Comments on: I’m Considering Redesigning My Blog – Opinions Please!

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:01:47 +0000

Thanks Richard!

I've found one of the best ways to keep your call to action in the first fold is to place it in the header. Next would be to place it at the top of your sidebar.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:01:47 +0000

Thanks Richard!

I've found one of the best ways to keep your call to action in the first fold is to place it in the header. Next would be to place it at the top of your sidebar.

By: monetizemylife

monetizemylife — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:44:47 +0000

You're new design is awesome! I totally love it.

I've been looking at lots of other well designed sites... but I'm not a designer myself so i don't really know how to take what I like and make it happen on my site.

I know I need to figure out how to get my offer above the fold...

I'll keep working on it.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:46:11 +0000

Fantastic points Arsha! I thought by removing the blue background from the sidebar headlines, it would help visitors see the blog content more and clean things up a bit. I've been toying with the idea of moving my RSS subscription up, but I also want my visitors to see me as soon as they hit the site. I will definitely consider all of your great points!

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Thanks Jill! That was the goal, so I'm so happy you said that.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:33:37 +0000

Thanks Will! I know – it definitely has a different vibe, but I'm hoping the new vibe is more professional and content focused.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:04:37 +0000

You know, it was tough going a little darker and less cutesy with the design, but I really want my content to be the focus of my blog. Hopefully my new design helps support that focus.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:03:15 +0000

Thanks Will! I actually prefer fixed width (makes a website look like a piece of paper). But, I agree about the navigation. What do you think about my new one?

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:56:30 +0000

Thanks so much for the heads up Richard! I had no clue about that misalignment.

I'm hoping my new design will work better. Just combining my two navigations into one seems to have made a big difference to the overall look.

I know what you mean about not quite knowing what it is you want. I've actually been working on a new design for a couple of months, but I wasn't sure of anything yet, so I would work on it a little and then leave it.

One thing that definitely helps is getting ideas from other websites. BUT, always true to the theme of your site. Just because something looks and fits one blog perfectly doesn't mean it will be the right match for yours.

Simple always seems to work.

By: Keller Hawthorne

Keller Hawthorne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:40:57 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Kaushik! I completely agree – the old design had too much going on. I plan to write a follow up post to this post regarding the changes I made and why I made them.