Blog Critique: On the Way to Somewhere

In this series I give constructive feedback about the look and function of an author blog from a marketing perspective. As always, I rely on help from graphic designers Tom Barnes (my hubby) and Joe LaRue. To review the blog elements we look at or to submit your own blog for critique, go here.

It's Monday! And that means another blog critique. Our victim is Rena J. Traxel from On the Way to Somewhere. You know the drill: go take a look, come back and we'll discuss.

 

Rena, I'm glad to have you here. You had to wait a long time for this critique, I know. But it looks like you already follow a bunch of my usual advice:

• Your name is in your header
• Your profile is up top and center
• You have depth to your blog (pages)
• Your page isn't cluttered with awards (you have them on a separate page - nice!)
• You have an About page - which is fabulously done, by the way
• I love your Guests page - having guests is a great way to add to your blog's content and popularity
• I love your Links page - I adore The Other Side of the Story. It's an excellent resource.
• Your blog content is superb
• Your content is easy to read
• You use pictures in your posts
• You tell us when you'll be around
• We can easily follow you on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, etc.
• You have a search box

So, in summary so far, your blog performs pretty well in the area of function. This is incredibly important and I admire you very much for managing to do this so well.  Where your blog is a lacking, however, is in the area of design. There are also a few functional things you could improve on. Here are some points you may want to consider:

• The writing on your header, particularly your name, is difficult to read. This should be the most prominent part of your blog and with as clean as the rest of your blog is, it's disappointing.
• Your blog has almost no color to it. White can be too glaring after awhile. We recommend that you put some color in your sidebar and your background. A textured background would be even better - it makes your lighter areas really pop. Then, pick a color scheme of two or three colors - colors that you choose on purpose, not just the default blue link color, and use them wisely. Put one color for your background, perhaps, another color for your Titles, and the third color for all other links. Mess around with www.colorschemedesigner.com. It is a great help.
• Your profile should repeat your name.
• Your followers button is pretty low on your sidebar. I'd put it up closer to your profile.
• Your copyright info would be better placed near the bottom.
• Your search box should be higher on the page.
• The "Connect" info you have at the bottom of your blog would actually be better placed on your About page. It would be easier to find. At the bottom of your page, most people will only find it by accident.

Mainly, I would say you need to get some color in your blog. All the white is really difficult to look at and it doesn't make your blog stand out. But overall, I believe it performs really well. Good job, Rena!

Any advice you readers have for Rena?