Yesterday I came across a new blog and wanted to contact the owner. Imagine my surprise when, after about ten minutes of searching, I realized that there was no possible way to get in touch with him other than leaving a public comment on one of his posts. I tweeted about it, only to find that other people have experienced the same issue.
My first thought is, Maybe some bloggers don’t want to be contacted. But that seems silly; why wouldn’t you want people to be able to ask questions or provide feedback? The second - scarier and probably more accurate - thought is, Maybe they just don’t know they should.
With that in mind, I made a list of the absolute bare minimum elements that any blog should have.
1. Content. This should be a no-brainer, but if you’re going to have a blog, you should probably write some blog posts. I have actually had someone say, “Come take a look at my blog!” and there was nothing but an “under construction” graphic when I got there. I didn’t bother visiting again.
2. An about page. You may think your blog’s purpose is pretty obvious. You may have a short bio in your sidebar. But I’m telling you, people want more information about what your blog is about. They want to know a few details about you (your entire life story NOT required) and why you’re writing about your topic of choice. My About page is one of the most frequently clicked on all of my websites.
3. A contact page. Whether you use a form or just your email address, please provide an easy way for readers to contact you. There may be a problem with your blog, or maybe someone wants to offer you a freelance writing job (it’s happened to me more than once). You just never know - better to make it obvious.
4. A disclosures page. I discussed this in greater detail awhile back, but in order to make Google, the FTC, and lots of other entities happy, you need a disclosures page for your blog. They’re super easy to create and you’ll protect yourself and your content.
5. Images. For the love of Pete, please use some images in your blog posts! You don’t have to use tons of pictures that make the page load slowly, but it’s nice to see something other than text every now and then. There are tons of sites like MorgueFile that offer free images for you to use.
6. Comments. I know a few bloggers who don’t allow readers to comment on their posts. I’ll be honest - I sometimes understand why, especially when I get an obnoxious commenter or a bunch of spam. But it’s impossible for readers to feel they’re a part of your community when they aren’t allowed to contribute to the discussion.
7. Subscription options. This is another one I’ve mentioned before. Allowing your readers to subscribe to your blog ensures that they’ll receive new posts via RSS or email. I understand wanting people to come back to your site to read, but the fact is, many of them won’t. I’d rather have someone reading via email than not reading at all.
8. Social media links. Do you use Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts for your blog? Make sure your readers know about them! It’s easy to add social media buttons or icons to your site so people can follow you.
9. A search bar. Ever look for an old post on a blog you love? I do it all the time - I can usually remember the blog and at least part of the title, but I just can’t remember when it was posted. While it’s possible to search sites that don’t have a search bar, it’s just more convenient.
10. A “Home” link on every post and page. Ideally, readers will be able to click your header and return to your homepage. However, it’s also helpful to have a Home link in your navigation bar just in case. It should be the first item on the navigation bar - when it’s anywhere else, it can be frustrating for readers.
That’s my list of essentials for all types of blogs - what do you guys think? Did I leave anything out?
Hey, I have a blog on blogger.com, and I have no idea how to do some of this stuff, how do I add a search bar? A home button?
Hi Haley! To add a search bar, just go to Layout and add a gadget. If you scroll down a little in the popup menu, there is a search gadget that you can drop right into your sidebar. As for a home button, if you create some pages, you can add a menu under your header. When you go to Pages, it has a dropdown box at the top where you can choose to show pages as Top Tabs - that will put the bar under your header. I hope that helps!