Dum
mies guide
Today it’s the second Monday of the month, which means it’s guest post day, and I have the pleasure to feature someone who is a very talented blogger. So here is my guest quote for him…
Take a very talented blogger who goes above and beyond to give you superb info and great insight on blogging, and you get Andrew Warner!
Take it away, Andrew…
A disturbing thought, isn’t it?
That you would purposely try to drive readers away from your site. You wouldn’t do that, would you?
Of course not.
You take blogging very seriously.
You’re always publishing quality, descriptive content. Engaging with other bloggers to build solid relationships. Promoting on various social media platforms.
All things that you’re supposed to do.
But, it seems that no matter what you do, readers find whatever excuse to leave your site. Sometimes seconds after they arrive.
And you can’t help but wonder why.
Is it your content? Or maybe you’re not promoting it to your ideal reader?
To be completely honest, it has nothing to do with those things and everything to do with what’s taking place behind-the-scenes.
The good news?
I’m going to give you a list of certain “behind-the-scenes” missteps that contributes to readers leaving your site and ballooning your bounce rate.
How many of these will you be guilty of?
Let’s find out.
1. Your Blog Design Is Pre-Historic
Can I be honest with you for a second?
99% of free themes suck. Hey, I know they’re cheap, since they’re free and all, but still. You’re not doing yourself any favors by having a free theme.
You leave yourself vulnerable to security breaches. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people having the same theme as you – especially if it’s popular. And they usually have pretty outdated designs.
It’s quite sad. And I can almost guarantee your readers won’t like it.
Why?
Because design is important. Especially on mobile devices.
Otherwise, why would Google roll out that new update that penalizes you if you’re blog isn’t mobile-friendly?
Because more people are viewing web pages on their mobile devices and tablets — and if your design is dated and you’re not mobile-friendly, you’re screwed.
What To Do Instead
Since your blog will be the catalyst to ultimately having your own business, you need to invest wisely in it. That means you should quit belly-aching and invest in a premium theme.
Genesis.
Thesis.
Thrive Themes.
Etc.
Doesn’t matter, as long as you do your research and choose a theme that suits you and your brand. But the key thing is to make sure your theme is mobile-friendly.
2. Your Site Load Time Is Long
You ever watch a TV show and right when it gets to the juicy part, they cut to commercial?
AHHH!!!
Doesn’t that just piss you off?
And if that’s not bad enough, the commercials just drone on, one after the other, with no end in sight.
Leaving you thinking, “When the hell is the show going to come back?”
Newsflash – that’s how your readers feel when your site takes forever to load.
But here’s the thing: they won’t stick around.
Why not?
Because they actually value their time. And if your site doesn’t load in a specific amount of time, they’ll leave and probably never return.
What To Do Instead
Constantly look for ways to increase your load time.
Compress your images before you load them on your site with sites like Kraken and TinyPNG.
Utilize a plugin like BJ Lazy Load to help with your site speed.
And don’t be afraid to utilize tools like Pingdom to find out where your website speed stands:
Or even Google PageSpeed Insights to figure out how fast your site loads on a mobile device. And what needs fixing:
And this is important because according to this post on KISSMetrics, 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. So if you’re not there, time to get to work.
3. You Never Respond To Comments
Imagine this.
You come across a blog while searching for a particular topic.
After reading the post, you’re compelled to leave a comment – based on the quality and useful information you just read.
For the next few weeks, you visit that same blog. Leaving a comment every single time. But after a month of doing this, you noticed that the author isn’t replying to your comments.
Or anyone else’s, for that matter.
You feel slighted. Let’s face it, you spent a lot of time not only reading their post, but crafting a thoughtful comment as well.
The least they can do is justify all of that with a response. Right?
To be completely honest, yes they should. And you should as well. In fact, in a LinkedIn group I’m in, they talked about just that:
It doesn’t matter if you have 5 comments or 500.
If people took time to read your post, consume the information and write a well thought out comment, they deserve to be responded to. No matter how popular you become.
