If you’re a longtime reader, you probably know by now that I like to share behind-the-scenes updates and info every now and then. I like for as many things to be transparent as possible. Sometimes I ask for feedback, other times I provide general site info, such as with end-of-year updates.
You might find all this boring, or it might be interesting. In case you find it uninteresting, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The “Responsive” Shift
Back in February I was planning for site-wide changes, and asked for your feedback. Then, in March, Google sent over an email suggesting that I fix ToolGuyd’s mobile usability issues. I had been wanting to step into the responsive arena for a while, and Google gave me the swift kick I needed.
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Google is responsible for a huge proportion of visitors that find ToolGuyd via search. If Google says fix something or potentially experience negative ranking consequences, you fix it.
And so, right after I told you that massive changes are coming, I went ahead and very quickly changed things over to a new layout I had been working on. I barely slept that first week, but I was able to get most things looking and feeling kind of like they used to, and hopefully you feel there are improvements as well.
In a nutshell, a responsive layout is one that adjusts depending on the size of the browser window. So instead of readers having to double tap or pinch the screen in order to zoom in on a content column to make it large enough to read, a responsive site will push the sidebar to the bottom of the page and resize everything to fit the smartphone or tablet browser window.
I’m not done yet with the site updates, as there are still a lot of things that need work or polishing.
- The top menu needs polishing
- Mobile menu needs work
- Footer section needs work
- I’m not thrilled with the current fonts
- The widest desktop layout needs tweaking
- I want to allow for even wider images
- Some pages are still broken, such as the cordless drill comparison
Minor Update: Starting today you’ll notice that the top navigation menu sticks to the top of the screen, as it did before the change. With some magic I set it so that this doesn’t happen for any device where there’s a “hamburger” 3-lined menu. It should only sticky to the top of a screen when you see the full text menu.
While I’m on the subject, if you read ToolGuyd with a smartphone or tablet, would you prefer for a stacked text menu at the top of the page, or the condensed menu as it is now? Once I have things tweaked I might create a menu bar with an anchored menu button and search box.
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“Mobile Usability” According to Google
So what did all that accomplish?
According to Google, I squashed all of the mobile usability issues. That last 1 page that has errors will go away once Google revisits it in coming weeks.
New Look Feedback?
I wanted to wait until everything was in a more finished state before asking for feedback, but if you have suggestions, criticisms, or feedback about the new look and layout, please share! I cannot fix issues I don’t know about, and I cannot implement changes that nobody asks for.
In Case You Hate the New Mobile Layout
If you’re on a phone or tablet and want to see the “desktop” view, you should be able to. The way things are right now, if you resize the window on a desktop or laptop computer to make it narrower, that’s what you would see on a smartphone or tablet with a similar browser resolution. And so there isn’t a separate “desktop” view if you’re on a mobile device.
One thing I still want to do is create a “switch to desktop theme” button. Or maybe I need to fork the layout styling file into desktop and mobile versions. I’m not sure which will be easier.
The site has been developed for multiple screen sizes, with a desktop-first focus. What I probably need to do next is update the layout code so that it works for multiple desktop and mobile screen sizes a little differently.
Site Loading Speed?
Does ToolGuyd load speedily for you? Spambots were really hammering the server to the point where the CPU was overtaxed and site speeds were affected, and this was happening every day or at least a few times each week. I finally tried out a 3rd party service that helps to block spambots, and I think it’s been helping.
The next thing I can do is upgrade the server or hosting package, as I’ve been doing every so often. But now, since the CPU is looking to be the bottleneck, the jump to a higher server package is a bit steeper. Stepping up from here will result in 4X the cost, and that’s monthly!
If need be, I will gladly budget for a higher server package, but with a 3rd party service now knocking spambots off the site, it might not be necessary, at least not yet.
Unfortunately, 4X the cost won’t mean 4X the performance or speed, but I’m told that ToolGuyd would be able to handle a greater number of simultaneous connections. I’ll look into a couple of things.
Oops, What Happened to the Ads?!
