Remember, if your packaging (blog design) looks unorganized, ugly, “busy”, disorganized, etc. then that’s the message your sending to potential users. In other words your design is telling visitors a fair bit about your blog, before they even read the content. If the blog looks terrible or is not functional, you’ll probably lose that visitor. A blog with horrible typography (fonts), positioning or navigation is a clear message to readers saying “I don’t have attention to detail, I don’t care about quality, I am not professional“. After all, would you go to a wedding with dirty worn-out jeans and a soccer tee-shirt? Of course not!

Having said this, let’s pause for a moment and consider that design is not just about the graphics on your blog but more importantly, design is about planning and functionality. And in my opinion, graphics take a back seat to the functionality of your design. If the blog is poorly planned and has poor functionality, no manner of quality graphics is going to improve it. (If I cannot easily access what I need from the blog, then why would I return to visit again?).

To fix or change such issues, we’ll need to take a hard critical look at our blogs. We need to pay special attention to any sidebar widgets, our navigation and where elements are placed on our blogs.

Look at your blog (do it right now) and ask yourself:

1. Do I really need all these buttons and widgets in my sidebar?
2. Which things can I move out of my sidebar and place in my blog’s footer, header or navigation?
3. What home page (or sidebar) elements can I move to a separate blog page?
4. Which plugins can I find that will combine the jobs of two or more existing ones?
5. Does my sidebar really need all these links? (Am I really receiving as much beneficial traffic from them as anticipated?)
6. What things in my blog layout (including sidebar elements, widgets, etc.) is distracting my readers?
7. Do my “link exchange” links really do anything for me?
8. Is my navigation simple and intuitive?

While many of us will feel a bit of trepidation about removing or moving something from our blog design (I always do), there are some simple factors we can take into account – and make the hard choices. Much in the same way we need to prune our plants to make them grow nicely (and it’s hard to do), we need to do the same with out blogs.

One aspect that needs particular attention is linking and link exchanges. The Link Exchange web site explains some of the Bad Link Exchange Practices and SEO Mistakes that we all can make at times.

Another helpful online tool from Bad Neighborhood provides a text link tool to help you eliminate questionable links. Why is this an important thing to consider? From their site:

“…Text links are an important factor in today’s search engine optimization, and exchanging links with other websites is a good way to get them. However, doing a link exchange with a website that is penalized can have some detrimental results…”

In other words, if you’re linking to “bad” sites, your SEO may be penalized. Why am I mentioning linking and link exchanges? Because a list of links just adds clutter and in my experience… Most people don’t use them as they don’t provide any added value! If you want to link to a site, or exchange links, it’s more effective to write a blog post (or page) that also highlights some of the benefits of the link. A list of links does not do that, as such is not very useful.

Widgets and buttons? I found out from my other blog that many of them are not worthwhile and simply clutter your blog up with visual noise. Remember what your focus is (the niche your blog caters to) and keep this focus in mind. Evaluate your traffic statistics, if a widget is not serving you the traffic you expected and provides no “real” value to readers – then remove the widget! Also, if a button is not related to your blog, why post it on the blog?

For example placing buttons that show your blog’s traffic statistics to readers makes no sense. Why? They are there to read about your products, services, etc. not about how many people visited you. As such, that would simply be another piece of clutter. Another example, if I’m a photographer who has uploaded my work to Flickr, a Flickr widget might make sense, but not a “Who has visited my blog” widget (again, readers are interested in your photography work, they are not interested in what strangers are doing).

One resource you may find helpful is Smashing Magazine’s post: 7 Ingredients of Good Corporate Design. It provides some valuable insight into design, typography and branding among other aspects. When you’re reading this, one question you should keep in mind is how you could redesign your blog for the future.