What To Do Instead
Responding to comments can be a time-sucking chore if you allow it to build up. If you can’t respond right away, then it’s best to dedicate a certain amount of time to respond to comments.
Couple hours a day. Maybe a certain day of the week.
Regardless of what it is, show them that you’re not just preaching and actually engage with your readers.
They deserve it.
4. You Absolutely Refuse To Format Your Posts
It’s okay. You can admit it.
Your selfish, right?
Hey, since it’s your blog, you’re going to do things your way, right?
After all, why else would you write text-heavy posts with little to no formatting? Let me ask you a question. Do you remember how the textbooks were in High School?
Those things was a behemoths, weren’t they?
Well over 1,000 pages.
Weighing more than 15 pounds.
And text so crammed together, you couldn’t tell where the next paragraph started. That’s what you want for your blog?
A long string of paragraphs that’s difficult on the eyes, and would bore any reader to tears?
Readers don’t want to see walls and walls of text. They get turned off by that and won’t hesitate to leave. And unless you smarten up and are willing to make that change, then you’re just showing readers you could care less about their reading pleasure.
What To Do Instead
If you didn’t know, blog formatting is a pretty big deal.
In fact, in a previous post I wrote, Marc Andre had some pretty telling views on blog formatting:
Everything he mentioned in that quote, is what you should be doing.
5. You Blatantly Abuse Popups
Chances are, you’re not a big fan of pop-ups. Am I right?
Do they work? Yes.
Are they annoying? Hell yes.
But more and more, pop-ups are becoming extremely annoying. For instance, you’re reading a blog post that contains information you’re interested in and then – BAM!
There goes a pop-up. Obstructing any view you have of the content. And if that isn’t bad enough, imagine this happening on your mobile device where you’re forced to find and click the X button.
Yeesh.
I’m sure if you were to survey your readers, more than half would say they hate those things.
But you keep it because it converts. It collects email addresses — which is what you need to grow you blog after all.
But the main reason you do it is because experts like Neil Patel does it.
You know the type, right?
The ones that pop up again …
… right after you close the first one down?
*shakes head*
But … you’re no Neil Patel. So all you’re really doing is annoying readers and eventually driving them away by doing that.
What To Do Instead
There’s nothing wrong with having popups .. as long as you set up some parameters that allows it to track cookies so it doesn’t popup for every page.
But more importantly, make sure that if someone clicks the “X” button, it stays closed. And another one doesn’t pop-up right after. Guarantee that will drive readers away.
Are You Driving Readers Away?
We all want to keep our readers when they visit out site. That’s how we build engagement … friendship … a community.
But the last thing that readers want to experience when they visit your site, is any of these things.
They’re all bad.
They’re all damaging.
And they’ll all make readers leave your site just as quickly as they visited.
You don’t want that, do you? Of course not. Use this guide as a reminder of what NOT to do on your blog. You work too hard to get the readers that you do, why throw all that hard work away because of these foolish missteps?
What are your thoughts? Do you know any other dumb missteps that drive readers away? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thanks for allowing me to feature on your site, Sylviane. Truly appreciate it and appreciate your audience.
– Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Thank you so much for being here as I wasn’t.
I’ve been running around like a chicken, plus had to bring my computer to the shop yesterday and just got it back.
I’ll be replying to comments on the plane, as I’m very busy right now, getting ready to fly out of the country tomorrow 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Andrew, and welcome to Sylviane’s blog 🙂
Good to see you here with a wonderful topic of discussion – the very reasons why we tend to drive our readers away!
The blog design, color combination, the layout – all of it has an impact, so makes sense to spend a little in buying a good theme with a design that is trendy and mobile friendly. Yes, it HAS to be mobile friendly now as everyone seems to be using their mobile devices for reading posts, or you could be penalized by Google and wonder what happened!
The load time of your blog plays a major role, and this is one reason your readers would leave your blog too, so you need to work on your blog to fasten the speed.
As much as we all like receiving comments, we need to remember to reply to them too, for the very reasons you mentioned. If you are busy with some things, come back to them a little later, but they must be replied.
