I'm Kharim Tomlinson of WebMaster-Success.com and the other day I was going through some blogs (I won't say which ones exactly) and upon reading a few of the blog post I came to the conclusion that the blog posts that I read taught me nothing. I gained nothing extra, nor learned anything new after reading those blog posts.
I don't know about the other people that visit those particular blogs, but for me when I visit a blog to read I want to gain more knowledge after I finish reading. I shouldn't be saying “I already knew that” or “isn't this the same information on Joe's blog”. I'm not saying that most of the things blogged about today aren't things that other people have blogged about already. But putting a little more rhythm in your blog post can make it stand out from the other bloggers.
Question From One Of My Blog Post Reader
Some time ago this blogger asked me how comes I have been blogging for less than a year and he has been blogging for about 2 years and, I have been successful in driving traffic to my blog, getting people to subscribe to my blog, get my readers to comment and also to make money from my blog, and he finds it challenging to do so. After examining his blog the first thing that I noticed with his blog is that he is using a theme with 3 columns. Not that anything is wrong with using a 3 column layout on your blog, but his blog was so cluttered. This makes it hard for visitors to navigate through the blog with ease. Another thing is his content, some were great and others were poorly written.
Content is king and if you have great quality content mixed with poor content then your blog will struggle to do what you thought it could do. It won't function like a blog with pure quality content.
Another thing is that I haven't seen him on the blogosphere, nowhere to be found. I haven't seen him on my blog or any other popular blogs making comments or submitting guest posts. I have not seen any of his articles on BlogEngage, BloKube, being tweeted on Twitter or nothing like that. If you fail to network then you will fail to build up traffic to your blog.
In addition, here are some more questions that some new bloggers ask and the answers that I have provided for them in this blog post.
Why I Failed To Learn From Your Post
Here are reasons why your blog post taught me nothing extra after I finished reading:
After reading a blog post that you have known the information already, I am sure that you would agree with me that you learned nothing extra. No new information, no knowledge gained. If this is a topic that has been blogged about by almost every blogger, don't make your post similar to their's. Make your's stand out and you will be better able to teach your blog readers something.
Blog posts that aren't developed to be called a suitable blog post will teach absolutly nothing. Not spending time to proof read your blog post or taking time to make your post look neat with sub-headings will make your post look undeveloped. Using sub-headings will make your main points stand out, plus using H1, H2 or the H3 tags as sub-heading will help you to get an extra boost from search engines.
I am pretty sure that if your maths teacher is boring then you will know nothing in algebra. Unless the teacher makes the class exciting then you will fail to learn.
Your blog post is like that teacher. You have to make it exciting and interesting in order to make your blog readers benefit fully from it.
First let me start this point by saying that there is nothing wrong with affiliate promotion. This is the way that most of us as bloggers make money online. But always writing a blog post promoting affiliate links and wanting to make a sale is not a blog post that educates.
When writing a blog with affiliate links make sure that you provide information that will help to build up the readers. This way you can make a few extra bucks.
How To Make Your Blog Post Teach
Before starting your new blog post it's always best to do a bit of research to make sure the information you bring to your readers is correct. You want to put out the best content ever for your blog readers.
Blogging works best if we are passionate about it. Being passionate shows that there is nothing greater that blogging. When you write with true passion your blog readers can know it. Writing with passion involves writing and putting out your best effort because you are happy about what you are doing. You do it for the fun and enjoyment of it.
In order to make your blog post the best, it's best to avoid topics that have been blogged about over and over again. Contents that are new and fresh gets more views and this will help you to keep visitors on your blog a little longer.
Results You Get From Blog Post That Teaches
When you write blog posts that teaches your readers something, they appreciate your blog more. They appreciate the time that you have spent to put together such great content. One way they show their appreciation is by subscribing to your blog. The more upbuilding and informative blog post you write then the more subscribers you will gain.
Blog posts that teaches the reader something gets more ratings. You may not have a rate or vote button for each article, but you can tell the ratings by the amount of comments left on the article. The more comments means that the blog post was great and the readers enjoyed reading it.
When a well composed blog post is read and the reader has enjoyed it, this reader's reaction is to hit the tweet it button or some other button to share it with other people who he/she think would be interested in the article as well.
If you know that you are writing great content then make sure you place some buttons on your blog so that your content gets shared with the rest of the web.
