I see so many websites every day. And honestly, it amazes me how many blogs make me want to hit that little X button in the top right hand corner of my screen within seconds.
Even marketing blogs are still making very common mistakes.
Here’s a list of things that drive people crazy when they first open up a blog page, and a few extra tips that will help keep viewers reading on.
Copy Counts
There is a particular blog that always has catchy headlines in my news feed. Somehow I still accidentally find myself opening their links during my morning news reading. Then I’m immediately upset with myself when I realize where the blog came from.
Their posts are always 70% ads and 30% tiny text. There are no headers, subheaders, bullets, or relevant images. This blog knows how to write headlines, but it ends there.
The content is worthless. Everything you need to know is in the catchy title and the rest is overrun by blinking ads. It goes to show that titles can take you far, but don’t rely on them. Give your reader something valuable so they aren’t angry with themselves everytime they open your blog.
White-space is Not Your Enemy
If you are going to have a blog, make it easy for people to read! I think it’s best to make each paragraph 1-2 sentences long. The longer the paragraph, the heavier the text feels to the reader.
The more white-space the better.
Each chunk of space in between paragraphs is like a nice little breath of air. Long paragraphs start to tire out the reader. They stop reading and start scanning, and eventually just give up altogether.
Size Matters
Be kind to your reader. Chances are they already have bad eyes from staring at a screen all day. Don’t give them tiny fonts that make them squint. Help them out, and adjust your font to a reasonable size. And don’t get all 6th grade with your font style either. Keep it clean and simple.
Nobody Likes Ads! Just Stop!
Look, I get some people have to use ads to make money on their websites. But if your pages have more ads than original content, you have a problem. Your content should not be squeezed in between a collage of ads.
If you must include ads, line them up nice and neat in the side columns. Try to keep them to a minimum. Make them relevant to your website.
If you have a pop-up ad when they first open it, an ad right after the intro paragraph, another ad a few lines down, 8 ads on each side column, and 5 more ads beneath the post, you seriously need to find other ways to try and make money because no one wants to come back to your blog.
And chances are, no one is clicking on these ads because they can’t focus on anything. It’s so overwhelming that they’ll just leave instead of actually clicking on the ads.
Make your ads few and far between and people will actually take a moment to look at them.
I personally hate the immediate pop-up ad or any pop-up ad for that matter. How are you going to try and sell your reader on something when you haven’t even gotten to know each other yet?
People are being forced to buy stuff all day, every day. Provide helpful information for your reader and build trust, and they will come back to you.
Instead of an ad, try a freebie at the end of your post. That way you can make an exchange. You give them a free download or a coupon, and they give you their contact info so you can follow up on the lead.
Need a few more tips on how to create a great blog? My friends over at Website Builder have created the ultimate blog infographic to teach you how to build the perfect blog.
Or if you want some help developing your content, check out our most popular blog: 6 Pieces of Dating Advice to Help you Develop Better Content