This is a guest post by Simon Rogers, a 15 year old from the UK who
blogs at Teenius.com (about making
money online), and BrainBite.com
(inspirational posts, interviews and lists). You can also follow him on
Twitter @teenius
I read a lot of blogs all over the internet, mainly about blogging and
making money online, and I’m always seeing posts that seem to give tips on
how to improve your blog – I know I’ve done a few articles on the subject
on my blogs! This guest post is basically going to go down the opposite
avenue and look at ways to KILL your blog and lose
readers.
So, let’s get straight in to it…
Lack of posting
One of the things that’s critical to a successful blog is content – no one
is disputing that, and anyone that tells you otherwise is WRONG.
By hardly ever posting, you’re bound to lose plenty of recurring traffic
and also subscribers.
Ignoring your readers
Somewhere along the line people are bound to leave a comment or two on
your posts. The people who comment are kings (or queens)!
Every comment that is left on your blog increases the value of it and
makes it generally more appealing, so don’t just leave them by themselves…
reply to their comments! Answer their questions, thank them for the
comment, do anything! Just make them feel like they should leave more
comments. If you don’t do that, you’re unlikely to get any decent amount
of comments, which is basically death for blogs.
If your stuck for ideas, a great way of getting recurring comments is
to leave a comment on their blog. Once they see they can build their own
comment count, they’re very likely to come back for more!
Stop looking forward
The world of blogging changes routinely; the design trends, the new
marketing tools, everything! Keeping up with those can really make a blog,
but just using the same old tactics will really hold your blog back from
growing. Also, by thinking your blog is ‘alright as it is’ is another big
mistake and will kill your blog, as your readers are likely to get bored
and leave. The best solution is to just keep changing the little
things, as this will keep your blog fresh!
Inconsistency
When running a successful blog, a lot of it comes down to being
consistent. Not only am I talking about posting (as I mentioned
before), but also your link building and advertising in general. Keep
it consistent and your blog will grow. Have no routine, and it’ll all fall
apart.
That’ll do for now!
In my opinion those are the biggest four blog-killers, but I’m sure you
can think of loads more, so feel free to make some suggestions by leaving
a comment below! Thanks for reading!
I agree with the posting and must add my 2 cents about content. The content must be relevant, I’ve seen people take that advice and add content that’s off point just for the sake of adding a new posting. I believe in Googles eyes this can hurt you.
Regards
Rics last blog post..Starting A Internet Business Plan
Thanks for the comment! I think you should try and make all posts quality, as that’s just part of blogging. I think one of the main blog killers is to post about contests and stuff like that. I mean, there’s nothing wrong in doing it every now and again, but doing it over and over makes your blog uninteresting.
Once again, thanks for the comment
Simon | BrainBite.coms last blog post..Interview With Matt Ellis From Kiwidia
I agree with Simon…. quality is key… especially on flagship blogs. Add to Google all you want but make the web a better place.
Forests last blog post..4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog
If you don’t post often you may loose traffic from recurring visitors but it will not effect your search engine ranking. I know of a blogger that only post about 4 times ayuear it seems,,yet he is ranked in the top 5 in google for one of the most competitive keywords on the internet.
Lack of posting will effect your repeat visitors but it does not seem to effect your search engine rankings. I know of a blog that has only 4 posts for this year but continues to maintain a top search engine ranking for 1 of the most competitive keywords on the internet.
Google definitely gives some weight to sites that are regularly updated though…. so in competitive niches it pays to keep updating.
Forests last blog post..4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog
Thanks for the motivation! It’s good to be reminded of some the basic things that make a blog successful. They may be boring, but they work!
SaveYourMarriages last blog post..Opening Move – What to Do First After a Breakup
Yeah Simon wrote a great post.
Forests last blog post..4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog
Glad you enjoyed the post!
Yeah, the small, boring things can often be the one that make the biggest and most important difference to your blog!
Simon | Teeniuss last blog post..Problems Faced By Young Entrepreneurs Online
Personally for me, ignoring the readers probably is the biggest mistake a blogger would ever make.. The key to having a loyal readership is valuing readers, really!
Melvins last blog post..Losing Interest On Monetizing This Blog
I have been slow recently but try hard to respond to every person who takes the time out to post here.
Forests last blog post..4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog
I’m not sure it’s neccessary to reply to EVERY comment, but I personally try to reply to every QUALITY comment on my blog (and my guest posts!)
Simon | Teeniuss last blog post..Problems Faced By Young Entrepreneurs Online
I like replying to the awful comments too….. Just to see if I can get a response out of them. When I get a moment I am going to purge all the useless nonsense comments on this blog.
I personally don’t like reading blogs that have a confusing layout, small/squished text, or are otherwise difficult to read and navigate. I think the importance of readability is underrated.
Annas last blog post..Feedburner Allowing Custom Subject Lines for Email Subscriptions
Thanks Anna, I agree…. Is this blog ok?
Forests last blog post..4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog
Yes I think the layout of this blog is good. It isn’t confusing – the “white space” helps (even when it is blue like your background, so, “blue space.” The content doesn’t feel like it is running into the sidebars, the sidebars are neat and easy to navigate, and the ads come across as useful as opposed to invasive.
One thing that I think could be improved (on this blog as well as many others including my own) is the font size. It is a bit small; larger font is easier to read and more inviting in my opinion!
Thanks a million Anna,
I always struggle with this…. As a graphic designer by trade I have always hit this issue. I think small font looks best but as you pointed out it’s not easy to read.
