Cosmopolitan Website Review

Cosmopolitan magazine's website

Cosmo—every single gal's guilty pleasure. Yeah, we pretend we don't buy it. But given the chance, we do, especially at this time of year. It's a fun, mindless read while lounging poolside. Who can resist a good Sex and the City quiz, astrology forecast or vamped-up fashion spread? It's the cotton candy of women's magazines—full of sugar but oh so tasty. And it comes in such a lovely shade of pink! When you're not poolside, cosmopolitan.com offers the same cheap thrills and many more.

Strength of Content: 9
From beauty to dating, party hostessing and even health articles, Cosmo has content galore (NSFW alert—some of it is not suitable for work and much of it will definitely make you blush!). The site is chock-full of tip articles, celeb photos, videos and quizzes. These folks have got their finger on the pulse of pop culture and fashion trends.

Ease of Use and Navigation: 7
Speaking of trends, I've recently acquired bangs. They've been driving me crazy, so I figured Cosmo might have a few styling tips for me. I clicked on the Hair & Beauty tab in the navigation bar, and then on to the Hair Articles category. It took a bit of sifting, but I found a great article called "Bang It Out," which gave me tips on how to style my new side-swept bangs.

Use of New Technology: 7
Under the Quizzes & Games tab, there's a link to Be a Cosmo Cover Girl. It's an app where you can make a mock-up cover complete with custom cover lines and your own photo. It's no InDesign, but for Cosmo's non-art-director audience, this is a cute idea. I'm sure many a bridesmaid has used it to mock up racy covers for the bride-to-be's bachelorette party. Also, you can sign up for the weekly e-newsletter and join the Cosmo Buzz Club panel.

Design and Layout: 7
The site's design isn't overly sophisticated (it's no Vogue), but overall the layout is clean. As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of pink. But the site does stick to a limited color palette of hot pink, black, white and light purple as accent text color. There is decent organization with consistent placement of icons. Also, the ads are limited to the very top and right-hand side, with only a few sprinkled in the articles. No pop-ups, which is good.

Level of Social Media Sophistication: 9
Cosmo seems pretty savvy when it comes to social media. There's a link to the Facebook page and Twitter feed on the main navigation bar. Also, there's a share link on every article, with some share tools I've never even heard of.

Overall Rating: 39 of 50
Overall, Cosmo offers a decent site. I may return if I need some tips on how to create a sultry smoky eye for a Friday night date.

Posted By: Lisa Summerell