The Ugly, Not So Ugly And Boring Of Blogging

This is a great post that I think you should think more about than just reading it. I will start by saying the the look of your blog is just so dam important. This blog is my personal attempt at a blog to help people, but I dont know if it looks good to you. So why dont you tell me. Anyway. My other blog at Unconditional is a tad boring and does not function very well. This I know has moved a few people away but I want to improve it. Unfortunately I can not due to the limitations set out by the people who manage the host domain and with that type of system – but hey where there is a will there is a way! Positive Thinking….. Your blog should be interesting to the eye so that it captures the imagination of your reader, otherwise they will press the back button to the Google results and look for something better. I am working it!
Here is an awesome blog post from propertyadguru
The benefits of agents running their own real estate blogs are many: they can position you as a local expert in your neighbourhood, enhance your credibility as a businessperson, and attract leads that might otherwise have overlooked you entirely.
At least, that’s the theory. In practice, an agent’s blog can have the opposite effect, driving away leads by presenting an image that’s far from professional. It’s an understandable by-product of the accessibility of blogging – everyone can do it, but not everyone can do it well.
So what are some of the pitfalls to avoid with your blog, and what are some attributes to aspire to? We don’t intend to name and shame, but after scouring the web for agent website examples, we have come up with a few hot tips:
The writing has to be up to scratch. You might be a wonderful communicator “in real life”, but the online environment is less forgiving, as typos and poor grammar sit around until you correct them. The trick is to write as if you were speaking to a friend, keeping your sentences as natural and conversational as possible.
Closely linked to the way you write is what you write about. And here’s where you ask that all-important question: who is my audience? Would potential customers really be interested in the latest industry news? Or would they be more attracted by content that discusses movements in the local community – new shops opening, business successes, perhaps even an interview with the local mayor or council member? Put yourself in your readers shoes and consider what you’d be searching for in your online home hunt.
Speaking of mayors, keep this in mind: politicising your content, while tempting, is a sure-fire way to alienate those readers who don’t see things your way. Of course, it makes sense to discuss local issues and the way government is addressing these, but by taking a hard-line stance you’re sure to upset someone, and that someone could potentially have been a new client.
The basics aren’t enough when it comes to blog design. Of course, not everyone can begin with a perfectly designed blog – at first a basic theme will probably have to do. But as time goes on, readers will expect improvements. A poll, more pictures, updated links, a few more pages – anything to make things more interesting for return visitors beyond the daily or weekly posts.
If you give up, take it offline, at least until you’re ready to re-start. If your blog is your only online presence, consider stripping it back to a basic contact and information page. Then, when you’re less run off your feet, bring back the posts. Nothing will bring doubt into the mind of a potential client more quickly than the top post being dated “September 4, 2008?.
There is also the good things to do which of course are:
Track what’s working, and change things accordingly. There’s no point signing up for a web analytics service if all you do is paste in the code and forget about it. Figure out what kinds of posts draw in the most visitors, and what keeps people on your website for more than a few seconds. Your website’s click-stream – the way people move around the website – should also be something you’re familiar with. Using all this information to constantly modify the content on your blog is the key to gaining traffic.
Look at the search terms people are using to find you. Some results will be slightly off-the-wall, but in amongst those will be some gems that tell you exactly what your readers were hoping for when they clicked through to your blog. The next question you have to ask yourself is, did you deliver? If not, what can you add that might satisfy those readers next time?
Colour is important. It is easy to lose a lot of time playing around with themes and colour settings, but at the same time, poor choices here can drive people away. This is where honest feedback from friends and colleagues can go a long way, as well as a survey of your favourite blogs to see what works for them.
Explain who you are up front. Ideally, the description under your blog’s title will tell people who you are and what they can expect to find. Information in your sidebar should expand on this with facts about your business, location, and an option for people to contact you. The more you say here, the more likely people will be to think of this blog as an extension of a real-world business.
Try not to leave people hanging in your comments section. If your readers have a question, answer it. Even if someone else has jumped in while you’ve been away from the computer, take the time to acknowledge the question and throw in your two cents. This helps to remind people that there really is someone on the other side of the posts.
If you have any further comments let me know.
Deon