I realize that “hate” is a pretty strong word, but it got your attention didn’t it? I mean it in the nicest way possible, I promise! I just have some pet peeves when it comes to blogging. There are just some features that blogs have to have. All of these “must-haves” are easy to include so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have these add-ons! I promise they’ll only help you and not having them will only hurt you.
Now just promise me you won’t take me wrong and make me out to be a big butthead. I promise you these frustrations aren’t just my own. These are some of the most common reasons brands won’t contact you, why people are leaving your blog, why your content isn’t being shared and why your blog might not be reaching it’s full potential.
And for those of my readers who aren’t bloggers, I promise I’ll have a fun post for you tomorrow!
5 Things Every Blog Needs to Have:
1. Your Picture & Your Name:
I know I’m not alone when I say that I need to see the blogger behind the blog in order to make a personal connection. If I can’t make that connection within the first couple seconds of looking at your blog in my browser, I’ll more than likely move on. I want to see you! That’s not so bad, is it? A silly Instagram selfie or a professional quality headshot, either way I want to see your beautiful face! And your name? That goes right along with the picture. I want to know you’re name, especially if I want to use it within the comment I leave on your blog or when I tweet or share your post!
2. A search box:
I can’t stand it when I can’t easily find what I’m looking for on a blog. I want to be able to find it within a minute or two or I’m gone. Keep your search box up closer to the top of the page, too, so I don’t have to scroll forever to find it. Sometimes I have a post in mind that you’ve written and I’d like to include a link back to it in one of my blog posts or include a recipe of yours in a round-up post. If I can’t find what I’m looking from on your blog, I’ll just look elsewhere and that doesn’t help either of us out!
3. Tabs for recipes, DIYs, etc:
This goes along with the “search box” thing. These tabs will only keep me on your blog longer and help me find some of the posts that you’re most proud of. When I find a new blog, I love to sit back and take a look around. I want to see everything your blog has to offer. Did you do a home tour where you showed off your newly remodeled bathroom? Well, I want to see that! Put a little “home tour” tab on your side bar or a “recipe” tab to highlight your recipe posts. These tabs will only help out your readers and in turn help you by keeping people on your blog longer!
4. Social media buttons (all of them):
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve went to a blog lately only to find one or two social media options. Include them all! I want to know where to follow you or where you’re present in the social media world– especially if I make a personal connection with your blog. Blogging is all about getting to know one another and building a community, but that community extends so much farther than just our blogs! (P.S. I totally need to add a Google + button!)
5. E-mail address:
This isn’t only important for other bloggers, but for brands as well. Having your e-mail on your “about me” page or on your “advertising” page helps give someone a way to contact you. Truthfully, I probably won’t e-mail you if your email address looks something like this: chelsea[dot]thom90[at]gmail[dot]com. Why? Because then I have to copy and paste that into an e-mail and replace all the [at]s and [dots]. It’s annoying and tedious and you’re probably not preventing that much spam by doing that. Just saying!
And there are a couple other things, like an overly cluttered sidebar, consistent improper grammar or spelling, too many pictures that aren’t yours, and a colored background in the text area that drive me batty. The items I listed above are more for ease of access, but if your blog looks cluttered or I can’t read the font you’re writing in or the way you write, I probably won’t read your blog again. Remember folks, a proper sentence begins with a capital letter, ends with a period and spelling can be easily fixed with spell check.
End rant.
Now sound off, what are your blogging pet peeves?
Songbirds & Buttons Group Giveaway!
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I HATE it when their blogger profile/Google+ page doesn’t take me to their freaking blog! What is the point of even have those pages if they don’t have a link to your most current page!
Oh I TOTALLY agree about this one!
When you have to type in a code to comment! I never get them right on the first time and am gone after the second failed attempt! 🙂
Agree! That drives me crazy.
GAH, I don’t even bother commenting if they have that, grrrrr
Yes! They drive me crazy too! I can’t ever get the code right!