One final issue of cleaning up our design I’d like to address is sound. That’s right, you’re blog could be turning people away because of noise. Some examples of “sound clutter” on blogs:

• Noises or beeps every time someone clicks a link. After a while it get’s annoying and effectively can become a deterrent for many people.
• Videos automatically starting to play. This can be an issue if there are more than one video streams on a post, let the reader click to play when they are ready.
• Music automatically playing when a page or post is visited. Keep in mind that we don’t all have the same musical tastes. Also, this can become a deterrent when people visit your site, they may be researching your services or products but will leave when the music starts playing, as they do not want co-workers or management to assume they are playing with the computer on company time.
• Talking avatars in our blog’s sidebar – And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say those talking avatars make a blog look cheap, unprofessional and provide no real concrete value, they are, in my opinion, tacky.

In conclusion, if I could some the above into one phrase, perhaps it would go something like this:

“Prune your blog’s design. Remove features that have not provided expected results. Keep your graphics clean and simple“.

To help you with this excersise, look at what some of the successful blogs are doing, this will provide you with ideas and visual examples of how to accomplish the “clean up” tasks above. Blow is a list of blogs that I think have good design, in varying degrees:

TechCrunch

ReadWriteWeb

techdirt

Gizmodo

So… before moving on to the other posts in this series, let’s get our design cleaned up!

What would you suggest? What have I missed? What’s your input? Share your comments below and help everyone out (don’t forget to include a link to your blog!)

It seems that launching a blog for some new and inexperienced blog owners is a huge exercise (and for some a steeper learning curve than for others). I’ve often observed clients who have launched their blogs, fail to garner traffic, further excitement and buzz, or for that matter, reach any of their goals and blogging aspirations. After a time they become discouraged as they feel let down by their blog.

One of the biggest barriers I’ve observed (among others) is that often people just don’t do anything, mainly because some don’t quite know what to do (or how) and others just need more motivation.

Some launch their blog and expect the Internet horde to rush over and visit. To be blunt, the days of “Build it and they will come”, are long over. A blog is akin to your business tools, if you don’t use it, it will become rusty. Defining some of the barriers to improving a blog is well and good, but what can we do about it?

As many of you know, I’ve recently recovered from a disaster, which prevented me from posting for a few days. As such, this has provided me further motivation to provide more valuable content; content that I’m sure you’ll all find valuable.

This post is the beginning of a series exploring hands on activities we can complete, after which you’ll have improved your blog. We’ll be completing activities such as linking, using social media, cleaning up our blog design, developing and examining our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), creating sticky posts, improving SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and much more!

Personally, I urge you to please do three things:

1. Diligently participate in each activity.
2. Provide feedback in your comments as it’s helpful to everyone.  Learning not only about successes but also suggestions and alternatives.
3. Provide ideas or suggestions if you think I’ve missed something.

Quite frankly, some solutions might be a better fit for your organization or personnel; such as Video streaming sites, wikis, forums, “traditional” static (hard coded) sites, etc. And (as a side note) all of these can be integrated into a blog. Irrespective, you may have your heart set on blogging, and have decided that a blog is the best tool for your needs.

What are the best traits of successful bloggers? What qualities do you need, or need to ensure your blog writer has? One of the most common issues I’ve heard from my clients and the public at large is the discouraged feelings some of them develop after launching a blog and it shows in their low traffic. They seem to focus on garnering traffic, when they should focus on the blog, it’s contents and how to make the blog stand out in the crowd. It reminds me a bit of the wise business budgeting adage “Look after the top line and the bottom line will take care of itself”. I think all to often that some bloggers are focusing on the bottom line instead.

But what traits will serve blog writers best? What skills, experiences, etc.? Below are fifteen of my opinions that I always consider when someone asks for advice. I’m certainly not suggesting that you or whoever writes your content should be strong in all 15 traits, rather I’m suggesting that these are the best facets to consider in yourself or your blog writer.

