Chances are I’m not reading your blog. That’s not because I don’t like you, most likely I don’t even know you exist, and that’s your fault.
Yes, you heard me. Your fault. It’s something you can remedy though.
There are a gazillion blogs out there, and most of them suck, to be honest. Yours might not, though, so I’m willing to have a look. But how am I to find it? And why should I stay along at all?
Are you commenting on my posts? That works, you know, don’t be shy - tooting your horn is something you need to learn. Sometimes reading other people’s blog is the best way to get lots of traffic in the long run, since it can award itself with links, trackbacks and the like.
Do you submit your posts to social tools, like StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, and Splashpress’ own Blogosphere News? That’s a very natural way to reach your niche, and if I’m interested in it I might end up reading something on your blog.
Do you write great headlines? If I see a link with a true eye-catcher I’m more likely to click it, than something boring like “New plugin out now” - now what’s up with that? Writing snappy headlines is an art by itself. I admire people who can do that.
Does your blog look like shit? And have I seen it a thousand times before? I’m really sorry, content may be King and all that (something I agree upon, by the way), but if you present it in a bad way I just won’t read it. Small fonts, lousy contrast, crappy design - they’re all turnoffs and they won’t make me subscribe to your RSS feed, read your posts, or get active in your comments. Looks is important, because first impressions last.
Actually, does your blog even function like it should? There are too many blogs with dead links, plugins that bugs out, and other problems. It doesn’t even have to be a bug in the code, it could be your lousy implantation of functionality I don’t want or need. Don’t clutter it with widgets and thousands of “cool things”, or I’m gone.
Don’t clutter it at all! Seriously. Less is actually more.
Do I get your blog? If I don’t it might be my fault, but if you don’t do what you can to make me understand what your blog is all about, why you’re blogging, and what I can expect from it, then I’ll be bored and leave. I’m not saying you shouldn’t surprise your readers, but if the turns are too sharp you’re sure to lose a bunch in the process.
Are you being consistent with your updates? You know, you should post more or less the same amount of content all the time. If not, I might wonder where you are (if I’m an avid reader), or forget about you (if you haven’t impressed me yet).
Are you getting these things right? Then you’re bound for blogging glory!
At least if you’re a good writer. You know, content is still King, after all…
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Thank you do much for the tips you were right.
onrobertsonblvd.com
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Can’t help but think of that 80s song- “Don’t mess with my toot toot”- who the hell was that by, anyway? (some big Mama). Got to no.1 in UK. Always makes me laugh when I remember it!
Seriously, thanks for an excellent post, Thord. Great to have you back at BH.
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Great, great, great piece of advice. Thanks! Even if there almost no social tools for weblogs writeen in Spanish!
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Great Advice - thanks!
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hm.. should considered posting to social tools, but sometimes feel to lazy to post it :P
nice article btw, love the way you write it :D
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great advice, great post, keep it up
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Just tooting my own horn. Don’t mind me.
In all seriousness, great tips. You put them directly with a touch of humor. Well done.
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Strangely, a lot of top websites have a great deal of “clutter” and seem to do well with it. After all, once you’ve read whatever you’ve come to the site to read, why not look around and see what else is there? People like garage sales, thrift stores and other clutter-prone places - especially people who aren’t as technologically adept and are more likely to click on your ads or not already be an affiliate of a product you’re promoting.
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i think i just got it sorted just right, on my daily comics blog , and i don’t even write much ;p
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Thank you. Let me know how it turns out!
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great collection of tips..
they are a must know for every blogger specially if they are new in the field..
I have been working on all of them and now planning to buy a new custom theme..
lets see what the results will be..
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Okay. Thanks… I feeded your blog since long time back.. thanks for posting great article.. I’d invite you to come to my blog too….
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oh. where does my comment gone?? if my comment required approval then it should shows something about that ….
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Thanks for the kind words, guys!
