Most people who start blogs are really dumbstruck as to why they’re not getting much traffic or why they’re bounce rates are so high…

I read a lot of blogs and whenever I come across one that provides real value and doesn’t annoy me – I follow it. However, even when I come across blogs that are full of great content – they usually annoy me.

They annoy me for the same reasons they annoy other people and those reasons are why most blogs don’t ever achieve a true readership, here they are:

1. You Don’t Reply To Comments

If someone takes their time to post a beatifully crafted comment, you better reply. If you don’t, it’s just rude. Do you have to reply to every comment? Nope – there are exceptions. If a blog comment is only a few sentences long and doesn’t really contribute to the post or conversation, ignore it.

In fact you can ignore the majority of your blog comments. As let’s be honest, most people comment for the sole reason of getting a link back to their site. BUT – when people take their time to read your posts are leave comments, make sure you reply.

Many of the large blogs out there don’t bother replying to comments, I think it’s just not on. If readers post a comment and don’t get a reply, they probably won’t return to your blog.

2. Your Popup Sucks

This is probably the biggest reason why so many blogs have sky high bounce rates. They have ugly popups that people despise. Most people just don’t like popups, it’s human nature. It’s undeniable that popups increase opt-in rates, but they also explode bounce rates.

I think opt-in forms are completely fine to use, but just make sure yours is good. Keep it relevant to your blog and give something really cool away. Also don’t set it to appear when readers are half way through your post. You DO NOT want your popup to get in the way of your content.

So have it popup as soon as visitors land on your blog or as soon as visitors are about to leave. Both work very well.

3. You’re Not Consistent

People like to know when they can check your blog for new content. If you post content at random times your readers won’t know when to check for new stuff. You need to be consistent with your posting times. If you commit to writing once a day, write every day. If you commit to writing once a week, write once a week.

You don’t have to write daily, but it’s important to be consistent with your post frequency.

4. Too Many Ads

This one is obviously obvious, but countless bloggers still do it. The truth is that less ads usually make more money than lots of ads. If you have a group of 10+ banner ads, your readers will dismiss them as “ads” and ignore them altogether.

However if you carefully position 2-4 large ads, they’re going to get a load of attention. Your content needs to be the most prominent factor of your blog. Not your opt-in form and definitely not your advertisements!

5. Your Blog Design And Color Scheme Sucks

Blog design is important for many reasons. If visitors don’t like your design, they’ll avoid your blog like the plague! Color scheme is also really important. You should avoid dark colors, and also avoid bright reds and blues.

It’s been proven many times that white works best. It’s clean, simple and attractive – it also looks damn professional.

The Conclusion…

Avoid these stupid mistakes and you’ll increase your chances in the blogosphere (yes, I used that work).

In Prosperity,

David Wood

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