Learn these Business Blog Web Design Mistakes and how to avoid them. As more businesses adopt blogs, we’re beginning to see what works and what doesn’t in terms of design. Here are some issues I frequently encounter, based on Jakob Nielsen’s article on the subject.
Poorly written headlines. They’re aggravating. Some bloggers enjoy being inventive, but this can have an effect on keyword opportunities in search engines. What matters is that readers will get a sense of what the post is about.
There are some ties. Readers want to know where links will take them, and while most of us depend on the status bar, it isn’t always reliable. Some experts recommend using “click here” to assist those who are new to the Internet, while others suggest it’s wrong, wrong, wrong. It is entirely dependent on the material. When linking, aim to use the most descriptive terms that will give readers a sense of what to expect.
The use of calendars as the only way to access a blog and the inability to locate files or older posts are also major issues. When I need to find something that isn’t on the home page, I almost always use google. Unfortunately, some blogs lack search functionality. That’s why, in both meryl’s notes and meryl’s notes features, I have “archive” links in my sidebar. I’m making sure the archives are accessible while my site is being redesigned, particularly in the features section. I came across some old 2001 entries that are still applicable today.
Bloggers must be consistent. Please refrain from making toilet jokes. When a blog appears to be abandoned for a month, the readership has disappeared. They’ll delete you from their blogroll and feed reader. If you don’t intend on doing it again or taking a long break, be prepared to start over when you return.
Even if you’re the manager, keep the boss in mind. Often write as if you’re writing for a supervisor. Is your present or potential boss going to be insulted by your posting? People can be fired for their posts, but they can also cost them job opportunities. It wouldn’t surprise me if interviewers are Googling candidates as they go through the process.
URLs with a bad name. According to Nielsen, having a typepad.com or blogspot.com email address is the same as having a yahoo.com or aol.com email address. The URLs of some of the bigwigs are Blogspot or Typepad. What’s more, guess what? I’m terrible at remembering URLs. I have no choice but to rely on Google. So this is understandable, but I wouldn’t characterize it as unprofessional.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of business blogging. When entering this new world, businesses must tread carefully. It’s a good idea to have policies in place about the approval process as well as what can and cannot be said. Blogs, like everything else in a corporation, need to be assessed to see if they match the company’s model.