Formatting your posts is so essential too, something that is an immediate put off if not done well enough. I think it makes sense to spend time doing up your posts aptly and then hitting the publish button. Lol…I’ve tried pop-ups too as people say they work (some say), but I don’t like them myself personally, unless they show up just when you are about to leave the page, or come and go quietly, which never happens! Sure reason for sending your readers away 🙂
Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice week ahead, both of you 🙂
Harleena Singh invites you to read..Shocking Facts About Infidelity In Marriages [Infographic]
Hi Harleena,
Thanks for the comment.
I use to be all about free, but when it comes to design and how it impacts how people look at my site, paid is the best way to go for me. Regarding the pop-up issue, it depends on the person really.
I was against it but I don’t mind it anymore. As long as it’s not a nuisance, then it’s fine by me.
Thanks for the comment once again, Harleena.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Harleena,
Sorry for my absence here, but I am just emerging from my jet lag.
I feel a lot like Andrew, I used to be all about free stuff, but now of course, I feel that if you want to look professional you are going to have to pay for what you want. At the same time, if you are teaching success with your blog and can’t afford anything, it won’t really show people that you’re doing what you preach, right?
Thank you for coming.
Hey Andrew,
Great to see you here on Sylviane’s blog!
And yes all of these are annoying and gives your visitors good reason to drive them away!
One thing I hate is when the author does format their pists. It does remind me of the school text books we so much dreaded to read and got bored doing so. This is why it’s so important to make your content more appealing by formatting. It makes it easier to read and more enjoyable.
I also use to hate popups with a passion, but I kept reading how useful they are so I decided to incorporate them. Thas when I figured out it wasn’t the popups I hated but the timing of when it appeared. It’s very important to set up a pop usually at the end of the post and not each time the reader comes to your post.
Thanks for sharing this list of reasons. Now it’s time for me to make some more adjustments to my popups ; )
Have a good one Andrew!
Sherman Smith invites you to read..My Top 6 Blog Posts For The Month Of April
Hey Sherman,
Thanks for the comment.
It’s truly interesting how something simple like formatting can make a huge difference, isn’t it?
If I find a post that’s poorly formatted, there’s no chance that I’m sticking around to read it. Can’t stand high school text type of posts.
Thanks again for the comment.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..My Monthly Featured Roundup: 23 Must-Read Posts From April
Hi Sherman,
I’m glad you enjoyed this delightful comment from Andrew.
Yes, you’re 100% right about the popups, it’s when it appears that could be annoying. I know mine appears too early and I have to change that.
Sorry for the late reply, just emerging from my jet lag.
Thank you for you input.
Hi Sylviane and Andrew 🙂
I liked this: “But … you’re no Neil Patel” – in my opinion this simple sentence reveals one of the major reasons why many bloggers and internet marketers fail. Not because they aren’t Neil, but because they copy blindly techniques, actions, behaviors from the expert A or from the expert B, without taking into consideration some facts…
– sometimes the experts make mistakes too (especially in related sub-niches they are NOT experts in)
– some experts make mistakes on purpose. Because such mistakes save their time and their fame offsets instantly the mistakes (for example writing a lame email subject line)
– the action “a” or the technique “b” are used in a certain context. If you use it in another situation, different from the original one, it may not work the same.
– and so on and so forth 😉
Adrian Jock invites you to read..9 Reasons Why Your Blog Comments Didn’t Generate Traffic
Hey Adrian,
Thanks for the comment. That doesn’t only go for Neil Patel. That goes for Ana Hoffman, Jon Morrow, Kristi Hines, and every big name blogger out there.
We’re not them. And we can’t expect to get the same results doing something that they’ve done.
“sometimes the experts make mistakes too (especially in related sub-niches they are NOT experts in)”
Very true. Experts make mistakes all the time. You can’t blindly copy experts if they’re not knowledgeable on particular topics. That will guarantee failure.
Thanks for the comment, Adrian.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..Content Marketing: How To Effectively Build an Engaged Community In 3 Steps
Hi Adrian,
For sure I’ve seen experts doing some things that you would never want to recommend anyone doing. I agree, experts make mistakes too, and some can even afford to make mistake them and get away with it because they already have a name.
