Increasing your blog’s readership and subscriber base is a vital element to every blogger, and you as a blogger should follow methods that ensure your readers keep coming back for more. There are a few practices that can certainly send your visitors packing without even reading a word and of course you will want to avoid these damaging approaches. Let us take a closer look at these practices:
- Poor Aesthetics
The look and feel of your blog is the first impression you will make to a new visitor and if first impression last – you will want to impress at the outset. Your choice of colors, layout and theme is the first and most integral part of designing your blog. A poorly designed blog that isn’t appealing to the eye will convey the wrong message – a message that screams unprofessional and amateurish. Before your blog goes live you should ask a friend for constructive criticism or ask members of a blogging or internet marketing forum for their feedback. The feedback you receive will help identify problem areas with your blog.
- Where’s the Content
Many visitors have become immune to ads that appear on a site but there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not in terms of ads on a blog. Over-use of advertising can drown out your content and make your blog look spammy. Ensure that you strike a balance when placing ads on your blog. Another aspect is the over-use of media like videos and audio – this type of media can increase the load time of your blog and impel your visitor to hit the back button on their browsers.
- Where Did that Come From?
Pop-ups are probably the most invasive form of advertising on the net. I personally detest pop-ups because I feel they are intrusive – they are very much like a door-to-door salesman, but at least the salesman knocks on the door. When I am surfing the net and visiting sites and a pop-up appears from nowhere I simply exit that site.
- No Comments
Blogs that do not have any comments on them send a message that the blog is unpopular. People like to follow the crowd and if there isn’t a crowd of comments on your blog then your visitors will go to a more vibrant atmosphere. When preparing your blog post you should always try and encourage comments by asking questions: Do you think a commenting culture is important for a blog?
If your blog is new, you should approach friends or even people on a forum and ask them to help you get the ball rolling by reading your posts and commenting.
- Content is King
This phrase has become a cliché because it is true. If your content is riddled with errors and does not add value to your reader then your visitor will find another site that satisfies his/her needs. You should also try to avoid complicated and highly technical blog posts as this approach can turn your reader off. If you are writing about a technical subject try and explain it in layman’s terms. Another important point that needs to be emphasized is the tone of your posts, rather than sounding like a lecturer you should adopt a conversational tone when writing your posts.
The positive to these issues is that they can all be repaired if you started on the wrong foot. I always say you should treat your blog or website like your baby. You will want to dress your baby up, feed your baby the best nutrient enriched food, and ensure you always give your baby tender loving care. And when your family and friends see your baby and say things like, “she is so adorable,†you in turn feel good inside.
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