Blog Review: Professional Improvements for Increased Traffic

Executive Summary

Your blog demonstrates strong potential as a professional platform, with several excellent, well-crafted articles that position you as a thoughtful engineering leader. However, there are consistency issues, incomplete pieces, and structural problems that undermine the professional image.

Overall Professionalism Score: 7.5/10

• Best articles: 9/10 (AI-Assisted Development, Vibe Coding, Standups, Virtual Commute)
• Weakest articles: 5/10 (Arcade Machine, Website Update, Personal Knowledge Management)

With focused effort on the improvements below, your blog can reliably convey the professional expertise and leadership credibility you clearly possess.

HIGH-PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS (Breaking Issues)

1. Personal Knowledge Management - INCOMPLETE ARTICLE

Issue: Article is marked draft: true but featured: true. Content ends abruptly mid-section.

Impact: HIGH - Visitors see incomplete featured content. Signals carelessness.

Required Action:

• Decide: Finish this article or unpublish it
• If finishing: Complete the article to 1200-1500 words with:
  • "What is a PKM System?" (complete)
  • "Building Your Own PKM System"
  • "Tools & Approaches"
  • "Getting Started"
• If unpublishing: Set draft: true and remove from featured
• Recommendation: Finish it—foundational content for your audience

2. Inconsistent Frontmatter & Metadata

Issue: Wildly inconsistent across posts:

• Arcade Machine has placeholder description ("Article description.")
• Website Update: minimal metadata ("New Website")
• Image paths mix absolute (/images/) and relative (../images/)
• Missing feature images, alt text, captions

Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH - Affects SEO, navigation, appears unprofessional

Required Actions:

• Standardise all image paths to /images/filename (absolute paths)
• Ensure every post has meaningful 50-160 character description
• Add feature images with alt text and captions to all posts
• Use the standard frontmatter template (see below)

3. Arcade Machine - Sparse Content (Photo Dump)

Issue: ~200 words + 18 images. Reads like a photo gallery, not a blog post.

Impact: MEDIUM - Appears unfinished. Squanders great visual content.

Required Actions:

• Add 1200-1500 words of narrative covering:
  • Why you built it (nostalgia, learning, passion)
  • Design philosophy and materials
  • Component choices (buttons, joystick, monitor, emulation)
  • Technical challenges and solutions
  • Lessons learned
  • Current status and use
• Improve photo curation (remove blurry/redundant shots)
• Add captions to key photos
• Fix placeholder description
• This could be one of your best posts—it needs substance to match the visuals

MEDIUM-PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS

4. Grammar Issues

Issue: Possessive apostrophe errors in titles:

• "Daily Stand-up's" → "Daily Stand-ups"
• "Coding Kata's" → "Coding Katas"

Required Actions:

• Fix titles in both posts
• Fix in frontmatter title field
• Fix any instances in body text

Impact: Low but visible. Technical audience notices. Undermines credibility slightly.

5. Weak Post Conclusions & CTAs

Issue: Several posts lack clear conclusions or calls-to-action:

• Website Update ends vaguely
• Keeping the Fire Alive CTA too casual
• Arcade Machine (photos) has no real ending

Required Actions:

• Website Update: Strengthen CTA
• Keeping the Fire Alive: Replace casual CTA with professional version
• Arcade Machine: Add proper conclusion with CTA
• Virtual Commute: Add brief summary paragraph and CTA

Good CTA Example (from AI-Assisted Development): "If you're in the early stages... I'd genuinely like to hear your experience. Reach out on LinkedIn—I'm always interested in how other leaders are navigating this."

6. Thin Articles (Under 600 Words)

Issue: These feel rushed and incomplete:

• Website Update: 200 words
• Keeping the Fire Alive: 400 words
• Arcade Machine: 200 words (+ photos)

Required Actions:

• Website Update: Expand to 800+ words with:
  • Why static site generation?
  • Migration process and challenges
  • Performance & security improvements
  • Lessons learned
  • Add feature image
• Keeping the Fire Alive: Expand to 800+ words:
  • Why side projects matter for leadership
  • Skills transfer to team management
  • Career development angle
  • Strengthen CTA

7. Inconsistent Feature Images

Issue:

• Some posts missing images entirely
• Missing alt text on some images
• Image paths inconsistent

Required Actions:

• Personal Knowledge Management: Add feature image (note-taking/PKM system)
• Website Update: Add feature image (static site diagram or screenshot)
• All posts: Ensure alt text and caption present

8. Tonal Inconsistency

Issue: Posts vary wildly:

• AI-Assisted Development: Formal, strategic ✓
• Omarchy: Lyrical, poetic (beautiful but inconsistent)
• Website Update: Casual, like an email

Required Actions:

• Adopt "professional but warm" voice standard
• Omarchy: Tone down poetic language; add practical content
  • Add "For whom is Omarchy right?" section
  • Add setup/configuration tips
  • Strengthen CTA
• Reference your expertise without overdoing it
• Use "I" but not casual language

Model After: AI-Assisted Development, Vibe Coding, Standups

LOW-PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS

9. Inconsistent Categories & Tags

Issue: No standard category list. Tags vary in style.

Required Actions:

• Use ONLY these categories:
  • Engineering Management
  • Software Development
  • Agile & Delivery
  • Remote Work & Productivity
  • Infrastructure & Tools
  • Career Development
  • Leadership
  • Personal Development
• Standardise tags: lowercase, hyphenated format
• Audit all posts and update

10. Missing Related Content Links

Issue: Posts don't link to related posts.

