“Change is neither good nor bad, it just is.” – Don Draper
Dear Bloggers,
A blog can ALWAYS improve, level-up. This very idea helped rapidly build Dear Blogger and push it to the forefront of the blogosphere.
Lately I noticed a few weaker areas on the blog. Places I could get clicks, more conversions, you know. So around midnight last night, I went into my code and made some changes.
Spring cleaning, Dear Blogger style. You might want to make these changes on your blog too, so I’ll explain them all and my reasoning right here.
And apologies to those who really relied on the older design. Feel free to yell at me 😀
SIDENOTE: A comment or two on ways this blog could improve FURTHER would be really helpful from my community, hint hint!
If you’re ready, read on. This could change a lot.
What exactly did I change the other night
Okay, here’s a rundown of the tweaks and adjustments I made.
Sidebar About Me: I made my photo smaller, moved it to top position, and shortened the text. This should provide a quicker intro, and result in more clicks through to read more.
Viral Last Week: Each week certain posts get more attention than others. I want to welcome new users to the site with a list of my best, so they understand Dear Blogger’s growing klout.
Message Section: I want the blog to have a current, up to date feel. I actually don’t show dates on posts like most bloggers because I like the idea of posts never getting old. But this section will reflect my feelings on global and blogosphere events.
Aweber Sidebar Form: Picture of “Bye-Bye Bounce Rate” back in, and a bold statement of exactly what you get when you join and how to join. Already seeing increased conversion rates here.
Global Guest Posts: I’ve been meaning to list all my guest posts in one place, if not for you then so I can remember what I wrote way back. Now you can find out where I’ve been when I’m away for a while, and can get a sense of my prized backlinks without going out and buying some worthless junk like Market Samurai.
Note from Greg: Idea here is basically, shamelessly, to remind readers to setup WordPress blogs via my guide in the hopes I earn a commission. 😀
Blogging 101: This page always seems to be changing, but I felt “Blogging 101” was just the catch-all term I needed for a page on every aspect of blogging.
Give me some feedback
That’s about it unless you noticed any other changes (?). Thanks for reading, and again, sorry if these new changes surprised any of you. I’d be more than happy to field feedback and implement any requests you have.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
I have just gotten my new business launched along with the blog that goes along with it. I’ve been trying to balance out how to draw readers in to my site with it being a business site. I decided to not make the blog the home page. I wanted people to know immediately what they were getting from the home page. That may change over time. We’ll see.
Hey Jen,
That’s awesome, congrats on the launch. I find “side blogs” often get less attention than they deserve but there’s a solution. If you want to use the blog to draw traffic/costumers to the main page, I’d start posting lots of shorter blog updates. Giving updates on things like new features and your dilemmas along the way gives the site a personable quality. Then share those posts heavily on social media and ask for interaction. Keep people interested!
Hope it’s a hit!
Greg