First Impressions
Diving into Kristie’s site Thebaristababe, you have a very strong impression of what her blog is about, from the visuals of her holding cups of coffee to her heading “Everything Coffee”. Kristie has a very clear menu interface with all her assignments organized from this class, and her content pieces are easy to navigate. As Hollingsworth (2021) notes, “good SEO means a better user experience .. [it] offers users the information they are looking for in fewer clicks, quickly, and easily”. Further, it is an excellent way for readers to grasp what your blog is all about and increase user attention and behaviours via Google Analytics, which can help you improve your blog. Below the visual header, Kristies has an elaborate about section and explains what her blogs entail:” weekly content on my favourite coffee shops, and different specialty coffee that I make as my daily encounters with caffeine”. On the right hand, a search bar also makes her content more accessible to users.
Friendly Recommendations:
I love the fun visuals you have added, but they may take up too much space where the reader might not realize you have put an intended about section below the visuals since it takes up the whole screen page. Likewise, the search bar is not as easily accessible if you do not scroll down to the entire page on mobile, which is essential as the data.ai findings showcase Gen Z being a mobile-first generation. Speaking of accessibility, you have yet to download the accessibility plug from WordPress which can prevent users from engaging with your site.
Content
I was unsure about what the section “Daily Doses of Caffeine” was about until I saw you explain it in your process post #3: “where I post all things coffee. Whatever is on my mind during the day or a random coffee thought that pops into my head, this is where it will get posted”. I enjoyed reading this section of your blog, and I loved the cute visuals you added. They also follow uniformity in formatting and are easy to follow with the break up of white space and text.
Friendly Recommendation:
It would be beneficial if you had a subheading under the title “Daily Doses of Caffeine” explaining what the section is about because readers might not stumble across your process post like I did to understand the section.
As a reader, it can be hard to discern where one post ends and where a new one starts, and It could be helpful to break up the text by adding visuals, increasing the font size for headings, etc. Everything looks like a uniform long text, which can be hard to read.
As Hollingsworth (2021) states, “establishing a brand as an authority takes patience, effort, and commitment and relies on offering a valuable, quality product or service that allows customers to trust a brand”. Your coffee reviews consist of 5 main factors: the coffee shop, drink, ingredients, rating, and extra note that adds a nice touch of personalization. Further, I love the intimate visuals you choose to accompany your reviews, but apart from the visuals, it can be hard to discern where one review ends and starts, similar to your process post page.
Friendly Recommendation:
The visuals do not align with the text correctly, so it can be hard to tell which visual matches the review. I’m unsure if it’s a template issue, but adding space between each post and emphasizing the size or bolding the text can create better fluidity, cohesiveness, and cleanliness.
Overall, Kristie has an intended audience targeted towards coffee drinkers and lovers; since her blog is intimate and personal, I am unsure of whether she wants to monetize her content. However, if she does, I have a few suggestions for revamping her site through a new rating system and social media interventions. Coffee rating reviews can be more concise with comments on coffee profiles such as acidity, bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and the overall body of the coffee. She can also link the social media handles to the coffee shop and create a google map of all the coffee shops you have reviewed for readers to have the ultimate coffee shop experience, boosting engagement and connectivity. Moreover, adding your social handles can create a closer connection to readers, and she can add a page on her blog dedicated to reader-suggested coffee shops that you go to and review.
Check out Kristie’s blog here!
References:
Hollingsworth, S. (2021, August 6). 15 Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs SEO. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-seo-is-important-for-business/248101/#close
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