I worked for a while with leaflets and information aimed at the older and less abled community. All the font sizes had to be over 12pt…. That was a challenge to make it look modern and not amateur!!! I still need to finish of the design here and will definitely have a play with the font size…. Maybe i’ll get a few moments to do that next week.
Forest, here are some links I found very useful on this subject (not my blog)
http://www.charfishdesign.com/how-to/how-proper-line-height-will-improve-the-look-and-stickiness-of-your-site/
http://www.charfishdesign.com/how-to/10-ways-to-make-your-website-better-part-1-effective-eye-trails/
Annas last blog post..What to do if you get “fired” as an affiliate, by Amazon or anyone else, because of the state you live in
Oops forgot one
http://www.charfishdesign.com/design-principles/10-ways-to-make-your-website-look-better/
Annas last blog post..What to do if you get “fired” as an affiliate, by Amazon or anyone else, because of the state you live in
Thanks a million…. Will definitely give these a read when I get back to finishing up the design here….
I personally think Ignoring the readers and Lack of Posting are biggest ways to destroy your blog.
PaXs last blog post..Don’t Lose The Lesson
Agreed… That is why I try and reply to 99% of the comments.
Agreed. Readers especially those who leave comments are meant to be replied.
Sorry for the late reply…. I was on vacation, not ignoring you, I promise
Hi Forest,
Solid points, I got to admit. Good thing Word Press
now has the option to schedule a post; otherwise,
it gets not so easy to post every other day with so
many projects floating around.
Again, great points…
Narek Gabrielyan
Narek Gabrielyans last blog post..10 And 1/2 ‘Forbidden’ Up-Selling Strategies
Agreed…. I wish I had scheduled some more posts whilst I have been away!
This is something that I don’t see all day.
Ridiculous bloggers last blog post..The most popular memorial
By the way, the link to the guest-poster’s site is broken (teenius.com) as well as the other links in his bio box including to his Twitter profile.
Annas last blog post..What to do if you get “Fired” as an affiliate, by Amazon or anyone else, because of the state you live in
Thanks Anna…. The code looked good but was screwing up!!! I unlinked everything and reset the links!!
What you say about lack of posting is spot on, you need to update your blog continually. What I woulod say however is that far to many people update just for the sake of it.
If you have nothing of quality to add then don’t bother.
I agree… Sadly I have lacked in the posting area recently… mainly because I don’t want to post complete garbage.
hi
Nice tips for creating the blog
thank u for your useful post
Thanks.
[...] Real Blogging Tips has been a little quiet as of late. Tennius’s awesome Guest Post “4 Different Ways To Destroy Your Blog” was the last thing here and sadly I have not managed to follow the tips he laid out! No [...]
You are totally true! Keeping blog alive is as hard as building it’s success. Good that You respect Your fellow readers. Best wishes for You!
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Thanks very very much. I am glad to have you coming by and commenting.
The title is very funny.. Nice post..
Very nice post! I some times worry about over monetizing. I currently monetize with Google and Amazon.
I’m more of a grass-roots individual and prefer to get attention by visiting other blogs and giving it, in the form of thoughtful comments. It’s more work, but it gets results.
I like the grassroots approach and it really can help you get some good solid bonds and contacts… Although it’s not great for getting income generating traffic.
Thanks for visiting
i have read whole post and after reading it now i think i also commit one mistake among you have noted here ,i am correcting it now ,BTW thank you
Thanks, what mistake?
Oh dear,
By your reckoning my blog should be dead! I only post once a week and took off subscribers ages ago… I am very new to blogging and as such have made some interesting observations. Personally I love “quality over quantity”. I would rather be entertained for 15 minuets than board 15 hours. I read blogs that “spam” storys out 3 times a day that I have little to no interest to me in in a hope that they publish something worth reading. Personally I would much prefer to visit a sight that interests/entertains me on every blog than one that sends me to sleep 9 time out of 10. This is probably not the best way to make money, but as my unlearned eyes see it, is the way a real blog should be done. Please don’t shout at my views, I don’t know as much as most of you (and have had a little to drink)…
Play safe
Hi Mike,
Obviously ever blog is different but once a week is not a complete lack of posting, especially if the content is great quality.
I personally think 2-3 times a week is just right but obviously we can’t always keep up with that.
I’m coming over to check out your blog now.
Thanks,
Forest.
lol… When you are there see if you recognize anything… you should, you designed the logo for me.
Keep up the good work
Ha ha, I hadn’t looked at the link yet when I wrote that. As soon as I clicked it I knew what site it was. How is that going now?
hahaha that a MOTIVATOR for me, that scares me you know.
I have come across quite a few blogs where the author seems to have something of a god complex and when anyone dares to say anything negative in a comment they really hit back at them. In my opinion this is a real turn off to other prospective commentators.
I agree. Arrogance is a sour feature to have. I welcome criticism if it’s constructive and always try to make sure I use it to improve my sites or whatever the comment is aimed at.
very nice article its really impressive and valuable
and btw i did what you said in my old blog by 2 weeks lacking i lost my PR and alexa rank down by 200% !!!
very nice article its really impressive and valuable
and btw i did what you said in my old blog by 2 weeks lacking i lost my PR and alexa rank down by 200% !!!
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I personally think 2-3 times a week is just right but obviously we can’t always keep up with that.
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Thanks, I am hoping to get it up to 3 here again.