Right after I made the site “responsive” in mid March, I noticed a drop in Google Adsense revenue. Well, it wasn’t so much a drop as it was a hemorrhage to the tune of ~40%.
Google Adsense ads are on most monetized websites out there. Even retailers such as Sears and Toys”R”Us run Adsense ads. Adsense ads are contextual and/or interest-based.
ToolGuyd is supported through multiple revenue streams, but while Adsense isn’t the only source of funding support, a 40% drop hurts pretty bad.
Why is this important? Do you remember the giveaway from April 1st? I spent $555 on that so far, and after shipping the last few things the total will probably be around $600. I also hope to order up some ToolGuyd-branded swag later this year. There will hopefully be stickers at the least, since this is what most people ask for when they write in looking for swag.
A 40% hit to Adsense shouldn’t impact ToolGuyd day-to-day operations, but it’ll affect my ability to do things like spend $600 on a random reader give-back giveaway. I enjoy being able to offer ToolGuyd-funded rewards, perks, and prizes to readers, and so I’d find a way to make it work. But things like budgeting for swag? That’s been cut from funding in past years, and I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to do the same this year.
Here is what Adsense revenue looked like on April 10th, a Friday nearly a month after the responsive changes to ToolGuyd’s layout, compared to February 20th, a Friday nearly a month before the site’s responsive overhaul:
You see the problem, right? Dark blue is current revenue, light blue is past.
A big problem was that I really don’t understand why this happened. It really makes no sense to me, and it took me a month to figure out what to do. In tablet and smartphone browsers, the sidebar is all the way on the bottom where a lot of readers won’t scroll down to. So it makes sense that Adsense revenue would drop for readers visiting the new responsive site with mobile devices. But there was also an inexplicable hit with desktop browsers as well.
On April 15th, a marketing rep for some big ad service company contacted me for the 3rd time. He was trying to convince me to try out a couple of new ad units they provide – one that flies into the page from the bottom left “gutter,” one that slides up for the bottom, and a mobile ad that stays stickied on the bottom of the page. I ultimately declined, but it was that 3rd email that prompted me to really figure all this out.
On the 16th, I changed a few things. I really had no idea what to do, but I had to try something. I moved the ToolGuyd “subscribe to our newsletter” box in the sidebar, from its position between the 1st and 2nd ad slots, to below the 2nd ad slot. I also modified the little ad that’s right below post headlines. I initially redesigned it to be responsive – 468 x 60px for desktop and tablet browsers, 320 x 50px for smartphone browsers. I tweaked this ad unit to also allow for 320 x 100px ad sizes, although I haven’t really seen ads of that size load in any of my continued tests.
Well, something must have worked, and I’m not sure why, but things improved.
Comparing Adsense revenue on April 17th vs. Feb 20th, you can see that there’s an improvement. The bottom line isn’t where it was, but it’s at least coming close.
None of what I did should have had such effect on the Adsense performance.
Please don’t read too much into why I’m telling you all this. I found it interesting that the drop in Adsense revenue tied into the responsive changes, but it also ties into what I am about to tell you about a new ad unit that I have been testing out in mobile browsers. Nothing is needed on anyone’s parts. Remember, this is just me trying to be transparent.
A New Ad – Please Tell Me If It’s Annoying!
I did a bit of testing on my phone, and saw that the under-headline ad unit wasn’t really loading with the page. By the time it loaded, I was a few paragraphs into an article. And since the sidebar is pushed way, way down on the page in mobile browsers, mobile phone ad performance has become pretty bad.
I am not a fan of in-content ads. That’s why the under-post-headline ad is very small. A larger ad would perform better, as Google reminds me every few months in “performance tips” emails. They keep recommending a large 336 x 280px ad right at the top center of every, page, but I think that would be annoying. And if I think it’s annoying, I am sure you guys will think it’s annoying. Maybe not, but that’s the way I try to do things.
