How To “Look” Like A Pro Blogger Even If You’re Not One (Yet!)
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How can you “look” like you’re a profesionnal blogger even if you’re not? Actually it’s quite simple, but there are things to keep in mind if you don’t want to look or sound like you’re new to blogging, and want to look pro right from the start. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong in being new at something, everybody has to go through the same stuff, learning curve and all, and at some point every blogger writer/author will face similar problems.
Last week i spent some time visiting and reading well established and also new blogs. Well I visited around 475 blogs, studied them, and came up with a list of things (note: my opinions and observations) bloggers can do or avoid in order to look like a pro blogger. (my own definition of a profesionnal blogger: someone who runs a blog, and earns any amount of money from that blog, even if it’s only $5 a month. You have text-link-ads or adsense on your blog? Well, to me, your blog is a business.)
Lorelle wrote in her (awesome) book, Blogging Tips - What bloggers won’t tell you about blogging - that a lot of profesionnal bloggers and A-listers have a “fake it till you make it” mentality.
So with all that said, let’s move on to the list:
(*note: you are very welcome to reply to the post by leaving a comment using the form at the bottom of this post.)
Feedburner Feed Count
Some will say it’s ok to show that widget even if you have only 3 readers, but I think if you have 100 it looks a lot better. Don’t you think?
Over-using Adsense
Google Adsense is a wonderful service. Use it, don’t abuse it. If the only thing a first comer sees when visiting your blog is “Ads by gooooogle”, you gotta make sure the content is extraordinary, or else that visitor may leave and never come back.
Blog Design Does Matter
Wordpress is a fantastic tool, and there’s a ton and a half templates/themes available, which is awesome, really! But do you want your blog to look almost identical to the next one? Probably not. Customizing an existing theme, building one from scratch or having someone else design a custom theme for you can go a long way, and your blog will stand out more!
Replying To The Comments
If someone says something or asks a question, the least one can do is to reply and/or answer. In the offline world we usually reply or answer when someone asks a question, so why should it be any different in the online world? If a blogger doesn’t want to reply to comments made on a post, why not simply disable them, instead oof not replying? It’s all about the conversations! I was shocked to find out that around 20-22% of the blogs I visited had posts with only 1 comment, and no answer or reply from the blog owner many many days after the comment was left.
Broken Links And Missing Images
It happens from time to time you’ll find a broken link, or a missing image in a post or sidebar, it’s normal, that stuff happens. But if a visitor clicks on 2 or 3 links and they’re all broken, chances are that visitor will leave, and most likely enjoy reading and clicking on another blog. Same thing with missing images in blog posts.
Posting Frequency
Some bloggers will write 1 or 2 posts a day, some will write as many as 5 to 10, while others will write as little as 2 per week. Readers (customers!) will come to expect you to write those 5 posts per day, so if you cut that down to only one post per week, without letting your readers know about your intentions, it is very possible you’ll loose ‘em. Some bloggers, on the other hand, saw an increase in the number of RSS subscribers when they slowed down on the posting. What works for one might not work for everyone though.
So Who Behind That Blog?
That picture of me you see at the top of my sidebar is the most clicked item on my blog (links to my about page). Out of the 475-ish blogs I visited, at least 35% of them didn’t have a picture, or I couldn’t find one anywhere. I mean, I don’t mind having to look around a little to find a picture of the blog owner, but after 1-2 minutes, I usually give up. And it’s even worse if I can’t find the name of the blog owner or at least a nickname or something. Some bloggers don’t want their names to be made public and I respect that, but there’s nothing wrong in having a pen name. Even better if you have a picture up on your blog. :)
So that’s about it folks, hope my short list will be useful to some of you! Please feel free to add to the post, contribute, share your thoughts and your opinions. What you add to the discussion matters a lot, and every single comment is highly appreciated!
Take Care
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25 Responses to “How To “Look” Like A Pro Blogger Even If You’re Not One (Yet!)”
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Hi Jonathan, this is very useful for someone like me who kinda starting blogging regularly but then dropped off when I got back into the 9 to 5. For those who find time slipping and are not able to write 1 let alone 5 posts per day, perhaps a good idea is to write 5 at a time and post date them so that everyday a new one appears. I am also guilty of not replying to people who comment on my blog, but being a newbie, I am so enraptured when people have bothered to comment that I ‘forget’ to reply, I shall in future correct this mistake.
Cheers
Hi Stirlyn, thank you! :)
Well i think it’s normal when you work a 9 to 5 job you don’t have 8 hours a day to spend on writing posts, so it’s cool (I don’t work a 9 to 5 job and I don’t have 8 hours to spend on writing either). Like you said, you write many in one day then timestamp those posts to be published 1 every day. :)
Hi Jonathan,
I really appreciated the time you spent to send me the html for making headers, and your comments made me stop to think about how my blog looked.
i havent really revised it since i started it a year ago, with so much else to do running my business.
i realised that i would have to have pages to link the headers to, so rather than fight against my blogger template, i went with it and just re-organised my content and tamed it down a bit so it all looks a bit calmer and easier to see whats going on.