Belle et Beaut | UK Beauty and Lifestyle Blog
This is helpful! I’m planning to re-design my site soon and these are good things to note…seeing as I’m missing most of them! Haha
Love that I pass the bar on all of these 😉
I hate bloggers who do constant giveaways! I am SO over giveaways. 🙂
Agreed! Especially when you have to follow pages or people that you have no interest in.
Agreed! Especially when you have to follow pages or people that you have no interest in.
YES! At first it was fun. But now it’s like… I have gobs of people on my feed that I just do.not.read. And I don’t know what the “good manners” protocol is for unfollowing someone. When can I unfollow the people I didn’t end up reading? Like, how much time has to pass before that’s not considered rude?
I know most linkups and giveaways are done to increase readership, but I don’t think it works. It’s also important to choose the right co-host(s). If you blog about single life in the big city, having a “mommy” blogger as a co-host is just… well your readers probably aren’t parents and probably aren’t interested in crafts for preschoolers. I AM a parent, but I have no interest in reading about kids. I don’t operate a parenting blog. And I see so many people pairing up with each other who have really different blogs, but they’re friends so they want to do stuff together. But if you don’t consider “who would my readers WANT to follow?” when choosing a co-host then NO ONE is going to gain followers. For that reason, when I do my weekly link up, I don’t require a single follow. If you want to follow, great! If not, so what? Of course, mine is specifically for food restriction bloggers, so it’s a niche, and chances are we are already all following each other anyway.
Sorry for the kind-of rant there.
I love a good About Me page so when that;s lacking I tend to move on. Glad I have all the things on your list! 😉
No reply email addresses- I love responding to comments and it makes me sad when I can’t. I also dislike word verification.
Yes! I agree with this one.
I’m glad I got most of these covered! lol. This post def caught my attention.
http://www.nellecreations.com
Love this, I just updated my site yesterday to include most of these things, phew!
My biggest thing is when they are no-reply bloggers, because I love when I get comments(that’s the self-centered part of me), but I love being able to reply to my comments! & I only fail at one of these I believe, which is search bar, how do I get one of those on my blog?
Oh yay! I have all of those!
Well put girl! I guess you don’t hate my blog. 😉
I agree with all of this!
Phew! Everything’s covered on my blog (I think)!
The one thing about the email address is tough, because spammers galore have ways to crawl (hence the [dot] etc) changes. I actually use a contact form where you can send me an email directly from my site (and get a confirmation email back too).
Thanks for the great tips though – I agree with just about every one of them 🙂
Jessica of Kate & Trudy
http://www.kateandtrudy.com
I don’t have tabs.. hmmmmm… maybe I should look into that! And I need to revamp my about me page too 😉
I don’t have tabs.. hmmmmm… maybe I should look into that! And I need to revamp my about me page too 😉
Great post! These are definitely some things that I’ll keep in mind as I update my site. I definitely agree with others in saying that no-reply bloggers are a bummer! I always want to reply to the comments I receive, but when there’s no email address to send to… it gets lost in space 😛
Best,
Danielle
http://awriterinlove.blogspot.com
Great list, I am happy to say I pass the test except the search bar thing, I need to check on that! Thanks for this, it’s a great reminder to stay up to date and connect with what readers like!
I like a list of Archives on the sidebar. To me, it’s the easiest way to find what I’m looking for on a blog.
Oh, and I’ve gotten SO many no-reply comments lately. So sad.
Thanks for all these tips…though I have to say as a new blogger it’s really hard to know how to physically get these extra tabs & pages set up…especially when you’re not quite ready to pay someone to do it for you…does anyone know of a good “How To” guide anywhere? I use Blogger for my little spot of blogland!
thank you again!
Carrie
http://time-to-be-an-adult.blogspot.com
I really dislike when I can’t find the author’s name anywhere. Why would you write if you don’t want people to be able to respond? I just don’t get it.
thank goodness I am only missing one of the five! Love this post, not mean (or buttheadish) at all. Thanks!
love the honesty here. I will keep this in mind. Hope you don’t hate mine. lol.
