Blogging Tips

First impressions are crucial. People are naturally judgmental, regardless of how strongly they deny it. First impressions determine how one feels about a particular blog and whether or not they came back. First impressions are particularly difficult to change, especially in the blogosphere where if someone gets a poor first impression and leaves, chances are they are not coming back.

So, how can bloggers make a great first impression with their blog? By following the guidelines laid out below.

Engaging Design

Design is a vital factor in determining how one perceives a blog. It is the first thing that new visitors see. There are thousands of amazing designs out there so take the time (or even spend the money) that it takes to get a great blog design.

Make the design unique if possible so it stands out in the blogosphere, but ensure that your design does not sacrifice functionality. Also, relate your blog’s design with your logo. This means similar colors, fonts, etc. This will come in handy with branding in your marketing efforts.

Avoid Advertising Overload

The last thing visitors want to see is a blog covered in advertisements. While advertising is a big part of the blogging industry, don’t clutter the look of your blog with ads. Try and keep the number of ad units you utilize to a minimum. I recommend no more than a header ad, an “in-post ad”, six 125×125 sidebar “box ads”, and a larger sidebar ad. Try to limit animation and avoid pop-ups, “game” ads, flashing “free iPod ads” and the likes at all times.

Quality Content

This one is obvious; the content is the heart of the blog. Make sure that you have interesting engaging posts that your visitors will want to read. Spend your time creating quality content and don’t compromise on this aspect of your blog.

Relevant Captivating Images

They say a picture is a thousand words so use captivating but relevant customers to attract the attention of readers. A magazine format will help showcase the content and the image. You can see an example of this at AMBeat.

Speed/Navigation

There is nothing people dislike more than a slow website. Ensure that your server is running as efficiently as possible so your webpages load as fast as possible. Also take time to check your blog’s layout and ensure that all links work and that information is laid out in an easy to follow manner. Make it as straightforward and easy as possible for visitors to get the information they need.

Recap

Overall, the impression visitors get when they first visit your blog will determine whether or not they become subscribers or never come back. As an exercise to see how effective the impression your blog makes is, ask friends and family who haven’t visited before to take a look and analyze their reactions. Ask them what they like and don’t like and implore them to be brutally honest. From these suggestions, changes can be made.