Most people who start their own blog do so with the intention of getting their words and thoughts out to the masses. Often the idea is to set themselves up as an authority on the subject that they write about so that they can then turn around and perhaps recommend certain products that will make them a little bit of money from affiliate marketing. Blogging has come a long way since its early days when people just used them as an online journal, but what hasn’t changed is the fact that no matter what you choose to do with your blog, you should try and make it look as professional as possible.
Your content may very well be king, but there are certain things that will drive people away in droves, making you lose credibility in the process. Unprofessional blogs which are designed with the sole purpose of tricking visitors into clicking their adverts have become so commonplace that people tend to be able to spot these kind of sites instantly, and tend to close the site straight away if they suspect it to be one of these, so it is important to ensure that your blog appears professional to visitors.
The first thing which you can do to improve the appearance of your blog is to invest the small amount of money it takes to get a domain name. A few dollars each year is all it costs to get a top level domain, and it will pay itself back by giving your site instant credibility. This is particularly true if you are trying to sell on your blog, as most people will be wary about buying from a site that hasn’t even taken the time to register a name. It all comes down to trust, and not getting your own URL can cost you dearly.
You should also try to brand your blog as much as possible, which means uploading a company logo, or choosing a template or color scheme that suits what you are trying to do. You want the site to appeal to your visitors, and a professionally designed site that fits your chosen niche can do just that. Many of the free blog sites come with free ready-made themes, but it is generally more professional to spend a little extra for a premium template, or hire someone to create a custom theme, as they usually allow you to re-arrange elements of the design and make the site layout unique and tailored for your niche.
Most bloggers will want to monetize their blog in some form, with advertising programs such as Adsense among the more popular methods, but it is important not to flood the blog with adverts. Having ads plastered all over the page, with pop-ups, pop-unders, and all manner of adverts will just annoy your visitors. Your content should be the focal point of your blog, and if you have a bunch of flashing lights and blinking ads then these are likely to distract visitors and prevent them from understanding the message which you’re trying to get across in your blog post.
Writing high quality, unique blog posts will also help to increase the professionalism of your blog. There are many blogs which use scripts to steal posts from other blogs, in some cases automatically rewriting these into a format which is barely readable, but quality content will help to convince visitors that your blog is high quality. In addition, it is important not to promote products in all of your blog posts, as visitors will feel that you are trying to sell them poor quality products for your own benefit, even if the products are genuinely useful. Occasionally promoting a high quality product is fine, but if you do this too often then your readers will become fed up of your sales techniques.
Having a blog allows you to interact with the people who visit your site via comments at the bottom of each post. There are always going to be people who don’t agree with your point of view and use the comments section to get their own point across. Sometimes these people can get aggressive or start insulting you but you have to avoid getting sucked into petty arguments. Other visitors will read those comments, and seeing you bickering with other visitors will just make you appear unprofessional to other readers.
Keep your design and your work clean, casual and interesting, and your blog will always appear like it is managed by a professional. If your blog has a professional feel to it then visitors will be far more likely to view you as knowledgeable around your chosen subject.
To create a successful blog check out Fast, Easy Blogging. This blogging course contains everything you need to create a blog that attracts visitors.