Affiliate sales are easier made when a blog post has great content. Simply said…
I know visitors of Lisa Irby's blog search for her affiliate link to purchase from them so that Lisa can make a sale. This is because Lisa writes great blog posts and her blog visitors want to thank her by purchasing from her affiliate links.
This goes to show that when you wrtie great blog post then affiliate sales can be made with little or no added effort.
Hi Kharim,
Great advice–your post is very thorough, covering some issues I definitely haven’t seen before. I love this statement: Avoid blogged out topics. “Blogged out” could become a new catchphrase!
I just started blogging in February, so I’m still in learning mode. I always try to put my personal spin on the subject I’m discussing. Sometimes I use research to back up my assertions. Other times, I tell personal stories or bring up business experiences that relate to the topic.
Hey Marianne Worley,
I love to use the term all blogged out on topics that has been blogged about over and over again. But if you would like to also blog about that particular topic then you have to put your own spin to it so that your blog post stands out more.
I have been blogging since last year March and it has been a challenging but wonderful journey so far. I hope that you have success in whatever you are pursuing. 🙂
Thanks for the comment.
yes – the phrase is really interesting. thanks for the post. but sometimes you have to write about blogged out themes – when you need certain keywords. also some people may not understand what the blogger meant by the article. in this case it’s good to read about the same thing but from a different writer. so i believe there are both pros and cons for writing about widely discussed theme.
Well blogged out topic means more competition and this can be hard for you especially if you aren’t a pro blogger or a blogger who has been in the game for a long time.
New bloggers should try and be creative and write about new things.
Thanks for your comment
Hi Kharim,
I’m in the same wavelength with you 🙂
I need to find something new, interesting or with different point view, if not I move on to other blogger.
But we must be honest, not all people want to be “educated”. If we speak in tech areas, blogging tips, SEO, MMO, etc is correct but if you enter in bloggers for leisure or entertainment this is not valid – just for fun 🙂
Excellent tips that several bloggers should apply often – especially the H1, H2, H3 tags.
Cheers,
Gera
Hey there Gara,
Always having something new to blog about is always best. When you try to stand out from the other bloggers then you will attract a lot more visitors to your content.
H1, H1, H3 tags are something which we as bloggers should strive to use. As some bloggers say that they don’t fancy SEO, but it is really important if we want to become more successful.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
It is a good post and I feel the same way, however I also know there are many less tech savvy and less experienced readers for every topic/genre out there including blogging/wordpress. There is a reason why posts with 10 beginner tips, beginner’s guide, newbie…etc make good traffic headlines because most of the new people do searches on Google for those terms and blog posts that cater to beginners can sometimes be assets to the inexperienced.
This is why I allow some guest posts that are high level and what I consider nothing new as would many of my blogger fans, but I realize not all of my readers are experienced bloggers. I also get just as many comments on my very basic tip articles as my more technical ones.
It is good to write an occasional high level beginner guide unless you want to be known for only providing in depth information. I try to cater to both audience types myself.
Hey Justin,
You are so right. Blog posts with titles (10 beginner tips, beginner’s guide, newbie…etc) as you stated gain lots of traffic. This is because people are always searching for tips and tricks to make their blog better.
Writing for beginners is a great thing because you can educate them and then they will want to look to your blog as a source of up building for bloggers.
Thanks for the comment
Honestly, great title, LOL. This really caught my attention 🙂 Anyway, what else can I say or add here.. hmmm.. you got the grounds of blogging pretty much covered here and I can’t agree more with you. There are just too many blogs out there that keep saying the same thing over and over. Not that I am against it as I can understand how difficult it is to find fresh ideas “all the time”, but at the very least, what I am reading should give me something to take home with me 😉 Solid advices
Sup DiTesco, 🙂
You are correct man. Very hard at times to come up with fresh new ideas to blog about. But this is where reading and thinking comes into play. You have to read lots of articles and brainstorm to get your ideas flowing.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
I got to agree with Justin. I have had numerous people tell me that they have never heard things that I mention from time to time, that to me are just rehashing old topics, and that I see blogged to death. It also depends a lot on where you are getting your traffic.
Although other blogs are a great source of traffic, that is only one place, and it depends on who they are targeting. I spent over a year where most of my traffic was coming from forums. Although my traffic has increased since getting into the blogoshpere, I wasn’t starving while relying on those forums for visitors. Many of those forum readers never had any exposure to other blogs until they started reading mine, and they didn’t know about some of the tactics that we see commonly talked about.
