So, My Website Sucks. Anybody Wanna Help Out?

by 11 replies
13
The title says it all.

I'm getting a 66% bounce rate, and a measly 1.8 page views per visitor. I'm beginning to realize that this theme I chose is terrible.

I need help! Give me all your suggestions. If you wanna say my website sucks, do so (but I already know that, so...).

Regards,
JR John

LOL! I forgot to provide the link: http://jrjwrites.com
#website design #sucks #wanna #website
  • what do you call "this theme"?
    What is your url ?
    If you can give out, everybody can help
    • [1] reply
    • Hi,

      As Martinsee mentioned, what website are you looking for advice on?

      You have a couple listed in your signature. Both look good to me -- both sites are clean but maybe too clean since they have no dynamic element or attention grabbing feature (slider, etc.) or noticeable call to action(yes you have some but they don't entice me as much as they could).

      Maybe you could do more with your sidebar and footer in the sites. I like that your using images for posts and the copy and layout are clean. The sites are very readable/legible and your using social media and sharing options which is a plus. Making sure you have recent posts, categories, etc. in the sidebar on both sites would help increase page views. One of your sites also has blog posts with Lorem ipsum, looks to be in development.

      66% bounce with almost 2 pages per visit is not the worst, your site doesn't suck, maybe some improvement but there are those that are worse off.

      Hope my 2 cents helps. All the best with your sites.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • I don't see anything wrong with the theme per se... although I have issues with how your content and offer is presented.

    When I opened it, I couldn't tell in 5 seconds what this site is about: do you want me (the visitor) to read your blog or to take a closer look at yourr offer as a writer?

    The HUGE typography (font size) of the post titles attracted my eyes toward the blog... but I have seen a zillion blogs, so I am not interested in anybody's ramblings. Sorry.

    Judging by the domain name in your OP I was expecting something like an "irresitible offer" about your writing skills, services... Again, typography and structuring the content - almost the smallest fonts on the page are used to tell me that you, actually, do offer 'content writing services'. And NO, the services should NOT be posts in a category; they shouldn't be posts at all and the use of category for this is completely wrong!

    Your offer (which, btw, should be the FRONTPAGE) has to be a 'static' Page with a list of all the services... not in several posts presented with only the excerpt, forcing me to click more!

    As I have told (and taught) so many times: it is not the theme that screws up your site but the structure and hierarchy (should I say: organization?) of the content. That site has not been planned, its structure has not been planned... just thrown together - all kind of stuff randomly.

    Steps to correct it:
    - sit down with a piece of paper and DRAW a diagram/chart of how the content should be organized and presented
    - write and have all the content done at the highest quality level possible (you are a writer, aren't you?)
    - now, that you KNOW how your content should be organized and structured... you can start looking for a simple, not overwhelming theme that would let your content shine

    [And while I don't really let people discuss content issues in this subforum, let me add just one thought about your posts: I don't trust writers that try to sell me crappy hosting services as affiliates ]
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Jeez, I didn't know I was making so many mistakes! Thanks so much for pointing them out.

      Thanks again - I'll get on that first step right away.
      Some other blog (CopyBlogger, I think) mentions that your greatest content shouldn't go on your blog while it's still new - it should be on somebody else's blog, attracting visitors to your own.

      What's your view on that?



      Understood. I want to take a clear direction as a blogger, who also offers writing services. By the end of today, I should have a squeeze page created enticing people to subscribe to the blog.

      People who click on my sig link should go to my Order Now page - but I haven't corrected that mistake yet.

      I'm a little bit confused there. I'm actually not promoting HostGator/BlueHost at all. I wrote reviews of those hosting companies for a former client, and I'm linking to those reviews as samples of my work - I don't promote hosting providers on my own blog (as of right now). Later on, I plan to create a page that lists all the resources my blog uses (plugins, theme, hosting, autoresponder, etc.) and use affiliate links there, besides having a dedicated product reviews area.

