I often talk about the need for businesses to have blogs. I talk about how they can help with search engine optimization, promoting one services and products, and giving the business of personal voice.
 |
All that is good and well, but now it’s time to refine things just a bit more. I am seeing more small businesses getting into blogging, but there’s a few things that a lot of them need that would really help them to go further.
I thought about going for five points in this post, but I thought that I would just stick to three and make this a quick hitter instead. So let’s look at the top three things you’re probably doing wrong with your blog.
1. Is the name that showing on your posts “admin”?
If so, this means that you haven’t gone into your users area and changed the name that you want showing from admin to your name. If you’re writing your own posts, you want people to see your name associated with your post as opposed to someone else’s name, or admin. After all, you’re looking for name recognition.
If you have a blog that has multiple writers, each writer deserves to have their name associated with their post. By the way, if you have your name associated with your post you also have a way of setting up your name with Google so that if people find your blog through the Google search engines your name and possibly your picture, if you set one up to show up with your name, will come up as well. Google says they’ve killed this, yet I’ve noticed when I’m signed into Google that I still see some people’s images next to things I’m looking for.
2. Are you linking to other articles or other blog posts that are on your site or on your blog when you write your new posts?
This isn’t something you can probably do all the time, internal linking, but what this does is gives people an incentive to check out some of your other information that on your site, and keep them on your site a little longer. Studies have shown that the longer someone stays on your site the more apt they are partake of some of your services or buy some of your products. It’s a great advertising opportunity you shouldn’t miss.
3. Are you engaging your audience by responding to comments or asking questions within your articles?
I should have started this by saying that if you don’t have comments open you don’t really have a blog at all; you’re just talking to people. This is a bias of mine; so sue me. lol
If you are accepting comments, you need to make sure you take time to respond to them. You don’t necessarily have to respond to every single comment, but those comments that are really good you should respond to.
Every once in a while in your article you should ask a question. Did you notice that I asked some questions above? Asking questions helps get people engaged, even if they may not read a comment. If you can make people think, most of the time they will appreciate that and they’ll want more from you.
There you go, three things you should check to make sure you’re doing. Are you doing them? Let me know.
This is excellent advice, not only for business blogs, but also for us creative types. Happy to say I am doing those three things right – at least, most of the time. Cheers!
LOL! Good deal Debbie. Sometimes I have to write these quick hitters for the folks who can’t handle the really long posts.
There is another hugely important reason for disabling the built in ‘Admin’ user name – it helps hackers over the first hurdle for breaking into your blog. All they then need to do is crack the password (which is a lot easier than many people think).
Disabling the admin account and using another, as you suggested above, makes it much, much harder for anyone to break into WordPress.
True Ben. Almost no one knows that when setting up their blog for the first time though; WordPress needs to make that part of the recommended instructions for newbies.
I try to build backlinks into everything I write on all of my blogs. it is usually pretty easy to do so why not do it?
good stuff yet again Mitch. Oh yeah and definitely every one should change the Admin user name for security reasons as well as giving the blog more personality.
Thanks Troy. I don’t have links in all my posts but I do have them in a lot of them. I should probably think about doing it more often; we’ll see. 🙂
Hi Mitch – This is great advice for any blog!
I’ve got all three covered on my blog, although I know I can do a better job on interlinking the posts.
I also agree with you about #3, probably should be the first one on the list. I’m all about commenting on blogs. Not only the best way to engage your readers, but also a wonderful networking tool if done right.
Have a great week Mitch.
Craig
Thanks Craig. Actually, I agree that #3 is probably the main thing, but unlike some people I like to try to end with a bang as opposed to giving the store away at the beginning of the post. I was just part of a blogging carnival and many of those folks didn’t get the concept of how to write a good comment, let alone respond to comments left on their blogs. I could teach a course!
Hey Mitch,
I’m not sure what people are thinking when they never have not only a name attached to the posts they write but sometimes I can’t find a name anywhere. I get that some people want their company brand to be what they remember but when you’re conversing with someone you need to do it on a first name basis. Doesn’t everyone know that?
I think the interlinking is important of course when it’s relevant and I guess some people still don’t do it because they don’t understand how it can benefit them or they don’t think about that at the time they’re writing their post. Hopefully this will be a great reminder.
So far I’ve been pretty lucky to not comment on many blogs where the owners don’t respond. Now as you and I both know, those other commenting systems make it hard for me to know whether they did or not but if I asked them a question I’ll make a point of hanging onto the link and go back and check but if I didn’t ask anything I never know if they responded. The next time I stop by I’ll find out though.
Great share and important points.
~Adrienne
Hey Adrienne,
As a pro web copywriter, I can tell you that a huge number of those blog posts are not written by the people to whom they are attributed 😉
Which then begs the question, does the name really matter?
Ben
If you want to have success building your blog then it’s about building relationships and networking. You can’t make a real connection if you have no clue who you’re even referring to. I don’t waste my time commenting on a post where there is no name.
Everyone has their own opinion of course but I’d love to meet someone who goes by admin and is doing really well.
~Adrienne
Thanks Adrienne. Actually, I tend to think most of the errors come because people just don’t know. I think it was a few years before I realized I could change Admin to my name, and it was on a fluke. Then when G+ came out with authorship I was ready for them.
And comments… sigh… The problem is either people not responding to comments or not checking their blogs to see if their responses are getting to people. I’ve written about that one a few times and told people how they can check it. Every once in a while I’ll remember a blog I commented on, go back and see that they commented. That’s folks not taking the time to maintain their blogs properly… as well as probably not even thinking about it. Gotta keep pushing that one through it seems…
Hi Mitch
Very important points you mentioned here and the first one is most common as I observed.
The login name should neither by admin nor by your first or second name as hackers try both the options to attack a blog. It is better to change the login id with a name or word that one can never imagine and it must not be your sir name or caste also.
The other two points are also very important especially the last one. On the basis our relations and our commenting on other blogs we can get a few comments at our blog post but cannot create a readers engagement if we don’t write engaging contents.
Thanks a lot for sharing this very informative post.
Thanks Mi! I’m with you that responding to comments and commenting in general is a big deal and helps drive the most traffic. Of course, I also have to admit that on a couple of my blogs I still use admin as the username but the passwords are long and complicated on those blogs. I need to break down one day and change those… being stupidly stubborn though. 🙂
Hey Mitch,
Just arrived on your blog through Adrienne’s blog where you had left your comment. It’s my first visit on your site and what I say now you’re doing such a fabulous job.
I agree with all your 3 points that you’ve raised in this post. Internal linking is so much important to decrease your site bounce rate. Moreover, through internal linking there are high chances that if you do proper internal linking where it need blog reader will surely hit that link to read more information related to that article.
And the remaining other 2 points which includes blog commenting and author name. I gotta say both are very important for every blog owner.
Thanks for sharing some great nuggets.
-Mustafa
Thanks Mustafa. Yeah, I think the internal linking part is something not all that many bloggers know about. I talk about it all the time here, but I’m just getting people to know I’m around… and I’ve been here a long time. lol
I agree with all 3 tips and the third one is more essential.
Some bloggers open the comment facility on their blogs, but failed to reply for their users comments.
Have a good relationship with all users is one of the great way to bring our blog to next stage.
Again thanks for your useful information.
Exactly Kalista; it’s not only good for one’s blog but it’s common courtesy to acknowledge others when you can.