Does your blog need a makeover?

  The Many Looks Of Chango 
  Originally uploaded by changoblanco.

Now remember when I told you that the folks at Performancing were offering their expert advice for those interested in doing a "blog makeover"?

Well, I was really pleased to see that our own Maryam in Marrakesh and KG of Write Now Is Good took David up on his generous offer.

Now, mind you, IMHO, these two bloggers are already top-notch and don't need any making-over either for looks or content.

But, all of us could stand to get an outside opinion of things we could tweak here and there, so I just can't wait to see what the Performancing folks have to say about Maryam's and KG's blogs.

Ahmed at Performancing kicked things off on Monday with the framework they're going to be using for the blog evaluations. Ahmed says:

What can you expect out of getting your blog reviewed like this?

• You're told what you already know, but don't work on - you KNOW you need a better design, to write more flagship content, to get links from trusted sources, to get your basic blog SEO right, etc.
• You learn how to do it - when it comes to monetization, blogging strategies and SEO, there is a LOT of valuable information available for free online. All you need is to be pointed in the right direction.

The Performancing group is going to evaluate the blogs based on 6 pillars of success:

1. Focus--target market and audience
2. Design
3. Content--How interesting is your blog? How useful is it? Is it sharable? Is it actionable? Is it timeless?
4. SEO (search engine optimization)--including search engine visibility, search engine friendliness, onsite optimization, link building, just to name a few
5. Monetization--how you can make money from your blog
6. Marketing--including blog networking, social media marketing, increasing your readership and strategies for increasing blog visibility.

Just to let you know, it looks like they're not taking the blogs in the order in which the cries for help were made.

They're picking them randomly, so there is a chance that we won't have to wait till kingdom come to see Maryam's and KG's blogs get reviewed.

A few days ago they posted the first review (it's not Maryam or KG), and I was really blown away by how much depth they went into.

I'll keep my eye out for when KG's and Maryam's blogs get written up so we can throw a blog makeover party to celebrate!

Comments

[Maryam in Marrakech]

eeek, this is so fabulous. I just can't wait!!

[Maryam in Marrakech]

I just went over there to read the review and I am just honestly overwhelmed. So much good stuff. I think part of the problem is that quite a few of the things I just technically don't actually know how to do.

On content, there are also a few things that I really know I have to work on but the real problem is time. But I will get there.

PS Let's throw that blog makeover party at my place. What do you think?

[KG]

A party?!?!? I'll be there! :)

Thrilling. Thanks again, Sharon.

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Oh, fabulous idea! Let's all meet in Marrakesh for a the party!

It would be a dream come true :-).

Oh, and BTW you guys, yes, the folks at Performancing are gurus, so for non-techie folks like us, the advice can seem a bit overwhelming cuz we don't know how to implement some of the advice.

But, it's still good to know and keep on the back burner. Our knowledge of techie stuff may increase over time, and the advice won't seem so daunting then.

David gave me lots of advice, and most of it I would love to implement if only I knew how! But still, it keeps me aware of what I could do if I really wanted to.

And there was some low-tech advice that I was able to implement immediately. So, it will be good for everyone. The advice that they give to Maryam and KG will be advice that maybe all of us can incorporate into our blogs a little.

I can't wait for the reviews or the party!;-)

[Uth Video]

I want to move to a better SEO optimized and super light theme (something like daily blog tips). I also need to rebrand it a little bit with a new logo etc.

Can somebody (1) provide a free review of my blog along these lines? and (2) suggest a good free theme that suits my blog (:lol: Money is the problem here and hence I have to make the changes myself and only the logo designing will be outsourced)

[Indian T.v Serials]

Good post…

My blog theme is for almost 9 months now. I have to check out some other themes. What i need is to reduce the bounce rate.

[Uth Game]

A “How To..” headline grabs your prospect’s attention because it tells their brain they are about to learn something new that could benefit their lifestyle. The headline should get their attention and explain how to get their benefit faster, cheaper, easier, etc.