What Is Wrong With The World Today

I have been blogging for a few years now, and would like to share a few tips on why some of my previous blogs have failed.

10. Poor content

This is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome. No matter which niche your blog covers, if your content is poorly written or off-topic you will have trouble retaining readership. The best content is original content. Don’t be afraid to venture out and speak your mind. Often the most popular blog topics are some of the most controversial.

9. Few/No back-links

Back-Linking is essential to the success of your blog. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to get your URL out there. I have found great success in posting on niche-related forums that are directly related to my article. One thing you can do is build up your ‘reputation’ on the board before you actually push anything. Participate in discussions pertinent to your blogs categories/tags/posts and subtle link in your signature. A banner signature is often very effective as well.

8. RSS Fail.

What’s the point of having an RSS feed if you don’t advertise it? I’d guess that 90% of all stock WordPress templates have the RSS link all the way down in the footer. I’d recommend adding an RSS icon somewhere ‘above the fold.’ It does not hurt to add RSS links near the comment sections for following conversations.

7. Too many ads

Limit your monetary efforts to 1-2 ad blocks per sub-page. I find that anymore than 3 separate ad zones is enough to drive your pages-per-visit stats through the floor. Not only does this slow down your site, but it creates a great deal of user confusion when trying to determine which block is an AD and which is actual content. Don’t try to trick your users into clicking on ads, but rather give them the option to explore your sponsors as they please.

6. Content Overload

I launched a blog (which is no longer alive) that I updated about 10-20 times a day. It was great for search engine indexing, however my returning visitors dwindled due mainly to the saturation of content. I’d recommend not updating more than 2-3 times a day.

5. Old News is no longer good news.

You must stay current with your article topics. This is not to say that an old article you post won’t be ‘revived’ by a surge of interest down the line. I have had 6 month old posts skyrocket due to the topic being mentioned in either the newspapers or on TV. The faster you can get your ‘hot’ article out, the larger your initial traffic gain will be.

4. Poor design

Nobody will even look twice at your blog if it looks like it was designed 10 years ago. Unless you’re going for an uber-retro look-and-feel, you’ll want to stay current with the trends of typography, color theroy, and design. “The Web 2.0” design style of soft gradients, clean typography and ample use of whitespace are becoming old-hat. Try something experimental! A perfect example of post-Web 2.0 return to simplicity would be Twitter.

3. Underpowered Server

If you’re just getting started, you can easily get away with a cheap, virtual shared host. The catch is that you will inevitably outgrow your server, and be hit with rediculous overage fees. You can easily save on bandwidth by hosting images and videos elsewhere, but your blog’s ‘code’ traffic will add up quickly. Make sure you go with a host that will allow you to grow as your readership grows. Monitor your site’s transfer usage closely to anticipate the upgrade before you are denied service due to an overage.

2. Lack of integrations with Social Networks

The most popular integration surfacing lately is the ability for users to “Sign in with Facebook.” Also known as Facebook Connect, this simple API give your blog access to the millions of already registered facebook users. Anything that makes your blog easier to subscribe to is a sure fire way to increase readership and return visits. Also, you’re going to want to use Sociable, a tool that automatically generates icons with links to post your article’s permalink to Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Reddit, ect..

1. Poor SEO tactics

This is the real meat-and-potatoes of any successful website. Careful coordination of your keywords, title, and h1,h2,h3 tags can yeild an egnormous amount of traffic. This is an ever-changing artform that requires constant research, tweaking, and statistical analysis. Using Google Analytics to hone in on your most effective content is the best way to verify your SEO work.