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1. 

   Amandah Blackwell
   Moderator

   Website: Urban Travel Blog
   Link: http://www.urbantravelblog.com

   What Works:

   1) The website is clean and doesn't have a lot of clutter.
   2) The blog posts are easy to read because of the white background.
   3) Great bios of all of the writers.
   4) The About Us page clearly states the "message" and purpose of the blog.
   5) Complementing travel photography with travel writing.
   6) Love the City Guides page.

   What Could Be Better:

   1) Perhaps some color on the website. All white backgrounds are nice and clean but a punch of color could jazz up the website.
   2) Make sure the links use the coding target="_blank" so readers stay on the website. I clicked on the Dublin Guide and wanted to listen to The Dancer by The Frames. When I clicked on the link it took me to YouTube and away from the blog. Clicking the "back arrow" isn't a big deal, but I prefer to stay on a website.

   Suggestions:

   1) Perhaps move the Urban Blog on Facebook to the top.
   2) Move the little "blurb" about the Urban Travel Blog from the right hand side of the blog to under the picture so it stands out. Maybe put it in a box under the picture so it stands out.
   3) Maybe move the bookmark icons to the top as well as have them at the bottom.
   4) Add some color to the website.
   5) Use the coding target="_blank" so readers stay on the website.

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. 

   Maria Staal
   Member

   What works:
   * Great niche. People love cities.
   * Nice clean theme, although a bit white.
   * Easy to navigate.

   What could be better:
   * The posts are a bit on the long side.
   * I was a bit confused about your city guides. It wasn't immediatly clear if they were posts or static pages. But it's not a big deal.
   * I was also a bit confused about the regular features under the travel articles tab.

   Suggestions:
   * If the regular features are categories, then make them link to it and make sure each regular feature has the same name as the category.
   * Re-tweet button in the posts.
   * Put the social media (maybe add some more?) at the top of the side bar.
   * Put the short 'about' text also at the top of the sidebar and maybe add an archive box.
   * Like Rebeccas said, add some colour to the site maybe by adding a 'featured posts' box at the top with alternating picts to liven things up a bit.

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. 

   Alison
   Member

   First I will point out that I'm definitely a novice to the blogging scene, so I'm hesitant to make big criticisms.

   I really like the idea of your site. City guides are always good since lots of people focus on cities when they travel. I also like that you have contributing writers for different cities. I imagine it's hard to claim to be an expert on too many cities, so having a variety of people focus on different cities adds credibility.

   I love all the photography on the site, visuals are great, makes the site more appealing to look at. I also like how you introduce and give bios for each of your contributing writers.

   The home page is rather long, so once you scroll past the Urban Travel Blog on Facebook box, there's a big empty space to the right. Is there a way to shorten how much is shown on the home page? Or make it take up the full width of the page once you get past the Facebook box?

   Also might be nice to see more than 2 sites listed in your useful websites section.

   Overall, really great site and the suggestions I mentioned are pretty minor.

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. 

   Trisha Miller
   Administrator

   Very nice travel blog!

   What Works:
   1. Very clean design and layout - I like the uncluttered look;
   2. Excellent content;
   3. Good navigational structure;

   What Could Be Better:
   1. I agree with Ali that the home page seems too long, and requires too much scrolling;
   2. I almost missed your RSS feed link at the top, since the RSS icon does not stand out (orange is a universally and instantly recognizable color for RSS icons);
   3. All posts are posted by 'admin' - this makes it hard for readers to find articles by particular authors;

   Suggestions:
   1. Consider using "excerpts" instead of full posts on the home page would serve as a way to draw people deeper into the site;
   2. Consider using a more colorful RSS feed icon to boost your RSS subscribers;
   3. The articles are great, and adding a retweet button (like the TweetMeme plugin) would encourage readers to spread the word;
   4. Wordpress does a GREAT job of managing posts by Authors, so you might consider taking advantage of that feature, which will give your blog the outward appearance of more depth, and will benefit your authors much more, making it easier to attract guest authors.
   5. I also almost missed finding your Twitter page link in your sidebar - making that more obvious would help you gain more Twitter followers.

   I have to echo Ali's words, overall a great site, and needs only minor changes to increase your readership and followers.

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. 

   Duncan Rhodes
   Member

   Hi guys. Only just seen this! Thanks for the feedback. I'm currently commissioning a designer to rework our look, and some of the issues raised here will be def. be addressed in the new design... great to hear the positive feedback too! Visits wise we're doing pretty well with 17,000+ a month (not bad given we've only actually published 80 posts) and we also pay our contributors (between 15 GBP and 25 GBP per post) - so if there are any travel writers who would like to get in touch with a good story idea, or to cover a city we haven't got a guide for yet, please do so: http://www.urbantravelblog.com/about

   Regards,

   Duncan

   Posted 6 months ago #

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