In a nutshell, don’t do everything you hear 🙂
Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Andrew,
It’s so nice to meet you. These would definitely drive readers away.
The one thing I’m working on right now is my site’s load time. I used Google’s tool and tried to fix what they pointed out but it’s too challenging for me so I’m in the process of finding someone to help me with that.
I not too crazy about pop ups either but I’ve read some success stories about so it has me thinking abut adding one. 🙂
Thank you for your suggestions, they were very helpful.
Hello Sylviane,
Thank you for introducing us to Andrew and having him share this great post with us.
Take care you two. Have a great week!
Cori
Corina Ramos invites you to read..FabFitFun Is The Ultimate Subscription Box
Hey Corina,
Thanks for the comment. Sites load time is really key.
But because if it takes too long, the reader will not stay on your site.
Just like you, I did not like pop-ups either.
However, I’ve had a change of heart about them and I’m now using them to test out and see how effective they really are.
Thanks again for the comment.
Andrew
Hi Corina,
Sorry for getting back to you so late, but I wasn’t able to concentrate much these past 48 hours with my trip and all.
Wow, that’s great that you are meeting Andrew here, he’s definitely a great blogger worth knowing and I was so glad to have him here this week.
Thank you for dropping by!
Hi Andrew, nice to see you at Sylviane’s blog. I think not getting responses when you leave a comment is one of my top pet peeves. Or if they leave you a two word response after you left a good paragraph or more. Really?
Funny you mention pop-ups, I just added one to mine and it was hard to do but I’ve seen fantastic results. As long as they are quick and have the big X to click away if readers want.
I would add small text, I like to read easily and small text is a big turn off for me when I get to a post. Or a post without images or formatting like you said.
Keep it simple!
Excellent tips Andrew. Have a great day.
Lisa Sicard invites you to read..Why Neil Patel Convinced Me to Use a Nasty Pop Up
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for the comment. Not getting responses when you leave a comment IS a big deal.I try my best to respond to that of the comments I receive – even if it may come a week later.
And definitely those one or two in word responses are never good.
Regarding pop-ups, I have no issues with that I just don’t like the ones that try to copy what Neil Patel does and not allow it to close. Neil can get away with that, but if you’re not Neil … sorry. I won’t stand for it.
And I see no issues of pop-ups and general as long as it is not intrusive. I just added a couple more to my blog just yesterday.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Lisa,
Responding to my comments is always something I try to do my best with, except for this week, maybe 🙂 as I’m still recuperating from my jet lag, but that’s why it was so cool to have a guest this week. It really came handy.
Thank you so much for coming by.
Hi Sylviane and Andrew,
Great choice Sylviane! It’s great seeing you today on Sylviane’s blog Andrew.
I have to say that #3 is a HUGE one for me! I run across this problem all of the time and the truth is that I no longer will comments if I see that the author is not willing to reply to comments then I won’t leave a comment or stay on the site very long.
I have often wondered why even have comments?
Great post Andrew!!!! Let’s keep trying to drive traffic to our sites.
Have a great week.
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..Calling Veterans to a New Service as Exceptional Business Owners
Hey Don,
Thanks for the comment.
I completely understand what you’re saying regarding a blogger not replying to comments. Or making any effort at all to try to reply to comments.
I know for myself, it takes a while to respond to some comments I may receive on my blog however I still eventually respond. I think to no matter how big you get, you should still make time to respond to comments that people leave. They took the time to leave the comments so you should take the time to respond.
Thanks again for the comment, Don.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Don,
Many big bloggers do not reply or seldom reply to comments, and I don’t care who they are, I hate that too 🙂
Now, lately I’ve myself been pretty bad at it too, but it’s because of my life transition keeping me away from blogging and blogs all together, but I’m getting back now 🙂
Thank you for coming, Don and have a great weekend!
