SEO Hosting Blog

Dealing with spammy comments is an unavoidable part of being a blogger. Even with the best SPAM filters, you’ll still have some questionable comments seep through the cracks. And while in most cases it’s pretty easy to identify SPAM comments, there are certain ones that are borderline, making it difficult to determine if they are SPAM or legitimate comments.

Here are 4 signs that a blog comment really is SPAM.

1. The comment is very vague and generic—SPAM comments are sometimes related to the topic of the post, but they’re never very detailed. For example, a post about SEO might attract a SPAM comment that says something about SEO but that isn’t specifically related to the post. If a comment is very vague, generalized, and not all that specific to your post, it’s probably from a spammer. (more…)

Whenever the conversation focuses on guest blogging, we typically discuss its benefits and how you can get the most guest blogging opportunities. But one important thing that needs to be discussed is what to do after your guest post is accepted and published. I’ll tell you what you don’t do—You don’t act like a drive-by guest blogger.

What’s a drive-by guest blogger? It’s someone who disappears once their guest post is published. Typically, drive-by guest bloggers are consumed with getting as many guest blogging opportunities as they can so they can get more backlinks and more recognition. So, they don’t put much time into managing relationships with bloggers, and they don’t really have great guest blogger etiquette.

So, how can you make sure you’re not acting like a drive-by guest blogger?

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A recent study by IBM revealed that 80% of all corporate blogs never reach more than 5 posts. 4 out of 5 business blogs are failing without even eclipsing the 5-post milestone. That’s insane!

Why are so many business blogs failing? How can you avoid the same fate with your blog?

Reason #1: Not understanding the commitment it takes to grow a blog

It takes a lot of time and energy to build a blog. Not only do you have to spend time coming up with ideas and writing your posts, but you also have to promote your blog, moderate the comments, interact with your readers…the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, many people who start a company blog aren’t aware of the level of commitment that’s necessary to build a successful business blog, and before they know it, they’re in over their heads.

Reason #2: Not having anything new or interesting to say

It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in, you can bet there are already some blogs devoted to it. Now, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for another blog. If you provide quality content, there will be room for you in any niche.

Of course, that’s the key—providing quality content. If you’re just going to regurgitate what everyone else has already said, don’t waste your time. You’ll fail. But if you’re going to bring a fresh perspective and voice to the table, you can stand out and build an audience.

Reason #3: Running out of ideas

Is it possible that these failed business bloggers are running out of things to say by the time they write 5 posts? It’s certainly possible. Blogger’s block is real, and if you don’t know how to overcome it, you’ll end up giving up on your blog.

What can you do to make sure you keep coming up with great ideas? Here’s a post I wrote on the topic a few years back.

Reason #4: Not having a strategy for promoting the blog

Just because you publish great content doesn’t mean that anyone will actually read it. Writing your blog posts is only a small part of the battle. The hard part is getting your blog posts in front of the eyes of your target audience.

You must have a plan in place for promoting your blog. From guest blogging to networking with social media influencers in your niche, there are many different ways to promote your blog. Check out this SEOmoz post with 21 tactics to increase blog traffic.

Reason #5: Not having any patience

You probably won’t have thousands of visitors flooding your site the day you launch your blog. Building a successful blog is going to take time. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, patience is a virtue that they are sorely lacking.

Don’t throw in the towel so quickly. If you’re really serious about growing a blog and experiencing all the benefits that can come with having a successful blog, stick with it.

What are some of the other reasons business blogs fail? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

Every blogger wants traffic. More and more of it, in fact. No blogger, no matter how big or small, would ever turn down more blog traffic. But the truth is most of us aren’t doing all the right things we should be doing to ensure we get the traffic we want. As a result, blogs underperform, and over time, bloggers get discouraged and might even quit.

Don’t let this happen to you! There is hope. Traffic is out there to be had. You just have to first understand the reasons your blog isn’t getting it.

