Website Review Roundtable Episode Three
If you want to get the most out of your business or online presence, then you need a good website.
Regular readers will know that a few weeks back, I took part in a couple of website review roundtables with Kyle from This Is Trouble and James from Red Pill Reviews.
The plan was that we’d do three of these, and each host one of the roundtables. You can read the first one here, and the second one here.
After a few timetabling issues, this article is the third. We’ve got three websites that we’ll review in these reviews. You can check them out for yourselves here:
Let’s get to it!
Andreia Thoughts
James’ Review Of Andreia Thoughts
I enjoyed reading through some of your content.
You’ve got a nice blog that could really grow if you keep writing new
content.
THEME
Your overall design is very simple. You could add a little bit more
colour but I actually think your site looks pretty good already.
I’d like to hear what Kyle and Jamie say on this. If they suggest
adding more colour, definitely do that.
Sidebar Priorities
If you agree that your best posts are more important than what you are
currently reading, place it higher in the sidebar.
Same thing goes for social media buttons.
Whether you want to prioritize your social media accounts is up to
you. But you should put your number #1 priority at the top
Confusing Category Names
I find your categories very confusing.
When I click on “Rants and Musings” I have a good idea what to expect.
I can’t say the same about any of the other categories.
Try to order your posts in a more logical fashion or make the
distinctions between the categories clearer.
Links:
——
[1] http://kopywritingkourse.com/copywriting-headlines-that-sell/
Jamie’s Review Of Andreia Thoughts
Simple, Spartan theme. Like James, I’m not too sure on it. It’s not terrible.
What i don’t like is that Andreia is not described to me on either the front page or the “Andreia” page on the top menu bar. I thought it was your name until I realised it was Vincent. Only then did I try and find what it actually meant. Change your “About” link to “What is Andreia?” and then rename the category link to “Articles About Andreia.”
I don’t like the naked Amazon affiliate link. It’s cool that you’re reading books and sharing them, but it all seems a bit of a grab. If you don’t want to write a review for each book you’re reading, at least include some description so that I know why I’m clicking that link and buying through your affiliate link.
I agree with James on the categories. I don’t know what External means. I don’t know what Internal means. etc.
Kyle’s Thoughts On Andreia Thoughts
Well, my first thought was, “This site is a clone to Matt Forney’s design…”
At the same time, there’s not a lot you can do to change it. So let’s work with what we’ve got.
I really like the logo. It’s simple and elegant. At the same time, you’ve basically giving up the prime real estate of your website (i.e. the header) for…white space.
I’d move the navigation bar to that part of the page, or at least center the logo. Find something else to put in there, because right now it’s serving no purpose.
As far as the menu bar goes, it needs to be MUCH more clear. What is this Internal/External/Andreia stuff? I shouldn’t have to click through to every one of them to understand it.
(I also assumed that the “Andreia” link would take me to an about page, but then you have an actual about page too. Again, just needs to be more clear overall.)
It’s pretty OCD, but I’m starting to clean up my site with this stuff as well: your featured images have to be perfect. Using your NetFlix/TV post as an example, it cuts off half of it on the front page. Looks just like TFLI.
The SnapChat image in your widget section is dead. It’s got your username but no link. Gotta make it easy on me! I’m not a SnapChat user but if I was, I sure as hell am not gonna take the time to actually search you out.
I think the footer and layout look good, but the site truly needs more content to see what it can be.
City Bachelor
James’ Thoughts On City Bachelor
THEME
First thing I noticed was that your site looks cool and unique.
Unfortunately, it isn’t great in terms of functionality.
When I land on your homepage, I can only see one of your posts. Your
header (which looks cool) takes up too much space without offering
much benefit to your readers.
I hope you can change the size of your header on just the homepage. It
looks nice without taking up as much space on individual posts.
GET YOURSELF A COOL LOGO AND BOOK COVER
I can tell you take your blog seriously. Therefore, it’s time to get
yourself a nice logo. It will only cost you $5 and you’d be amazed at
what you can get on Fiverr.