I love this! I am currently “remodeling” my blog – going in a different direction, etc. I am trying to figure out what tabs I should use for my categories on my sidebar. My main things I blog about are photography and happiness – which have page links at the top of my blog…so maybe I’m doing ok? lol
I actually have a post like this in my drafts, but no I don’t need to publish it because you pretty much took the words right out of my mouth!! Thank you!! The worst thing ever, is the e-mail problem you listen. mandychiappini[at]gmail[dot]com. WHYYYYYYYYY do people do that!!? lol
I love posts like these, it only helps others! I need to add the sidebar tabs.. Just haven’t sat down to do it!
Agree agree! I’ve been meaning to add a “favorite posts” section on my home page and I recently added ALL my social media buttons. HUGE pet peeve of mine is not knowing the blogger’s name and email and surprisingly it happens a LOT. Great tips!
all good points! i need to look and see if we have all of these items! ps. found you through the mn blogger site! it’s great to see so many mn bloggers!
This comment has been removed by the author.
I don’t have tabs or a search bar. I got rid of them when I revamped my page. I don’t know how to code, so I have no clue how to add them back in.
My pet peeves? captchas. and no replys. And while I am big on non-capitalization, i do hate blatant spelling errors. Cutsie names for husbands, though, will often drive me away from a blog. Sorry bloggers, but its true. One of the biggest, though, is when it reads too much like a billboard.
I’m curious…since I also noticed someone agree with you…what kind of cutsie names for SO’s turns you away? I tend to say “my honey” or “my love” so that I don’t have to broadcast him and his privacy all over the internet. If that’s bothersome, I’ll ask him how he feels about me using his name. Not sure he’d really mind, I just didn’t want to be disrespectful for him or anything. 🙂
Can’t stand it when I don’t see a picture & a name. I feel like there’s no connection being made & I lose interest faster. And no-reply bloggers make me so sad! I get so many sweet comments & want to reply, but they’re no-reply bloggers. So frustrating!
we are in minneapolis…how about you?
I’m totally with you on the picture + the name – in my humble opinion a decent about page with some details really helps solidify a connection. Also, if it’s difficult to comment (lots of steps and catchas and connecting accounts) then I’ll never put in the effort.
I’m totally with you on the picture + the name – in my humble opinion a decent about page with some details really helps solidify a connection. Also, if it’s difficult to comment (lots of steps and catchas and connecting accounts) then I’ll never put in the effort.
My biggest pet peeve is bad spelling/grammar. This is not of-the-moment; the blogger is typing them into their text box. There is always a spellcheck available. USE IT. I hate when bloggers misspell everything and never seem to learn from their mistakes. Use spellcheck!
This is far worse, for me, when bloggers put text inside their fashion/style photos, with large text, and it’s either misspelled or a really obvious grammar mistake. That loses me as a reader; I want to know that you’re at least taking the time it takes to spellcheck or proofread your post!
I agree with these:) Luckily I have most, ha. I think having an ‘about me’ page is a must. Goes with having a picture – being able to connect better with the writer.
Brandi
http://injohndeeregreen.wordpress.com
Overloads of sponsored posts, overuse of italics, and I second the person that said cutesy names for husbands.
Great post! I *hate* it when there isn’t a search box in a blog – I’ve taken to whenever I redesign I blog, I add a search box and I even customize it to go along with the blog design haha
Great post! I *hate* it when there isn’t a search box in a blog – I’ve taken to whenever I redesign I blog, I add a search box and I even customize it to go along with the blog design haha
Very good points! Glad I’ve updated a few thangs 😉 lol. I can’t stand when bloggers only participate in giveaways & link-ups. I mean, what ever happened to blogging for self expression? It’s quickly become all about making money & gaining followers.
Very good points! Glad I’ve updated a few thangs 😉 lol. I can’t stand when bloggers only participate in giveaways & link-ups. I mean, what ever happened to blogging for self expression? It’s quickly become all about making money & gaining followers.
Phew, the only thing I was missing was a ‘search’ box, which I have now added 🙂
Great post, thanks x
http://laura-hyde.blogspot.co.uk/
hey, I’m not doing to shabby then I guess! I had all of those things handled, minus my email address! So I added that to me About me page. Booya!
