The inspiration for this blog post came about in the wee hours of the morning. I was spending the weekend at the beach and couldn’t sleep, so I crept out of bed at 3 AM and decided it was a great time to visit some of my favorite blogs and find some new ones. Then I had an epiphany! Angels appeared, trumpets blasted . . . just kidding, that was my husband snoring. 🙂
Anyway, I started thinking (thinking is what keeps me up when I have to tinkle in the middle of the night – once my mind wakes up, I’m up) about why I revisit some blogs over and over and some I never want to lay eyes on again. Just keeping it real!
Here’s 5 reasons I keep reading your blog!
1. It’s pretty and uncomplicated
It doesn’t have 12 popups before it fully opens. There’s no clutter and no busy background that distracts me from the written word. The font is big enough to see without squinting. The paragraphs are short and easy to read.
The pictures are nice and big and pretty. They’re not dark and shadowy. (Does anyone else remember Dark Shadows? I loved that scary soap opera when I was growing up.) Don’t say a word if you’ve never heard of it, kid.
2. There are very few typos
Yes, I’m referred to often as the grammar police by my children and friends. I’m sure they’re exaggerating. And, yes, sometimes grammar rules are made to be broken because no one likes a hard-to-read post. I’m certainly not perfect and sometimes I totally miss a typo. But . . .
Lately, I’ve been seeing some off-the-chain errors. For instance . . .
- Last week I was reading a sponsored post and the name of the sponsored product was misspelled. Every. Single. Time. Including the title. (See, I just typed 4 incomplete sentences, but in the world of blogging, that is totally acceptable.) Chill.
- I was reading another blog about reasons why the author home schools. Â I’m all for homeschooling, but the article had so many typos and featured my biggest pet peeve of all “your instead of you’re!” Â I almost came unhinged. Â I had to take a break from all things blogging, do a few yoga moves and take several deep cleansing breaths.
3. Â You’re funny!
I don’t take myself or anyone else too seriously. Â When a person can laugh at herself or use humor in their posts, I’m all over it. Â On the other hand, when people try too hard to be funny, it shows.
4. If you showcase yummy food, great makeup tips, the latest in fashion, awesome DIY crafts, pretty parties and/or teach me something new, I’m one of your top fans.
Recently I read the best article on how to grow tomatoes. Â I realized all the mistakes I had been making and how to fix them. Â It was so good I shared it on my FB page, pinned it and put it in my pocket – the app, not my real pocket.
On the other hand, I received the nicest comment on my Zippy Egg Salad Dip post, thanking me for explaining how to tell if eggs were fresh.
Helpful Hint: Â Lately, before I share a food post, etc., I ask myself if there’s any info I can add that will help the reader or teach them something new. Â You may have noticed that I offer a helpful hint in just about all of my posts. Â My tagline: Helpful Hints for Extraordinary Events.
5. Â Keep it short and to the point!
There’s been times when I’ve shared a long post because of different reasons. Â I consider a post to be long if it’s 1,500 words or more. Â Most of the time I try to stay around 600-800 words, sometimes less, but always at least 300 words.
Helpful Hint: Â If you notice your post is going to be extremely long, break it up into a series. It will keep me coming back for more.
I’ve said it before: Most people skim a post. Â They don’t read every word. Â You may be skimming right this minute. Â You can usually tell by the comments if someone has skimmed or not. Â (Hey, relax, I’ve been guilty of this myself.)
And don’t share EVERY picture you took on that fabulous vacation. Â I get the point and I don’t want to scroll through 60 pictures of basically the same thing.
Bonus Reason:  If you have cute kids and cute pets, I’ll keep reading your blog. 🙂
There you have it – 5 reasons I keep reading your blog!
It’s your turn: Â What are some reasons you keep reading a blog? Â What’s your biggest turnoff?
99 comments
I read other people’s blogs for the same reasons. It has to be short and sweet for me to read – no longer than 400 words or so.
