Everyday brands make crucial mistakes with their blog posts. From old school ways to improper keyword research the list of reasons I won’t read your blog is endless.
To prevent this mistakes, first ask yourself the following questions before you sit down to write your blog post:
- What do you personally look for when searching online for blog posts?
- Why do you stay on the page?
- What details of the blog, appearance wise, attract you to a blog?
Once you answer these very important questions you just might be ready to start writing. But before you hit the keyboard, make sure you read my top 6 reasons for why I won’t be reading your blog.
No Images
One of my biggest pet peeves when reading a blog is that there are no images. Putting content out on the Internet is all about being visually appealing and engaging. It’s pretty much a no brainer that all ‘step-by-step’ type of blogs must include imagery. Infographics, sidebar images and Sildeshares also make great imagery additions to a blog. Just think, do you thoroughly enjoy reading a short story that doesn’t have pictures?
Blog Tip:
Take your blog visuals to the next level with an embedded video. Here’s a simple step-by-step of how insert videos into blog posts.
Boring Headline
The headline is your blog’s first impression to its audience. A headline must be compelling enough to lure in readers. Need help creating a great headline? Check out this previous blog on engaging headlines written by one of our team members.
Bad Design & Layout
And now we’re back to the visuals. Can you see a trend? There’s nothing worse than reading a blog that just isnt’ ease on the eyes. Maybe it’s the background, maybe it’s the font, but sometimes a blog can just look plain ugly. When creating your blog page or updating a page, be sure you are choosing colors and fonts that are coordinating and user friendly. Make sure colors don’t clash and that the font is more practical than ‘cool looking’. If you have a designer on your team, I would suggest consulting with them on what looks best.
Pop-Up Galore
There’s a time and place for pop-ups on a blog and the first 2 seconds on the page is not the time. Strategically timing your pop-ups are essential. Think about the process of reading a blog and then base your plan around that. Just keep in mind pop-ups should engage, not annoy readers.
Spelling Errors
Nothing is more irritating than having to pull out your red pen and edit a live blog. Spelling and grammar errors can distract from the reader’s experience. It also decrease your credibility. I suggest having team members edit your work before you hit post.
Not Replying to Comments
You take the time to create and publish a blog post, but neglect to reply to someone’s comment… What’s up with that? The work doesn’t stop after the blog is up. Be sure your alerts are set to send to your email so you can reply to comments and questions in a timely manner.
What really grinds your gears when it comes to blog posts? Let me know in the comments below! (I promise I’ll reply.)
