- Share This Post
- submit
- 19
-
Sparkle (0)
Starting a new blog can be so much fun. There are so many shiny, fancy widgets and plug-ins you can use on your blog to really show your personality! That's what blogs are for, right? Yes and no. While you want your blog to be a true reflection of yourself, you probably also want to develop a community and a following. In order to do that, you need to consider your readers' perspective and make sure you're giving them a site they'll want to return to. I'm going to point out five mistakes that beginning (and even some seasoned) bloggers make. In fact, most bloggers have made these same mistakes; they are almost a right of passage, but why waste time with mistakes you can easily avoid?
Mistake #1: Auto-loading music.
Auto-loading music is not only annoying and surprising, but it's a bandwidth hog, meaning it makes your blog load slowly. Do you really want to lose a reader because she couldn't wait for your site to load? And if she waits for your site to load, will she be annoyed because she didn't know there would be music, had her speakers on high, and a sleeping husband (or child) right beside her? I can tell you this: She won't be back.
Mistake #2: Using a template with a dark background & light text.
This issue is less about your aesthetic and more about usability and readability. Reading online is harder on our eyes than reading on paper. Using a dark background with light text makes it even harder on your readers' eyes.
Mistake #3: Too much sidebar clutter.
A sleek, uncluttered design goes a long way with readers. You can use white space (uncluttered space) to lead your readers' eye toward specific content. When there are fewer items competing for your reader's attention, they'll be drawn to what's important. Are you proud of your awards, badges, and various trinkets? That's OK, those things are a right of passage too. You don't have to get rid of them, but why not put awards on their own page and link to it from your main page? You'll trade 20 links for just one link and de-clutter the sidebar.
Mistake #4: Accidental plagiarism (including photos).
Very few legitimate bloggers plagiarize on purpose. In most cases a new blogger won't realize what they're doing. Plagiarism applies to using any content that isn't originally yours, whether it's content or photography or music or anything else. I'll be honest and tell you that when I started blogging I would Google a picture, then copy it to my computer and use it in my blog post. That's a big problem because it's the same as plagiarism--even if I cited where I found the picture. I hadn't asked the owner if I could use it, I just did it. If you're new to blogging, take a minute to find out about and understand the issues of plagiarism and copyright. U.S. Copyright Office bluntly says: “Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.” These links will help you:
- I put a Creative Commons license on my blog, but is my material truly protected?
- I notice that many bloggers have something on their site telling people not to plagiarize, but how effective is it?
- A Few More Links for Copyright Information
Mistake #5: Using "click here" instead of keyword phrases for links.
I advise you to choose your links words carefully. When you are writing a post and need to insert a link, consider how you are going to write that sentence and where you will include the link. For example, which of these is more effective (potential links in bold)?
If you are interested in hosting a giveaway, please review my vendor guidelines.
My vendor guidelines are available here.
The top sentence is more effective for your audience because it tells them exactly what they need to do. It’s also effective for SEO purposes because search engine spiders are looking for unique word strings and context. Strings like “click here” or even just the word “here” linked to other files or pages are everywhere on the web. Make your pages stand out by being more descriptive with your links. Help the search engines catalog your site effectively.
Next week I'll have five more mistakes bloggers make. In the mean time, if you're doing these things, take a minute to make some changes and see how it affects your blog community. Ask your
