5 Simple Ways To Maintain A Super-Sleek Blogging Image
This post was originally written for Josh Buckley, but was not needed - so I thought it would make a nice article and create lively discussion here.
Here in the blogosphere, your image is everything. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the net, this doesn’t mean that your physical appearance and the way you dress for example is going to help you transform your blog - it means that there is a different medium whereby people can judge your professionalism and the air of quality around your webspace.
Fortunately for us webloggers, there are a number of things you can do in order to maintain a super-sleek and top notch blogging image. But firstly, why do you need a good facade?
- Trust - readers often trust a blogger who makes a good impression, especially if it’s their first visit to the site. This trust will help to ensure that the viewer comes back to your page, subscribes to your blog, and buys the affiliate products you recommend for example, helping to build your online income streams.
- Referrals - after you’ve created an influence on the reader, they are more likely to link you up in linking posts, to tell their friends and family about you and to help your site growth in general. Never under-estimate the power of Word Of Mouth.
- Respect - a trim blogger always commands respect from others in the ’sphere. Take for example the Problogger, who writes in a formal way, who comments in a friendly and professional manner and who’s blog design is well-oiled. Contrast this with Shoemoney (who I myself respect a great deal) - who uses poor grammar, who sometimes uses derogatory language in posts and has a wicked, pluginified design, and you can see how some viewers may have a lack of respect or a lot of respect for different bloggers.
“So Adnan, how am I able to start or maintain a great blogging image that will help me to gain readers and recommendations?”
1. Focus on great content. We’ve heard that phrase a lot of times before, but what does it actually mean? For me, it represents making sure every single post is readable - vocabulary and grammar wise. It makes sure that each post I produce is aesthetically pleasing with images to break-up the text, and it makes sure that each post itself is useful to the reader and contains nuggets of information they didn’t know before. The keywords here: Add Value.
2. Work on your blog design. The blog’s face is something that should appeal to first-time viewers as soon as they’ve hit your page. Make sure it’s not too over-powering, but at the same time it should give all the information about who you are as a blogger, the type of content you write and how serious you are about being successful. Having a standard Wordpress template won’t help you here.
3. Respond to comments in a timely manner. This point is very important as it will help readers to feel part of your site community, which will then encourage them to signup to your RSS feed or by email, and will help to trigger the all important WOM recommendations. Be sure to address each commenter individually at first, although this can start to get harder as people leave more and more comments.
4. Respond to emails quickly and formally. Whilst the person writing to you may have been casual with their choice of words, be careful to choose the right words and make every email sound professional and respectful. Try not to check your emails every minute of the day, but once or twice a day will make sure that you don’t neglect any urgent letters. Don’t forget to always include a signature composing of your site address, you and your position, and if possible an image or a link to your site’s feed.
5. Make your comments insightful and “clickable”. Your reputation isn’t only being judged on your own blog. People will also judge you as you make your rounds to your mate’s sites and to other blogs you wish to comment on. Make sure that again your choice of wording is professional and that your thoughts are very useful to other comment-readers. Make them want to click on your name to read more about what you have to offer.
There we are. My short 5 tips for making sure that people won’t forget who you are in the blogosphere. I’ve obviously missed out a lot of points, but wanted to ask the readers for your ideas into maintaining a super-sleek blogging image. Reply in the comments or email us directly!
Image is so very important on the Internet. Sometimes when I read a blog, I get the feeling that the writer believes that blogging is supposed to be raw and unedited.
This mistake occurrs a lot in online activites. For example, many treat email this way too.
Blog Image is so important, I see a lot of blogs that have either a high rss feed count or a high PR but they just lack in design, or professionalism - and let’s just say I don’t stick and move onto something better.
Hmmm on the point about Quality Content, I think that grammar, layout etc is different again. Its more so extra work that is used to enhance the good content.
Quality content to me is just content that fulills the purpose of the blog. Be it informative, humourous, useful etc.
Some really good tips here. One I’d like to add … I actually thought about it and took my own advice this morning … a rare event LoL.
If you are reading this post and these comments and you have _not_ posted to your primary blog yet today, then _stop_ and go, right now and post something. Then come back and read more.
I have read a ton of good advice and “how tos” and made alot of freinds from useful blogs such as Blogtrepreneur … but a number one impediment to blogging success is spending too much time reading and not _doing_.
A so-so plan, energetically executed _now_ is better by far than the “best plan” that never gets underway … apologies to George S. Patton … but he had the idea right.
Hey Fred - yeah that’s very true. Whilst in some ways a blog is a diary, if you want to be a successful blogger, you’ve got to realise that people don’t want anything that’s rough around the edges. However there are exceptions to this rule (eg. Shoemoney).
It’s sorta the same thing that Thomas is saying too - so thanks guys!
@ Daniel - yeah Quality Blogging can come under a number of different headings. That’s why I like to use the phrase “Add Value”. So long as the viewer learnt some new information, or maybe if you made them laugh - then that in my opinion adds value - and makes you a worthwhile blogger.
@ Dave - Thanks for the kind words buddy. EXACTLY. I’m guilty of this myself - but sometimes posting is just so dam hard! Finding some way to motivate yourself to write is very important, whether its a financial goal, physical or whatnot. Great input.
I agree with what others have said Adnan. The image of your site is so important, not just for a design standpoint. You almost got to have the total package when it comes to image, to really make it. You need a good design, good content, content that well written, etc. Like you said as far as responding goes, you’ve got a be approachable, or people will be really tuned off by you. If any one of those areas is sub par, you could be losing visitors.
Yesterday I left that comment about _doing_ instead of reading about doing/planning to do/and otherwise putting off the single most important thing a blogger can do … posting on your blog.
I don’t know if there’s some kinda karma at work or only coincidence … but the post I left here to finish writing and publish got picked up on the Retirement Advice page of CNN the morning. Retirement news on CNN isn’t exactly like getting the front page on Digg, but when you check your stats and they are up 500% from the average it does make you feel there is a way to succeed.
So for those reading this who haven’t yet posted today … go write first and then come back to read up on how to become “sleek”.