I feel better about myself when I’m wearing a suit, makeup, and have freshly colored and cut hair. Somehow those minor cosmetic changes make me 
feel more professional — more grown up.
That same concept applies to blogging. Giving your blog a makeover not only creates a more attractive calling card, it also reinvigorates your writing and stimulates fresh ideas for you to blog about.
I’ve been working with WinePress Publishing (a custom publisher of Christian books) to give their business blog a makeover.
Here’s a BEFORE screenshot of their blog:
Too many graphic elements were competing for attention, so we cleaned things up to make it easier for visitors to dive into the content.
- We axed the distracting clip art navigation buttons on the left and moved the sidebar to the right.
- We got rid of the introductory blurb and put the first blog post directly beneath the banner.
- Although the blog is a group blog with several contributors, Carla Williams (WinePress Publicity and Editorial Director) is the main blogger. We popped her picture at the top of the sidebar so readers will immediately have a face to connect with.
- We added prominent RSS and e-mail subscription invites
Here’s an AFTER screenshot:
We created about a dozen categories in which to file blog posts, so that visitors can easily access information on publishing topics that most interest them.
Then we got to work revamping content. Previously, the WinePress blog posted news snippets about their authors’ book releases and publicity gigs. We added weekly book marketing and publicity tips, in-depth author interviews, and behind-the-scenes articles written by WinePress employees.
We also work with WinePress’ webmaster to initiate many back-end upgrades to make the administrative area of their blog more robust.
The changes are working; readership is steadily increasing, the company’s image is enhanced, and the company bloggers are more enthusiastic about contributing blog posts.
The beauty of a blog is that it’s a work in progress. As issues arise (and they always do), we continue to tweak, experiment, and fine-tune. But we’re feeling good about the positive direction the WinePress blog is taking.