So… here are the top 15 qualities I consider:

1. Be a Good Reader. That’s right! Reading! Why? In my opinion a good listener is able to provide superior content. He or she reads what others write, becomes informed, increases awareness and is able to ascertain which content may be in demand in your online communities. Personally, I find myself reading more than I expected – I actually read way more than I could ever hope to write!
2. Enjoy Writing Articles. I’m sure you’d agree that’s a gimme. I think it goes without saying that you should enjoy writing – OFTEN. That you could best capitalize on developing your own righting character and style. (Side Note: While blogging for the most part is primarily text driven, I’ve seen an increasing trend toward video blogging, and have worked on several video streaming sites to facilitate such solutions – So… if you’re a better speaker, consider video blogging or podcasting).
3. Be Disciplined. Let’s face it, blogging is an ongoing activity you participate in to help reach your goals. You have to be able to remain motivated to regularly post new content to your blog – Doing so consistently.
4. Communicate Well. Have the ability to get your understanding across. Remember that communication is NOT the exchange of information, instead it IS the exchange of understanding. At the very least, you should have the communicative skills to impart valuable, in-demand information, in a logical and understandable manner.
5. Remain Genuine. Being honest in your blogging endeavours. Remember, blogging is a public, community driven environment. Lots of people are looking at you, therefore you should conduct yourself in a professional manner and treat those around you with respect.
6. Remain Organized. I can personally attest to this from the experiences in launching my Ubuntu Linux Help blog. When my first post went viral, I was not prepared for the responses. I received lot’s of comments and email messages. I followed up on sites that were linking to me as well as monitoring RSS feeds. And most importantly writing follow up posts. There were also technical issues, such as automated blog and database backup management and code tweaking, etc.
7. Make Time. I’ve been just as guilty when I catch myself saying “When I have time”. That’s the wrong way to think! I should make the time I need – Use a schedule and follow it. Remember, you’ll have to ensure that you respond to post comments, read post on other blogs, do research, communicate with the people around you, etc. Most of the advice I’ve read seems to indicate new blogs should post content every day. While I do agree with that, I’ve had to consider my schedule and make room to post on a consistent basis.
8. Be Focused. From time to time I have followed blogs that successfully maintain a consistent writing style and topic focus, only to suddenly change. Doing so can come across as a bit “dizzy” and slapstick. Remember, you’re communicating with your readers, losing focus or changing reader expectations can in the long run, reduce readership. If you have a great “thread” that really needs exploring, has unlimited potential and is not within the intended focus of your current blog; consider the possibility of launching it as another separate blog.
9. Maintain Technical Skills. While I’d not say this is a must, it does rank high. If you don’t have the technical (server) skills, work with someone who does. For example, how do you automate backups? What do you do if your browser starts displaying “Error 500″ type messages when visiting your blog? What about redesigning your blog theme? How to move your database or re-import a database backup? What about server security? Updates and patches? And so on…
10. Relaxed. Don’t be overly sensitive when you read something you may not agree with. Visitors will provide criticism, both constructive and negative. Other blogs may also create blog posts about you or your blog. Take both the positive and negative in stride. If you get too caught up emotionally, then blogging might not be the best venue for you and your piece of mind.
11. Enjoy Hard Work. That’s right! Hard work can be enjoyable. It’s just like playing sports or pursuing a serious hobby. You’ve got to enjoy the work. I know from experience that many sites I work with do not instantly garner the owners the results they want. Some of them have to work very hard indeed to reach their goals. A blog is an investment not a display object.
12. Encourages a Learning Atmosphere. You’ll be happier (and more successful) if you enjoy learning new things. While you may be an expert in your blog’s subject, In my opinion, bloggers can learn even more by communicating with visitors and other blog owners. The operative word is “sharing”, and in doing so, you can learn a bit more about your own subject (doing a bit of networking along the way).
13. A Creative Thinker. Some of the most successful bloggers are able to think creatively (out of the box). Regardless if your blog is a technical blog or an abstract blog, the ability to think in an innovative manner will serve you well. Think about it this way… There may be thousands of blogs that discuss similar subjects; as your blog. What do you do to stand out from the crowd. What spark can you provide that makes your readers feel the “Wow” effect?
14. Enjoy a Gregarious Nature. Blogging put’s you in view of the general public; you’re under the spotlight and everyone is watching the performance. As such, people will form opinions and may even discuss them online. Every thing you present or write in your blog, becomes public record. If you goof, it’s next to impossible to remove that. If you’re somewhat more outgoing and enjoy people, you’ll probably be better able to capitalize on the inherent benefits (and drawbacks) of constant observation and analysis.
15. Entrepreneurial Spirit. Are you a go-getter? Is your time management good? Are you a self-starter? Maintaining the motivation and initiative to keep plugging away to launch and continue the growth of your blog, is arguably one of the best traits to this end. It’s one thing to ensure you have all the tools and automation solutions in place and in use, it’s another matter entirely to motivate yourself and consistently provide new content and community connections – even when you don’t feel like it.