      Once again, thank you SO much. I love the straightforward, no-bull approach you took, and I really can't thank you enough.

      I'll get on the corrections right away.

      Regards,
      JR John
      • [1] reply
  • Hello jrjohn! My name is Michael Dorey (mdorey).
    First, I want to commend you for having the courage to ask for help.
    I've seen so many people that get into Internet Marketing without the slightest idea of how to go about it or even where to begin and they end up calling it quits without ever asking anyone for help. These are the same people you see bad-mouthing the industry and screaming that "There's no Money to be made online, It's all hype"...
    Anyway, down to business! When I clicked your link to check out your blog, the first thing that came to mind was, "What's Your Theme? What's it about? and
    How can it help me? That is what people mainly go online for, information, or a way to solve a problem their having. (How can this Help ME?) Why am I reading this if it doesn't help me? There's your bounce problem!
    Oh, sure it's an Internet Marketing Blog with some cool articles about SEO and Content Syndication, Backlinks etc...But Where's the "Meat & Potatoes"? What I'm saying is You are covering a very WIDE SUBJECT...When it comes to IM...
    How To Solve This Problem?
    Dig Down, Dig Deeper, Get To The Root of that little thing us Internet Marketers call a
    "NICHE"...the derivative of the derivative of the derivative of the main subject! Once you find that out then you write about it, you fill it full of rich, searchable,
    "Long Tail Keywords" and "Anchor Text".
    To find a good Niche...You have to find a problem that needs solving...make sure to do your research and make certain that people are searching the internet for an answer to it...Try to Find Searched Keywords that have little competition...then you write about it.
    Now, of course it's not gonna happen over night... it takes a little bit of time but if you start writing and you lock into a good niche your gonna start seeing your traffic go up and your bounce rate go down.
    When you monetize your articles, people will click your links.
    and ALWAYS make sure your sending people to your landing page so you can collect their email address. NEVER straight to the affiliate offer page.
    Also, after you write an article for your blog, remember to market it EVERYWHERE! That's the only way people are gonna know about it. At least until you build up your traffic and your in the search engines.
    One more thing before I go, to the right of your blog in the column you state and I quote, "Look - I'm learning this whole Internet marketing too. But I'm sharing it as I go - join me on my journey?
    This sounds endearing, don't get me wrong, but this is supposed to be an
    "Authority Blog" right?
    So, Why would anyone take advice from this blog when now they know a newbie wrote it?...This may be another reason that your bounce rate is so high...I hope you understand that I'm just trying to give it to you raw and uncut. Something that I wish we had back in the day when I began Marketing Online...We had to learn for ourselves the hard way because back then, everyone was a newbie...the internet was new!
    So, I hope you implement these things I've pointed out. Of course, this only scratches the surface. I can't put everything in this space but if you ever need any help with anything, please feel free to message me here anytime. If I can Help, I certainly will...I've been Marketing Online for almost 13 years now and have learned many useful tricks but just recently joined Warrior Forum...I do like this site, I need to be more active here...
    Michael Dorey
    Gemini Marketing
    • [1] reply
    • Start with reading the rules and removing the affiliate link from your sig!
      (otherwise the mods will do...)
  • 66% bounce rate is not 'the worst' --- that is pretty average actually

    cheer up dude!
  • I don't think your site sucks. The layout is clean, and the content seems good to me. (I'm not a native English speaker, though.)

    The things I'd change immediately are "Cool Products!" and "Free stuff", which are distracting. I'd also add a short sentence description of your business to the top of the widget bar or other prominent location, so that people immediately see what the site is about.

    You could try add a bit of personality to the graphical side. Black-red-grey-white is something that everyone's seen already. Text logo from a freelancer site might work in this case.

    I didn't "convert" either, but link saved for the future. Keep it up.
  • It looks like your site is not just a blog but more like a site aimed to promote your services. I'd change the theme to something more suitable to a B2B site rather then a hobby/personal blog.
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