1. No SEO—Optimizing your posts is essential for getting long-term, steady traffic to your blog. The search engines love fresh blog content, but if you don’t optimize your posts for relevant keywords, you’re not going to rank well, causing traffic to suffer.
2. Boring headlines—When someone sees a headline for your post on Twitter, Facebook, another website, or in the search results, will they be interested enough to click on it? If you’re not writing clear, compelling headlines, you won’t get clicks.
3. No significant sharing on social networks—Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites are some of the best traffic sources out there. It’s important to really focus on getting your posts shared as much as possible. One way to do this is to have share buttons located prominently on your blog. Another way is to focus on building your connections, so you can have a strong promotional network at your disposal.
4. Your blog doesn’t look professional—How your blog looks matters. If you’re using a generic template, you risk looking amateurish. I recommend investing in a custom design to give your blog a more professional appearance.
5. Your blog lacks focus—What’s your blog about? What topic do you cover? If you lack focus, you’ll have a hard time building a core audience.
6. You aren’t bringing anything new to the table—Are you giving your readers content they can’t get anywhere else? Or are you just recycling posts found on countless other blogs?
7. You’ve overlooked the power of guest blogging—I’ve spent a lot of time on here talking about guest blogging. I believe that every blogger should be submitting guest posts to other blogs, so they can build awareness, increase authority, and drive traffic back to their blog. I also believe that you should allow others to guest post on your blog so they’ll bring their followers to your site.
8. You don’t post on a regular basis—While I’ve recently pondered if having a blogging schedule is a good idea, I do still believe it’s important to post new content on a regular basis. You don’t have to post daily, but you do need to keep your blog alive so you can’t disappear for weeks at a time and expect to get lots of traffic.
9. The community suffers from poor comment moderation—Successful blogs are built around a community. The readers comment and interact with the author and each other, but if you do a poor job moderating comments—such as being slow to approve comments or letting SPAM run rampant—you’ll never build a strong community.
10. You lack patience—Getting traffic takes time. Sometimes, there are no real problems, and your blog just needs some time to grow.

What are some of the other major reasons blogs don’t get traffic?

If you want to build a successful blog, you need to earn the trust of your readers. After all, if people don’t trust you, they’re not going to keep reading you. Trust is a critical attribute that every blogger should strive to earn.

How can you make your blog more credible? Here are some tips to help you out.

• Invest in a professional design—Appearances matter. While you might not like the idea of paying for a professional, custom blog design, it’s a good idea. If you use a cheap or free blog template, your site will look, well, cheap. Visitors will judge your site by how it looks when they arrive. You have to make a strong first impression and have a sharp, branded design.
• Post your credentials—Has you blog won any awards or top rankings? Post those badges prominently on your site. What about you? What are your credentials? Make sure your blog has an About page with a bio that explains who you are and what you’ve done. You have to position yourself as an authority if you want people to trust you.
• Don’t write about things you don’t know about—This one speaks for itself. If you’re not knowledgeable in a particular subject, don’t write about it. You’ll only end up sticking your foot in your mouth and killing your credibility.
• Link out to great sources—I’ve always encouraged linking out to other blogs. Not only does it give your readers a fresh perspective and capture the attention of the blogger you’re linking to, but it also builds your credibility by validating your statements with reliable resources.
• Don’t let ads overrun your blog—There’s nothing wrong with having ads on your blog, but when the ads become overwhelming and eat up too much real estate, it creates the impression that you’re just blogging for bucks. And that can be a serious blow to your credibility.
• Edit and fact check before posting—No, you’re not writing for the New York Times, but that doesn’t mean that you can afford to get sloppy with your blogging. You should still hold yourself to a high standard. Edit your posts to make sure they don’t have any silly typos or grammatical errors, and more importantly, check your facts to ensure you’re giving readers correct information.

What are some of the things you do to make your blog more trustworthy? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.