Nothing kills a budding blog faster than second-rate content. That’s when there are typos, grammar errors, and a complete failure to make the post web-friendly. I call that “brain-friendly,” because we can’t help the fact that our brains don’t want to scan long lines of text on a computer screen. There are special formatting needs for blogging which make all the difference to the reader, even if they don’t realize it.
Stacy’s troubled blog life
Stacy has a blog about restoring historic homes. Her niche is well-defined, which is a very good starting point for a successful blog. She grew up in a historic area of Boston, has restored three homes herself, and she’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable about architecture, restoration, and the challenges restorers face. She’s the perfect person to write this blog.
Here comes the trouble
But we’ve got some problems. Like almost every blogger out there, Stacy is an average writer and, worse, she is an average proofreader. Besides those issues, Stacy does not know how to format her posts for web readability.
She writes carefully and lovingly, about interesting topics relevant to her audience. But she is producing second-rate content.
Her poor readers are subjected to spelling errors, grammar errors, and long lines of type with no white space.
Your brain is the issue
No matter how great your content is, if it is not brain-friendly, it will not produce the results you want. Your reader’s finger is on the click-trigger, just itching to go to the next place. Don’t give them a reason to leave your site.
Publish first-rate content – or lose your audience.
So how do you know when you’ve got second-rate content?
Clue #1: You have never worked with a professional proofreader or editor.
Solution: Most bloggers can’t hire an editor for every post, and neither can Stacy. But what you can do is have a professional web editor go over your site and point out your most common errors. If you are serious about attracting an audience, consider a one-time consult. Take the proofing corrections and the web readability suggestions seriously. Learn from this consult, and watch out for the mistakes you make most often.
Clue #2: You are unaware of the basics for web readability.
Solution: This one you should be able to learn on your own. Take a good long look at some of the most popular and well-read blogs. Look at how Brian Clark shapes his posts on Copyblogger. Check out the white space — lots of white space!! This is one of the basics of a brain-friendly post. A good rule of thumb is to keep your posts under about 500 words, shorter is better. Use bold headlines over some of the key paragraphs. Keep looking at posts on successful blogs. Compare and note how yours is different.
Clue #3: Readers leave after 30 seconds
You can see from your site’s analytics (you’re using analytics, right?) that people leave after 30 seconds. Long enough to start reading — and to be turned off by the poorly edited content and unreadable formatting. Darn!
What you can do about it
So, are you thinking you’d like to make your site more readable for your adoring audience?
Get a blog assessment
Here’s one option. Send me your website or blogsite URL, and a short note telling me what your goals are for your site. I’ll look it over, and let you know if I could help you with a blog assessment. (Not all sites are appropriate for my service.)
Another option: If you are ruminating on an idea for a blog or online business, I might be able to give you an action plan for that. In this case, you can tell me what type of business you’re thinking about (and no need to reveal any details that you feel are still proprietary, just be general). Then, tell me what you consider your skill level to be where social media and blogging are concerned. I’ll let you know if I can give you a productive assessment and action plan.
Typical assessments include proofing issues, necessary skills, appropriate tools to use and learn, and an overview of how readers view your site. Assessment with action plan is $175.00.
Send your URL and email to: suzannastinnett@gmail.com
Time for FIRST RATE content!!
To your best outcome,
Suzanna
About Suzanna’s proofreading:
Suzanna Stinnett is a gifted proofreader with over 25 years of medical and copy proofing under her belt. She’s a “finder” – she can find lost things, hidden things, and the tiniest disparity in a pattern. She has studied web readability for the past decade and applied these concepts to her own blogs and published material. Her other accomplishments include her book, “Little Shifts,” published by Sourcebooks, and over 400 articles on the web. Suzanna founded the Bay Area Bloggers Society to help people learn in their local community and solve the isolation of blogging. She also teaches workshops on web marketing and tools, consults privately, travels and speaks on the new culture of creatives, and is working on her next book, “Cloud Alchemy,” based on her manifesto.
People who work with Suzanna say:
“Suzanna explains everything in such a personal, easy to understand way. In the middle of her live workshop, I suddenly realized I was feeling excited rather than overwhelmed, and I left feeling empowered to begin my blog!” Abba Anderson, LAc, CCHT, MSOM
“I thought I had great content for my upcoming blog. I am so glad I turned it over to Suzanna before I went any further — she helped me see how to work with blog formats, which actually make my writing much more clear and give me a structure to work with. She’s a creative and focused professional, and her contribution to my process was priceless.” Barbara V.M., Santa Rosa
