I have just published my new blog. Would love some FEEDBACK

[Zen Dragon]

Hi guys,

I published my first blog around one month ago. I'd really appreciate some feedback, as I'm a newbie blogger.

http://liveanddare.com

At the moment I'm not monetizing the blog. For the first 6 months my idea is to just focus to build authority, and my email list by offering quality content. Down the track I may monetize with affiliate links or selling information products (video courses).

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Bila]

Neat blog......

 

[Polarbeans]

Nice slim and estetic!

i like the plugin you got from SumoMe. Where you highlight text and it gives you the option to tweet about it. Do you see a higher conversion rate on tweets that way?

SumoMe has a lot of cool apps

Do you plan to monetize the website in the future?

Good Luck

 

[wade1mil]

I like the way it looks. Well done.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[markustenghamn]

SumoMe looks really nice, I am wondering if it works better than my current plugin "Layered Popups for Wordpress", will have to try it.

Overall I think the blog looks really nice and clean although it might be interesting to test bounce rates on the amount of popups for subscribing to the blog as I would be afraid to scare visitors away. The only popup that I felt bothered me a little was the bottom right one.

 

[Peakdesire]

Nice looking blog mate! Let's connect I also blog about self-improvement!

 

[Zen Dragon]

Nice slim and estetic!

i like the plugin you got from SumoMe. Where you highlight text and it gives you the option to tweet about it. Do you see a higher conversion rate on tweets that way?

SumoMe has a lot of cool apps

Do you plan to monetize the website in the future?

Good Luck

SumoMe is awesome. They are responsible for at least 80% of my conversions. You want to know what works best? The plugin for "Leads" (content upgrade button) and the popup that shows in the middle of the screen as the user is going to close the tab. Surprisingly, the top bar does not convert so well.

Plan to monetize in the future, either by selling my own courses, or by making it a platform where experts can sell their own courses. Something like a Udemy or a Luminosity for personal growth.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Zen Dragon]

Nice looking blog mate! Let's connect I also blog about self-improvement!

Great! Please email me at g.atmananda at gmail (or through the site).

 

[Zen Dragon]

SumoMe looks really nice, I am wondering if it works better than my current plugin "Layered Popups for Wordpress", will have to try it.

Overall I think the blog looks really nice and clean although it might be interesting to test bounce rates on the amount of popups for subscribing to the blog as I would be afraid to scare visitors away. The only popup that I felt bothered me a little was the bottom right one.

Thank you for sharing your concern. I keep that in mind as well.

The one that appears on the bottom right only shows up after the user has read 40% of the content, and is dismissable. But if I get many complaints I will turn it off.

 

[StayOnTop]

Not bad at all. For a newbie like you stated I think it looks good . I have a website / blog as well. I'm also new, i just love starting new things and teaching myself new tasks to keep busy . If you have any questions feel free to message me buddy. Best of luck

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Lex DeVille]

If you're thinking about eventually moving into video courses, I would start gathering equipment and making video blogs now. By the time you're ready to make a course you'll already be comfortable speaking on camera. Also, it will probably help your blog's outreach if you start uploading your videos to YouTube.

 

[Zen Dragon]

If you're thinking about eventually moving into video courses, I would start gathering equipment and making video blogs now. By the time you're ready to make a course you'll already be comfortable speaking on camera. Also, it will probably help your blog's outreach if you start uploading your videos to YouTube.

This is probably a good idea! I don't like camera much, but video is a must...
I think what I will do is a "Ask me anything" series about meditation. Then I answer each question as a short video.

 

[StayOnTop]

Yes I have been preparing videos, I want to have a few made before I upload to my site. I don't want to be inconsistent if there's truly a following

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Zen Dragon]

Guys, it's unbelievable!
My last post, a massive article on the Scientific Benefits of Meditation (http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/) got over 9 THOUSAND social shares! Unbelievable.... It's hard for me even to process what this means...

 

[Darius]

Guys, it's unbelievable!
My last post, a massive article on the Scientific Benefits of Meditation (http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/) got over 9 THOUSAND social shares! Unbelievable.... It's hard for me even to process what this means...

Congrats on the shares.

How did this impact your traffic or list?

 

[Zen Dragon]

Congrats on the shares.

How did this impact your traffic or list?

As a result I got around 15k visitors to that page, and 400 new email subscribers.