After testing things out a little, a larger banner ad right below post headlines is still as obnoxious as in desktop browsers. But I found that, if it’s pushed down the page a little, a mobile-only content column ad doesn’t really stick out in an obnoxious or in-your-face way, and so I decided to give it a try. The ad is set under the 2nd paragraph in the content column, and you’ll only see it on a phone or other browser that’s very narrow or very short. At first it didn’t look like an ad, and so I added top and bottom borders and a very clear “Advertisement” label. I’ll let it run for a couple of weeks, and am open to feedback.
What I might do is keep one of the content column ads, or both, depending on what I see.
If you visit ToolGuyd with your smartphone, do you find this new ad placement to be intrusive? If so, I’ll nix it.
Bye Bye URL Field in Comments
I disabled the URL/website field in comments a couple of weeks ago, and nobody brought it up. Should I take it that this was a feature nobody misses or feels strongly about?
You probably don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? When you write out a comment (and you do comment from time to time, right?), the site asks for your name and email address. Up until a few weeks ago, it also asked for your URL or website address, if you had one.
9/10 URLs entered into that field were spam. Of the 1/10 that weren’t spam links, most weren’t valid URLs. They were N/A, or “none,” or toolguyd, or ToolGuy, or GJ, or things like that. The site automatically turns these into clickable links, and so those non-link links get messy. The few non-spam and non-link URL entries were to readers’ blogs, sites, or profiles. I did a link audit, and most of the broken links were to commenter’s now-defunct webpages! Others were abandoned and bought up by spam sites!
And so with very few readers using the URL comment field properly or at all, and it being a popular vessel for spam, I disabled it from the comment form.
That’s All For Now…
I’m sure there’s an update I forgot to mention, but if anything else comes to mind I’ll save it for next time.
As always, don’t hesitate to share any comments, opinions, or feedback you have!
Casey
I’m not sure how the ads work. Do you get paid for ads loading or do they have to be clicks?
Stuart
I’m pretty sure that adsense ads are mostly pay per click. But clicks are often proportional to views.
PLEASE DON’T CLICK ON ADS UNATURAULLY – Google penalizes for that. (Just in case anyone thought they could help out by clicking every ad they saw.) Clicking on ads for the sole purpose of driving revenue is red flagged and does much more harm than good.
There are other factors, such as “active view viewable,” which dropped by a huge amount after the responsive shift since adsense ads were pushed off screen. Active view viewable refers to visibility of an ad unit.
Making the two changes shouldn’t have had much bearing on anything, but it did improve the active view viewable metric from 35% to 45% or so. It used to be maybe 65%.
steve
If your ads aren’t glaringly obnoxious, you should put a simple note in for all the people who are using an adblocker, to plead with them to add you to their whitelisted sites 😉
Stuart
If employing as adblocker gives readers a better browsing experience, then that’s fine by me.
I’d rather not get in the habit of asking for whitelisting, ad clicks, affiliate clicks, or anything of the sort. Readers’ experiences here should be as smooth as possible.
The best way anyone could support the site is by sending a link to a friend or two they think might enjoy the content. Ads are less important.
Derek
If you’re looking for swag there are quite a few companies out there who let you create a store, pick what is offered and set pricing. Products are then shipped directly from them and printed on demand. That helps you avoid running out of certain sizes and having random leftovers.
Also, I think it would be cool to see some ToolGuyd branded tool products like a wrench roll.
Stuart
Maybe. Regarding swag, I want to have some freebies created – stickers at the least, maybe pens, keychains, or small screwdrivers or hex key sets beyond that. T-shirts, hats, and related? Sellable swag? Maybe later on.
Mike
If I may, I have two suggestions for that. The first is the WD-40 applicator pens. You can get them printed with your logo or whatever else you like. These are not cheap unless you purchase a large quantity, however. Less expensive are tool aprons from CLC. You can get them in single or multiple color prints and in various styles and quality. They range from dirt cheap (like the ones you can buy from Lowe’s or Home Depot) to moderately cheap.
A number of years ago my company did a bunch of those pens. I found it amusing that the guys who always complained about WD-40 and claimed they wouldn’t use it under any circumstances (I’m sure you’ve heard those arguments) were the first to grab them up. It still amuses me that they’re the same ones who keep asking for new ones when theirs get used up or go missing.