Lol, Thanks for these! I was a little taken aback when I read the posts title at first! hahaha
<3 Bethany @ thesepiapuppy.blogspot.com
Haha I love this. Also, no captchas. Those are the worst! I guess I need to add a picture of me at the top of my blog. Its on my about page, but not on my home page. Its harder when sharing the blog with someone else. But I know it is important! Thanks for the reminder!
This is so good and so true! I know I need to update and revamp my about me- working on that at the moment actually! I hate no reply bloggers, ugh!
These are great tips! I literally just “launched” my blog this weekend and I have all of these things EXCEPT the search bar…I guess I will add this, I just didn’t think I needed it because I only have about 4 posts up! I have tabs, but right now I only have the basics (my About Me page- which I am very proud of, by the way! lol), a Buttons page, and a Sponsor page (Which is currently blank because I haven’t really done my research on sponsorship yet!). I just posted my first makeup post, and I started a new series yesterday, so I need to add tabs for those! Sorry for thinking out loud, haha! My pet peeves are “no-reply bloggers”. I was a no-reply blogger for a long time without knowing it. I think blogger needs to change the default setting for that. Thank you so much for this post! It makes me a little more confident that my blog will end up being successful! I would love for everyone to come check it out and leave any other tips and constructive criticism! beccamaybe.blogspot.com
totally agree!
then you would hate my blog 🙂 i never use caps, i do use spell check but often post with improper grammar. before i started blogging i was told several years before that i bad written communication skills. i did not disagree but it made me really self conscious to put anything written out into the world. so much so that i second guessed every email i sent and God forbid a hand written letter that i could not use spell check on. then i decided is to not care, to start putting things out there no matter what. is there an improper way to paint? i do not try and capture an audience that thrives on big words, punctuation or grammar. i want to be creative just like the next blogger … be a part of the community and share my ideas.
haha. me too. i love that my blog is a place that i can just be creative and write without caps 🙂
haha. me too. i love that my blog is a place that i can just be creative and write without caps 🙂
This is awesome!!!! I’m tweaking the last few things to my new blog & I have to agree! I have to say, along with a name & pic, I like to know generally where they are from 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Love it 🙂
This just reminded me to add a search bar! :p
I agree with all of these things.
Loved the advice! Now I just need to figure out how to DO all these things… heehee 🙂 Also, I never capitalize my writing on my blog, but hey that’s just my style!
hey, where’s your email address ? lol!
nice piece!
Thanks! It’s on my advertising page 🙂
hey, where’s your email address ? lol!
nice piece!
The search box thing leaves me smacking my head. You have no idea how much time I’ve spent manually searching for posts on blogs that DO have a search bar! And I haven’t put on on my blog either, again because I’ve never thought of it. It’s hard to think of adding something you’ve never bothered using anywhere else, yeah?
What I really dislike are captchas and ten tons of redirects, but in all honesty, the only thing that keeps me away from a blog is if I just don’t connect with the content. The rest is just nit-picky in my opinion. You are likely missing a lot of great stuff if you let the little things get to you, silly!
Thanks so much for this! I am overhauling (and truly beginning) my blog, so this is a really great reference for me.
eeek! I need to fix a few things on my blog. lol. of course, part of it get deleted but this post helps a lot! feel free to stop by my blog and say hi though – then we can let a little critiquing begin. thanks for this post!
Yay! So glad to have passed your “test” 🙂 These are all such important things!!
xo-Lianne
lulabelleblog.com
Yay! So glad to have passed your “test” 🙂 These are all such important things!!
xo-Lianne
lulabelleblog.com
I’m adding a search bar! This is the 2nd time I’ve seen that mentioned as a pet peeve. I HATE small font. Even as I type this I’m worried that the font in my blog posts might be too small. I also hate overly busy designs. This might be mean but I also don’t like basic blogger templates. I started out with one! Many do but now when I come across one I just find it so unappealing to the eye.
I added a couple of things (search bar, twitter handle) – thanks for the advice!
