7 Reasons Your Blog Sucks (And What to do About It)

Whether you’re a new blogger or an expert, there’s always room for improvement on your blog! Think about why your blog might be sucking, and get on a fast track to improving it with these tips.

It’s got a crappy design. While not everyone has an eye for design, there are some overall guidelines you can follow to creating an amazing blog design – without spending a ton of cash.

And if you’re brand new to professional blogging, be sure to read these Four Tips for Starting Your Own Home-Based Business too!

Tips and tricks for designing an awesome blog:

White space is your friend.

Keep it clean – not cluttered.

Use your sidebars! Show off your most popular posts.

Limit ad usage. While ads make money, they’re ugly.

Incorporate some personality! Add some flare.

It’s all over the place. While there are exceptions to this one (I happen to love hodge-podge blogs), you can’t usually grow a loyal following when you don’t have at least some type of niche. If you want to blog about a handful of things, that’s fine – but stick with those things.

Don’t talk about changing the baby’s diaper, and then talk about fine wine, and then talk about crafts, and then talk about your trip to Berlin, and then talk about why you love Home Depot. Reading that sentence was probably exhausting, right? Think about your readers! They don’t want to be confused when they read your site. Stay consistent, blog about your passions, but narrow them down.

If you insist on blogging about a dozen topics, at least make each one easy to find. Having a search bar at the top of your sidebar is a great idea! Also, include your categories in the menu at the top of your site – that can help cut down on confusion.

It’s waaaay too sponsored. Is more than 25% of your content sponsored? Then your blog is probably on its way to Suckage-Ville. Don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! Start writing real content – more often than you post sponsored content. One or two sponsored posts each week is plenty! Don’t let the real stuff get lost in the shuffle while you’re chasing that next $150 post.

It’s inauthentic. Unless you’re passionate about your blog, it will suck. I’m talking, the ultimate suckage will take place. It’s so easy to tell whether someone is authentic while presenting themselves online. Why be inauthentic? It takes so much less energy to just be honest. Be a real person, be genuine, and help others. Staying the same across social media platforms – and your blog – is key when it comes to believability.