Blog Feedback Post #7

This is a “blog feedback” post. To learn more about my blog feedback category, please visit the Blog Feedback section. Below are a few reviews of other blogs. I would like to thank the blog owners for submitting their blogs for reviews.

Blog #1
Top Quality Men’s Suits
http://qualitymenswear.wordpress.com/

First Impressions: Is this a store or a blog? A quick check of the About section tells me that this appears to be a blog published by a store. Very simple layout, and a pretty generic-looking header. It took me a bit to decide whether this was a legitimate blog, or just a portal for affiliate programs, or something else. It seems that this blog actually does offer advice and information about men’s suits, a very specific niche, but a legitimate blog nonetheless.

Aesthetics: There is nothing really very complex about the layout here, and it certainly isn’t necessary, but as usual, I would suggest a better header. The fact that there is a title section and then a header is also a bit odd, I would probably eliminate the title section as well. If possible, make it more clear that this is the blog for eshopone - right now the bottom of the header looks like an ad.

This blog makes good use of generic seeming pictures of models wearing suits, but they certainly fit the content, and they help define the topic of each post. The use of a few low quality images does seem to cheapen the value of the posts they are attached to, maybe try not to use any low quality images in the future.

The sidebar is nice and neat, without too much clutter - the only things I might remove are the spam counter, blog stats, meta section, and social bookmarking section. You also should probably move your search box to the top of the sidebar, to make it obvious to users who might look for it immediately.

Content: As I previously said men’s suits is a very specific topic, but it seems that the author of this blog is well versed in the topic, and is offering some solid advice and knowledge about the topic. Some of the “sales” posts seem a bit too commercial for a blog that appears to be more individualistic - but are certainly nothing more than the stuff that comes from the “make money online” crowd.

Overall: At first glance this blog is a bit confusing and hard to unravel. Making the visual first impression better might help people know what they are getting into upon their first visit. Good enough content, and good niche.

Blog #2
Thoughts of a Blank Mind
http://blog.treiziethoughts.ws/

I was ready to review this blog, but noticed it has not been updated in over a month - so I will put it on hold for now, hopefully the author will pick it back up later, but we’ll see. On to #3…

Blog #3
Freelancer For Hire
http://www.kellybax.com/

First Impressions: I didn’t have to search for any information about this blog, as the whole description appears to be in the header.  It is a bit of a long-winded introduction for the casual visitor, that might be better suited for an “About” section, but I guess blogger does have it’s limitations.  Maybe try to cut down the info in the header if possible.

Things don’t seem to be well organized here - the sidebar isn’t in any way separated from the content, the ad below the header seems to jump out and clutter up things.

Aesthetics: I really don’t like this layout.  The single solid color is overwhelming, and the lack of boundaries is a bit distracting.  I would suggest a more customized theme, and header, if possible.

Your sidebar has so much clutter in it, that I don’t want to even try to dissect it.  I would just suggest that you remove as much of the unnecessary content as possible - For example, I doubt that the google ad buried at the bottom will draw many clicks in it’s current position, so better optimizing all of the sidebar content would likely serve you well.

Content: The mix of blog promotion posts, freelancer tips, and other related content seems to work well here.  The only thing that might need improvement is that some posts seem a bit too random - if you have people reading for only freelancer info, they may be turned off a bit by the off-topic posts.

Overall: Good content - lots of great freelancing information can be found here.  The visual representation of this information could use a lot of improvement - perhaps a switch to wordpress would serve you well, and allow a lot more customization.  Good luck, and keep up the good flow of freelancing postings.

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