10 Reasons Why Your Small Business Blog Sucks

I know, I know, the headline is a little harsh, but it’s true! Your small business blog is starting to stink up the Web! And don’t tell me that your blog is the exception; I bet your traffic numbers are just as dismal as your content. If your small business blog sucks, don’t stress – practically every business-run blog does (heck, mine doesn’t smell like a bunch of roses every day either!). And while you can’t do anything to rid past posts of their problems, there are plenty of things you can do to un-suckify your blog in 2011 (yes, I just invented a word there).

1. Your posts are too short (or too long).

Twitter is for 140 character thought snippets. Novels are for epic tales. Blog posts are where you develop clear, concise arguments on relevant topics. The optimal length for a blog post should be between 500 and 800 words. Long enough to make a point, but short enough to keep a reader’s interest.

2. You use syndicated content.

Oh no you didn’t! Syndicated content is a cardinal sin for bloggers. “Borrowing” another person’s content and trying to pass it off as your own is lame. It just makes your business look lazy. If you’re absolutely crunched for time (and it happens, believe me, I know), try asking for guest contributions. Guest bloggers add an extra dimension and provide you with a little time to breathe.

3. You have no original ideas.

Spinning ideas is common practice in the blogging world. You find a blog post elsewhere and try and rewrite it to look like you came up with the idea. Article spinning happens, but if you’re writing a post based on another person’s content, make sure you add something unique. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and shake things up.

4. Your blog looks like a blog.

Blog designs are pretty predictable, especially if you use a basic template. Make your blog look like it’s worth reading by customizing your layout with colours, text, graphics, and a unique layout. Need some inspiration? CIK Marketing just helped the Stamps, Ink and Paper Blog update their look.

5. Your blog is selfish.

When was the last time you linked out to another source on your blog? Blogging is about spreading the love, sharing information, and providing your readers with useful resources. If your blog references a stat or study, make sure you link out to it to provide some background support to your post.

6. Your blog has no contact information on it.

When I’m reading a blog, I like to know who’s writing I’m reading. If I like your style, I might want to contact you to compose a guest post for me. Make sure you have a page with contact information, or at least include some bio information in the sidebar with an email address. You never know who might want to do business with you based on your blog.

7. I get lost trying to find an archived post.

Blog organization isn’t something you need to think about everyday – all you need to do is set it up once and then stick with it. Develop intuitive categories to file your posts as well as chronological organization. This will make it easier for people to find old posts or posts that cover topics they’re interested in.

8. I can’t subscribe to your blog.

You want people to become return readers of your blog, right? Then give them a way to subscribe to your content! Set up a newsletter sign-up form and submit your feed to Google Reader. Make it easy for people to like your content… which leads to my next point -

9. You don’t have any social sharing tools.

The best way to attract new readers to your blog is to have readers share your content. Word of mouth marketing is alive and well on the Internet, so why not help the process along by making it easy to share your content on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Reddit.

10. Your content sucks.

The biggest reason your blog sucks is your content sucks… no question. Great content will make your blog great, so take some time to improve your writing.

Do you know a blog that sucks? What makes it so bad? Share your frustration with the CIK blog readers… you’ll feel better, I promise.