“The Experts” (rolls eyes) say the perfect post length is 1,600 words. What??? I like shorter posts, too.:)
I am guilty of typos and photos lol. I read posts most of the times but if it’s very long, I usually don’t finish if I already get the point. O agree with making a long post a series, makes the readers wanting for more.
I think it might depend on your background. I’m a hardcore tech/game nerd so to me, a 3-500 word list just feels like a fluff piece that should be more in depth.
What experts? They obviously don’t know the internet very well. 300-400 words is ideal. It’s been proven in theory and statistics. If someone is going to publishing blog posts that are over 1600 words, I’d rather they turn that into an ebook instead!
I thought the same thing, but during my research I keep seeing over and over (big name bloggers) that a 7 minute read was the perfect size (1600 words). Personally, I like them short and sweet. 🙂
I live in fear of the dreaded typo! For some reason my brain just doesn’t see them so I always beg my husband or friends to read it over for me.
I love funny blogs too! That is the one thing that will bring me back to a blog. Awesome pictures and a sharp wit!
Oh… and I LOVE your funny self!
Ashley, my husband is my proofreader. When I proofread I seem to read it as it should be, not as it is. BTY, your blog is one I keep coming back for more.
I want to start with #1 and work my way down but #1 is so good! ALL THOSE POPUPS! Seriously, if I want to subscribe, I WILL! Popups flying in from the side or suddenly freezing my screen will NOT encourage me to subscribe. They cause me to note that I don’t want to come back to that blog again.
Tiny little bity font and tiny little pictures are discouraging. I’ve seen some really great content but it was overshadowed by both of those issues.
I’d add also, If I can comment without subscribing…in my best Arnold voice, “I will be back!”
LOVE this Alli!!
I think it’s sneaky to have the box already checked to subscribe. If I want to subscribe to a blog I will. Don’t make me! I finally added a popup box that opens as people are leaving. It doesn’t interfere with anyone reading a blog post, etc. And, the plugin almost has my name – pop-up alley. 🙂
These are all completely true! If I find that I’m reverting into English professor mode while I’m reading because the grammar and spelling are so bad, then I’m probably not going to be your blog’s biggest fan. :/ That being said, I know stuff slipped through one in a while–I re-read my posts several times before I publish and I STILL find things after the fact.
The other one that stuck out for me was the tone: I’m a pretty easy going person (unless we’re talking about grammar. Haha!), and I don’t want to read about someone’s uber drama-filled life. I have enough to deal with on a daily basis–I don’t need someone else’s drama on top of everything else! 😀
Oh, yeah, the drama filled posts are the worst. No, thanks! Also the ones that list every detail of the weekend: I swept the floor, fed the baby, did the laundry, etc. etc.
Different articles, things that make me think and learn, thank you for caring and sharing your views and articles, I like easy to read, not cluttered, and lately all the pop ups have been driving me crazy
I don’t mind a pop-up at the end, after I’ve finished reading the post. It’s those that pop-up at the beginning and cover the entire post that drives me batty. Or, if I click to get out of it and it doesn’t work. 🙂
Typos do not bother me as much as when I know the person just can’t spell. Also, when someone uses similar sounding words because they don’t really know what they are saying. (Example: Play it by year) Those kinds of things make me grind my teeth. Especially when the author home schools! I feel your pain.
Short blog posts broken up into a series actually bug me. I feel like the blogger is just trying to get more page views. I would rather have it all in one place.
I like cute kids and dogs, too. Great photographs are always fun. There are a few bloggers who have great stories, pretty photos, and always make me laugh. Those are certainly my favorites.
It’s the super-long posts that drive me up the wall – those that go on and on plus have 30 pictures of the same thing. I had rather have 2 normal length posts than one super-duper long one. I’ve never thought of it as a way to get more page views. 🙂 Great point!
