As most of you know, I have been babysitting my granddaughter this week and it’s really been interesting our subjects of conversations and let me tell you if you would like a cheap site critique – try your kids and grandkids.
It’s actually been amazing as she has gone thru the sites this week and I was showing her different things as she like grandma’s touch screen – but it sure brought some simple things that I take for granted – well……………let’s say opened my eyes.
I’m not going thru all my notes that I made but I did want to share some of her insight in looking at different TE’s as she helped me match the icons while surfing – like I said she thought the touch screen was cool and told Grandma to get with the times why you still using a mouse – this is so much faster.
While surfing we were watching for people promoting Zaney Clicks and she was quick at spotting the banners and text links – examples was It’s the Cat’s Meow was one and I would have just kept going and she said there is a Zaney one Grandma – I clicked on it and sure enough – so asked her how did you know that. She goes Grandma everyone knows that you like cats so it had cats in the text link – had to be yours.
Another lesson, sometimes we get busy branding ourselves with our names that we don’t even see that we also have been branding our sites with images – and the light bulb went on again – well do you know – she goes why don’t you add text links about cats – like Meow, Meow, Meow – well trying to hide the red face I just got a piece of paper and started taking notes.
So I then asked her what was her favorite thing on the sites and she picked the banners and again I asked her why – well they are faster to read – they are always up in the corner and that corner catches my eye before the rest of the page. Interesting huh?????? I sure thought so.
Then she said I don’t like the flashy ones that makes my eyes bounce too much – I like the nice color ones – bright colors and easy to read – it’s easy to know what the banner is about instead of trying to read all that fine print – so again Grandma is taking more notes and going to go look at her banners.
Then she goes Grandma how come your site is not green?????? That is your favorite color and I thought the idea was to let people get to know you hummmmmm – she got me again……..wow – so guess I will have to maybe work on looking at that little closer.
Get this one – Grandma how come you aren’t looking at your pages and site with your picture you have on here – it’s looking off the screen – again turning 8 shades of red hmmm well duh Grandma why did you do that – that is simple one to fix.
Well folks this is just a few of the LONG list of things that I got from my Cheap Site Critique. All it cost me was my time and let her use my touch screen – and now I’m a cool Grandma as she had to go tell her friends at school.
One other thing before I go and got to share this as it’s so funny. Grandma this is what you do for work, click matching icons, view others pages, play hangman (which she won them all), chat in these rooms and on Skype – wow Grandma I can see why you have become a hermit and we don’t see you – this is an awesome “job”. Hehehehehe
OK so now i just became one of your biggest fans and your granddaughter too.
its amazing one that you and her connected well on this. the insight you got is from a future surfer. its true in just 5 to 10 years that gen is going to be looking into our business and they are way better at marketing cause they have had it thrown at them since day one.
Love it and thank you for sharing
James
Thanks and yes it was amazing and more so that she really was enjoying it – but you know how that age it can change
First let me start by saying your granddaughter is a cutie pie.
I love, love, love that you took the time to let her experience what you do on a daily basis and you let her give you her critique. Although, I don’t believe kids think of it that way, they just say what they whats on their minds. Which just goes to show, we have become almost immune to our own form of advertising. Just think how much she noticed which we don’t anymore, yes I said WE.
Thanks for sharing you learning experience, it has opened my eyes, as well.
And – No More Flashing Banners……lol.
Thanks Cathy and very spoiled. If I wrote all that she spotted I would have written a book – and sometimes it just takes someone NOT so involved to see simple things. So I really have my work cut out for me when I get home lololol
This is an amazing post!
I love how much we can learn from our grandkids!
Well done! You need to give your granddaughter a chance to see what you will implement based on her “tips”! She will love it!
Great to have a really “fresh” pair of eyes on your site and you are a cool “granny”!
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome experience!
Thanks Patti and yes they are a blessing – you really learn alot from them – and they are more use to computers than we are. Yes I will show her some of the things that I did with her tips and see how I do lolololol
Hi Nancy.
First of all, your Granddaughter is adorable.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful blog post with us. Hmm very interesting,
all her observations. As you say, she is the future Internet marketer. Gives me
much to think about.
I knew all along that I was right; never have liked flashy things on the pages,
because they hurt my eyes, so I click by them as fast as possible 🙂
Thanks Monika and yea you would think that flashing would catch people eyes more but even for a
young person it was interesting to hear that is was hard to read – thought for sure she would
have like them.
Awesome post and your grand-daughter is amazing. Can I recruit her to my business? She’ll be teaching soon a room of 5000 people 😉
Thanks Xarah and it’s amazing sometimes how someone not in your little world online can
point out such neat things that we just take for granted and don’t even notice. I loved
her ideas and will be changing some things around.
You have a beautiful granddaughter. This is a lesson for all of us to communicate with our children and grandchildren. We need to listen more instead of always telling them what to do. A child is trusting and they will speak from the heart.
Thanks Ralph – you are so right – it’s interesting how they see things and I found it neat they way
she could see things so different and give a non bias comment.
Well Nancy,
They say “Out of the mouth of babes” 🙂 so true so true. I enjoyed reading this post so much thank you for sharing. It sounds like to me your granddaughter has one serious future in teaching marketing to me. lol
Thank you and I Love it!
Susan
LOL I agree,
I have a feeling that all the bloggers and marketers will be headed to their sight to implement and few changes right after reading this one! LOL….
Okay gotta run, to my blog! 🙂
Well I know I just hit a few of her comments but I have such a to do list
so I know I will be headed to mine.
Thanks Susan – well she has always enjoyed computers but most of the time she shows me so
much on here and gets around on here lot better than I could ever do – and the shortcuts
that she shows me to do – so she teaches Grandma all the time. lol
Well I thought it was me but my 4yr old loves to match the icons and talk about the sites as we surf great to see he has some competition. Your blog is great keep up the awesome work.
Well there you go Ernie – it’s interesting what they see and catches their eyes – and they are our future marketers – thanks for the comment
Kids will really tell it like it is. Shared for you.
Thanks Janie and you are right – what I liked about asking her was that it was a bias opinion as she didn’t know the sites, the owners, etc. like I do