Ha! This is funny. I hate when there’s no “about me” page. I go there almost immediately to decide if I want to stick around.
I think I pass on most of these!
I have my picture and name under a Google + “About Me” on the top left. As well as a separate page for a more in-depth “Get to know me”. I have a translate under that, then a search box under that. I figured the translate should be a little higher for international viewers to read it all easily? Then on the right side is a list of social media places to find me. A fairly extensive list. Although somehow I hadn’t thought to add email until I read this so I added that! 🙂
The one thing I am missing is tabs….Which I have been desperate to add! But no idea how to do it!! 🙁
I’m not so sure about the overall design though. I’m an artist so I created an artwork for my banner…but I’m not sure how other people respond to it, or the design/set-up in general. Hm…
Anyways, the real reason I came to comment is to let you know that I awarded your blog the “One Lovely Blog Award”! 🙂
http://toriamasons-treasures.blogspot.com/2013/08/one-lovely-blog-award-7-facts-about-me.html
I’m guilty of the email address one. I have it on there but it’s with the (dot) etc..oops! I have two in addition to what you mentioned and others…the cutesy names for husbands -hubster, hubs, etc. I don’t know why but it annoys me. It also annoys me and I stop coming back to blogs who the author never comments back to comments. It makes me feel like my comments don’t matter, so why would I keep coming back?! Great post.
This made me laugh! I’m with you on the contact info and the photo. I love your design btw.
This made me laugh! I’m with you on the contact info and the photo. I love your design btw.
Great post! I still have to create my tabs but I’ve got the others covered 🙂 My biggest blog pet peeve has to do with the comments section. I prefer when you can comment with Name/URL instead of an account login – and I despise the security code feature.
– V
http://www.lovethiscrazylife.com/
Great post! I still have to create my tabs but I’ve got the others covered 🙂 My biggest blog pet peeve has to do with the comments section. I prefer when you can comment with Name/URL instead of an account login – and I despise the security code feature.
– V
http://www.lovethiscrazylife.com/
I’ve been reading some others’ replies….I notice a lot of “no-reply bloggers” and I can’t help but wonder if it’s intentional. I had someone go through the effort of finding my email to let me know that I was one. I had no idea! I was devastated. She helped me figure out how to change it. It seems that people are automatically default to be a no-reply blogger, and I wonder how many people are aware of it. It is really upsetting.
Also, I am most turned off by people who don’t reply. There’s actually one blog I’m considering unfollowing…because she doesn’t reply…and with her comment section, she says don’t leave links or they’ll be deleted. It just gives that feeling that she doesn’t want to really connect. I know some people feel like it’s shameless advertising to leave blog links in comments…but I do it and I love when others do that…because it makes it easier for me to know who is commenting or to go check out their blog myself. I’m in this for the community, so it’s a big turn off when people don’t connect.
I pass on all but the tabs! I never thought about it but I’m definitely going to add some in soon!
Great post!
Belle et Beaut | UK Beauty and Lifestyle Blog
I pass on all but the tabs! I never thought about it but I’m definitely going to add some in soon!
Great post!
Belle et Beaut | UK Beauty and Lifestyle Blog
Mine is more about the look and the feel of the blog, if it’s cluttered I usually leave right away, but if it’s warm and welcoming I stay awhile. A lot of time I visit a blog and the background is crazy busy, that bugs me. Also i’ve been getting a lot of no-reply comments.
Small or hard to read font. Please don’t pick a “pretty cursive” font to use, it just makes it soo much harder to read and I probably won’t stick around to read it
Small or hard to read font. Please don’t pick a “pretty cursive” font to use, it just makes it soo much harder to read and I probably won’t stick around to read it
hmm definitely no reply bloggers
when i can’t find any information on the blogger
and bad blog designs
when someone has 1000’s of followers i’m surprised when they still have a terrible design.
i also hate constant giveaways or when every post is s sponsored post.
how is it possible that not a single comment has mentioned music playing as soon as you open a page?!? i will immediately close my browser window never to return again.