I would also consider getting an image done for your free eBook. By
placing that in your sidebar and below your posts you’ll make your
form look a lot better.
IMPROVE YOUR POST TITLES
Your post titles need to intrigue me.
Currently, they don’t really.
I have no idea why I should read “The cat lady epidemic”, “The ghost
girl” or “review: Gypsy Kitchen”.
I used to suck at writing headlines too. This post [1] really helped
me with writing enticing titles.
Remember to always answer the only question that matters to your
readers…
What’s in it for me?
Let’s see what I can come up with in terms of a benefit-driven
headline…
* Gypsy Kitchen Review: Best Male/Female Ratios in Atlanta
* Gypsy Kitchen Review: Happy Hour Goldmine
Those titles aren’t great but you get the point.
I actually thought Gypsy Kitchen was a book when I saw the review on
your homepage.
At least with those titles I would know roughly what to expect.
Jamie’s Thoughts On City Bachelor
That is a massive header. Also, in the time it took me to see that header, switch to notepad to write “that’s a massive header” and back, I’m now being greeted with a pop-up.
There’s nothing wrong with a pop-up or a massive header, but I’m being asked to subscribe without having seen any of your content or knowing what your site is even about. I’ve only been on the site about ten seconds at this point. Most people are going to click off here.
In contrast, now I’ve scrolled down, I like the fact that you’ve given me some reasons to sign up for your email list in the sidebar. Most people just have a “Join my list” link, so that’s great.
Something I’m concerned about is the “local spots” thing in your top bar. Where are you from? I mean, I’m from a small town in the UK. Atlanta is a long way from here, and most of your audience isn’t going to be from Atlanta. Not that you shouldn’t write about it, it’s just a title issue.
The Harem Handbook thing in the sidebar… give it a call to action like your email list has gotten.
Kyle’s Thoughts On City Bachelor
I gave you some feedback in a comment on my site somewhere, but I just can’t remember where…so hopefully I don’t repeat myself too much
Everything about the header is unproportional. The size of it compared to the page. The text on it. The size of the menu below.
Great navigation bar. Love the way you have things categorized. Might steal some of those ideas for my own game sections on my blog.
I’d like to see some images on the “most popular” posts widget, because as of now it just kind of blends in. No “pop” to it.
Personally, I try to *remove* excerpts on my front page now. I think it looks so much cleaner with just images and titles. But, that may not be possible with your theme (probably isn’t, to be honest).
Other than that, I think I said most of what I wanted to say in my comment a few weeks back. Definitely some things have improved–keep it up!
Expat Warrior
James’ Thoughts On Expat Warrior
COOL LOGO
Having just mentioned the logo for The City Bachelor, I have to say I
like yours. It’s so simple and yet, I think it looks quite cool.
It gives you a unique identity. If I ever land on your site from
Google, I’ll recognize your logo instantly.
But why does the logo only show on your homepage?
You definitely need to change that.
ADSENSE
I’m not against making money from your blog (quite the opposite
actually!).
But the ads in your sidebar just make the site look ugly.
I’m going to make a bold prediction that you are making peanuts from
AdSense.
Trust me, it’s not worth it. Those ads need to go immediately if you
want people to read your site.
THEME
Your site looks a little bland overall.
I actually think your content looks pretty good. You’ve got nice
pictures and headlines that make me want to read more.
However, your whole site is just white.
Ironically, it would look worse once you get rid of the AdSense ads
(which you should do regardless!).
Also, this problem is made worse on your “About” page because you
don’t have any sidebar. Personally, I don’t see a reason to exclude
your sidebar on the “About” page.
If you’re going to take your blog seriously, I’d recommend investing
in Thrive Themes.
If it’s just a little hobby, a free theme will do. But take some time
to search for a better free theme than the one you’re using now.
ShootingStar is a free theme that looks quite good if you put in some
design effort.
SUMOME POP-UP
Try changing the text in your pop-up.