The new way of the internet, indeed, is to write massive articles, every once in a while, instead of 3 posts a week. That's what I learned from Brian Dean's course.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[StayOnTop]

That's phenomenal congrats zen. If you don't mind me asking , what has contributed to such success on that post do you feel. Also, what ways are you promoting this site ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zen Dragon]

That's phenomenal congrats zen. If you don't mind me asking , what has contributed to such success on that post do you feel. Also, what ways are you promoting this site ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The post really adds a lot of value. It is on a trendy topic, and anybody that is interested in meditation, or teaches it, is also interested in spreading the word about it.
Besides, I took the trouble to build connections with power bloggers in my niche, via social media and email.. I did not spam anybody nor blast out impersonal emails.

 

[StayOnTop]

I wasn't proposing this at all bud, I'm just trying to take some tips to get my site to that level lol that's all. Also I read it when you first commented, it is a great post filled with value. Very enjoyable read and wish nothing but continued success.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Daniel M.]

Really nice blog.
I've also started a blog a few months ago but I had some problems with my english and I couldn't continue. I should start a blog on my own language (Hungarian) but in this case it would be much harder because there is a smaller audiance.

Good luck with your blog, I subscribed

 

[Zen Dragon]

Really nice blog.
I've also started a blog a few months ago but I had some problems with my english and I couldn't continue. I should start a blog on my own language (Hungarian) but in this case it would be much harder because there is a smaller audiance.

Good luck with your blog, I subscribed

Thanks Daniel!

English is not my first language either (Portuguese is). But thankfully there are a couple of people in Fiverr that will proofread up to 10 thousand words for 5 USD....

 

[Daniel M.]

Thanks Daniel!

English is not my first language either (Portuguese is). But thankfully there are a couple of people in Fiverr that will proofread up to 10 thousand words for 5 USD....

That's a good idea, I never thought of that

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MayaMagpie]

Congrats on your success!
I like your blog, it's neatly designed, has great content and looks nice overall!
Because you asked for feedback, there are two things... But this is nit-picking, by no means major things.
Firstly, I would advise having a sort of editorial calendar for your posts, just to keep track of your topics. I saw that you posted two things about meditation one after the other, and then two about happiness. Usually, it's nice to mix things up so you alternate topics.
Secondly, your profile page leads to your gravatar profile. At some point, you might consider writing a longer bio, just to give people an idea who you are.
But, as I said, really minor things. Keep up the good work!

 

[RoadTrip]

Guys, it's unbelievable!
My last post, a massive article on the Scientific Benefits of Meditation (http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/) got over 9 THOUSAND social shares! Unbelievable.... It's hard for me even to process what this means...

This is terrific. Congratulations!

How did you get the first traction? Through SEO, a Facebook post or something else?

 

[Zen Dragon]

This is terrific. Congratulations!

How did you get the first traction? Through SEO, a Facebook post or something else?

At this point in time it was by writing great content and sharing it a lot in social media, with the right audiences. Also, by contacting directly bloggers and influencers in this field, in a personal way (not an impersonal email blast). Some of them liked my content and shared with their audiences, which then re-shared, retweeted, and from them went viral.

Abstracting from this case, I think the lesson is: find out what the audience you are serving would love to share, and then write the web's best post about that topic. Once you do that, let them know about it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ninjakid]

Congrats dude. I've checked out your blog, and it's quite impressive.

Definitely take advantage of social media. People using facebook to share and like your content will outdo paid ads exponentially.

 

[memelia]

Nice blog! Just subscribed... I'm into personal growth, so this will be a great resource.

Did you design the website yourself?

 

[Bigguns50]

Great blog ! Congratulations on your success so far.

I also shared your 'benefits' article.
I've been meditation many years and know a fair amount about the topic.
I've only read that one article so far but the quality and value are very impressive.
I agree with the longer, more informational articles and less frequency.

Keep it going...I smell success !

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Zen Dragon]

Nice blog! Just subscribed... I'm into personal growth, so this will be a great resource.

Did you design the website yourself?

No, it’s a Wordpress theme that I purchase at ThemeForest for around 50 USD! :-D

Glad you liked the blog.

 

[Zen Dragon]

Great blog ! Congratulations on your success so far.

I also shared your 'benefits' article.
I've been meditation many years and know a fair amount about the topic.
I've only read that one article so far but the quality and value are very impressive.
I agree with the longer, more informational articles and less frequency.

Keep it going...I smell success !

Your sentence "I smell success" made my day!

Glad to know you are into meditation. What style do you practice?

Last week a published another long post, this time about types of meditation: http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation