Your business blog sucks because…
- It’s duct-taped and stapled onto your existing site with no thought to how to integrate blog and web site or an overall redesign
- It’s on Blogger, which makes you look cheap and/or like a spammer and nobody likes Blogger’s commenting system
- It’s on TypePad, which means it’s probably ugly and because it’s hosted someplace else from your main site, you have a very fractured idea about its visitor analytics combined with your business site
- You have comments turned off — turning off comments means turning off your customers
- You write posts that sound like commercials instead of a real person having a conversation (see comments above)
- You never link to anything, either because somebody misinformed you that would be a bad idea or because you simply don’t know how (note to self: write a post explaining the basic skills and knowledge needed to blog)
- You hired a black hat scam artist passing himself off as a search marketer to spam blog comments from here to kingdom-come
- You have no idea how your blog is supposed to support business objectives and therefor you have no content strategy
- You have no idea who your ideal customer is and therefore you don’t know how to write for that person
- Instead of providing useful business blog content to both existing and future customers, your blog is full of dry, boring crap
- You never comment on anybody else’s blogs
- You think of your blog as a “marketing channel” which is a euphemism for corporate propaganda
- You don’t know how to tell a story or you’re too cheap to hire someone who does
- You only post three times a month
- You used an off-the-shelf template and didn’t even bother to at least put your logo at the top or remove the sponsored ads
- The last time you posted was back before the winter of last year, and everybody knows it because unknown to you, more people land on your blog than your main site
- You write your posts in Word and hand them over to someone else to post (in other words, you are so disconnected from what blogging is really about that there’s no way in hell you are writing anything worth anybody else’s time)
- You think the blog is about you and your business, instead of the success of your customers
- You think blogging is just another form of internet advertising that you don’t understand
- The lawyers have to approve every post
- You have a giant “Protected by Copyscape” badge on the blog, which makes you look silly because it’s highly doubtful that you’ve written anything so compelling that anybody would want to steal it–and it won’t stop them, anyway
- You have a big legal disclaimer on the blog about something… anything (put that stuff in another page and link to it)
- You keep referring to posts as “blogs”
- You think the IT department should run it
- And finally… your business blog sucks because it isn’t doing ANYTHING for your business
I know there can be way more than 25! Your additions are welcome in the comments.
Photo by Ben Stephenson
I hate Blogger. Hate, hate, hate. It looks so cheap and amateurish, like someone slapped up a blog from his back yard. Why do people feel this is a GOOD thing for business?
With hosting costing peanuts, there’s no excuse for this.
Also, what in god’s name are people thinking (again, Blogger blogs) by not having some form of subscription to comments? Even if I do go to a Blogger blog, I’ll never know if someone responded to my comments. It’s a waste of time to go comment there.
AND! AND! Don’t forget those stupid captcha letters and crap that I have to fill out to leave a comment. Cripes, I can’t even read the stupid distorted letters half the time. It usually takes me three to five tries to get my comment accepted, and by then, I’m ready to rip my monitor off my desk in frustration.
THEN! Then I get stuck in moderation? On a blog where I’m known and trusted? I mean, come on… WTF?
Blog seriously or don’t blog at all, I say.
@ James – I feel ya (as the kids say). Blogger’s okay as a starter or throw-away blog to learn the ropes. If you know what you’re doing, you can make it look decent. But, let’s face it: it really should be called Splogger. For all of Google’s high-and-mighty attitude about about the purity of links, they are owners of one of the web’s biggest causes of that problem. How long can they lie in their own bed after shitting it?
Michael, this was very entertaining to say the least, and oh-so-true description.
Blogger blogs are definitely annoying, with the captcha nonsense and having to have a google id instead of just a name and url.
And the blogs, even WordPress blogs where the comments are turned off! What’s up with that?! Why blog at all if you’re not interested in connecting and communicating with people who read or find your posts (even archived posts for Christ’s sake!) while searching online?
The blogs that do that are the ones I don’t subscribe to, nor do I ever return.
Another one – your blog is written solely by the marketing department:
It does not show off your products, answers customers questions or feature neat tips and tricks. Instead it just repeats the same copy as your one-way print/TV advertisements, making your readers just filter it out along with all other advertising noise.
