November 27, 2009

Top 10 Blog Design Mistakes

Not Including an Author Bio
You will gain more credibility if you include some information about yourself. Readers want to know whom they are dealing with. They want to trust what you’re saying is true. If you remain anonymous you lose that credibility.

Not Including an Author Picture
People tend to remember faces rather than names. Including a picture makes you a real person in your reader’s eyes. They get to know you and know that you are not trying to hide something. Also, they might recognize you from other websites, conferences, tele-classes and that adds a layer of credibility.

Putting Too Much Personal Information Online
Remember that anything you put in print can come back to haunt you, so don’t get too personal. When writing your bio always ask yourself the question, “Would I want my boss to know this?”

Creating Non-Descriptive Posting Titles
Descriptive titles are essential to a successful blog. Readers scan your blog to find the information that they need. If you have non-descriptive titles visitors may leave your site quickly and search for other sites for the information.

In addition, titles are one of the ways search engines use to rank your site. It is also the way a visitor would be inclined to click on your blog when searching for information. Research has shown that people often read only the first three to four words of a headline when making a decision to visit a site.

Links Don’t Say Where They Go
Nothing is more frustrating when a link say, here, and the user had no idea where here is. With all the spam these days, users are reluctant to click on links that they don’t know. Spell out where the link will take the visitor.

Poor Spelling and Grammar and Typos
Why would someone believe what you’re saying if you haven’t taken the time to edit what you wrote? Nothing makes you more credible than good grammar and spelling.

Not Publishing Frequently Enough
By blogging frequently you keep you site fresh and up-to-date. Search engines love fresh content, which will give you a higher ranking. It is recommended to post 2-3 times per week but whatever schedule you create, stick to it; your audience will be expecting it.

No Signature At The End of A Post
Without a signature there is no way to tell who wrote the post. It is crucial to assign a signature if you have a group blog. This again goes to credibility.

Mixing Topics
A blog should be single focused. You want to create meaningful highly focused postings to a targeted market. Don’t try to be everything to everybody.

Posting Long Articles
Blogging is not about writing a lot of research or telling your life’s story. Blogging is about capturing the moment with a story, concern or information that can be of value to your readers.
Short and sweet and to the point is the way of blogging.