I love reading blogs. They are many and varied, and so are my interests. The one thing that will absolutely make me leave before I ever read a word is if a blog takes forever to load because of 5 million plugins and doodads flying around. I just don’t have time for that.
I’m constantly working on trying to get my load time as fast as possible. I wish I could hire someone to do it for me. 🙂
This is really great. I need to focus more on teaching people something new in every post. I haven’t really thought of it in that way. That is very good advice. 🙂
I usually think of something I could have taught someone AFTER I’ve posted. 🙂 Now, I have a mental checklist to see if I can teach something and/or link to something similar I’ve already posted.
I love blogs that load fast, no pop ups, lots of white space and pictures throughout the text. I hate when there is a paragraph of text that fills my whole computer screen with no breaks or photos. I look at it and I am not like I am not going to read that and click the x. On a side note: I blame my husband if I have typos since he is my proofreader 🙂
My husband is my proofreader, too! He’s really good! 🙂 Those long paragraphs kill me! Nope, not gonna read it.
As a fairly new blogger these are great tips for me. Great post.
Thanks, Tamiko!
It seems you and I keep reading blogs for the very same reasons Alli! I can’t stand loads of pop ups or blogs which just look sloppy (God I hope mine doesn’t to other people now that I wrote that!). I also like to see lots of big, clear pictures. Bloggers who don’t edit their pictures are one of my pet peeves – the brightness adjust, crop and straighten buttons are your friends people! 🙂
I know! After I wrote this, I wanted to take a look back at my blog and see if it was reader friendly enough! 🙂 I don’t like sloppy, either. I need to be able to see where the post is! Sometimes I have to search. And I constantly work on my photography by taking online courses, etc. I look back at some of my earlier work and blush! It was bad.
Alli,
I love cute kids (even though I don’t have any except for the hubby and the dog) and dogs too. I love funny posts too. I try to do the same things as you do but I don’t seem to get as many followers as quickly as others do. I’m a part time blogger and don’t post as often as recommended, so that may be the cause. If you have suggestions for me in particular, I’d love to hear them.
Annamaria
Hi, Annamaria! When I first started blogging, I would blog a couple of times a week. It was when I began to blog 4-5 times a week (or more) that I saw my page views increase, etc. I’ve also joined some amazing FB groups that support each other. Then sponsors starting calling. I believe it’s a process that we all go through. I certainly don’t know it all, but whenever I learn something that has helped me, I like to share it with my fellow bloggers.
LOL @ your husband snoring and Dark Shadows. My mother and aunt LOVED that show. What was his name Barnaby Jones or something? I believe I may have heard them say he was sexy. Yikes!
I LOVE fuss free blogs. Too many colors, ads, and pop-ups that I can’t figure out how to close will force me to click the X.
I enjoy humor blogs, some travel blogs, a few entertainment blogs, and blogs that get to the point. I’ve stopped ready most fashion blogs.
Popping over from Merry Monday =) I wholeheartedly agree with #1. I know bloggers want to make money on their blogs and sometimes those pops up help… but the more adds you have and things flying in my face the faster I leave. And I didn’t skim 😉 Nice short paragraphs kept me interested. Be sure to share your recipes, crafts, upcycles & DIYs at Two Uses Tuesday (Mon 8pm EST to Fri 11pm EST) over at Sarah Celebrates if you don’t already!
I have met so many great bloggers by just popping in to a new blog. I like how each blog I go to is so different than my own. My posts are sometimes longer than I would like.
Me, too, Terry! Variety is the spice of life. 🙂
Ah, sometimes I have an issue with keeping my posts short. Love this post, and it’s so totally true!!
This is a great post! I especially love blogs that are bright and colorful and clean, and that have to do with organizing!
I am a retired teacher and while I did not teach English, the way the English language is butchered on blogs is a total turn off to me as well! There is one travel blog that I love to read but she seems to have at least a couple of “oops” in every post lately. I find myself wanting to volunteer to proof her posts before they go public!
