I subscribe to the blog Copyblogger, by email no less, because I think it is one of the best Online Marketing resources on the internet today. Recently though I read a post that really changed the way I think about writing, not something that happens often.

The post was called “Does My Content Suck?” and in it Jon Morrow gives you a checklist that I assure you will change the way you think about your blog writing or really any writing (mostly applies to Internet Marketing though). I though I’d list a selection of his points and go through how I adhere to them or what I plan to do in the future (the blog is fairly new you know). While you read keep your content in mind and ask yourself the same questions.

1. You think your content is “good enough”

I can definitely relate to this, when I first started writing online I just wanted to crank out content because I was… well… lazy and I didn’t think that it mattered. I still subscribed to the idea that if people came to my site they’d click my link and I wouldn’t have to build their trust. I’ve definitely come a ways since then (I hope) and take care to make sure my articles are something I would want to read.

2. Your posts read like journal entries

This one isn’t quite as catch-all as the first point, there are certainly times where a blog entry detailing an experience is appropriate. What you should think about though is whether you are telling what happened like a story or a laundry list. Try to engage the reader rather than just retelling your experience. One place this certainly applies, however, is in copy writing. The reader isn’t as interested in you as they are in what you have to say (or how you can help them) and it is important to remember that.

3. Your visitors stay less than two minutes, on average

Your bounce rate is an important thing to pay attention to in your analytics. What good is a lot of visitors if they see your content and immediately head somewhere else. Once you hit the two minute mark (really just a guideline) its likely that the reader is actually taking the time to read your content with some depth. Be sure that your analytics measures bounces in this way and not based on whether a visitor clicks a link. This helps you have more accurate statistics. Clicky Web Analytics wrote a great article on why this method of measuring engagement is best.

4. You focus on SEO before you get your first link

and

5. You believe SEO is the secret to building a popular blog

For me these two sort of blend together, It took me weeks to get my site going because at first I didn’t want to launch it without it being virtually perfect. If you try to optimize everything before you have actually used the site you will never be happy, you have to let go and just publish. Thats not to say you shouldn’t take SEO seriously, just do it as you go and it will work out better. The second point is another valuable one, SEO is not going to get a blog ranked by itself. It is merely a vessel to help your quality content get noticed, not content itself. A good article is better than all the SEO tools out there if you have to choose one or the other.

6. Your blog is about … well … everything

When it comes to a blog, be specific. Not only will you get less conversation but it will be more likely that those who like your subject will read more articles. It’s not like you can’t write about other things, just put them in article directories and the like rather than on the blog. They will at least help you write better through practice and get your name out there if not another post. If you don’t feel like you can’t stay on topic and keep turning out content then your topic is probably to specific or so static that it would do better with a site. This also applies to people who don’t write blogs, it’s important to stay on topic and not head off on tangents.

17. You write less than 1,000 words per day

and

20. You’ve been blogging for less than six months

The message of these is basically the same, write and your writing will improve. Six months is just a rough estimate but its pretty accurate for when a site starts to gel and you have had time to see what works and what doesn’t. As for the 1000 words, it doesn’t all have to be posted at once, write articles and keep them as backup to post later. If you set writing goals for yourself and stick to it you will get better at writing while still being productive.

There are other points you can check out in the post but these are the ones that stuck out most for me. The title is designed to grab you but don’t take it as an insult, Think of it more as a list of things to avoid or do to become a better writer.

Thanks for reading,

Alex

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