Hey there James,
I haven’t been doing much forum posting, mainly because I don’t have much time whenever I am around the computer to do so. But I do know that forum posting can build lots of traffic and also backlinks.
Keep up the good work and thanks for commenting 🙂
I feel what your saying, but also I think there is a flip side the informative part. One think that inspires me is that I run across people all the time that don’t know much about technology. Not long ago I helped someone set-up a digital camera. That probably seems small to some, but she was ready to take the camera back to the store before I helped her. So sometimes information can depend on prospective. Great article though!
Hey A. Tatum Jr,
That is true. Same thing with my mom and her cellphone. Whenever she has problems with it, she always brings it to me and sometimes the problem that she is having is very simple.
But if you help these type of people to become more educated about techy stuff then the world can be a better place.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
While most of mine are unique in their own right, as a blogger that blogs to the beginning blogger myself, a decent portion of my articles have been read before by the more experienced, it is then up to them to stay or not.
That said, is it simply rehashed? No, I always put my own unique spin on things.
All that said, even the most experienced would do well to go back to basics once in a while. 😉
Thanks for the kind comment Dennis.
You are right, putting some spin on your articles can really make a difference. This will make you stand out in your own unique way from the bloggers who are going with the crowd, so to speak.
Keep up the good work 🙂
Hi Kharim,
Glad to see your post here, and its really engaging – superb! I’d like to talk about the “I already know about this”!
It has been many times and I could not resist. Each blog has its own targeted readers. A blog might target newbies and talk about trivial to lift them up and grow. We active bloggers do roam everywhere and leave our footprint.
And, this influence is very difficult to resist. A blogger is easily inclined to what is being commented on his blog. For example I started an intention and gradually the blog turned to what the commenting community were doing.
We are turning all blogs similar. Anybody who resist this influence and walk his own ways can stand out of the crowd. This is what I’m trying to practice these days.
Thank you Kharim for this influential post.
Hey Suresh Khanal,
One thing I can say is that some new bloggers are also coping other information and also passing it as their own articles, which is really bad. This is also another reason why articles seem very similar.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
You are right Kharim. But that’s not a problem as they will stop doing all that one day when they find nothing happening with all that stupidity. Let’s suggest them to read a lot of blog posts so that they grow post ideas, isn’t it?
Thats what I do as well. Read to educate myself and then I put my ideas on paper to publish them 🙂
Blogging has been around here for some time and there are plenty of people who have taken it too far, and hence have earned a distinct reputation for themselves. So many a time, you might end up putting up nothing new and hence the only way out is to be genuine, and nothing else.
Hey Joshua,
Thats true, once you are genuine then you will be different. Being genuine and natural as a blogger is the best way to help and making blogging work for us.
Thanks for the comment.
Hey Kharim!
It was indeed pleasant hearing from you!
Don’t you agree, that these days ingenuity is what being sought after, rather than silly repeats.
And, in order to get better, we should connect better with our audience.
Regards
I hate silly repeated blog posts. Everybody blogging about the same thing and expect to get the same results like the pro bloggers. It jus wont work
Thanks again for your comment.
Hi Kharim,
People need updates and information which they don’t have. That’s why they will come on our blog or site. Second point – Who are you – bill gates, david beckham or barack obama, none of them!! then why should people read your post?
If you want people should read your blog post then have to follow the guidelines you mention in this post.
Very Nice post,
Thanks for sharing post
Ryan
Hey Ryan,
Great comment. People need fresh and new information to keep them going. If you keep on providing information that is already known then they will just go to Google and search for another site which has fresh new contents.
Thanks for the comment bro 🙂
Hey Kharim,
I really liked the part on how to make your post teach. I think this is a learning curve for a lot of people new to blogging. They can write something but can they write something that teaches. Great ideas to get someone on the right track.
I also like what you said about “Avoid Blogged Out Topics”. Finding a unique topic that has never been blogged about before if virtually impossible but if everyone if blogging on a topic it should be avoided as well as any post should have the writers unique bent on the subject.
Great post.
Dee Ann Rice
Hi Dee Ann Rice,
Your blog post should be able to teach something. After your readers finished reading, they should be able to say “I have learned something new from this blog post.” If they can’t say that then your blog post needs some more tuning up.
I don’t like to read the same thing over and over, and thats the reason why I placed the avoid blogged out topics in this post.
