Last year around Christmas time I had a conversation with one of my long time readers. She was mainly interested why I stopped covering most of the subscription boxes because that’s the reason she started following my blog in the first place. This blog was her favorite place to go for unboxings and actual box reviews, not “lazy”, as she calls them, “couple pics with copypasted product descriptions from the info card”. Our conversation then shifted in a completely unexpected direction. I used this opportunity to ask her about my most recent redesign and if there was anything she would change. She said that she liked my blog better when it was still hosted on blogspot.com and looked, as she bluntly put it, unprofessional, which got me thinking… Most bloggers I know strive to have pretty, polished blog designs that are true to their aesthetic. However, I often notice that the “prettier” [I realize that one is purely subjective] the blog gets, the less comments it receives organically. Why is that?
Do people mistrust things that appear too polished?
To find out the answer I asked a few non-blogger friends and a member of my family, and got very surprising results. Apparently if the blog design and the photos are refined and edited, maybe the blogger’s opinions are, too. That seems to be the subconscious reaction when somebody sees a sleek website and crisp stylish imagery. On the other hand, unprofessional web design, free hosting, cluttered sidebar, amateur-looking pictures taken with a phone camera are perceived as signs of someone who blogs as a hobby, thus making them appear more trustworthy.
From my personal perspective as a blogger, purchasing a website redesign and well thought out photography setup were both just stages of finally realizing my vision for how I’ve always wanted my web space to look. It’s not like I stopped writing negative reviews for products I bought myself it received for free. In fact, these days I feel absolutely no guilt whatsoever for doing so. The requests for product samplings are pouring in, so I have to decline over 70% of the pitches, and even then I’m still behind with a huge backlog. If I somehow ruin one brand relationship, there is no shortage of others to take its place on this blog. After all, a company that can’t take criticism is not a company I want to work with. To a non-blogger this might sound like humble bragging, but fellow influencers know that this is the reality of blogging as a job. The initial excitement from getting freebies gets old quickly, trust me. Which brings me to my second question.
Do you think blogger’s integrity changes as their blog evolves?
… like you could trust them before, but now you can’t? Several years ago when Glamorable was still hosted on Blogger, my friends and family would trust my opinions on beauty products without question. Now if someone sees one of my reviews, let’s say a lipstick review, the first question would be “Are these really that good?” [sadly, that conversation really did take place]. As a blogger, I find those inquiries a little insulting, because to me they border accusations. I laid it all out in the review, and the person asking the question obviously read it, so what else do they want from me? Sorry, guys, I know I am probably preaching to the choir here because you have been so nice and supportive over the years, but I just wanted to vent a little bit. Thank you for lending me the ear!
Thank you for letting me rant! Now I would love to know what you guys think about this. Leave your comments below and let’s discuss!
Disclosure: This post features copyrighted content and affiliate links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
