mmc
New Member
Posts: 5
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Post by mmc on Nov 12, 2014 18:34:24 GMT
Hi Ladies! I am playing catch up. I would really appreciate any feedback on my blog design/layout. I have a high bounce rate and few comments. The link is here. Thank you in advance. Mary
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Post by danakml on Nov 12, 2014 20:38:15 GMT
Hi Mary! Just spent a few minutes on your blog, and I have to say that it is so full of information - what a wonderful resource! I think you have a good design and layout. In terms of bounce rate and comments - I think if someone comes to your blog looking for information, they will stick around. If that's not what they are looking for, they will leave. Your site has more of an educational feel than a personal blog feel, and that may be why you don't get many comments. What would a reader say after reading a news article? It's not a reflection on you; it's just the tone and content of your site. There are a few things you can do to encourage interaction: Add a head shot and a teaser to your About Me at the top of your sidebar so new visitors can instantly connect. Ask your readers a question at the end of your posts; this may encourage them to leave a comment and start a conversation. Most blogs have a home page with a feed of their most recent posts. For yours, a landing page with a welcome and introduction may be better. That will immediately tell your visitor what you are about and why they should stay. Otherwise, if the most recent post is a news article that doesn't interest them, you could lose them. Another thought - could you tighten up your menu? There are a lot of choices, and it's visually overwhelming. Combine some categories and use the drop down menu for those. wegotkidz - what do you think?
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Post by wegotkidz on Nov 12, 2014 21:14:59 GMT
danakml, you made some fantastic suggestions. mmc, I totally agree with Dana's feedback. Please don't stress about bounce rate. As Dana stated, if people are looking for specific information, they're going to come to your blog, read and absorb that info, and then leave. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If a "reference site" wasn't what you were going for, and you'd like for people to stay a while and feel more "at home", you're going to have to change things up. Your tagline and the stock photo at the top of your site give me the impression that your blog's soul purpose is to share valuable information. That doesn't generally lend itself to tons of comments and loads of interaction. Personalizing your blog a bit more is a great idea if you want to gain a true connection with your readers. Place an "about me" box in your sidebar with an image of yourself, ask questions at the end of your pieces, and tell a few personal stories. Also, a super easy way to keep people engaged is to put suggested/related posts at the end of each blog post. And I cosign COMPLETELY in regards to cleaning up your menu a bit. It's a lot to take in when you hit your page. A suggestion would be to move your less important menu items to a footer menu. If you can't do that easily, shortening your menu titles would be a quick and easy solution. Hope that helps! Kesha
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mmc
New Member
Posts: 5
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Post by mmc on Nov 13, 2014 9:05:00 GMT
Thank you keisha and danakml. Your feedback is so helpful and I really appreciate you taking the time to look at my blog. I will start working on your suggestions. I do intend for it to be a resource/information site. My son is a teenager and would kill me if I started talking about my experience raising a child with Aspergers! I looked at both of your blogs and they both are amazing! I am following you both and I am sure I will learn more from that! Thanks again!
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Post by foster2forever on Nov 13, 2014 21:01:28 GMT
MMC, You must come guest post on my blog!!!
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