Are you fed up with your blog? Do you feel it's not giving you the results you're hoping for?Don't feel bad.
Chances are, some missteps were made along the way that contributed to that.
Here are the most common ones.
Not Asking For Comments Bloggers always agonize over the lack of comments.
But the problem is not that people don't read the blog or don't want to comment but the blogger hasn't given the opportunity for readers to comment.
Just like asking for people to order a product, you've got to coax people to spend their 3 or 4 precious minutes to comment on your blog.
Ask for opinions.
People love giving it.
Ask for reader's experiences, input or help to accomplish something.
Ask people to suggest something to you e.
g.
You're getting incorporated, ask people for suggestions, tips and recommendations.
Asking also tells people you're open to suggestions and alternative views, further improving the image people may have of you.
Not Hosting On Their Own Domain This is one of the most ironic things.
Let me ask you a question.
Would you host your website on a free host? Of course not.
It's almost criminal.
So why would you host your blog on a free blog host? Quit using Blogspot or Wordpress dot com domains.
Nothing against them they are awesome services but if you're blogging for business, you need your own domain.
This way you control where you want to publish the blog to.
Tomorrow, if you outgrow these services, you can easily export your blog to another tool, another host without losing too much established traffic.
A domain is also easier for people to remember and easier for you to publicize.
Not Maximizing Their Blog Content Many businesses quit blogging because they feel it's too much work.
True, like everything else, you gotta work on a blog but you don't have to break your back over it.
Sometimes you may have a paragraph here and there about a topic that just isn't big enough for an article.
You know what? You're going to have many more of these impromptu thoughts and ideas - publish it to your blog.
Later, you can come back and gather these paragraphs, compile them into a complete article or even a book.
That's only one way of maximizing your work.
Have you written articles in the past? How about e-courses, audio transcripts or books that aren't in publication anymore? Recycle.
Break them up and post them on your blog.
In fact, if you have lot's ofthis type of content, you can even get your assistant to post them for you.
Publishing Too Often Isn't this the complete the opposite of everything you've ever been taught about blogging? Fact is, the blogosphere has evolved.
There are too many blogs competing for your reader's time.
Nobody has all that time to read so many blogs.
People are now forced to carefully choose the blogs they read.
And that also means they'll drop a blog just as quickly as they choose to read one when they can't keep up with your frequency.
Maintain a balance.
Give information at a slow and steady pace, not bury people with it.
Falling For Short Term Methods Ah, this is my favorite.
If you can have a favorite pet peeve that is.
Every week, you hear about people dishing out the newest, coolest blogging tactic, best blogging tool that's sure to sky rocket your business to success or bull doze your way to the top search engine listings.
Consider how any offer will help you advance your business two, five or tens years from now.
Is it really in line with your marketing direction? If it isn't drop it.
It also helps a lot if you can have a reliable source whom you can consult and help put things into perspective for you.
One of the most powerful qualities of a blog has nothing to do with search engines, tagging or pinging.
These things do have a place, but they aren't as powerful as the relationship opportunities between you and your customers.
Although these mistakes are common, they are also very easily rectified and don't cost much money.
All of these suggestions are born out of my own trial and error and they've worked out nicely.
Try it yourself.