Is your blog a mess? When you open it, is there open space for the eye to rest, or is every nook and cranny stuffed with sparkling banners and swoopy fonts ready to put the readers’ eyes in traction? Would you wear all that bling to a job interview? That’s what your blog basically is, an interview with
your readers. In this day and age you have seconds to make a good first impression.
your readers. In this day and age you have seconds to make a good first impression.
Even if your personality was dark and dangerous, you might wear something dramatic and black to your interview, but I doubt you’d go all out, throw on a crazy costume and don your fake fangs. Yes, those are great for events, pic opportunities at your release party and such, just not your interview. Clutter does not say professional, not even for the dark and dangerous types.
Take a look at your blog. Does every corner scream for your attention at once? Is there a natural flow? Personally, when I open any website (blog or static site) only to discover chaos, I tend to click away, because if they can’t focus there, anything they have to offer me will be just as un-organized, whether it’s customer service or a plot line.
If the thought of going at your blog with a set of garden shears freaks you out, try starting with a small trim. This simple step is where I started, and the rest became easier.
Just organize your topics.
My topics were all over the place, I felt like I had to start a new one each time I posted. Then I began to feel like I needed multiple blogs, which would equate to multiple marketing platforms and so on. You see where the time can slip away like a freight train. So, I re-organized. Sat down with my blog open and grouped similar blog topics together. Paying attention to my main themes, I was able to come up with five categories:
-Tips On Writing
-Sexy Is As Sexy Does (all about embracing your sex appeal regardless of age or body type, just like our strong heroines do)
-Guest Posts (from other authors) I am worked on an established set of perimeters for my guest authors to follow, then I will provide them with
the categories and their blogs will be cross referenced under guest and the topic which gives me a little more control over the content of my own site.
-Short Stories & Excerpts Again this is a job interview. If they like what they see here then perhaps they will move on to the big show( and
buy a book).
-My Local Events (Anything I plan to attend that is related, whether it is a book signing, party, or zombie obstacle course. Letting my fans know where they can find me, with or without my books.)
These topics are purposely wide. I can add more, but my goal is not to clutter my page, yet allow a guest to poke around the topic that interests them. Now, obviously I am a romance author so my topics lean toward that, but this concept can be applied to any blog. KISS (Keep it simple sexy).
Now that you have taken your pruning shears to your site and trimmed a little, you might be ready to go a step further. If you are, I recommend reading
How to Declutter + Organize Your Blog’s Sidebar
by Marianne.
Statistics show potential readers click on a landing page and decide to stay or move on within mere seconds. So it doesn’t matter if every piece of the clutter has purpose, if the potential reader clicks on to avoid an avalanche of unorganized thoughts, they will never have the opportunity to discover the genius behind the chaos.
What does your blog look like? Are you a recovering Blog Bling addict? Have you had to take a step back and polish your writing image? What was the first step you took to clean up your own blog? I’d love to hear about it, as we are all works in progress. The moment we stop moving forward, we find ourselves standing still.
Take a look at your blog. Does every corner scream for your attention at once? Is there a natural flow? Personally, when I open any website (blog or static site) only to discover chaos, I tend to click away, because if they can’t focus there, anything they have to offer me will be just as un-organized, whether it’s customer service or a plot line.
If the thought of going at your blog with a set of garden shears freaks you out, try starting with a small trim. This simple step is where I started, and the rest became easier.
Just organize your topics.
My topics were all over the place, I felt like I had to start a new one each time I posted. Then I began to feel like I needed multiple blogs, which would equate to multiple marketing platforms and so on. You see where the time can slip away like a freight train. So, I re-organized. Sat down with my blog open and grouped similar blog topics together. Paying attention to my main themes, I was able to come up with five categories:
-Tips On Writing
-Sexy Is As Sexy Does (all about embracing your sex appeal regardless of age or body type, just like our strong heroines do)
-Guest Posts (from other authors) I am worked on an established set of perimeters for my guest authors to follow, then I will provide them with
the categories and their blogs will be cross referenced under guest and the topic which gives me a little more control over the content of my own site.
-Short Stories & Excerpts Again this is a job interview. If they like what they see here then perhaps they will move on to the big show( and
buy a book).
-My Local Events (Anything I plan to attend that is related, whether it is a book signing, party, or zombie obstacle course. Letting my fans know where they can find me, with or without my books.)
These topics are purposely wide. I can add more, but my goal is not to clutter my page, yet allow a guest to poke around the topic that interests them. Now, obviously I am a romance author so my topics lean toward that, but this concept can be applied to any blog. KISS (Keep it simple sexy).
Now that you have taken your pruning shears to your site and trimmed a little, you might be ready to go a step further. If you are, I recommend reading
How to Declutter + Organize Your Blog’s Sidebar
by Marianne.
Statistics show potential readers click on a landing page and decide to stay or move on within mere seconds. So it doesn’t matter if every piece of the clutter has purpose, if the potential reader clicks on to avoid an avalanche of unorganized thoughts, they will never have the opportunity to discover the genius behind the chaos.
What does your blog look like? Are you a recovering Blog Bling addict? Have you had to take a step back and polish your writing image? What was the first step you took to clean up your own blog? I’d love to hear about it, as we are all works in progress. The moment we stop moving forward, we find ourselves standing still.