I really hate it when the blogger puts up a post just to say that they post every day. Most of the blogs I follow are quilting blogs, so I want to see quilts, patterns, quilting patterns, tips and tricks to make my quilting life easier. I enjoy a recipe or a kid/pet thrown in occasionally, but I am not really interested in watching your grass grow. Posts need to stay relevant to keep me coming back. Don’t fake a post – it really comes through.
Let me follow your blog via email, not bloglovin (not feeling the love there)!
DO NOT post just to sell me something! Especially if it is not a book you wrote! I don’t mind reading sponsored posts, most of the time, but don’t try to BS me.
I also cannot stand all the ads and pop-ups. I get that bloggers want to earn money from their blogs, but there is a limit! I’ve been getting a pop-up recently on several blogs for me to become a follower – sorry, chances are really lousy that I will follow a blog with pop-ups if I don’t already follow it.
Love your post – I read, didn’t skim 🙂
Love this!! I have the same reasons for reading blogs- I love a good serious post every once in a while but I mostly love to read funny stuff!! Or beauty posts, DIY posts, home decor…stuff like that!!
I couldn’t agree with you more. I hate blogs that are so busy, I’m not sure where to look when I first come across them. I just recently redesigned my blog, and decided to go with an even cleaner look than the one I already had. I also like to keep my posts short unless they are about travel, which makes it harder as I need to include many photos and descriptions. And don’t even get me started on typos and incorrect grammer. Seriously? What is the spell checker for???? LOL!
I just love travel blogs! I like to pin them all to my travel board on Pinterest.
I agree with all of these! I love blog posts that are short and to the point and I also look for blogs that are clean and not filled with information that I don’t care about! Who wants to read a blog that is filled with advertisements on the side? Huge turn off for me!
As long as those advertisements don’t reach out and grab me, they don’t bother me. It’s those that have sound and crowd the post that bother me. 🙂
I agree with this! I love clean blogs. It really makes me focused on their content. We all know that content is king!
So true! Good content, short paragraphs and clean lines adds up to a great read!
Your vs You’re. OMG yes! did we pass English in the 6th grade or what?
Hi there! I’ve just found your blog so I guess I’ll add my tuppence as I thought your title was inspiring!
I like blogs that are varied. I don’t mind if they get personal. Large pictures and script are a plus point. 🙂 I dislike advertising, pop-ups and “wordless” Monday, Tuesday, or whatever day. If it’s just photographs with no text, explanation, or story, then I won’t read it. I also don’t like short posts! It’s lazy. I want to read what you have to say and if you don’t have anything to say, don’t post.
I write long posts I’m afraid but very tongue-in-cheek and sometimes British humour-ish! I’m probably also in the minority on this aspect, but I don’t want to receive more than two posts per week. Preferably one!
I second ALL of these!
If a blogger is funny, and has little typos–I’ll come back time and time again!
I LOVE these! I totally agree about the grammar and spelling. I was a communications major in college so it really is a pet peeve of mine – especially the spelling of sponsors.
I read other people blogs and if the post is too long I get bored easily. I like them short and sweet and if they are funny even better.
Yes to all of these! I will literally close the page if the paragraphs are excessively long or the post reads like a documentary! I also can’t stand excessive cursing – ok one word here and there but more then once (and the f word just no) is ridiculous.
I read blogs for the people now!
Well, after reading this post I certainly don’t know why you keep reading mine because I have broken all 5 reasons..LOL! Your blog is so helpful to me Alli! But some of my biggest turnoffs are what you already mentioned especially the first. I totally dislike big blog headers where you have to scroll half way down the page to get to the post. Another is when bloggers do not respond to your comments especially if you are trying to make new blogger friends.
I love blogs that catch my attention with their content. Boring long drawn out ones bore me. I also like blogs that have a variety so they keep me guessing what the content will be and I find myself excited about what I will read today. I know my blog has a lot of grammatical errors lol don’t judge me.
