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Post by melanies on Nov 11, 2014 17:51:42 GMT
Hello! My name is Melanie Shands and my blog is babieslearnthroughplay.com. My original idea behind my blog was to provide information to new parents on ways to help promote their infants cognitive, emotional, and physical development. My vision for my blog at this time is to be a trusted place that new parents can go for all information about parenting a child during their first year. My issue is that I became so concerned with monetizing my blog that I lost site of my goal. I am now refocused and ready to dive in. I have a lot of learning to do but I would really like some advice on how to make sure my blog is ready. By that, I mean that I don't want to the emphasis to be on monetizing just yet because I am still so new. I really need to get creative with new content. I just feel like I am missing something that needs to be changed (if that makes sense). Another area that I need guidance in is scheduling my time. I get so caught up in social media, reading blogging posts, etc that I neglect my content. What has worked for you? How much time do you allot for your social media, creating content, and researching? I am very grateful for your help! Thanks so much! Melanie
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Post by danakml on Nov 11, 2014 19:28:22 GMT
I struggle with scheduling my time too, Melanie. I try to write content before I do anything else, because that is a priority. I close my internet windows so I don't get distracted. And when I am on the web, I close Facebook and check once every few hours. Blog design...you have a clean, professional looking design. There's a lot of info there - the key is making it easy to navigate and not overwhelming. I suggest you tighten up your menu - less categories. Combine some; many menu categories only have one post associated with it. Ex. "Resources" could include Savings Opportunities, Reviews, and Work from Home opps. You should be able to make a stacked menu, so when you hover over "Resources," the other options drop down. Consider just one sidebar, so your content is more prominent. Put all your blogging badges on a page and add it to your menu as a "find me here" page. On your about page, you say a reader can subscribe in the upper right corner - it's on the left. Consider making your title pop more - it's a bit bland. Maybe a tagline too? And you could add a blue color, to make it a pink/blue baby theme. Your blog posts get a bit lost - I was browsing for a few minutes before I even saw that tab. If you don't want your most recent post to be on your homepage, then have a prominent link to it so a new reader knows where to go. Lastly, I don't know if it's just me, but your site takes awhile to load. I don't know if that's because you have too many plugins or ads, but you'll lose me if it takes too long to jump from page to page. I find the ad at the beginning of each post very distracting. I don't mind unobtrusive ads, but that one is annoying. Overall I think you have a good site - I just focused on the areas where you could tighten things up. You have a great resource for new parents, just remember that they don't have time to figure out what to do once they get to your site. Make it easy and user friendly!
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Post by melanies on Nov 12, 2014 15:06:54 GMT
Dana, I saw this and have made the changes you talked about. Thank you so much! I have got to shout out to everyone about your wonderful advice!!!! I am so much happier with the appearance of my blog. As of right now, my blog posts are reflecting the additions of toys and baby supplies I made just because I didn't know if I should make them pages or posts. I will be adding content now that my blog design is fixed. The only thing I can't fix is the header. I think it is due to the actual theme I am using. I don't do well with coding yet so I'm leaving that alone for now but plan to look into different themes in the future.
Do you think you could look at it once more and let me know if it reflects your advice? I am really so appreciative. My page even loads faster on my end since I deleted plug ins that I wasn't using. I'm anxious to hear what you think.
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Post by danakml on Nov 12, 2014 15:28:53 GMT
The first thing I noticed was how much faster your page loads - so much better! And I love the one sidebar and the new arrangement of your home page.
Don't forget to change the text in your about page - your sign up is on the right sidebar, not the top left.
It looks great, Melanie. So glad I was able to help!
Dana
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Post by melanies on Nov 13, 2014 14:33:53 GMT
Darla, I changed the about me page but then got rid of the left side toolbar and forgot to change it back Thank you for pointing that out!!! You have really been an awesome source of help and I am so grateful!!! Thank you again!!! Melanie p.s. I use the exclamation points because I am so excited about my site again. You have helped me gain that excitement back. It was gone for a while and I was very close to giving up. This site has always been a dream of mine so I really AM grateful!!!
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Post by danakml on Nov 13, 2014 14:55:38 GMT
I'm so glad to hear that, Melanie!!!!!!!
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Post by melanies on Nov 14, 2014 18:39:38 GMT
Two days after making the recommended changes to my blog, I have been approached by two companies for sponsored reviews! I am doing the happy dance!
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Post by embracingthespectrum on Nov 14, 2014 19:30:08 GMT
My blog design is a problem too. I keep changing it, but I don't know that it's good enough. I know ad placement is a problem, too. I want to make money, but I get no sponsored posts, so I went with affiliate links. It's just a mess!
I would like someone do just do an overhaul of my blog design and I don't know who to go with. I've gotten no responses from the two people I've found from web searches and asked for quotes from. Word of mouth would be good!
Oh, and I need to find more TIME for blogging. I'm a special ed teacher, so it gets to be a challenge!
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Post by danakml on Nov 14, 2014 19:43:51 GMT
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Post by embracingthespectrum on Nov 15, 2014 11:57:42 GMT
Oh, thank you!! I will do that!
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