Give me your (gentle!) feedback

13 replies
So, I am a writer. I love to write, mainly for other people - to the extent that I took my laptop to the beach last year so I could handle 'emergency' clients

I've been considering putting up my own site for a while, and writing content seems to be the easy part...monetizing and getting traffic is much more difficult!

If anyone has any feedback for what I've done today, I'd appreciate it. Please be gentle! I don't want to be completely demotivated, but I do want to know if I'm on the right track.

Side Note - I'll re-edit all of my writing tomorrow, like I usually do. I wouldn't promote this until it was done, but I wanted to get some expert opinions.

My site is...The Dog Training Academy

E x

PS - I do have Aweber, but they want me to call them to discuss my needs, and keep calling really late at night :S I'll sort that tomorrow and put it where the WP plug in currently is.
#feedback #gentle #give
  • Profile picture of the author Social App Zone
    Seems crisp and understandable.

    I am noticing in Chrome the Date seems to jump all over the place ( <div class="time"> )
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  • Profile picture of the author TimShrieves
    Hi,

    I would suggest you offer an ethical bribe for signups to your newsletter, maybe a free report including your top 10 tips on training your dog/puppy.

    I would also find some forums relating to your niche and become active so that people will see your signature more, and this over time will bring some nice targeted traffic (don't just blatantly pitch your site though, offer real value!)

    Other than that, I think it's a great looking site with plenty of potential!!

    Good luck with it

    Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Okay. The site definitely has eye appeal. What it's missing is a benefit-oriented headline telling your visitors what you're about, what you do. Don't rely on these little slogan type statements:

    Dog Training, Dog Obedience and Dog Welfare.
    For All Your Dog News, Dor Training and Dog Behavior Needs

    I've read a bit of a few of your posts and they're really good. So along those lines create a headline that dog lovers will relate to along with a brief but compelling short paragraph about your love for dogs and your dedication to deliver the best doggy info out there. People dig that.

    It's engaging and will get them coming back. You also want a compelling blurb for your newsletter. Find or create an information gift for dog lovers. Check around the PLR, MRR sites. I'm sure there's something you could use. If not, write it yourself. Something on training puppies or special diets for older dogs, something.

    And if you really want to get people to sign up you should get a nice graphic for your giveaway (lots of perceived value added with product images) and stick it right on top of your optin box. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Are you planning on selling something to the visitors of your website? If so, how will you go about selling it? Will you rely on them opting into your email newsletter... or inserting links throughout all of the content of your website? Which one is true? You should make one of these options the most obvious options to choose.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Reed
    Hard to go wrong with a website full of puppies... unless you add a few babies in there.

    The opt-in form was worded poorly though as you say "Sign Up" as the title and then "Sign up.." as the first 2 words. So in essence it reads like; Sign up sign up. A little clunky.
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    • Profile picture of the author BubbaJay
      Looks good, good content overall.

      A couple things.. not too many people are willing to give up their prized posession...an email address for a newsletter. As mentioned above...use the ethical bribe..something they want...solve a problem for them...a report on "Top 5 dog training myths", "The one dog training mistake you DON'T want to make".... once they're opted in, send them the newsletter... and move the "no spam" policy below the submit button

      Next I'd get a "share widget" instead of having thos icons all over the place.

      While I love the dog pics...everyone does, I agree with previous poster...some navigation would be good...categories or a tag cloud.

      For SEO, I'd get that headline in Red and Blue into text, not an image and make something your H1 tag - either that stuff or the Dog Training, Dog Obedience ... stuff. You don't have an H1 tag anywhere. Also on that note your title tag (shows on your tab) Put your keywords first.. in a sentence, like Dog Training and Obedience | The Dog Training Academy... something like that.

      I see you have the tags, info on a sub-page... and the individual posts are good...good use of alt tags too.

      Yo're doing lots of stuff right, just fine tune it and keep up the good work!
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      • Profile picture of the author jessicalynn
        I really like the way the site is laid out. I have no interest in dogs, but if I did I would definitely return to your site.

        I agree with the others, you should definitely offer a little something to entice people to sign up for your list. Also, have you decided how you're going to monetize the site yet? Ads? Affiliate marketing? Selling info products? Definitely figure that out at some point soon!
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  • Profile picture of the author shand
    How can any site with really great puppy photos not be good? I am a dog person and I enjoyed reading your articles. The site is nice and clean - something I always look for in a site.

    I think you just need to start capturing those emails and you'll be off to a good start. I use Aweber and they have never called me, but any time I call them with a question they have always been very helpful and worth the money to me.

    Good luck!
    Susan
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  • Profile picture of the author theebookcavern
    I like it. It looks really good.

    One thing I've noticed that needs changing is that when I click into the articles, the top left corner keeps displaying a shortened tinyurl. When I click this URL, it links back to the page I'm already on. I don't really see the purpose of this link so I'd just remove it.

    I'd also consider replacing the top 2 larger images with a rotating gallery but that's just my personal preference. It looks good your way too.

    Finally, I'd take the social sharing icons off the homepage and only have them appear once people have clicked through to the article.

    Hope this helps. Good luck with the site.

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author gentryliving
    Yes, you are on the right track. Nice site anyway!
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    What does this site want me to do? I'm so confused!!! HELP ME TRAIN MY PUPPY!! OH GOD!!
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