I recently wrote a post about taking your blog to the next level, here is time to step it up. Maybe you’ve got some bad blogging habits. I will help you get over a couple that really piss me off. I strongly believe your website results will double what you had last month if you sit down and fix some of the following bad blogging habits:
- No Fav Icon
- Opt-in boxes nowhere to be found
- Zero Sitemap
Favicon
You may or may not know what a Fav Icon is, but here’s the easiest way to explain it to you. Look above at your internet tabs. See the face of Mr John Chow next to the website title? That’s his Fav Icon. Maybe you’re wondering what the big deal is. Adding an icon here will make your blog look far more professional, easier to bookmark, and help you stand out in the crowd.
A great blog that shows this is Succeed with Adam, he has a picture of himself in his favicon. Having your own picture isn’t necessary but often works to brand yourself even more.
Action Step: Pick or create a picture to use for your favicon. (I use my branded picture)
Opt-in Box & Your List
Too many people are blogging and have no way to capture email addresses. The money is in the list. To illustrate: Let’s say you have a list of 1,000. And, you join an affiliate program that pays out $40 per sale. What if you send out an email to your list and just 10% of your list purchases it? Bam, you just made $4,000. Maybe that’s just unrealistic for you. Scratch that. You send it out and 5% purchase. That means you just made $2,000. It’s happening every day. And if you’re not building a list, then you’re missing out on this incredible leverage.
Before you create an opt-in box and begin building a list, make sure you have your things in order. You’ll need to pick up any one of the email marketing programs out there and build some kind of free offer. You see, building a list is a lot like fishing. You get a fish by luring him in with bait. What will you use for bait? I love to give away free interviews & and free eBooks. By the way, have you opted in to receive John Chow’s Ultimate Blog Profit Model eBook?
Action Step: Add an optin box to your blog and have it be above the fold. Place it on the right sidebar too.
SiteMap
Let’s talk a moment about sitemaps. They are easy on the eyes of a searcher. For example: When you type in John Chow into Google, what do you see? A link to his About page, 2 of his most prized posts, Advertise, and so on. Those without a sitemap are missing out on a lot of search engine opportunities. Your sitemap tells the search engines your linking structure, and helps users navigate and search your site better.
Action Step: Use this free tool to create a sitemap.
I promise as a result of applying these tips, your blog will become a recognized brand, your list will grow, and you’ll improve the usability of your site.
Would love to know if you have used any of the tools that I have suggested. What are your thoughts on them?