With the number of blogs growing dramatically every day, it can sometimes be hard to know if a blog is worth reading or not.
If you are a web surfer looking for new blogs here are a few trigger points that can help you determine if a blog is worth reading or not. If you are a blogger, generating content, use this list as an audit to help ensure your blog is attracting visitors, not turning them away.
Design – The blog design is the visitors first impression. Is it well designed or is there to much clutter? Is it a custom design or a basic template? The blog design is very important, much like how the way one dresses can impact how others perceive them even before talking to them.
Post Frequency – Is there one post a day, week or month? Maybe ten or more a day. It’s hard to say what is the best post frequency, but blog owners don’t want to flood readers with posts yet they don’t want to leave them hanging for weeks on end with nothing new. The best is to try and keep a blogging schedule. Set aside 2 hours one day (or a few days) a week to write a post. This can help keep a steady pace.
Post Length – Are the blog posts short and sweet or long and detailed?
If a blogger posts long and detailed posts quite often, it may be to much for some to consume. Remember, they probably read many other blogs too and can’t spend 10 minutes or more on one blog post. On the flip side, I have seen some blogs post long and details posts, but only about one a week which gives the user a week to find enough time to read and engage with the entire post.
If the posts are short and sweet, then you can get away with more in a shorter period of time. However, are the posts then quality enough to keep the readers interested?
The best best is to keep a mix of more frequent short and easy to consume posts with less frequent, maybe 1 a week, longer and more in-depth posts..
Post Quality – Do the posts convey a unique view point? Or do they just quote everything from another site with no original content of their own. No one wants to read a summary of what other blogs are posting, it just doesn’t convey authority. Quality of posts is usually determined by what the author brings to the conversation.
Comments – If you take a look at the blog posts on the site, are they getting comments? Comments are not always easy to get, but any blog that has unique and quality content should be able to get at least a few a week.
Advertising – It’s understandable that some blog owners need to monetize their site with ads, however there is a line between monetization and usability that some sites cross. Being continuously berated with flashing, obtrusive, and just plain annoying ads can destroy the best blog.
Granted, no one factor can determine the integrity of a blog alone. Some blogs may look horrible, or have to many ads, but then you can just read the feed. Some may not post often, but when they do, it’s great content. It’s really up to the reader to decide if a blog is worth reading or not.
What other indicators do you use when looking at a blog and trying to determine if it’s a good blog?
