– Blogging mistakes..

Here are some tips that I got from All about blogging site.. my site is lacking in quite a few areas.. and I think I intend to improve upon them in future:

Content:

1. Not posting frequently enough. (Recommended: 2-3 times a week.) – This I do
2. Content is not focused, and the target audience is not clearly defined. – I write on various things – Indian, world and US politics; business and spirituality… should I break up my blog in different areas? Maybe…

3. Posting articles that are too long, instead of using extended post features. – This is something I have on my site.

4. Not linking profusely (because the professional isn’t researching their field on the internet). – I do link my site

5. Poor spelling, bad grammar and typos. – I do have this problem sometimes.. but I try to get it as clean as possible!

Design

6. No name of author in tag line or on side bar.- dont have it.

7. No author photo. –havent given the pic either…

8. No signature or name in the footer; no way to tell who wrote post on a multi-author site. this is well done..

9. No subscription form; no way to get blog updates through RSS or email. again elaborate ways .. for every kind of subscriber!

10. No way for readers to leave comments and use trackbacks. no track backs yet… but comments well established!

11. Too many categories or none at all. have tried to make them as few as possible.. also using “books” to collect entries.

12. No information about their business services and products.

13. Calendars for no reason at all (what is the point of those calendars anyway?).

Marketing

14. Blog isn’t submitted to blog directories. – Am doing this to technorati and weblogs as well as some others..

15. Not pinging each time a new post is published.- Got this in place..

16. Not using trackbacks referring or linking to other blogs.

17. No blogroll or list of favorite blogs or websites. Have a feed for my fav blogs instead..

If you’re considering using a blog to build your business, optimize it by taking time to learn the features and steps that will ensure success. A blog is like any other marketing tool – you’ve got to use it correctly to get positive results.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Get an ebook and take the time to learn about your blog software or hosting provider.

2. Hire a professional blog expert to coach you on how to rev up your blog.