2009 » August » Pro Blog Tips

Here at Top Ten Blog Tips, I’m often suggesting ways to improve your blog. Today though, I’d like to look at how to ruin your blog. Perhaps you really want to stop blogging, or perhaps the post might point out some things to avoid.

Please note that the text links in the first paragraph of this article are a test of the new Shadowbox plugin that I have just installed… ignore them, as they have nothing to do with this article… Jaron (Webmaster)

1. Only publish paid posts.

OK. We get it. You want or need to make a bit of extra cash, so you’re putting up a sponsored post every once in a while. No problem there. But there’s definitely a problem if you only put up paid posts. I don’t just mean blatant attempts to send people over to your affiliates – some blogs sneak a link into an otherwise innocent post. I don’t know about you, but I can see these a mile off. They’re a huge turn-off.

2. Put a really slow widget on it.

Installing loads of widgets is bad enough, but it only takes one widget to stop your site from loading fully. Always test your site after adding a widget, or you’re going to have a fun time if one of them causes a problem. If your site takes forever to load, I’m not going to wait.

3. Install a popup.

Popup ads are bad. However, I’m not keen on those subscription popup boxes either. They seem overly needy. “Hey, thanks for visiting – now I’ve got your attention, why don’t you subscribe?” Maybe you think they convert well for you – but how many people are they sending away?

4. Announce you won’t be checking in for a while.

This says that you don’t plan ahead very well, or you don’t see any reason why I should check out your blog again. It also seems a bit foolish – what if you suddenly get bombarded with spam, because you told everyone you won’t be checking in? It’s like going away on holiday, leaving the doors open, and putting up a sign saying “I’m not here right now, please leave everything alone until I come back”.

5. Change from full feed to partial feed.

If I subscribe, I want to read your posts in my feed reader. If I like them, I’ll click through. Don’t ruin my subscription by giving me a tiny portion of the post – I may as well unsubscribe. Then I’ll probably forget to check your blog in future. See the problem here?

6. Post nothing but surveys, music monday, or link love posts.

Fine, post what you like, but don’t expect readers to flock to your blog if every post is the same survey that everyone else is doing. I can’t believe how much text there is in some of these posts when most of it is a huge list of links to other blogs. You’re all going to be listed as link farms, seriously. (Here are 10 reasons why I won’t do your meme, survey, or whatever you call it.)

7. Publish too many off-topic posts.

If you have a personal blog, it can be hard to say exactly what is an on-topic post and what’s not. But if you have a niche blog, at least write about the niche you chose. Don’t say your blog is about one thing and blog about something completely different.

8. Stop posting altogether.

Who needs new posts anyway? I don’t need a constant flow of new information from every blog, but I do want to see a new post every now and again. Otherwise, there’s nothing to read! Don’t forget about new posts while you’re “networking”.

9. Move to a new URL every few months.

Can’t make up your mind? Well, I can – if you keep changing your URL, you’ll lose people every time you move. I’ve watched some blogs move back and forth between blogging services and they still can’t figure out why they are losing readers. It’s confusing!