Mark, I remember that song. Not fondly, but I do remember it! ;)
J.D., I hear what you’re saying, and of course you can be reading a cluttered website, especially since so many sites out there are covered with clutter. Still, it’ll be a lot harder to keep a first-time visitor on your site if you overwhelm him/her with widgets, links, nifty badges, and all that other crap that people put up on their blog. But yeah, depending on your niche and target audience, that might be more or less important. Still, if there’s too much clutter that means that a) the blog owner wants too much at once, and/or b) the blog owner should have a design fitting for all these things. Sometimes b is the solution, but or could be, but more often a is the case, if you ask me. Which you did. :)
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Hi Thord,
Thanks for the write-up, which makes a lot of sense. One thing I’m not so sure about, however, is submitting your own posts to social networking sites.
Wouldn’t it be better to submit other people’s blog posts? That way, those other people come to your blog, and you build a reputation for showcasing good content, without people thinking you’re only out for yourself.
A friend of mine reckons that it doesn’t count if you submit your own pages to StumbleUpon, and that they’ve disallowed votes on your own website pages, but I’m not sure about that.
Anyway, nice post again.
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I have already started applying some of your advice. I have also inititiated a social media marketing campaign. As soon as I see the results, I will get back here. I just added your blog to my Netvibes account.
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David, sure. You can absolutely build a social reputation by submitting other people’s posts to various social networking sites. And yes, it’s probably better if you have a friend submit your post, but honestly, I’ve yet to see a real different myself. Having friends vote for your post seems a lot more important than having the actually submit it to me. And thanks for the kind words.
Chip, thanks, and I’m glad to have you as a subscriber over at rethord.com as well!
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Great tips! I’m thinking of refocusing my blog and your article surely will help! And of course a good read might not hurt either
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Whoah!!! Simple but powerful tips. Thanks.
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A great post!
Not because its original in content ( Actually originality is not required either, just a dash of common sense would do), but because it very-well clubbed together.
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Thanks Mohit!
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Probably one of the biggest challenges for me out of this list is the frequency with which I post. Since blogging is purely a not-for-profit hobby, the amount of time & energy I can devote fluctuates. Some weeks I’m lucky to publish one or two new articles but at other times, I’m adding new content quite often.
Dunno how much it’s noticed, but I do try very hard not to be an echo chamber. I avoid posting for the sake of simply adding content. And I generally avoid most of the fluff content like memes and “me too” metablogging chatter. I try to be mindful of the question, “Would I read a blog like this?” when writing my blog posts.
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Thanks for the advice. I rearranged my layout based on your comments. I also strongly agree with your point about good headlines. Thanks again! http://thoughtsonquotes.com.
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ok. so, this comment might get your attention, right? hehe. Thanks for the tips! I think, I need to clean up some unnecessary widgets on my blog. :)
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Thanks for the advice, very helpful, will follow , hope it works out for me, I have so much competition in this blogging subject I write on!
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Ok, so I just started mine and am reading all the posts on the ‘how to get people to read your blog’ subject. Great. Commenting on other people’s posts seems like the most used method to get people to know you.
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This is just what I needed simple and straight to the point. I will begin to utilize this info right away thanks.
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Excellent tips…and I will put them in practice ASAP.
(starting here)
;)
B.G.
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I really learned something from this article. Good one…
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When I went to your links on tooting your own horn, I got “internal server error” Please review my simple little blog. How can I make it better? I’m a total newbie just trying to do something good.
I’m a lay minister with cerebral palsy trying to raise $100,000.00 for charity in 30 days or less.
Thanks and blessings for any suggestions that will help us reach our goals.
Steve
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Thanks so much for the advice, I really took it to hear. My old blog had a bunch of clashing colors and weak subject matter so I’ve started a new one that I hope you’ll find more satisfactory :)
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That’s some good advice there, thanks. Starting as a writer, my blog is a place to show my work, and just have a say, and enjoy feedback.
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Thanks, I’ll try some of your tips!