This was a great post. I think that a pre-historic theme can really drive away readers, and also abusing pop-ups. No one wants to come to a site where they can barely read the content because they are constantly interrupted with a popup telling them to sign up to the site. I have been to a few sites like this and it is simply annoying. Also, you must update your site. Make it attractive. Also, I think abusing advertising can be a big turn-off as well. Just keep your site clutter free, simple, yet elegant and attractive.
Hi Lawrence,
I’m glad you enjoyed Andrews’s post here this week, and thank you for dropping by.
~ Sylviane
Hey Lawrence,
Thanks for the comment.
Abusing pop-ups, definitely. I tolerate it with Neil because he always has awesome information … plus he’s known and is an expert. But, some people I see doing it don’t have a name at all. And I’m like, “What are you doing? Seriously!”
“Just keep your site clutter free, simple, yet elegant and attractive.” Very true. That’s how it should always be.
Thanks for the comment once again.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Andrew,
Great article on Sylviane’s blog!, Andrew good to see you here, by the way article is excellent which having all noticeable point which always attract to readers on blog, and here you sharing one tool information toos.pingdom.com is best place for track website loading time, if website having more load time then every second we can loss many visitors.. great article.
Regards
Mohd Arif
Mohd Arif invites you to read..Ninja Blaster-Best Facebook Marketing Tool
Hi Mohd,
I’m glad you enjoyed Andrews’s post, he sure did a great job. I know this week I’ve been absent from my own blog because I’ve traveled across the Atlantic ocean, but I’m getting back into it. I’m sure Andrew will be back too.
Thank you for your input.
Hey Mohd,
Thanks for the comment.
Load time is something we always have to keep up on. Those two that I mentioned are good ways to monitor them. But if you want more advanced, you can always go with a CDN. But you’re right, the more seconds it takes, the more visitors we lose. We can’t afford that.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Sylviane and Andrew!
Very nicely explained! I am also working to improve my blog loading theme day by day to make it more fast since no one want to lose their readers, And I also don’t. I liked your point “you’re no Neil Patel.”.
I have noticed many newbie copy experts even some newbie choose such niche. In which they are zero. How can they make their blogging journey if they pick a niche in which they are zero.
Excellent tips! I would like to share this with my followers also at Google+.
Have a nice day!
Jyoti
Jyoti Chauhan invites you to read..Create Fascinating Online Stores With WixStores Easily
Hi Jyoti,
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post from Andrew, thank you for dropping by.
I think that it’s good to get ideas from experts, but we always need to keep in mind that they make mistakes too, and that what works for one person might not work for me. Like anything else in life, right?
Thanks for your input.
Hi SYLVIANE,
Very true, It is not necessary which strategy is worked for one person, will work for another person also.
Jyoti Chauhan invites you to read..Create Fascinating Online Stores With WixStores Easily
Hi Jyoti,
Yes, and this post was by Anddrew, by the way. Not sure if you’ve noticed.
~Sylviane
Hi Jyoti,
Thanks for the comment.
The worst thing for someone to do is to blatantly copy an expert and expect the same results. It just won’t happen.
But to make it worse, is if they choose a sub niche where there are no readers there. foolish mistake. Thanks again for the share and the comment.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Andrew.
Welcome to Sylviane’s blog. First I love the title of your post; The Dummies Guide To Driving Away Blog Readers. It cool, out of this world and thought provoking.
The things you have mentioned are so true. An old school blog design is a turn off not to talk of not using formats for posts.
It is an insult not to respond to your reader’s comment. It sends the wrong signal. As for pop ups, it is like a double edged sword so like you mentioned, we should be careful in the way we use it.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sylviane
Hope you are having fun while traveling. Have an awesome week.
Hi Ikechi,
Thank you for dropping by and I’m glad you enjoyed Andrew’s post here. I really thought that he did a great job.
Thank you so much for your input.
~ Sylviane
Hey Ikechi,
Thanks for the comment.
I still see people with the old school blog design. After the recent G update, I’m sure they were penalized with mobile-friendly. Because chances are if that had that old design, it wouldn’t be mobile friendly.
Yep. Responding to comments is necessary. Even if you don’t do it right away, you have to do it in a respectable amount of time.
