Blogging: 4 Things You Should Avoid That Kill Your Writing Career

#Writer’s life

Hi,

Many years ago, a good number of writers did not have blog or website to post their articles, simply because this platform was not available, or it was just a new stuff for every writer to embrace. But as of today, the story is quite different.

Now, the important of website or blog in writer’s life cannot be over-emphasized; - it's very crucial. If for no other reason, your avid readers, clients and potential clients in case of copy writing expect you to have a blog or website. And to a large extent, your blog/website is a billboard advertising your writing skills … whether you write for the Web or not.

But designing your own writer's website can be tricky. Get it wrong, and elements you thought would make your blog/website state-of-the-art could actually kill response.

In a blog today, I'm just going to highlight four of the most important strategies for blog or website success.

Strategy #1:
Make your blog/website easy on the eye

Recently, I’ve noticed a distressing trend in some blogs or websites overtime. I'm pretty sure you've seen some of these sites.

There's a big picture, slide show, or video at the very top. There's no real attempt to communicate what the site is about. It is just an attempt to look top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, and even "sexy."Visitors to your site need to know quickly what you offer. These sites fail miserably at that.

For one thing, their dark backgrounds make reading copy nearly impossible. Rule of thumb: Never use a dark background on your website, even if you use very light-colored fonts. Light writing on dark backgrounds is hard to read. You want your visitor to be able to read your content easily.

Along the same lines, never use more than two different fonts. Too many fonts, and your website looks like an old-fashioned circus poster. Not the image to portray.

When you use images, use them sparingly. Always ask yourself, "Do I really need this image?" Make sure they're clear … but not so large they take forever to load.

Strategy #2:
Make your blog/website easy to navigate

Give your visitor a break when she spends time on your website. Make sure it's easy for her to go from one page to the next. That means having clear navigation links on your homepage … and on all your pages.

Make sure your visitor can easily return to your homepage from all of your web pages.

Check your website regularly to make sure you don't have any broken links. This can happen when you update your website without checking to make sure all your links are still good.

Strategy #3:
Make yourself look professional

It's tempting when starting out to try to make yourself look "bigger" than you are. Present yourself professionally but honestly. If you're a one-person operation, don't try to make yourself look like a large agency.

Avoid jargon. Potential clients want copywriters who write clearly for all customers and readers want to read good contents. Remember content is king. Jargon gets in the way of clear communication and makes it obscure.

Many writers make a serious mistake when they learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) writing. They stuff their copy with keywords hoping to rank high on search engines.

Doing this does two things. First, you don't sound professional. Second, search engines can spot sites laced with keywords. And rank you lower. Your blog or website scores higher with search engines when you write naturally.

Finally, a simple thing like including links to the most popular social media sites shows you write copy for today's social media user. And you make it easy for potential clients to reach you from those social media sites.

Strategy #4:
Write for mobile users

Many of your visitors come to your site on smart phones or tablets.

If you design your writer's website just for desktop computers, your site will be unreadable for mobile users. Design for desktop computers first. Then translate that copy and structure into mobile-friendly design. It’s your duty to ensure that your blog or website can be accessed with mobile phone.

These four strategies aren't comprehensive … but they're crucial for building an effective, professional, readable writer's blog or website.

Your contributions are welcome on this blog post .Comment in the box below.

To your successful blog career!