While I’m sure many may agree that there are several more that could be added to the list, these are just some, that are in my opinion, the most beneficial. So much so, that when reviewing my list, I felt compelled to add a bonus 16th point:

You’re a Messenger. The whole point of blogging is not to aimlessly provide unrelated, disjointed content. Rather it’s to communicate specific, targeted, focused information. I’ve often talked to people who were excited to launch a blog as it was trendy and “the fun thing to do”, but invariably failed to provide any worthwhile communication, and message. If you or your blog writer are not “messengers”, perhaps some of the other traits above may help.

For those of you who personally know me, in addition to my technical (Network Engineering) background, I’ve also a strong background in training and curriculum development. That’s where I draw upon much of my thoughts when placing pen to paper (so to speak).

Do you think I missed something important? Do you have something to add? Thought, Comments? Say so below. Thanks.

I remember months earlier indicating that he should have content posted regularly and ensure he broadcasts his blog URL everywhere. For those curious, the blog is called Predictable is Preventable and was launched in January, 2008. During our chat, he indicated that there was not much commenting and it seemed that there was no return in blogging. Throughout the discussion, his comments consistently raised two key issues in one way or another:

• How long does it take for to start having constant readers and comments?
• It’s unmotivating to post something really informative and not any response.

I must admit, that these are in all likelihood a couple of the most common, and in many ways most difficult beginner issues to deal with. Think about it, you have a business operation running and it feels like launching a blog (to help promote the business), is starting from scratch and developing contacts all over again. In some ways it could be construed as such.

Personally, I encountered the same issues when I launched my Linux based blog. I had zero traffic and it seemed like I was writing posts for myself. I felt like I was the only one reading the content. Laughingly, I guess I was! Humour aside, I realized that traffic is only going to increase if I get out there and make some noise.

One immediate approach I took was to email almost everyone I knew, asking if they’d be interested in my blog. I included some excitement in my message as well as a note to pass the email on if they new anyone that would be interested in my niche blog. This did encourage some traffic, but I noticed it was one big spike and then a sharp drop. But… there was a small group of regular readers (but nowhere near the amount of visitors I would have liked to have had.

Another approach I took was to join several forums related to my blog as well as a few other online (related) communities. Posting reply’s to questions for help and including links back to my blog, garnered much better results! One thing I learned the hard way (actually, two things, now that I think of it) was:

1. When joining communities such as forums, wait a bit before posting links back to your blog. Joining and posting back links right away, looks very much like blog spam (and in some situations it is). Remember, it’s important to preserve the integrity of your blog, not have it relegated to spam status.
2. Also, if you’re going to post back links, make sure there is enough content to capture interest and repeat visitors! Or if not, then in the initial, stages make sure you post quality content every day. (This way new visitors are more likely to bookmark your blog and return; as they see new content keeps appearing).

The two activities above really helped to initiate growth. One thing I learned that was highly appreciated was answering peoples questions in forums (or on their blogs), and answering them WELL. Then posting a link to an in depth article exploring their questions and answering them even more. Needless to say, I already had the in depth post written and published before answering their questions and inviting them to read a full, in depth post on the matter. This combination worked great for my Linux blog. I spent about 2-3 hours each day interacting with various forums and other online communities to build traffic. If you are working, even 30 minutes or an hour a day will provide results. The point I’m trying to suggest is not so much the time you spend building your traffic, but rather that you do so consistently! If you can only spend 20 minutes a day or a couple hours a week, so be it. But do it consistently and without fail!

