small description or the first paragraph would fill the page better. It’s only a small thing but since you are a relatively new site it will help you to make it look like you’re more established. Obviously, as you write more posts you can put them in bullet points but for now it will give people the illusion that you’re a more recognised brand. And we’ve all heard the saying ‘fake it ‘til you make it’.

Content

The content is good so far. Each post is relevant and informative which keeps on theme for what you’re trying to accomplish. I like the image at the top of each post – they’re relevant and fun. People like to look at images so maybe consider adding a second or even third image in each post. Particularly for the longer ones as it helps to break up big walls of text. Internet users don’t like to scroll through hundreds of words – unfortunately for us.

Maybe consider adding in some infographics for the posts where you’re explaining things. For example, the ‘Savvy at Surveys’ post is really good and informative but you can cut back on the words by using an infographic to explain the pay rate and reward points system. It’ll help the post stand out and people are far more likely to stick around to read it.

That being said, your posts are broken up nicely with different headers and bullet points. And I do like the ‘contents’ bit at the start of each post which explains to the visitor what they can expect from the post and allows them to go straight to the bit of the article which is of interest to them.

Thoughts for the Future

As I said, I think you could benefit from using more images and infographics in each post – especially those which are a bit wordy in their explanations. The optimum word count for SEO is between 600-700 words. Though there are some top ranking pages which feature up to 1000 words. Try to stick to this word count will help you get noticed and ranked higher on Google and other search engines. With posts that are longer in their word count remember to break up the text with images, bullet points or infographics.

Overall I really like the design of the site. It’s clean, modern and looks really professional. My only comment would be to show more of the content on your posts page – for the reasons described above. But keep up the good work with the site, I think it has real potential!
 

UndercoverMum

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Money for Mummy

Design

Arriving on the homepage is really nice. Everything looks clean and well-designed – it looks like everything has been well thought out before you’ve published the site. I really like the logo at the top – it’s fun and unique and definitely something I would remember. The page title and subtitle are good and catchy. The white background looks clean and makes the content of the page stand out.

It’s incredibly easy to find your way around the page – all of the headers are nicely titled to help you. Each page isn’t too busy which is nice to look at, again it’s easy to see what is content and what is an advert etc. I would say that on the posts page, it would be nice to see a little excerpt from each post with a related image. This is just to give people an idea of what they’re clicking beforehand.

As it stands, the posts are just listed in bullet points which is nice and clean looking but having a small description or the first paragraph would fill the page better. It’s only a small thing but since you are a relatively new site it will help you to make it look like you’re more established. Obviously, as you write more posts you can put them in bullet points but for now it will give people the illusion that you’re a more recognised brand. And we’ve all heard the saying ‘fake it ‘til you make it’.

Content

The content is good so far. Each post is relevant and informative which keeps on theme for what you’re trying to accomplish. I like the image at the top of each post – they’re relevant and fun. People like to look at images so maybe consider adding a second or even third image in each post. Particularly for the longer ones as it helps to break up big walls of text. Internet users don’t like to scroll through hundreds of words – unfortunately for us.

Maybe consider adding in some infographics for the posts where you’re explaining things. For example, the ‘Savvy at Surveys’ post is really good and informative but you can cut back on the words by using an infographic to explain the pay rate and reward points system. It’ll help the post stand out and people are far more likely to stick around to read it.

That being said, your posts are broken up nicely with different headers and bullet points. And I do like the ‘contents’ bit at the start of each post which explains to the visitor what they can expect from the post and allows them to go straight to the bit of the article which is of interest to them.

Thoughts for the Future

As I said, I think you could benefit from using more images and infographics in each post – especially those which are a bit wordy in their explanations. The optimum word count for SEO is between 600-700 words. Though there are some top ranking pages which feature up to 1000 words. Try to stick to this word count will help you get noticed and ranked higher on Google and other search engines. With posts that are longer in their word count remember to break up the text with images, bullet points or infographics.

Overall I really like the design of the site. It’s clean, modern and looks really professional. My only comment would be to show more of the content on your posts page – for the reasons described above. But keep up the good work with the site, I think it has real potential!
Really appreciate your thoughts @Jon thanks for taking the time to read through and review. I agree that more images will be good so definitely something to work on. I really like the idea of infographics - hadn't thought of that!
I'm very happy that the overall impression for the site that I was going for has come across. When you said the words clean and professional I was so pleased as that is just what I have been aiming for.
 
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