I love this! And completely agree with each one (incomplete sentence, sorry). 😉
This is a great list! AH! The your/you’re and there/their thing seriously kills me. I. just. cant. Probably the second time I see this mistake, I am out of there. I actually enjoy longer posts in many cases. A lot of times, the really short posts feel like someone is posting just to post. Thanks for sharing!
Great post!!! I’ve been thinking about doing one similar to this. My blog was super annoying when I first started out, super decorated and crap all over the place lol, and very promotional. I learned a lot by visiting other blogs and noticing the things that annoyed me as a reader. Sharing this and subscribed as well 😉
Unfortunately I can never find time to read blogs just for fun or to learn anything new besides visiting from threads. I do agree and do not like visiting a blog that have so many pop ups in my face.
Ok You just make me laugh!! I agree with all your reasons. Thank you for puting my thoughts so neatly in order. lol
I keep reading blogs for a lot of the same reason – although I don’t need crafts and makeup tips to keep coming back since both of those are pretty much lost on me:)
My main reason is because I feel like I truly know many of the people whose blogs I read even though we have never met in person.
I could not agree more about the spelling and grammar. I can let a couple typos go but at least run spell check, especially if you’re posting something that is more authoritative. If you don’t know the difference between your and you’re, how can I trust that you know what you’re talking about on that particular subject? I don’t even know what you said about the subject though because I’m hung up on your/you’re 🙂
I couldn’t agree with you more about no clutter on a blog and a blogger having a good, funny personality is a huge must in my book! I’m working on developing my writing skills so I love reading bloggers who can really tell a story as well! 🙂
I definitely agree with you here. Some pages tend to have great content but flash objects loading and strange page design make it hard to scroll down and read without trouble. Creative and original recipes are a big plus.
I have to admit, I much prefer to read blogs with shorter posts that are to the point. Also, It is turn-off when there are typos.
I will admit, I’ve been looking at more blogs lately. I just rebranded my site and it’s been a whirlwind for me. Now, I am trying to identify what my blog actually is now. I agree with others, I rather read something short and sweet then a story that goes on and on and no one gets what they are even talking about. 🙂
Totally agree with all your points! I skim a post and look at visuals first. Most of the day I’m sitting in front of a computer, so the last thing I want to do is read a novel or someone’s diary post. Visuals are key! I also love a sense of humor too.
I think the key is to develop a niche, and see if you can develop it further into other related branches.
I love DIY blogs with the fancy magazine-style photos. I love browsing tons of amazing photos. I also like checking out cute pics of kids and puppies too 🙂
I love when a blog has excellent grammar and punctuation. It puts off an extremely professional vibe.
I love reading a parenting, DIY and lifestyle blog, parenting I love the most I love seeing cute photo of child and a happy family. My biggest turn off is when the blog is no photo.
LOL – love this Alli. ALL totally true. I try to catch my typos but know they do sometimes make it through the spell check. I am all for letting me know if you see one – please!
I also dislike broken links… I have a plugin that alerts me on my blog and encourage others to do the same.
Great post.
Thanks Alli! Great advice! I truly dislike pop ups especially since I am usually on mobile and you cant get rid of them. And I do remember dark shadows and I watched it lol. I have also done series vs one post since I am chatty lol
The less typos the better it is, it just makes it so much easier to read through!
This is a great post indeed and straight to the point with so laughs in it. 🙂 I love the tips you through in here to the bloggers. Well done. Thanks for sharing.
I love this! I will admit I tend to get a little lengthy i love the series idea!
Lol, great reasons! Especially the long post idea. I can’t focus my attention that long. I do come back for people’s childrens and adorable pets quite often as well! Lol.
These are all excellent tips. I try to follow all of them as well. I especially appreciate the food one about adding something extra.
This is great and I completely agree! I hate when I proof read 3-4x and I don’t find that little typo until it’s been posted and I go to read it on my phone! Ugh!
