Why Design Matters | May Blog Review & Feedback

Happy Wednesday!  I’m finally back with the Why Design Matters Blog Review & Feedback Series.  I’ve been wanting to get this post up for the longest, but life happens and it going up a little later than I anticipated.  However, I really had an awesome time reviewing the blogs that were submitted and look forward to reviewing more as the series continues.

As I mentioned in the introductory post for the series, I was trying to decide between which format to do the reviews in, and I finally decided on a screencast.  One of the main reasons I decided on the screencast format was so that you all could hear and see exactly what I was seeing as I reviewed the blogs.  I also felt it was more efficient to post a video, and it supported my endeavor to add more media into the blog.

For the series, I reviewed the following blogs:

• http://gingerrachelle.com
• http://blog.afrochimompreneur.com/
• http://www.thechillmom.com
• http://www.lovethehereandnow.com
• http://www.musingsofanaveragemom.blogspot.ca
• http://daysnthoughts.com

I tried to give as constructive and objective feedback as possible, which was what I really want the focus of the series to be.  Design matters, but only if it aligns with the mission and purpose of your site.  Common trends I saw amongst the sites I reviewed were:

• Inconsistent branding or no branding
• Cluttered or unorganized sidebar
• No About Me sections in sidebar
• No featured image for blog posts on homepage
• Too many posts featured on homepages, making scrolling to the footer cumbersome
• Content areas too narrow

Many of the improvements that need to be made can be done so very easily and quickly.  Most of them are simple tweaks, that will make a world of difference in terms of design.  I do have to say that some of the changes would require custom coding or the recommendation of a brand new theme.  If you find yourself in a position where you’re having to make several changes to your theme overall, a new theme may be the route to go.  I’d be more than happy to help you with get set up via my web design services, so please reach out!  Alright, so without further ado, here are the feedback and reviews:

I would love to hear your feedback on the sites I reviewed, so please leave your thoughts in the comments!  Your insight just may help others to improve their sites and take them to the next level.

In all, I was really glad to see that all of the blogs had consistent posting.  Content is king, so even if you don’t have the best design, if your content is good and you’re consistent in your posting, you’re making a step in the right direction.  Once you have you have both your design and content on the same page, you’re good to go.  This is one reason why I’m so passionate about this series, as well as providing even more extensive feedback though my blog assessment services.  I want for fellow bloggers to have a design that matches their amazing content and vice versa.

To get your site on the list to get reviewed, you can submit your site url to me using the form below:

Note:  The review/feedback you will be receiving will give you general feedback on what I think about your design and some tips for how to improve it.  I will hit major wickets like layout, colors, and fonts.  Content will not be assessed or reviewed, but if you would like for it to be, again please reach out to me on a personal level and we can absolutely discuss it and anything else you would like in regards to your site design.

[contact-form-7 id=”8218″ title=”Blog Review & Feedback Form_June”]

Don’t be shy, I promise only objective and constructive feedback that will be meant to help improve your site.  Can’t wait to see your sites!

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