Popups are something I’m using again on my blog. It is something you need to be careful of. If it’s abused, then you’ll lose readers.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hey Corina,
Thanks for the comment. Sites load time is really key.
But because if it takes too long, the reader will not stay on your site.
Just like you, I did not like pop-ups either.
However, I’ve had a change of heart about them and I’m now using them to test out and see how effective they really are.
Thanks again for the comment.
Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Andrew,
So you left Don to cover your place whilst you popped over to Sylviane’s. Good choice!
Well you and I both know, and agree, on all these points as we discussed them before 🙂
Often we hear so many tips on producing content that we forget how we are going to present it. I spend as much time on the presentation as writing the post in the first place.
I’m in the process of sorting my site speed. Going to be moving to a new provider. You have to get the foundation right, right?
Thanks Andrew and your host Sylviane!
– David
David Hartshorne invites you to read..Google’s GAS Problem and How To Avoid It
Hi David,
Yes, that’s pretty cool isn’t it? I’ve done the same thing a couple weeks ago. I was at someone’s blog while someone else covered mine basically.
I’m glad you enjoyed this post and thank you for coming.
~Sylviane
Hey David,
Thanks for the comment.
Yep… the ol’ switch-a-roo lol.
Yes, we have discussed them before and thank you so much for your help and really helping me get clarity on some of these things.
And site speed is something that we all need to get clarity on, monitor and fix if it’s not sufficient.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
Hi Andrew,
That’s such an intriguing point you started with and makes me suspect if I am not sending away my readers too 🙂
There’s so much to learn from these points. I think theme is something I need to work on to improve your readers’ experience.
Thanks for this wonderful post! Will be subscribing to you to remain updated with more valuable info!
Have a great day!
Hi Nisha,
I’m glad you enjoyed Andrew’s post here, and thank you for coming.
Sorry I’ve been away for a while but I’ve moved on the other side of the Ocean for a while and been very busy offline.
Thank you for your input.
Hey Nisha,
Thanks for the comment.
Reader experience is important and the theme contributes to that. It’s it looks too dated, it could very well be sending readers away.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..What Farming Can Teach Us About Content Marketing
superb post you guide step by step nice guide line Thanks for sharing with us keep up it
Have a nice week ahead.
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Hey Bilal,
Thanks for the comment. Appreciate it.
Hope you have a great week as well.
– Andrew
Andrew invites you to read..Reader Challenge: How To Grow Your Blog By Attracting Your Ideal Reader
Hi, Sylviane and Andrew,
So glad to see you on Sylviane’s blog. 🙂 I’d glad to see you brought up this discussion – exactly the reasons why we are prone to drive our readers away.
I had invested in a good theme from the beginning, and I wholeheartedly agree that design, layout, colors etc. all have a big impact on our reader’s experience.
My blog used to be slow loading until I paid a team to optimize it for me. Speed is a very important metric and of course, being Mobile-friendly is absolutely necessary now. So glad I took care of this last year before the crunch time came.
I couldn’t agree more. Answering and replying to comments is an absolute necessity! After all, someone has taken their precious time to read our article and share their valuable feedback. To ignore them is like driving them away as you so beautifully depict in your article.
I’ve placed opportunities for readers to opt into my subscriber list in many different areas on my blog. Just recently I chose to test the pop up upon arrival, and it is wildly successful. However, because I want to be considerate of my visitors, I have the cookie set for seven days, so as not to be annoying if a person sees it – certainly don’t want them hit with it on each visit.
Thanks for sharing, and I hope you have a good afternoon.
Carol Amato
Carol Amato invites you to read..Carol’s Cut – Best of the Month 1
Hi Andrew,
Thanks so much sharing both good tools, I love pingdom tool, and use always, I think website load time effect our website visitors if website have more load time then we can loss big number of visitors..
Regards
John Crook
John Crook invites you to read..100+ Cute Question to Ask Your BoyFriend or Girlfriend
Hey Sylviane,
Great choice here and I meant to comment earlier but have really been slow with that lately. Love what Andrew shared here so great choice.