Thanks for the kind comment 🙂
Your point with affiliate sales if very true. Some blog posts just want to sell you the thing no matter what, and write pushing reviews that read like sales copy. Selling should come like breeze. If you annoy your readers, you will never make any money, and your post is just one among thousands of reviews about that product.
Jane.
Hi Jane,
Yep no wonder people make a review blog and review crappy products expecting to make money. Some do make money but not the amount that they thought that they would. It goes to show that money making ain’t easy. You have to put out your best effort in writing and then the money will come easy.
Thanks for the comment.
Honestly, now has a blog and write about issues, although the thought of the idea and the content is very difficult. But what you mentioned is really worth to remember and learn.
Thanks for the comment John and glad that you liked my article 🙂
Seriously, I really doesn’t know if my blog post teach any of my readers anything, but I do know my content does stand out from other bloggers. I mean the way I write and the way I format, is totally different from any other blogger I knew thus far.
Well, there are so many blog out there, sometime you might think after reading, you learn nothing and you thought, you had just wasted your time on a blog post, but no, you shouldn’t think negative, you should think positive.
And by thinking positive, you can use the content you had learn nothing to create a new blog post and enhance the idea you already know to better details or even extra idea, giving the post you learn nothing to something more better or greater in information.
So, what you think, is my idea good? I’m not sure, but is all personal views and above is just what I do and how I get idea for new, better and greater content.
Hey, Well you can know by the way the readers respond to your comments. If the leave positive replies, just like you did on my article, then you can know that the have learnt something.
It’s always good to make your content stand out as well. 🙂
Thanks for the kind comment.
Your title is very nice but telling this to someone else may land you in trouble sometime. 2 Years back I posted almost same comment on one blog post and my friend didn’t talked to me 2 weeks and few of his readers also posted bad words. If I think that content is not useful then just close the page and don’t make a comment..
LOL… Sorry to hear about that, and that is the reason why I didn’t mention any article that didn’t taught me anything. 🙂
Thanks for the comment
The post itself is okay, and that is why most bloggers are agreeing with it. But I have one more point to make. If we want to change this blogging trend of same information on every post, we have to do it ourselves. Come up with new ideas and that is very easy for all of us if we give it some time.
So, lets change our blogging trend and search for our topic before writing, if it is already their select another topic and write in our own personal style. Try your best to add unique ideas strategies and examples to make it better.
Want to feel the change in my post, you will have to read the next one and write a comment, so I may know your action and reaction. Thanks
Fran A
Thanks for your kind comment. Writing posts that inform people is a great way to stay ahead of the game
Sometimes its okay to read something you already knew if you are seeking reassurance but if thats the case you need to be passionate about what you are reading and them what they are writing.
That’s true Candice, nut reading something that you already have enough knowledge about is just a waste of time to me. I like to have fresh contents.
I know contents are the King. Mixture of Good and poor contents post can award good ranking to a blog or not?
Well I would always try to aim for good content, because we want to please our blog readers and not search engines.
“Win some, lose some!” Like so many other bloggers, I tend to throw stuff up and see what sticks. I’ve uploaded what I considered to be a “junk post” back in 2007 that still gets me anywhere from 5 to 10 hits a day! And I’ve published a few “brilliant masterpieces” that I don’t believe were ever read by anyone!
I think sometimes Lady Luck plays a big role in determining how we view another’s blog. Kind of like a lottery.
Return to a blog that taught you nothing – and – maybe – you might learn something!
Top quality content is what rules. If your blog is lacking in such content then you won’t have much success.
I must admit that this post is really true. When I read other blogs it is like being spun posts from other bloggers that is why when I read first few paragraphs and when I noticed that it is the same as what I have read before, I stop.
That’s the same thing with me. If I visit a new blog that has posts which I can get from other bloggers who are pro then I will stick to their blog.
Hi Kharim,
Oh thank you thank you!! You have no idea the sigh of relief I had at just the mere title of your blog post. I can’t stand the blog posts that are presented as absolutely fantastic and profound, and it’s something so basic and dry and boring I wonder that a post about tying shoelaces wouldn’t be more informative.
Delena
OMG I agree! About time someone said it!
It takes time to create a great post and people think it is easy and some people are just good at it..Well some people have no choice but to work really hard on their ideas and their writing. It those that just slap anything up that annoy me…
The other thing that annoys me is when people comment and say it is a good post when its clearly not!
By the way, this is a great post because it caught my interest and is totally speaking the truth.