Tommy
To get some “swag” sign up for this site’s “deal of the day.” I have caught several good deals on printed items. You have to be quick though, some days the deals are snapped up in minutes.
http://promotions.4imprint.com/dealoftheday/deals
Scott Davis
I am running Google Chrome (desktop) and I don’t have any ads on any of the pages. Not sure why that is, I don’t have an ad blocker.
Stuart
Is that still the case after reloading/refreshing the page?
I ran into some issues last night with a code conflict, but thought I fixed it.
Scott Davis
Yes. It says advertisment but nothing is there. Its like a place holder.
Stuart
If it’s just that one spot, I need to tweak settings. If it’s ALL spots, then I’ll have to dig deep and figure things out. Ads are showing up on all my test devices though. I haven’t a clue why you’re not seeing them, and unless anyone else reports a similar problem, there’s not much for me to investigate with.
mel
Hi Stuart,
I like the readability of the new layout. However – I can’t seem to find how to navigate from one article to the next or previous. There used to be a link near the “related posts” section at the end of the article, right? Is it gone, or am I missing something?
I’m using my laptop at my desk at work, usually browsing with Firefox, if that makes a difference.
Thanks for all the work, btw.
-mel
Stuart
Thanks for the feedback!
Prior to changing things over, it appeared that so few people actually used those links, and so I didn’t implement it into the new layout. I’ll see if I can add them back in for a limited time test.
Stuart
*Done*
I also added in some anonymous tracking code to see if anyone actually uses those links.
John Blair
Hi Stuart,
My favorite ad’s on the site are the “Buy Now” buttons at the bottom of reviews. I find you’ve always done a good job of finding a reasonable price. If I end up deciding to buy something that there is a review of, I always go back to the article and click your buy now link.
I don’t see context sensitive ads as I’ve globally opted out for every in line ad service I could find an opt out for. I opened a browser on my iPad in private mode and the small ad below the header didn’t look offensive and wasn’t something I was likely to click by accident.
The site is very readable and making the menu sticky to the top of the screen is a nice touch. Toolguyd is a site I go to every day just to see what’s new in the world of tools.
Glad you didn’t choose to update with a Flying Gutter ad. Flying ad’s are actually the number one reason I stop visiting a site.
Thanks for a great read each morning.
Stuart
Those aren’t really ads, but many are affiliate links, and sales through affiliate links do help to support the site. I have a policy of only adding such links when relevant, and I mix in links to non-affiliate retailers as well if/when applicable. I generally link out to the retailers where I would purchase the tool myself, which usually means Amazon, Home Depot, Lee Valley (they don’t have an affiliate/referral program), and a bunch others. I try to provide model numbers for readers who want to shop elsewhere.
You will find some links in content as well, such as when I feel a pricing link is appropriate. If I check Amazon or another site for pricing and availability info while writing a post, I figure readers will be interested in doing the same.
I do NOT allow paid placement text links.
Thanks for the kind words! So far I think that my “if I find it annoying, readers will too” policy to work well. The sticky menu is something I find useful as well, although it doesn’t work smoothly in my iPad in portrait mode. In the tablet, it jumps around awkwardly.
Tyler
To be honestly, I always wondered about the inclusion of the URL field. I had assumed it was a big welcome sign for spammers. From my perspective, those that complain about it are likely to be those are using it for the wrong reasons.
JG
Awesome read man. Toolguyd was third site I ever whitelisted on my adblock years back when I came to my senses and realized that total wipe of ads damages people I like.
Chris
FYI: Since the update, I can no longer see your website on my phone. The homepage loads, but every time I click on a link to read the details of a story, the browser crashes – every time! I am using an HTC One M7 Google play edition on Kit Kat, dolphin browser, and desktop mode. I imagine that if I updated dolphin browser it would probably fix the issue, but the last time I updated Dolphin they forced a bunch of ads onto my home screen, so I reverted to a prior version.
