Blog Doctor – GiveawayProject.com

The Brief

Michael at GiveawayProject.com submitted his blog for a quick Blog Doctor health check.
One of his major concerns was about his graphics. He has good computer skills but not so confident on graphics. Another concern he has was in regards to the money making components of the site and whether or not they are distracting or placed correctly.
The ultimate concerns for him are how to increase his income without distracting and annoying the readers.

First Impressions

Straight away when I visit GiveawayProject.com I must admit I notice the limited graphic banner. The thing is I’m a designer so I notice these things anyway. But so does your average blog surfer. You’ve got a couple of seconds to catch their attention especially if you are a member of one of the blog exchanges. So you want your site to look nice if not eye catching so you aren’t losing any of the more shallow readers straight off the bat.

The next thing that draws my attention is… well nothing really and this is the second concern. The page doesn’t clearly define its regions and comes across as a bit of a whitewash of text.

Upon reading the material I immediately get what the site is about ‘getting free stuff from around the web’. The about section is blended in over on the side and on reading it it confirms the purpose of the site.

It is now that I turn my attention to the advertisements and these are fairly standard and I know what to expect which is all fine.

Suggestions

I’ll address my speciality which is the look and feel. Michael needs to make a statement with the design that he is indeed THE place to go for the give-aways etc. This means looking the part. And a more professional looking banner is an important place to start. Something Michael suggested in the briefing which is a really great idea is to try and get some aspiring designer to knock you something up for free or really cheap in exchange for the recognition or a link. It could be a good portfolio piece for them.

I may have a chat with Matt about the idea of a place on Blog About Your Blog for aspiring designers who want to pad their portfolios with blog designs or graphics to offer their services.

I had a quick stab at sketching a design based on the concept that Michael has already in place. Focusing on the piggy bank icon, changing the heading font and putting a slight pattern in the background.

-Â

When you look at the image you’ll notice how I’ve separated the posts up with alternating colour and the piggy bank icon in keeping with the banner. I’ve also highlighted the about section so that people’s eyes are drawn to it. In doing this it also makes the advertising sections more clearly defined even without doing anything to them.

Michael may want to consider using an image every once and a while to break up the text and add interesting cues for readers. Take a look online for royalty free clip art and images.

As for the content I believe that trying to promote the subscriber aspect especially considering the content would be beneficial. Promote it as a way not to miss out on any of the great deals. Another thing worth mentioning might be to point out that the site is mainly for American audiences. A good place being in the About section.

All in all the content is pretty good and I must admit I’m not usually interested in these types of things but it’s compelling stuff and managed to get a couple of clicks from even my concrete heart!

Summary

Great content. Design needs a little graphic designer love. Sections need to be better defined. Try and promote the subscriber element more.

If you’d like a fresh look at your blog contact us via the contact form.

Random Posts