I don’t like those human spammers that only comment with one word. It’s pretty annoying.
Thanks Mitz, and thanks to the great headline that’s why you left a comment 😀
the same goes for me Delena. Thanks for the comment
Hi Kharim,
This is all good advice and I wished I’d read your post before I started blogging. I think even if you’re covering a topic that’s been done hundreds of times before you can still bring something fresh to it by a) deliberately being controversial or b) simply stating your own opinions on the subject
My own blog is aimed at small business owners and start-ups that want to learn about online marketing so I dare say there are a lot of posts that wouldn’t teach more experienced people anything.
Thanks for the comment Jamie. Just keep your blog posts interesting and things would be great
The thing is that most of the time the one that reads the post matter. If it is a old and informed blogger you will not surprise it that easily because most likely he can know more about the subject then you.
I am not writing for that segment of bloggers because it will be crazy, I am writing for the ones that knows less then me and my article can help them.
Of course that an article have to be well written and informative but this is a different mater.
Thanks for the comment Bit Doze. Keep up your great blogging work.
Very well said. If you’d notice there are a lot of people who own blogs now. But there are only a few who can really entice a reader in terms of content. I admit that the appearance of a blog or website is what gets my attention but I also go through the content very well and I have had some experiences that the content aren’t really remarkable. Thanks for sharing this one. I sure hope that a lot of bloggers would learn from your post.
That’s true. If you want to be a successful blogger then you have to learn how to be creative and productive in your writing. Thanks for the comment.
It is true that nobody wants to read re hashed material and boring sites. Pictures, headlines and such capture attention and you may want to highlight those new and important points that you want to share with your readers.
Personally, I just created my first blog and I do not know if it’ll be successful. However, I wrote from the bottom of my heart, shared my experience and what I learned. With that, I hope I was able to create a blog that would interest my readers and teach them something new from my experience.
I don’t like to be reading the same thing over and over again… plain boring. Every blog can be successful if you put in the work that is needed.
Thanks for the comment.
Hi Kharim,
A lot of what is blogged about has to do with focus of the blog and expectancy of the audience. At times I write more how-to articles on answer to certain questions I get over and over. Most likely I will reference others who have written about the same thing because they may present something about the subject that’s not within my focus or they may say things a different way. (I get teased a lot about “footnotes.”) It could be that they have a video on the same topic. Because people learn in so many different ways, good coverage of a topic is key.
I agree with you about indiscriminately dropping affiliate links without having context or relevancy. One thing that might help with the feeling of “same-old, same-old” is varying the types of blogs read. My enjoyment is increased immeasurably by seeking out new voices in diverse niches.
Thanks for a fresh take.
Thanks for the comment Vanessa, I really appreciate it.
Kharim,
Thanks for a great article. I am new to the blogging world and pretty much started on a whim at the request of one of my friends. I wrote about creative writing (I know, hot topic, right?) and have only done minor marketing and add sense because it was available (I am hardly a professional.)
My brother just started setting up his own through some company and is blogging about fish and aquariums. He makes me laugh because he tells me how I am doing it all wrong because I have a topic that is not commonly searched (How do you even find that out?) and no one writes about. Yet he is simply re-hashing other peoples crap on a topic that is widely received!!
I learned a lot from your article and will try to apply much of it to my blog. (Especially the subheading thing. Had no idea!!) But I also took heart knowing that although I may not have a hot topic, it is fresh and informative and educational. It may be a VERY niche community, but at least I am not repeating the same stuff that everyone else is doing!
Appreciate the advice!
Heidi
Thanks for the comment. I hope you have been having success with blogging and keep up the good work
Thanks for this. I have had a blog for nearly 5 months and still have a single digit subscriber base. I should have add a “Subscribe” to rss on my blog homepage. Finding something to post that is informative to the users (Things which they can’t find easily on the net ) on a daily basis can be quite difficult.
You should place the subscribers opt-in form where it will be visible. Without that then you will end up with zero subscribers.
Good points. It’s true what you say about cluttered blogs. There are some I simply can’t read because my eyes are so distracted from all the clutter.
I always leave a cluttered blog as soon as it loads up. It is very hard to find information that you are looking for.
Thanks for the comment.
That’s true Emman. Thanks for dropping a comment
I will immediately take hold of your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me understand in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
Just look for the RSS feed.
Well I guess you should say what is in your heart. I say whatever I want on my blog, but I try not to offend my visitors.