WebProNews » blogging tips http://www.webpronews.com Breaking News in Tech, Search, Social, & Business Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:21:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 102 Ways to Make Your Blog Not Suck http://www.webpronews.com/102-ways-to-make-your-blog-not-suck-2007-04 http://www.webpronews.com/102-ways-to-make-your-blog-not-suck-2007-04#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:39:56 +0000 Solomon Rothman http://www.webpronews.com/?p=36963
  • Make sure a new visitor can discern the who, what, where and why of your blog within three seconds

  • Write original content

  • Make your posts scan-able

  • Use pictures and other visual content

  • Use a custom theme

  • Have easy and multiple subscribe options

  • Include blog author information

  • Don’t use too many categories
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  • Make sure a new visitor can discern the who, what, where and why of your blog within three seconds

  • Write original content

  • Make your posts scan-able

  • Use pictures and other visual content

  • Use a custom theme

  • Have easy and multiple subscribe options

  • Include blog author information

  • Don’t use too many categories

  • Reference old posts and topic history

  • Use spell check

  • Link out to other relevant material

  • Have an opinion

  • Use humor

  • Write lists

  • Make sure your blog’s top post has content that will appeal to a first time visitor

  • Use categories and keywords that actually describe your posts

  • Identify the look for your blog, e.g. whether you want a corporate or informal look

  • Market your blog content

  • Encourage community building with third party services

  • Respond to comments in the comments section of your blog

  • Give links to other interesting blogs and articles

  • Don’t overload the site with ads

  • Have a blogging strategy

  • Use a unique domain name

  • Brand your blog

  • Don’t steal or duplicate other people’s content

  • Organize your categories

  • Cite your sources

  • Join conversations on other blogs and continue them with follow up posts on your blog

  • Be controversial, but courteous

  • Use a personal voice

  • Write with passion

  • Tell stories

  • When writing about tips, show examples

  • Try to merge advice with examples and stories whenever possible

  • Write series of posts

  • Write consistently

  • Don’t apologize for your opinion

  • Provide resources to on topic sites

  • Update your old posts and pages if possible

  • Post updates to old posts and pages in new “update” posts

  • Join on-topic communities and get involved in other conversations

  • Be friendly

  • Moderate spam comments

  • Moderate overly negative or flaming comments if it’s a business blog

  • Don’t go off on religion (unless it’s a religious or strictly personal blog)

  • Don’t go off on politics (unless it’s a political or strictly personal blog)

  • Talk to your readers in second person occasionally, e.g. “what do YOU think?”

  • Use humor to liven up dull material

  • Use personal anecdotes to liven up dull material

  • Get the audience involved

  • Ask for contributions

  • Listen when you get contributions

  • Encourage user generated content

  • Always have comments turned on

  • Check your anti-spam software for false positives (everyone hates it when they spend time to comment and it disappears)

  • Link to direct sources

  • Give credit when you reiterate other people’s ideas

  • Recognize other quality bloggers and sites

  • Don’t be afraid to critique low-quality competing blogs or companies; the Blogosphere thrives on conflict

  • Use catchy titles and keyword strings so you have sexy content as well as posts that can be found via a keyword search

  • Use bulleted and numbered lists

  • Use the bold and italic styles, but only one sentence or less at a time

  • Use offbeat sources as well as the MSM (it’s the Blogosphere; talk about other people’s opinions)

  • Write about what you know

  • Write about what you’re learning (just make sure to disclose that you’re still learning to avoid backlashes if you misrepresent something)

  • Write about where you think things are going.

  • Write about where you think things have been

  • Simplify complicated concepts, use easy language

  • Cut the fluff

  • Enable full feed

  • Write content that isn’t completely disposable

  • Don’t Overdo the sensationalism

  • Provide easy social bookmarking options

  • Provide easy social media voting options (e.g. digg, reddit, netscape)

  • Manage your blogroll

  • Change things up once in a while

  • Leverage new technologies

  • Change your blog’s look and theme at least every few years ( web design trends change )

  • Keep the same naming conventions

  • Have consistent navigation

  • Use sub-navigation when appropriate to break general categories and pages down into more specific ones (categories pages, etc.)

  • Use breadcrumb navigation

  • Comment on press, links and awards the blog has received (let the readers know how you’re doing)

  • Disclose sponsorship or paid advertisements

  • If you provide top ten lists or link lists please include why you found those resources valuable compared to the infinite other sources online

  • Put sources, posts, and other information in context for new users / visitors

  • Don’t assume readers or visitors understand every acronym and neologism. Link niche words to Wikipedia or other references.

  • Make your links stand out so they’re easy to find

  • Make your call to action stand out

  • If you don’t have a call to action, then make the blog’s purpose very apparent.

  • Monitor the Blogosphere for news and info on your blog’s topic; information moves faster through blogs than in the MSM.

  • Avoid sweeping generalizations

  • Check facts; they’re online and easy to find.

  • Don’t blog pissed off; remember your words are permanent, so least attempt to calm down or be rational

  • If you need to rant (we all need that sometimes) label it a rant so visitors know what to expect.

  • Bait people when appropriate to encourage discussion and conversation

  • Promote yourself (hey, it’s your blog) but don’t over do it.

  • Don’t be overly commercial unless that’s what you want your blog to be.

  • 100. Appeal to multiple audiences (customers, other industry professionals, other bloggers etc

  • 101.Disclose potential conflicts of interest when you write about a product or service to which you’re connected

  • 102.Be social and have fun!

    • Have anymore that you would like to share? Please leave them in the comments! And make sure to leave a name and url and I’ll add the best ones to this list and cite the source!

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