Suggested Links:

• AI-Assisted Development ↔ Vibe Coding
• Standups ↔ Virtual Commute
• Keeping the Fire Alive ↔ side projects

11. Weak Blog Home

Issue: Blog home page very minimal.

Improvements:

• Add intro paragraph about the blog
• Feature 3-4 best posts
• Show latest posts
• Clear navigation

12. Author Bios

Issue: Only AI-Assisted Development has author bio.

Recommendation:

• Add brief author bio to more posts (especially flagship pieces)
• Link to About page

POST-BY-POST SCORECARD

STANDARD FRONTMATTER TEMPLATE

Use this for all new posts:

 1---
 2title: "Your Post Title Here"
 3date: YYYY-MM-DD
 4description: "50-160 character summary compelling for search/social. Focus on value to reader."
 5featured: false  # Only true for 3-4 evergreen pieces
 6draft: false
 7toc: false
 8menu: Articles
 9usePageBundles: false
10featureImage: /images/image-name.png
11featureImageAlt: "Descriptive alt text for accessibility"
12featureImageCap: "Optional caption"
13thumbnail: /images/image-name.png
14shareImage: /images/image-name.png
15categories:
16  - Category Name  # Use standard categories only
17tags:
18  - tag-name  # lowercase, hyphenated
19---

PRE-PUBLISH CHECKLIST

Before publishing ANY post, verify:

• Frontmatter complete and valid YAML
• Description: 50-160 characters, compelling, SEO-appropriate
• Feature Image with alt text and caption
• Content length minimum 600 words (unless brief piece justified)
• Clear H2 headings and logical flow
• Tone matches professional-but-warm standard
• Grammar and spelling checked
• All links work (internal and external)
• Clear CTA at end
• Categories/tags from standard list
• Related links included if relevant
• Draft status set to false

ACTION PLAN - PRIORITY TIMELINE

IMMEDIATE (This Week) - 2-3 hours

1. Personal Knowledge Management: Decide finish/unpublish
2. Fix apostrophe errors in titles (Standups, Katas)
3. Fix all image paths to /images/ format

Week 2-3 (Next 2 Weeks) - 6-8 hours

4. Expand Website Update to 800+ words with technical details
5. Expand Keeping the Fire Alive to 800+ words with career angle
6. Add meaningful descriptions to Arcade Machine and Website Update
7. Add missing feature images with alt text

Week 3-4 (Next Month) - 4-6 hours

8. Expand Arcade Machine to 1200+ words of narrative
9. Standardise categories and tags across all posts
10. Strengthen weak CTAs
11. Add author bios to flagship posts
12. Add related links between posts

Ongoing

• Maintain pre-publish checklist for all new posts
• Commit to 1-2 posts per month
• Keep editorial standards consistent

TONE GUIDELINES

Your voice should be:

• Professional but warm (you're an expert, but approachable)
• Clear and direct (no unnecessary jargon)
• Personal without casual (use "I" and examples; avoid "hey," "lol")
• Opinionated but humble (strong stances, acknowledge alternatives)
• Practical and actionable (leave readers able to do something)

Model After:

• ✓ AI-Assisted Development (strategic, structured, respectful)
• ✓ Vibe Coding (strong opinion with reasoning)
• ✓ Standups (practical, engaging, personal)

Avoid:

• ✗ Overly poetic language
• ✗ Casual tone that doesn't match positioning
• ✗ Reference/tutorial format without narrative

CONTENT LENGTH GUIDANCE

• Minimum: 600 words (for quick tips)
• Optimal: 800-1500 words (most impactful)
• Maximum: 2500 words (only for deep dives)
• Policy: Nothing under 400 words should be published

IMPACT AFTER IMPROVEMENTS

Your blog will:

1. Appear more polished (consistent formatting, complete articles)
2. Rank better in search (better metadata, structured posts)
3. Feel more authoritative (substantial, detailed posts)
4. Be more accessible (proper alt text, clear structure)
5. Drive more engagement (strong CTAs, invitations to comment)
6. Reflect your leadership credibility

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Establish Publishing Rhythm

• Commit to 1-2 posts per month
• Keep rolling list of topics
• Use pre-publish checklist every time

2. Create "Best Of" Section

• Feature top 4-5 posts prominently
• Top posts: AI-Assisted Development, Vibe Coding, Standups, Virtual Commute
• Link from home page and about page

3. Consider Post Series

• "Keeping the Fire Alive" series on motivation/passion
• "Home Office" series on remote work
• "Essential Skills" series

4. Strengthen Blog SEO

• Meta descriptions on blog home
• Internal links between related posts
• Optimise descriptions for keywords

5. Maintain Editorial Standards

• No unfinished/draft posts published
• Pre-publish checklist for every post
• Consider peer review before publishing

6. Update Blog Home Page

• Add intro paragraph
• Feature 3-4 best posts
• Show latest posts
• Include subscribe option

CONCLUSION

Your blog has strong bones. Your best articles demonstrate sophisticated thinking and clear communication. The problem isn't your ability to write—it's consistency and completion.

Key Issues (Fixable):

• Finish incomplete articles
• Expand thin posts
• Standardise formatting
• Strengthen conclusions

Highest Leverage Improvements:

1. Finish Personal Knowledge Management (foundational content)
2. Expand Arcade Machine (highest potential, visual content)
3. Expand Website Update (quick win, technical audience)

Once addressed, your blog will reliably convey professional expertise and leadership credibility. Your increased traffic is noticing your best work—now make sure ALL your work meets that standard.

Status: Ready to Action
Last Updated: 27 January 2026
Estimated Effort: 15-20 hours over next 4 weeks