I know! I can catch everyone’s errors except my own. I hate when I have a typo. That’s why my husband is my proofreader. A second set of eyes has been a tremendous help to me.
I’m human. I make typos. I laugh about it most times since outside of blogging I get paid to write.
I have blogs that I have been reading since the mid 90s and then another handful I discovered around 2005. Once last set in 2007. These blogs keep me coming back because the person is totally transparent and real. They are raw. Honest. And dont have to ‘try.’ It just flows. They tell their life stories as if they were each writing their own novel. It’s never boring or repetitive.
I didn’t know what a blog was in the mid 90’s. I think its great that you’ve been following a handful of blogs for that long.
I like a lot of the same things when it comes to reading blogs. But I have to admit I’m always guilty of typos! 😉
I think we’ve all had a typo or 2, but when a blog is riddled with them, it makes me think the author doesn’t try hard enough. Of course, I’m a recovering perfectionist, so it may just be me. 🙂
I like to read blogs that can make me laugh while i am learning something new. I love to read cooking posts and product reviews.
One of my pet peeves is to visit a blog and it is so busy and clogged up with ads, pictures and sing ups that I want to leave.
I agree, reading different blogs can make my day complete, while entertaining it can help you gain more knowledge too.
As for me.. I keep reading the ones that has my interest, haha! Period, lol!
Exactly! 🙂
I love visiting blogs that focus on my interest and they don’t have to have the loveliest photos. And what turns me off are those pop-ups. Annoying!
Those pop-ups are annoying, but the people that use them swear that they really work. I don’t know . . . they bother me. 🙂
If I like a person I’ll make it a point to visit their blog. I also visit if they visit me, just to show my appreciation. 🙂
Short and to the point is my favorite kind of post to read! 😉 Recipes and funny stories are also awesome.
Hehehe I agree with pretty much all of this… Short & sweet are my favs!! And I LOVE pictures!!! Only this I’m on the fence with you is when it comes to typos…for me it depended who it is. Like I cannot spell at all, but You aren’t going to see me writing on the Huff Post or teaching others anything besides a dinner recipe. I hate it when I see hardcore parent bloggers that are waiting for the day they get published on a big time site and they can’t spell lol… Or the ones trying to teach schooling like you mentioned above…. Ughhh lol
These are all reasons that I enjoy reading your blog, Alli!
I think the points you’ve made are outstanding. I, too, hate pop-ups, your/you’re and let’s throw in They’re, There, Their while we’re at it. Drives me crazy!! I like the shorter posts, but I’m guilty of rambling on the series I do each week. Recipes and photos are my thing. I’m always looking to learn. Thanks so much for this fun and informative post. I love your “voice”. I do keep coming back here. 🙂
You have hit on some really good points and all very valid! Thanks so much for sharing! Found you on The Pretty Pintastic Party.
I read blogs for the same reason you do. I want to learn something new, be inspired to create a new dish, or be encouraged in my faith.
I try to give the same things to my readers.
Cute kids and cute pets help, too! 🙂
Hmm…I like a lot of craft and food blogs that show me quick and easy crafts/food. I like to be inspired to try something new. As for typos, I try to use grammarly to check myself 🙂 The only blog thing that I really don’t like are the pops up that appear in the middle of the page when I’m reading it…very annoying.
I am right there with you on the typos concern! Sometimes a post would be extremely interesting to me, only I can’t even finish reading because I’m too frustrated with the language!
A few people commented that they didn’t mind typos. It drives me bananas (especially if it’s me with the typo).
I agree with all of your reasons! I’m a former English teacher, so poor grammar or spelling is a deal breaker for me. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
Alli, typos yank my nerves too. Then when I go back and reread my blog, and see one-I want to die!
I need to find out how to reduce the size of my header, Zan says those bother her!
I try to be funny, and I think I am!
My posts are generally around 300 words or less. 1600?? Really??
I die every time I find a typo. I tend to see everyone’s typos except mine. 🙂