Something all rather weird is going on at the Landscaper Magazine.
Only last week I reported on the launch of their www.landscaperjobs.co.uk site, only to find yesterday that it had gone. Instead, the URL to the five page landscaper job site has been redirected back to the main Landscaper Magazine site.
I emailed editor David Curtis but I did not get any response so I can only speculate that I stumbled on their new job site before it was officially launched or perhaps there has been a change of heart.
My observations are that the Landscaper Magazine is finding it hard to make the transition to a fully fledged digital version. I find the editorial on the front page difficult to read. There are no breathing spaces and it all looks rather like joined up writing.
I know that there have recently been redundancies at the magazine so I guess that editorial resources are a little stretched, but the site needs a little sorting out, and soon, otherwise readers will be turned away.
If I were in charge at LM, this is what I would do - and fast:
1. Remove all adverts from the left sidebar and add information and links that are related solely to the site and previous articles. The right sidebar would then become the selling bar and dedicated to adverts and paid reviews. Make the distinction between paid and editorial and stick to it.
2. Open up the front page so that the editorial is not squeezed into such a tight space and get rid of the large search box and the box containing the magazine with its pages turning over - simple links in the side bar will do this very well.
3. Get rid of the Google adverts. I am different because I am a one man band who needs to earn money to buy essentials like wine and pizza, but what message do advertisers get when they see Google ads?
What about the 'Job Done' image that is taking up such a large space? The advert invites me to place a job ad but when I click on it, all I find is a list of job adverts by others and no place for me to send my details.
Let me make it quite clear, I am a big fan of the Landscaper Magazine and I applauded them for switching to on-line.
The landscape industry needs a publication that provides product reviews, opinion and above all, case studies of real landscapers (something the LM seems to avoid).
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