Article Review Request

5 replies
Hey fellow Warriors
Be gentle, but I'm requesting a constructive review of an article I posted over at infobarrel (I read another Warrior talking about this being a somewhat effective place to make articles + monetize). So far so good, easy to use and somewhat fun.

Article is about basic website building for the newbie .

But anyway:
How to build a website - Info Barrel

Target Audience: Newcomers to building websites
Style: Casual, informal and informative without being super-technical

Intent: introduce people to different options to build different types of website depending on what their goals are.

Monetization: Domains/Hosting reseller opportunities (personal side-business), on-page Goog ads, and nice sidebar plug for DreamWeaver software (Amzn affil).

So, basically looking for advice on content, mainly, and if you all think this might be somewhat useful if you read it from the perspective of a "newbie". This is 100% unique, but it's not like one could not simply FIND the information spread across the internet. This just consolidates a bunch of info in an easy way. My writing comes from years of experience making basic recommendations to help people start building websites. Does this seem to meet that goal pretty concisely? It is a very broad topic, so is somewhat lengthy but I feel this might be warranted. I won't be able to make edits immediately (atleast until I get auto-approve status) but will take all feedback constructively.

Thanks Warriors!
-Kevin
#article #request #review
  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    Kudos to you for throwing your content in here for a review... not many people are brave enough to do it!

    I just took a look at your article, and I think it has some great information. It's easy to see you've done your research and know the subject.

    However, I see 2 issues. The first is, it's a bit too formal. When you write something like this, pretend like you're talking to a friend. Keep it simple. One of my old journalism professors said it best - "take all those fancy words you learned for the SAT's, and throw them out the window." Use simple words to make your point. After all, you don't want a reader to feel stupid because you used a word they didn't understand!

    Also, you need to write like you're talking to 1 person. So, instead of saying "the learner", say "you". After all, your reader IS the learner! People respond better when they feel like you're talking directly to them (and only them). By speaking directly to them, you're addressing their concerns, their questions, and the benefits in it for them.

    The other issue I saw was the beginning. You spent nearly a page telling me what the guide is and isn't about. Internet searchers are notoriously impatient. Most of them have the attention span of a 2-year-old; they want their information, and they want it now! If they're genuinely interested in learning how to set up a website, they probably won't bother to read through an introduction to your article. Skip the big intro, and just tell them what you need to tell them. Something as simple as starting the article by saying "Even if you're new to website building, there are plenty of ways to build a great site yourself, without spending a fortune on a professional web designer. Here's how to do it..."
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  • Profile picture of the author Vincenzo Oliva
    I'm not familiar with that site but your article is pretty detailed which is good for your intended audience. This article probably wouldn't work well on ezine where they tend to be more brief, it's more of a wikihow type article.

    I would actually break this down into several different articles that link to one another or back to your blog. I think that you're giving too much information for 1 article.
    "For information about building a blog click here' (your website).

    I would also take out the "what this is NOT about" it's extra that is not needed.
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    • Profile picture of the author dv8domainsDotCom
      Originally Posted by Vincenzo Oliva View Post

      I'm not familiar with that site but your article is pretty detailed which is good for your intended audience. This article probably wouldn't work well on ezine where they tend to be more brief, it's more of a wikihow type article.

      I would actually break this down into several different articles that link to one another or back to your blog. I think that you're giving too much information for 1 article.
      "For information about building a blog click here' (your website).

      I would also take out the "what this is NOT about" it's extra that is not needed.
      Infobarrel let's you put your goog adsense on their site (is displayed 75% of the time, so effectively they get a 25% "share" (kinda a crap-shoot on who's adsense ID is getting the "click" though... we'll see)), and also they let you drop your amazon affil ID into your profile, each article can get a category/project. Seems neat interface and decent way to monetize.

      Part of my longer-term strategy in this (eventually) is to cross-link to other how-to's that I'll write for those specific topics as you've mentioned. Their TOS only allow 2 in-article self-serving context links if pointing to 3rd party sites (unless they are "authority" sites), BUT, you can cross-link to as many other infobarrel articles as you'd like. So, eventually it'll be sort of like my own "mini-howto" network hehe.

      Thanks for the note on the "what it's not about". I'll likely remove this when I'm able to. The whole intro seems to add too much bulk. Appreciate the feedback
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  • Profile picture of the author dv8domainsDotCom
    Thank you so much I have the bad habit of formal and lengthy writing lol. I will edit after I have certain ability to do so... Maybe add an in-content anchor to drop them right down to the "meat". Unlikely that huge intro is necessary.
    Also, thank you for mentioning "the learner" opposed to "you". I definitely see what you mean. Thank you Nicole
    -- Basically, skip to the meat and make it more personal. Thanks again! Have a few more in the works so this will definitely come in handy.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      While you're working, here's something else to consider...

      Formal and lengthy writing exposes grammar and word choice errors without mercy. You have several in your opening paragraphs. Keeping your sentences short and informal makes such errors less noticeable.

      An active writing style also keeps people more engaged. Formal, stilted writing puts them to sleep. I went to your article for the express reason of reading it for this thread. I found my attention wandering.
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