The growth of my blog became very organic, in the sense that people were passing various blog post links around to others. In one case I had very good fortune luck in that someone posted one of my articles on Digg and it ended up on the front page. The majority of visitors from Digg were not repeat visitors, but the exposure did garner several readers – More importantly however was the discovery that the post was featured on hundreds of other web sites and blogs that monitored what appeared on Digg’s front page. My traffic shot up to unbelievable numbers. And again, out of those, I garnered even more readers. Again, the organic growth issue became obvious as I saw people recommending my blog posts to others.

One important aspect, which I’ve been trying to express to my client is the need to keep posting new content. You don’t want your blog to become like a book, read it and put it away as there’s no more to read. Your blog must, to use the analogy, be a never ending story.

I think, in my client’s case, that motivation may be one issue. I know from my own experience, that you cannot motivate people. You can give them all the tools and do your best to reach out to them, but at the end of the day, we have to pick up those tools and use them ourselves, nobody can do that for us.

In some fashion I think he’s not sure what to post about. I went through a phase myself, where it was a labour to figure out what I was going to write about and then formulate ideas and a resulting post. I hated doing it and began to procrastinate – because it was hard work. Hard only because I made it that way! It was my own though process and attitude that created a negative blogging environment. I was able to enjoy blogging and provide better content when I wrote with the same excitement that I spoke. I wrote from me, my experiences, not about them.

On some level, I think that perhaps he’s not sure if his traffic is not at the level he wants because of his content or simply because the blog is too young (it’s not even a year old yet). I remember long discussions on Skype and via email, helping to massage some content. And I actually enjoyed that as I found he has a stronger grasp of some things than I thought. He has a bright intellect and is excited about his experiences. Reflecting this into your content is important. Remember you’re writing to interested people, not at them. Your interested in garnering their participation not their unresponsive attention. In his case (and I experience similar), perhaps he’s so focused on his work and the actual content that he’s too quick to judge his content as ineffective or substandard. I’ve been guilty of this myself and think the best approach is to ask those around you to proof read your pending post. Find out what they think about it… I don’t mean if they like it or not. I mean the really nitty gritty, the guts of the content, for example:

• Is it missing some key issue or concept you’ve not considered?
• Could it be improved by hitting some mark closer?
• Is it something that can really be discussed or is it just facts?
• Does it provide some specific value and impart that to the reader?
• Could there be more detail and less generalization?
• How genuine is the content, does it provide a fresh perspective?

The above thought are just some of the things proof readers help me with. Their opinions really count. Anyone can point out spelling mistakes, but it’s valuable input like this that’s going to help your blog grow. Sometimes what you hear will by great, dynamite! Other times not so much so.

In terms of his blog, I think one key to help grow it is to try taking a different approach. Look at his competitors, see what they are doing. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Try moving in that new direction for a bit and see where it goes. I often make suggestions to clients and I often hear all sorts of reasons why something cannot be done. Instead we should all be focusing on how we can do something. To further address the point, in the immortal words of Yoda:

“Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try”

While I may repeat this quote somewhat with tongue in cheek and a smile, it’s actually quite apt.

In conclusion, among the best ways to grow your blog is to write in a way that makes you satisfied with the result. For example, something that you can tell a client to visit and read for more information when they ask you a question. Never write with the intent to garner sales, advertising revenue, and so on; as this will translate into your content. Remember your state of mind always effects how you write, just as much as how people perceive you in the offline world. Growing a blog takes time, it’s like nature, you can’t rush it.

You can grow your blog in great part by:

• Self promotion.
• Having faith in yourself.
• Accepting constructive criticism.
• Asking for help.
• Help and educate people with your content.
• Hold confidence in your knowledge and abilities.
• Interact with your readers.