Hey Andrew, well done my friend and of course something that everyone should read. Mainly because you pointed out some key stuff here. The example of the popups and people do it because it works for some of the gurus is priceless…
Those trying these things out aren’t taking into consideration that they don’t have the same type of traffic, they don’t offer their subscribers the same type of information nor are they testing things to see what works and what doesn’t. As you did mention though, some of the “experts” make mistakes too because we actually don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.
Actually everything you mentioned here comes into play, I agree. From your blog design is too busy to it loading slowly, to not replying to comments or not properly formatting your posts.
I guess once you’ve been blogging long enough and you start to see what works and what doesn’t that is when you start to take more into consideration. We all want to be supportive but who has the time to hang around blogs that make some of these mistakes right! Either way, we live and learn and all we can really do is try to improve upon what we’re doing.
Really appreciate this post, thank you so much and you have a good week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne invites you to read..Breaking Away From The Me Too Crowd
Hi Adrienne,
Well, I’m glad you came and read this wonderful post by Andrew.
That’s why I get tired of those “follow my success recipe” type gurus, because what works for one person may or may not work for you. The point is that no matter what it is, it really depends on the individual at the end of the road.
Even commenting on other blogs, for example, will work better for someone like you because you blog on blogging, than it would for someone who blogs on a topic that has nothing to do with blogging. I’ve spoken with bloggers who have told me that commenting on other blogs was sucking the time out of them without any great results (meaning driving targeted traffic for their niche). So, as you said it really depends on the TYPE of traffic we need and have.
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
~Sylviane
Hi, Sylviane and Andrew,
Thanks for this great push to view things from the perspective of the reader. It really is amazing that people do these things. They are all such obvious annoyances that we feel on *other* people’s sites so why do we still let them happen on our own?
The thing I have to look at again is speed. I never really stop looking at it but for some reason it’s crept in the wrong direction. I do use the BJ Lazy Load plugin and it’s great – I no longer feel the need to worry about using big images. I’d also recommend you take a look at WP Smush. It compresses images automatically as you upload them. I think you still have to do some optimising beforehand like you suggest but the plugin always manages to squeeze a bit more.
I used to have a very black and white view about pop-ups. I know now that they’re effective but it’s still the thing that most people focus on as what’s wrong with the internet. I think twice before I use anything moving on my site. In fact I probably think more than twice! You’re suggestions to limit the effect are very sensible.
Thanks again!
Hey Sylviane and Andrew,
Excellent post.
I every now and again do what I can to lower my page speed but even if I don’t make any changes, the results fluctuate so much.
I will keep at it until I can get someone to code that thing out the way I want.
Pop Ups… Love hate here. I didn’t use them on my blog for a while but after some tests, they just work. I have it where it doesn’t pop up after a week or two. Can’t remember exactly right now.
After a 10.84% conversion rate, it’s here to stay for now 🙂
take care…
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Hi Steven,
Glad you found Andrew’s post here. Very interesting stuff for sure.
When it comes to pop-ups it’s good to try what works. I just took mine down for the moment, as I am trying to have a different pop-up for each topic of my blog. But, yes, even people say they don’t like them, they do work.
Thank you for coming by.
Hey Andrew,
Welcome to Sylviane’s blog and you have nailed it! A wonderful topic, and yes no blogger would knowingly, purposefully drive their traffic away.
But there are so many stuff, unknowing to us, that might contribute to readers bouncing off. And this is no joke.
I love the points you have shared here, especially on the design and site speed. I am giving more weight to these things personally on my sites as well – as these also help boost reader engagement as I’ve discussed in one of my latest posts (http://www.probloggingsuccess.com/boost-engagement/).
Thanks for bringing up this topic 🙂 Have a wonderful week ahead!
Cheers,
Jane.
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Hi Jane,
Yes, good point. No one would purposely try to make people go away from their blog, but ignorance would. At times I see things and think, how do they not know that? But apparently they don’t 🙂
Thank you for sharing your post.
Take care 🙂
Sylviane