Blog Audit Challenge 2020
Welcome back for another month of challenges for the Blog Audit Challenge 2020!
I hope you did well with the February challenges, and linked up your progress reports in the February Link Up.
Each month we'll concentrate on a different area of our blogs.
The Challenges:
January- Plan of action
February- Information pages
March- The trimmings
April- Design
May- SEO
June- Links
July- Quality content
August- Content gaps
September- Developing readership
October- Get social
November- Press and collaborations
December- Know your stats
You might also like: Want To Increase Your Blog Traffic? Ways To Upgrade Old Blog Posts
Monthly link ups
In order to keep us all on track, and give us a way to see each others progress, I'll be hosting link ups on the first Saturday of every month where participants can share their links and discuss their progress.
#BlogAuditChallenge2020
March Challenges
Our focus for March is on the trimmings AKA your header, side bar, footer, etc...
The March challenges will make sure our supporting content is just as polished as our main content.
The March challenges:
1. The header
Your header is the first thing people see when they visit your blog and therefore needs to send a clear message about what your site (and you) are. It should set the tone for your blog in terms of style and personality too. It's your very first impression and needs to be a good one.
I definitely need to improve my own header as it currently does nothing for my site both in terms of design, mood, or communicating what I do. I know it says what I do, but it doesn't show it. Remember that rule they used to teach you about showing not telling. Well, it doesn't just apply to writing. It's a major factor in branding and design too.
Our first task for this month is therefore to work on improving our blog header.
A few things to keep in mind:
I definitely need to improve my own header as it currently does nothing for my site both in terms of design, mood, or communicating what I do. I know it says what I do, but it doesn't show it. Remember that rule they used to teach you about showing not telling. Well, it doesn't just apply to writing. It's a major factor in branding and design too.
Our first task for this month is therefore to work on improving our blog header.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Your style- Is your blog professional or is it more laid back and chill? Does your header set the mood for your blog?
- Your mission- In the January challenges we worked on our mission statements for our blogs. Is your header conveying that mission? Is it clear what your site is about?
- Your branding- Does your header match the rest of your branding?
Not sure where to start? Check out this blog post by Venngage with 5 tips for creating beautiful blog headers.
2. The sidebar
Your sidebar is for that extra content you want readers to find easily. The important stuff you want them to see but can't add to every blog post. It's also an opportunity to strengthen your brand, increase clicks to other content on site, and get more attention to your target content through calls to action.
In the past I over cluttered by sidebar and so in my last blog audit I did a major declutter. Too much is well, too much. It distracts as opposed to drawing focus.
Is your sidebar serving a purpose? Is it over cluttered? Is it missing elements that could help drive traffic to your other posts/gain more attention for your services?
Need some ideas for what to include in your sidebar? Check out this post by Hubspot with 7 things your blog's sidebar can't live without.
In the past I over cluttered by sidebar and so in my last blog audit I did a major declutter. Too much is well, too much. It distracts as opposed to drawing focus.
Is your sidebar serving a purpose? Is it over cluttered? Is it missing elements that could help drive traffic to your other posts/gain more attention for your services?
Need some ideas for what to include in your sidebar? Check out this post by Hubspot with 7 things your blog's sidebar can't live without.
3. The footer
The blog footer is often given little consideration but can be the perfect place for a strong call to action.
Looking for ideas of what to put in your blog footer? Check out this post by Orbit Media Solutions with Website Footer Design Best Practices: 27 Things to Put at the Bottom.
Looking for ideas of what to put in your blog footer? Check out this post by Orbit Media Solutions with Website Footer Design Best Practices: 27 Things to Put at the Bottom.
Free downloads: You can grab copies of all the extra materials for the Blog Audit Challenge 2020 for free here.
Save the Date!
The monthly link up post for sharing your March progress will be on 4th April. The April challenges will be posted on 1st April.
You might also like: Blogging Terms New Bloggers Should Know
Don't forget to promote your participation in the Blog Audit Challenge 2020 by using the following graphic in any blog posts you do connected with the challenge along with a link back to this site.
2020 challenges
Blog Audit
Blog Audit Challenge
Blog Audit Challenge 2020
bloggers
blogging
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Jo Linsdell
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