Every other website I visit on my phone works perfectly (and does not default to the mobile site, which happens with Chrome), so I have no intention of changing my setup for this one site. Sadly, I can no longer use this site on my phone (which basically means I only access it at work now).
Stuart
Weird. Maybe there’s bad file stuck in your cache? If you have another browser on your phone, does it work there?
And as mentioned in the post, there is no separate mobile or desktop site. There is one site that changes based on the size of the browser window.
I’ll try to replicate the issue, but I’ve tested the site with all major browsers without any glaring problems.
GMA15R
I only view the site on a desktop computer and have had no problems. And while style and format are important, content is critical. And the content has always been and remains top notch. Keep up the good work.
rhyino
The site loads promptly with all of my devices. (desktop running Firefox or iPad/iPhone with Safari)
I did notice that sometimes when viewing the homepage , the photographs do not match up with the corresponding blurbs. When I click on the “read more” link, the correct photo shows up.
Thank you for your hard work!
Stuart
That’s an iOS 8 and Safari bug, where the images are weirdly swapped. Every now and then I check, and there are no solutions. All I can do is wait until Apple fixes their bug.
Szymon
GREAT SITE.
I found this site many months ago. Close to a year ago. Not sure how I came across it. It could have been through GJ but not 100% right.
I was so impressed by your articles and the variety of tool reviews that I actually visited all the previous pages going back in time and reading articles on tools that interested me.
So far all the changes that you have done don’t bother me and I have no issues viewing the site on multiple devices multiple times in a day. Even from north of the border. 😉
I suppose if I was to provide some feedback , the only feedback I can offer at this time is to post more articles/reviews of tools.
I am bummed out when I have read the latest postings by the time I get out of the washroom in the AM and there are no further articles posted during the day.
I know that sometimes there are multiple postings in a day and I am happy to see them.
I know that this isn’t possible and even silly of me to think of as there are many other things that you do behind the scenes that contribute to the site on an ongoing basis. Not to mention that you also have a family and an infant to help take care of. (I have 2 myself and know what being “short on time” is like)
Joking aside…
Keep up the great work and hopefully this site stays to be one of my favorite sites to visit daily.
Stuart
Thank you for the kind words!
If it makes you feel better, I have two unwritten post ideas for every single one that is published.
Time is a big limiting factor right now, but I’m working on that.
Hang Fire
It probably doesn’t matter to most readers, but it is common blog courtesy to allow a commenter to list their own blog. Citing spam as a reason not to is tantamount to citing spam as a reason to shut down the whole Internet.
Stuart
Spam is a big part of the issue, improper use is another. Defunct links now lead to spam pages, junk pages, and in one case a site of conspiracy theories and terrorist group sympathies.
Seeing N/A, none, toolguy, and other non URLs pushed me over the fence.
Frequent commenters like yourself that wish to include their URLs can either add the URL at the end of comments, in the name field, or perhaps I could create subscriber accounts that automatically populates the URL field. This is something I’ve been trying to figure out.
If you can think of a way I could provide the courtesy without the rampant frustrations, I’m open to suggestions.
If you had to deal with as much spam and BS as I do, you’d understand.
Hang Fire
I’ve been there, I understand the spam issue, and I do sympathize, but I am giving you the view from my side. Yes it does take effort to set up spam controls, but after that it shouldn’t take much of an ongoing effort to deal with them. The first simplest tactic is just block posting from a few certain countries by IP.
A typical method is vetted posters (over a certain post count) can add their URL. Perhaps comments over a certain age would no longer display the link, that would take care of the aging link redirection issue. Yes all that requires some programming, sorry! WordPress et al has many plugins to do stuff like this for you, but “some assembly is required.”
steve
fwiw, i saw your blog’s url on a different tool blog that had stopped posting… (RIP toolmonger, Long live Toolguyd!)
Joe
That intrusive pop-up just wanted me to leave this forum. And I know about adblock plus and NoScripts.
On a nostalgia side of things, WOW! how google went from a simple search engine to the shot caller of today!