looks like i passed your list except for the capitalizing. 😉
how is it possible that not a single comment has mentioned music playing as soon as you open a page?!? i will immediately close my browser window never to return again.
looks like i passed your list except for the capitalizing. 😉
I love this! I hate link-ups personally. They’re so generic and no one wants to see twenty bloggers answer the same question. Borrringgg. I also hate big gaudy blog designs. I hate when blogs don’t have an archive on their sidebar. I hate when bloggers don’t capitalize. I hate when they use fonts that are impossible to read. I hate when they use teeny tiny pictures in all of their posts. I’m actually really picky when it comes to what blogs I read.
I love this! I hate link-ups personally. They’re so generic and no one wants to see twenty bloggers answer the same question. Borrringgg. I also hate big gaudy blog designs. I hate when blogs don’t have an archive on their sidebar. I hate when bloggers don’t capitalize. I hate when they use fonts that are impossible to read. I hate when they use teeny tiny pictures in all of their posts. I’m actually really picky when it comes to what blogs I read.
Captcha, Captcha, Captcha…the most evil invention EVER
Our posts yesterday were so similar!!! Glad I’m not the only one (:
Great post, so true & accurate! I don’t like seeing blogs that are way too cluttered and/or the background is brightly colored. Also I have to agree with you about grammar!
http://www.speakstyleandrock.com
Haha! I just fixed up my menu. I agree with all of these!
I think I did ok on this list, but I do have a colored background. Hmmm… Will have to think about that. I am a novice and would readily agree that the look of the site might need a little work. Thanks for this list!
I am pretty new at blogging but I think I’m doing pretty good and I agree about the email thing! I have gone to email a blogger so many times and can’t find their email address! So frustrating. Thanks for this!
Corey from TinySidekick.com
I love this. Everything you said was right on. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have an about me page or a picture of myself on my blog. Why? Because I hate cameras, at least ones turned in my direction! I don’t do selfie’s and I definitely have never had a professional photo shot, besides a very old family picture when my middle daughter was around 2. I guess this is something I need to get over and have done huh? I also have been doing a lot of work behind-the-scenes and research on how to get my blog to where I want it so I haven’t had a lot of time to do great posts besides giveaways and the reviews I’ve agreed to. Once I’ve got everything how I want it then I’ll be back to more substantial posts. I would hope that nobody would “hate” my blog or not read it because of this because things do take time and sometimes more time after that.
Wow! Great post as usual, Chelsea! I have so much to learn about the blogging world, it’s nice to know some of the things other bloggers find important/ helpful & what add ons I should focus on. Thanks for sharing!
This is amazing! Some great notes because I am in the process of getting a new blog as well as updating everything. I really appreciate all the advice.
xo
jessa @ Life of A Sports Wife
I agree with you, especially regarding the author info/photo and the search box. I don’t think my blog violates any of these 5 things, and it was refreshing to hear someone who feels the same way I do about these things.
This post is super informative for a newbie blogger! Thank you so much for posting I will definitely be taking steps to make sure I don’t commit any of these no-nos in the future 🙂
Best,
Alanna
Great article-which I found on Pinterest. I’ve just recently switched from blogger to WordPress and I’m trying to figure out how to make sure my page is inviting :). If you’re out blog hopping, I’d love for you to stop by and give me your opinion. Lattewithme.com
Cathy
wow those are a lot of great points.. i think i have a search bar.. off to double check.
Awesome advice, I think I have most of them covered but am going to check my blog again to make sure!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
I agree with everything you’ve said, and I wrote a similar post on my blog not too long ago!
As a new blogger, I know that I am committing some of these crimes. However, one of the reasons that I do not add my name or my picture to my blog is that I am shifting out of a very toxic community and trying to build a new life. I really don’t want those types of people to spoil what I am trying to build. So for now I just go by L. It’s actually pretty easy to find me if you try. 🙂
Being grateful to have a blog changes your energy, then you can like it again? Been there done that of course. Change your view, express gratitude for your creative outlet and all the folks it can reach and you’ll love your blog again.