first up in this series is sarah erdmann from wifemomdesigner & lucky star press. sarah is – get this – a wife, mom, and graphic designer. ya know, most of the time in blogging saying precisely what you mean is *very* important – 10 points for the simple & effective title, i know what i’m going to get.

like it

unless you’re the sartorialist, you’re probably not going to get by with the stock blogspot header. a beautiful or unique or eye-catching – and at the least professional-looking – header is a must. luckily, sarah is a designer and created a beautiful banner that serves as a jumping off point for the rest of her blog design: simple, colorful, and pretty. 20 points for a great header!

the most recent post while writing this is a “meme” post. sure, write too many of these and you’re going to annoy somebody. but memes & projects (something i talk about in 52 Weeks) are a great way to guide your writing, give your readers insights in to your business, and generally make things fun! 10 points for fun.

things to improve

who are you, sarah? i’m totally sad that sarah hasn’t included a small “about” section in her sidebar – at the top. while blogger isn’t my platform of choice, i know there’s a gadget – or whatever you crazy blogger users call your widgets – for adding in an easy peasy about section that pulls from your blogger profile. -10 points for confusion & missed marketing opportunity.

similarly, sarah has a lovely graphic for her design shop (+15 points!). but you have to get through her blogroll to see it… i would put that puppy right under that lovely “about” section sarah’s going to add tomorrow morning! -10 points for missing out on sales.

which leads me to a couple of little pointers about sidebar organization.

• consider the length of your average post. any information & links you want everyone to see should be contained in that average length on your sidebar. many people will only view your blog via single posts, if all your good info is down at the bottom of your sidebar, it’s not going to get seen!
• make it easy to connect with you. social media links – facebook, twitter, linkedin – and your email address or other contact info should be displayed prominently. the more you use it, the higher it should be on your sidebar.

finally, sarah needs to blog more about her own work! don’t get me wrong, i’m all for blogging your inspiration – whether that be other artists, your family, or daily life – fill in the gaps. but don’t be afraid to post your work. of the 6 blog posts on her first page, sarah only shows a picture of her work once.

do you spend 1/6th of your time working?

i didn’t think so. honestly, i read artist’s blogs to find out what they’re working on. show it to me!

oh – one more thing! – sarah let me know that her business is mostly wholesale. she works for new accounts not necessarily for retail sales, although i’m sure she’d be thrilled if you popped over to her etsy shop. so how can she increase awareness of her desire to whole her product? my suggestion is always to post about the stores & boutiques that are already carrying your work. “interview” the owner, do a special “thanks” series – and always include your wholesale contact information at the bottom of those posts.

thanks so much for volunteering for the first blog critique, sarah. i hope you find some of these suggestions useful!