It might not make much of a difference but it’s unlikely to hurt.
You need to give your readers a very clear reason why they should sign
up for your list.
“Sign up to get notified of new posts.” Isn’t a compelling enough
reason to do so.
Mine converts at 0.7% which is nothing special. I’d guess yours is even
lower.
Don’t worry, this is something you can fix very easily.
FORUM
You’ve got a forum that is empty.
Starting a decent forum requires a large community. Unfortunately, you
can’t build it slowly over time because nobody wants to post in an
empty forum.
I’d postpone this idea for another couple of years if I were you.
Jamie’s Thoughts On Expat Warrior
This site is sparse and looks a bit like you need to move everything around.
You’ve got a single page that scrolls forever. Maybe you’ll be better when you’ve filled the site more, but until then, only have ten or so posts on your first page.
Pick some of your categories with the most posts, and put those in the top menu bar.
The banner is big, and it’s also a bit plain for occupying the size. Even if you add a pattern or something, it’ll take away from the “blank white space.”
As far as headlines. “Brexit is Good for Expats.” I want you to think about your headlines as coaxing people into clicking. I’m not going to click on that, because it’s a closed statement. I’ll either disagree or agree, then get on with my life.
“Why Brexit Could Be Good for Expats” is better.
“Is Brexit Going To Mean All Expats Get Shipped Home?” is better.
Remember, all a headline has to do is coax you into clicking.
Outside of that, there’s a range of content which is pretty useful from first glance. Again, “Ruby on Rails” is a terrible title. I know what Ruby on Rails is… why would I click this link though?
Alright, I’ve read some content and I see a problem here and a solution. I read a couple of these articles, and they are basically declarative statements. for instance, the Brexit article… it’s a list of reasons why Brexit is good for people. It’s also really short as an article.
Include things like:
How you came to these decisions. Who could benefit from these things. Pose the questions that you’ve answered in your article in the first part of a longer article. Expand. I understand why you write like you do… once you’ve got the answer, you share it and cut out the process.
the problem is that people love the process. Embrace that and include it.
The empty forum is a no-no. Either fill it with links and content or remove it until you’ve got plans to build a community. forums are really tricky to start and keep up to date, like James has said.
Kyle’s Thoughts on Expat Warrior
Well, unlike James…I think the logo is awful. It looks like a ClipArt cartoon. If you want to give advice about something as serious as expiating and making money online, I think you’ve got to have a clean and crisp logo that screams, “I have my shit together.” As of now your current logo doesn’t inspire that confidence in me.
Your navigation bar needs a way to get “Home” without having to click on the logo.
You have some sort of ads running on the site, in the middle of the page. I attached a picture below. I thought it might just be me, but I used a second browser and it’s still there. May want to look into this because it’s extremely distracting.
And now I’m looking at the sidebar and the same ads are there.
Suggestion: if you want to run those ads, just find programs you really want to promote and join the program. The “AdChoice”/AdSense thing looks like you’re just trying to make a quick buck.
Agree with J & J – forum’s gotta go. It’s undermining your credibility by having an empty one.
As a final thought, this site needs some color, grids, tables — something. Right now there is simply too much white space, it’s all one blur. Between all the posts and the sidebar, there is not a single “separation line”. May be a theme limitation. But I’d try to organize things a little more sharply and get some touches of color in there somewhere.
Final Thoughts
That rounds up the web review series, and I hope that everyone has gotten some great ideas for how to improve their site – whether you’re one of the websites listed or not.
One of the awesome things about web design nowadays is that everything is modular and constantly improving; if you’ve got a website and you think some of the above stuff applies to you, then you can change your website. If you like a website and want to create your own, then you can do that too. If you like an element about a website, you can probably get your own version.
Anyway, hopefully this has been useful. If you agree/disagree, feel free to leave a comment.
Also, remember to check out Kyle and James. They routinely give out great information. Finally, check out the websites we’ve reviewed across the series. There’s an amazing amount of good content being produced!