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We here at IZEA look at blogs every day. Sometimes ALL day, every day. So you can imagine we see blogs of all kinds.

Many are awesome blogs. Some are mediocre. Lots are…well, not so great (☹). But that’s ok because there’s always room for improvement!

As a blogger hopefully it is your goal to improve your craft, skills, and site over time…making it an all-around better quality experience for your audience. If you’re part of the IZEA Community and take part in sponsored conversations, obviously improved quality means better Opportunities for you as a Publisher, and better results for Advertisers. Quality, quality, quality: it’s a word we’ve been emphasizing for years.

A few days ago I ran across this blog (see below) I’m now in love with (ok, not really in love because…that would be weird – it’s a blog!), for many reasons. In my humble opinion, I think a site like this is an excellent example of rich quality, and an overall pleasurable experience for the visitor.

In thinking about your blog, are there ideas you can come up with to improve the quality?

Let’s break this down a bit, and I’ll tell you why I love this blog so much:

1 :: The Header (Branding)
I’m a branding nut. I think branding is one of the core components of developing a relationship with your audience. It’s creating an emotional connection with the product itself, and in some cases the product innovator (in this case, the blogger); think of some of the world’s strongest brands (Disney, Nike, Apple, etc.) This blogger does a great job of branding her blog in creative alone, with a simple header and logo that’s identifiable, and conveys to the visitor exactly what to expect from a site like this. (Does a good job of extending brand through to the Facebook Page, too, but I wish it also continued through to the Twitter profile.)

2 :: Social Networks
How cute are these icons? Seriously, “Feed Me” for the RSS? Fun! The icons directly relate to what the site is about, and are “outside of the box.” Just an extra touch that puts this particular blog outside of the norm.

3 :: Biography
A short, quick synopsis about the author, along with a photo (associating the brand with a person). If the reader wants to learn more about the site owner they can simply “read more.”

4 :: Newsletter (Relationship-Building with Audience)
Great promotion of the newsletter. Newsletters are a excellent way to push content to audience members who’ve said “I like what you have to offer, and I want to receive future information from you.” Plus, it’s another way to continue expanding the brand.

5 :: Content Consistency
I’m not personally a fan of truncated posts. It’s just a preference. But I certainly understand their purpose. If you’re going to truncate posts, this is a great way to do it. The content looks uniform, consistent, and clean.

Take a second and visit the site, and experience what it has to offer. What do you think? Agree with my thoughts? What are some things you like about this blog? Are there any missed opportunities?

P.S. Dear Michelle of What’s Cooking With Kids, we’d love to have you as part of our Community! By the way, after looking at your site for so long I’m now STARVING!

Other blogs we <3: