New site - Please give me your opinions

[MikeM]

Well, I created my new site. I'm using Mambo which is a really cool program for building content managment sites. I can't believe I used to hand code HTML websites not too long ago.

I don't know if I'd call it a website or a blog. It's sort of a combination of the two but I think it leans more towards being a blog since I use Mambo to write the articles (like Wordpress). To be honest, I still don't understand the difference between a blog and a site. Maybe I'm just thick headed

I'd like to get your opinions on the layout (since there's not much content there yet).

Does it have a clean look?
Is it easy to read?
And most importantly, is it better to put Adsense ads within the articles or leave them on the right side like I have it now?

The site is http://www.agentpromotion.com/ and I hope some of you will take the time to visit it and give me your feedback.

Thanks.

Mike

[mindy1978]

Hello Mike:

A few things that I noticed about the site. The column on the far right doesn't really go with the rest of the site. It looks kind of out of place and the colors seem out of place as well. Is there anyway to extend the header and place the column beneath the header. Also, I might decrease the font a little so it goes a little better with the far left menu column.

I would suggest places google adsense ads within the content. I have definitely had more success with ads within content then standing alone.

I hope this helps. I really like the overall look of the site and the heading. That looks great.

Mindy

[americanwahm]

Hi Mike,

The column does look a bit mismatched. Can you adjust the template to match up colors more?

Yes, I've had best experience with ads inline with my content.

[theuniek1]

Hi Mike,
Let's see if I can answer each of your questions.

Does it have a clean look?

Yes. Initially viewing the site, I was impressed by the amount of whitespace it has - very good thing.

I agree with the others who've said the sidebar seems out of place and breaks away from the common design. This is probably due to the thick black border to the left of the headings. Light brown and blue can work well together, but you should be careful when adding harsh contrasts (black/white).

The fonts are cohesive and easy on the eyes, however, not all the fonts are flexible; some fonts won't resize in some browsers like IE. Those with poor eyesight may have problems reading it, but that's a usability issue. And that brings me to...

Is it easy to read?

For me, yes it is, but you should probably make the fonts flexible so users can resize the fonts easily. Right now, only a few small sections of the site can easily be changed in browsers like IE (Firefox can override and change the font for any website, but not everyone uses Firefox).

The color contrast of the font is great, no complaints there.

And most importantly, is it better to put Adsense ads within the articles or leave them on the right side like I have it now?

This will be something you'll need to figure out by testing. Each niche's readers are different and behave differently to adverts.

Personally, I find it better to include the adverts within the content on content oriented sites, but for quick blips, then leaderboards and side ads work best.

If you intend for this to be a major content site, then experiment and track your results.

From my initial view of the homepage, I would classify it as a blog because it appears to be in chronological order, has permalinks, and allows for comments.

However, viewing the individual entries, it looks more like a traditional website; the comments and date disappear.

And, hoping to provide some clarity, a blog is just a website. It's simply a website in journal format - i.e. dated. This has been a debating going on for a little while now (i.e. what makes a blog a blog), and I believe that if you have a chronological website that has the common features of a blog, then it's a blog.

~ Teli

[MikeM]

Thanks gals and guys. I appreciate you taking the time to visit my site and coming back here to give your opinions. It means a lot to me.

The particular design is actually one of the templates that Mambo came with. I made a few tweaks such as changing the font, placing elements in different areas, and removing some features such as "Rate this article".

I'll have to look at how to change the tan sidebar on the right. I think I just need to go into the graphics folder, open up all the graphics that look like the sidebar and adjust the color or get rid of the black shadow on the left. I'll mess around with some of the designs.

I'll do some testing with the google ads in the content and on the sidebar. i'll have to figure out how to create and monitor channels within Adsense so I can see what pages pull best.

Thanks again for your opinions and if you have any more, please feel free to share them.

Mike

[bignewbie]

Hey Mike,

You're right, it does read like a blog which is great. I would change the right colum to blue so everything flows. Also, giving a brief discription of yourself and your qualifications/acomplishments in your Welcome section to increase the visitors desire to browse through your site.

As far as the adsense ads, try both methods by themself and together. In between articles and on the side and both together, testing as you go to find out what really works.

Good luck!

Eric

[Phil Tanny]

Hey Mike,

Looks good man, neat and tidy, I like it.

Best suggestion that occurs to me is to add a mailing list subscribe form to your template, so it will appear on every page.

As readers explore your site, they may have that moment of maximum interest, when some article or part of article hits home for them.

Ideally, you want to have a subscribe form nearby, right there, close at hand, when that special moment occurs.