So what i’m really trying to say is, thanks for push into making me re-assess the look of my blog!
Have fun,
You are more than welcome!! :)
I’m always happy to help!
Hey Jon,
That’s a good study and there’s some great points there.
Google Webmaster Tools is a good watchdog to make sure you don’t have any broken links.
It’s so important to have a picture and a name! I’ve been to blogs where I can’t find the author’s name … which makes it really tough to get into it or comment or go back
Shane, hey makes me think, i’ve yet to photoshop that picture of you on your about page! hehe
Google webmaster tools is great, helps keep things working and free of broken links.
hey jon, I just have to tell you that your face seems to come up on every blog I visit. Mybloglog records you to being very active blogger always moving.
I use to see you on my old blog back when but not anymore on my new one. HOpe to see your there soon, active as usual.
Hey J.R.! Oh i’m an active blogger that’s for sure :)
I still visit your blog from time to time, but depending which of my computers I use, maybe I’m not logged on mybloglog, so my pic won’t show
:)
Cool post! I do agree that being inconsistent with when and how many posts you put up is crucial. I’ve found that I’m doing much better with fewer posts but posting them on a regular schedule has helped lot. Thanks!
Hi Bobby! welcome to SWR! I noticed the same thing as you, and now I try to post around the same time every day, each day, so my readers kinda expect that, which is cool :)
Thanks for the helpful post, Jonathan. I’ve been reading a lot of blogging tips for beginners and most of them have been saying similar things. I have the memory of a gold fish haha, so it’s nice to come across these ideas once in a while. I do think brushing up on the basics, such as your post, can be quite beneficial.
Hi website copywriter, happy you liked the post! welcome to SmartWealthyRich :)
Good post, it’s easy to miss such simple things in the excitement of starting out :-)
Hey John, yep i agree, and i’m no different, I have to remind myself of the more “basic things” quite often :)
Great article Jonathan. You’re wise beyond your years and right on the money too!
There was a famous philosopher in the late 60’s who commemnted on this very topic. He stated his philosophy in a brief statement; “Look sharp. Feel sharp. Be sharp.” His name is “Broadway” Joe Namath, celebrated New York Jets quarterback. That statement was part of a shaving cream commercial. He was right too.
Sales, marketing and business in general is more about perception than most anything else. Success is often tied to the perceived value you offer to the marketplace. So, “fake it until you make it” is a proven strategy, as long as you “fake it” with real skills and credibility.
I’m with you too regarding a picture. I find it frustrating to not know who the blogger is, what he/she looks like and what their background is. A picture, bio and contact informations further reinforces credibility and personalizes the site. It allows for a connection with the the person and their message, something not possible if that information is missing.
Lastly, I agree about posting frequency. Whatever the post rate is, it needs to be consistent. I confess to being a bit frustrated upon visiting a favorite blog and discovering no new posts or comments & feedback from the site owner.
I hope Idea Sellers was among the blogs that you visited and left with a positive opinion!
as long as you “fake it” with real skills and credibility - you summed up my thoughts perfectly. It’s ok to fake it, and when you “make it” everything flows and start going fine.
Yep, i visited Idea Seller :) And i definitely left with a positive opinion. The simple fact the you have a picture at the top of the sidebar made me want to return and read more, and it’s definitely a good thing :) Keep it up!
Ditto on the feed count, design, the photo issue (of course ;-) ), and the comments piece especially.
I found what looked like a very well put together blog recently; I liked the design, the writers’ perspective (there were two of them), and the overall approach. So, I left a comment — and not just one of those, ‘hey, I like your blog’ comments, either, but one that really invited conversation — and heard nothing. No return comment, no email, nothing.
Guess how many times I went back?
I’m guessing you clicked te “subscribe to comments” box (if there was one) and went back only once to see no one replied, and then you never returned?
I find it sad when blog owners do that… I mean, someone took the time to read and not only that, left a comment, the least someone can do is to reply to the comment! bah, more room for you and me my friend! :)
Very interesting blog, nice tips! I’m new to blogging :)
Hi Programming Blog, thanx a lot, welcome to SWR, hope you find my blog useful! :)
I am a supporter of all the points you raise, and even recently put up a picture of ‘myself’ on my about page ;)
- Martin Reed
Hey Martin, yeah love this pic! Evil! ;)
[…] Jonathan wrote a great article about How to look like a pro blogger even if you’re not one (yet!) […]
Hey Jonathan! I like the way you framed your pic and added the lil note. It adds more visual interest and personality to your pic and blog.
I’m tossing around changing my theme but holding back because I’m not sure how difficult a process it will be. I ~~~~shudder~~~~ at the thought of losing everything in the process.
Thx for the great tips!
Hi Angela, thanx a lot for the kind words! :)
I always find that when a blog has a picture of the writer somewhere, either on the about ppage or in the sidebar, it really adds this personal touch, and it usually makes me wanna read more.