Off 150x150 Major turn offs from a professional bloggers point of viewWow, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. After the contest winners announcement and the release of my new ebook (free when you sign-up for my free newsletter), I am now into the full-swing of things here. I will probably even be blogging multiple times per day again. I just wanted to write this one because there are a few things that just turn me off as a professional blogger.

I do this on a full time basis, so consider that I don’t really vent very much outside of the house. Excuse my occasional rants, but I find them to be very therapeutic. Pair that with the fact that I don’t like shrinks, and we have this.

  • No subscribe to comments – I really want to continue conversations on your blog, but you aren’t making it easy for me to do! Please get the free “subscribe to comments” checkmark box on your blog. If someone replies to something I said, I want to know about it so I can return the reply if necessary for the conversaion to be finished. I comment on so many blogs, do you really think I am going to remember that I commented on a specific article (of which I have no URL to), on your specific blog without a reminder?
  • Timely Publishing – If I provide you with one of my best guest posts ever written, please publish it in a timely manner rather than cherry-pick other articles in queue. It would be nice to publish your guest posts per the date they were submitted. That’s only fair after-all. I have no idea what back-deals you have with other bloggers to provide them with quick exposure, but it will probably end up with me not guest posting for you upon your request again.
  • Be accessible – I can’t count the number of times that I have looked for contact information for bloggers that I correspond with because I wanted to catch them online right away rather than wait hours for an email reply. Being accessible will only help YOU out, especially when I am doing something for you! I am not saying be accessible 24/7 but never is a long time. I will be happy to call you, or chat with you on instant messenger.
  • Unlock your comments – I am still having a hard time with this one. I find a blog through Google search, and the topic is so great that I want in on it so I go to comment. I then discover that the post was closed for comments. I can care less how big you think your blog is. Be respectful to your readers and allow them to comment. Is it a bad thing if your blog post gets 400 comments? Really?
  • Don’t tell readers they are wrong – Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is your job to express yours without alienating your readers. If they comment, and you flat out argue with them or tell them they are wrong, then you are stupid. Plain and simple. Let them have their opinion, and you can reply with your opinion to start a discussion. No need to make them never want to come back.
  • Don’t tell everyone they are wrong – I found a blog post from some idiot who basically said that the seo industry is a complete joke. I bet he felt stupid because right then and there, every web design and seo professional in the world knew that he had no credibility. Ok, fine. He has an opinion that seo’s are scammers and people can do it themselves to not waste their money. As an seo expert, I happen to know that search engine optimization is a science and an art. We take the business seriously, and by telling major players in the biz that their profession is a joke, you just buried yourself. At least attempt to back up your claims or something. The last thing you want to do basically is turn away an entire industry of people who may have been your readers.
  • Kill the pop-ups – I have my browser set to kill them for me. But if one gets past my blocker, I get pretty pissed. Chances are I will not come back. There are these wonderful things called “direct ads” that you can display on your site, and if a reader “wants” to click on them, they can. I refuse to have it forced down my throat.
  • Improve your blog – I work hard to make sure I add to the latest and greatest on my blog. I added a forum. I added a facebook comments feature. I do what I can do make it easier for my readers. I don’t like it when I visit a blog a year later and it doesn’t look like they attempted to change with the times. Having a good design for years is fine. Lacking features for years that readers wish you had isn’t.
  • Allow feedback – This isn’t just about being accessible as stated above. This is about allowing your readers to have a way to make suggestions to you. I have found blogs that didn’t even have a contact form (one of the basics), and the blog owner gets ticked when a suggestion is made in a blog comment somewhere on their site. If the reader felt they needed to communicate a suggestion to you, you should feel privilaged that you even have good readers like that.

Sorry for the little rant, but it was a long time coming.

Are you turning off your readers?
Major turn offs from a professional bloggers point of view

About the author

Brandon Connell wrote 404 articles on this blog.

I am an author, blogger, investor, musician, and internet marketer among other things. I believe that one person can do many things in life. Check out my local search marketing company at Leads2LocalSearch.com when you are done browsing here.

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