Here at Write on Track, our aim is to give you the best quality blogging advice we can. Our advice comes from our own experience – relaying to our readers what gets results for us and for our clients.
No doubt you will have noticed we are not alone in providing blogging advice online – indeed it is a pretty crowded market out there. So, how do you sift through what’s good and what’s not in the blogosphere? How can you ensure you are getting the best advice from self-styled blogging experts. We have put together the following checklist to help you.
7 Point Checklist For Finding The Best Blogging Advice Online
1. Check out the About Page
Before you delve into their blog, stop by the About page. Is it succint, well written and aimed at the reader? Or is it all about the writer? Do you get a clear sense of why this person is styling themselves as an expert, or is it all smoke and mirrors? Can they back up their expertise with named clients, membership of a professional body, awards, etc?
2. Does the blogger write for/is featured on any other high profile sites?
This a good indication that they are well respected for their expertise by their peers.
3. Do they practice what they preach?
When a blogger gives advice, are they practising it on their own site? For example, I recently wrote a post on the top grammatical errors I see on blogs. I carefully proofread my copy to make sure I wasn’t making any of those mistakes here. Be wary of the blogger who shares advice that they don’t practise themselves.
4. Check the quality of the comments
Comments are tricky. Many of the top social media bloggers we subscribe to don’t get many comments and this in no way diminishes their expertise. However, if you do come across a blog with some well thought out comments (think quality not quantity), then chances are this is a blogger worth paying attention to. Also, check out if and how the blogger responds to reader comments on their site.
5. Check social share
How many times has their blog post been shared on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social networking sites? This can be a good indication of the level of interest by readers in the quality of the topic.
6. Professionally designed blog
How professional is their blog? I don’t mean it has to have a wow factor when it comes to design, but it does need to be clear, easy to navigate and built with the reader in mind, which leads me onto the final point…
7. WordPress warning signs
We recommend wordpress blogs to our clients and offer them the option of a free or self-hosted site. While a free wordpress blog does a lot of great things, it also sends a message to readers that the blog owner is not professional in their approach. Other warning signs include not deleting the default Just Another WordPress Blog title and using “uncategorized” as a category in their posts.
Can you add to this list? How do you decide who is worth subscribing to when it comes to offering blogging advice online?
Marie Ennis-O’Connor BA, MIAPR, holds an Honours degree in History from University College Dublin. She is a graduate of the Irish Academy of Public Relations and has worked in a variety of PR roles over the past 12 years. Marie is editor of several award-winning blogs ranging from life sciences to health to business. She is a panel member of the newly established Bloggers International and is a regular contributor to Health Works Collective, an online community for thought leaders in international healthcare. She is a featured blogger on Webicina, an online service that provides curated medical social media resources in over 80 medical topics and over 17 languages, and has been awarded a top blogger accolade by Empowered Doctor.com and most inspiring writer by WegoHealth. Marie is also in demand as a trainer in social media marketing and travels the country teaching small business owners how to get online and maximise their online presence.
