I have redesigned the layout of the homepage of http://www.financenewstoday.com The new layout is at http://www.financenewstoday.com/newindex.php Please provide some constructive positive and negative comments comparing the current homepage to the new one.
The new layout makes the information on the page much easier to take in. All the new thumbnails on the page break up the info into nice bite sized pieces. I would make the "Personal Finance" bar line up with "Auto Insurance" next to it. The blue in these bars is a bit drab as well.
The new design is better. It looks clear and concise. A good balance with the colours, it looks professional without being drab (which is a trap many people fall into with the dreaded grey).
The double columns are much nicer, makes for a lot less scrolling. I think you may want to integrate adsense more into those columns?? I agree with the other posters, the images help break up the page into manageble sections. I like the blue in a financial context... dont have a good reason for that... i just do Its neat that so subtle a change in your layout makes such a difference in the page though.
My only comment is that your links should change color or be altered (underlined?) in some way when you hover over them. It would be easier to determine which one you're about to click...it's a silly and small change but it would increase your site's usability.
Very nice design in my opinion but I agree with socotroco, a hover effect on the links would be good. Otherwise it looks great!