@ Lin – I agree and will add another one to the fire: blogs which require registration (be they Blogger or WordPress). I can’t tell ya how many times I would have left a comment but for that.
Hi,
Great article. I know, we don’t have a logo yet (number 15).
In liked it, so I’ll give you a Sphinn
Exactly Michael, I hate those too!
Also blogs that don’t allow people to subscribe to comments is rather annoying. I know some people advocate CoComment as a means to follow, but it’s just one more thing to have to keep track of. Argh!
All good ones but my pet peeve is #23.
@ andy – Good one!
@ Henk – Thanks for the Sphinn!
@ Hammer – Yes, it makes people sound ignorant. The lingo thing can be hard for people.
First, your list is both funny and instructive. 12, 14, 16, and 20 cracked me up! I would add blogs that never-ever offer anything unique, just reprints of other people’s material. (Is that what people call “splog” sites?)
But. OK, maybe I’m just out of the loop because I don’t run a blog myself. But I read and comment on dozens, and I have to say the near-universal hatred of Blogger evidenced in this comment thread truly puzzles me. I don’t find it any more difficult to comment on a Blogger site than elsewhere.
Yes, using captchas and comment moderation means it takes a little extra time to upload the comment. But (as a commenter) I think it’s a small price to pay to not have to wade through a bunch of worthless non-comments to get to the real meat of a conversation. And (as a blogger) I imagine it makes the prospect of maintaining a blog–which has to be a big time commitment not entered into lightly–much more palatable. When I think how much garbage fills my e-mail box, I can only assume the same must be true of unmoderated blog comments. I don’t begrudge any of the bloggers I read the opportunity to minimize that through moderation.
Regarding registration requirement to comment: I’m pretty sure even some Blogger blogs have an “anonymous” option. Isn’t it just a feature the blog owner can opt to turn on or off?
I hope this comment doesn’t make me look even more blog-ignorant than I am. Do feel free to set me straight.
@ AnnaLisa – Thank you for offering your perspective on this. It’s very valuable to get feedback from a non-blogger. I think people generally feel that the way comments are more integrated with the post in a WordPress or TypePad blog is a more elegant solution. Comment moderation is a chore, and one that may not be necessary (I no longer require comments to be moderated, they post immediately–saves me tons of time). I’m not so sure Blogger allows for anonymous comments anymore. Anybody else know?
Aye, I believe it does. But on the other hand, why leave anonymous comments? Unless, of course, your intention is to flame, be rude, instigate conflict or insult someone else. Seems silly, no?
As for the hoops to jump through – they’re unnecessary hoops. Why put up a captcha when a WP blog offers automated services that eliminate the issue? Why add those extra clicks for people when they’re not necessary?
I tried unmoderated comments on my blog once and once the spammers find you, they’ll make you cry. And it won’t be with a spam here and there, it will be hundreds a day. Personally, I don’t see how you’ll be spam free without at least using capcha.
And look, even though you specifically state in comment rule #2, ” No keywords or site names in the name box – Use your real name” James doesn’t follow it. My point? When serious blog readers and commenters don’t follow the rules it’s a given that the spammers won’t.
@ Hammer – the policy clearly states that branding/identification words are okay, and James’ sig is acceptable. Unacceptable comments get deleted, even if I know you.
With Blogger, you really need to have all those defenses because Blogger is spam central. On WordPress, the Akismet spam protection rocks.
I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks and have gotten some great blogging tips – Thank you. I wanted to answer your Blogger questions.
I have a Blogger blog – have had it about 1 year. If a person wanted to comment on my blog they do not have to register – Blogger has options including Name/URL, anonymous and Open ID. It doesn’t look like you can subscribe to comments unless you have a Blogger blog – but I’d have to look further into that. I can see where that is annoying. I don’t think mine has the captcha letters either – if I remember correctly it’s an option I can turn on or off.
They also have an option to use your own url and either forward or mask. I forward, but haven’t set up masking.
Admittedly my blog does not match my website exactly and that’s because I didn’t know much about blogging when I started – I have learned a lot over the past year. My business is not blogging, it’s health and wellness and blogging is part of my marketing plan. I’ve thought a lot recently about integrating it more, but right now I’m not convinced it’s a good use of either my time or financial resources.
I have read so much hatred toward Blogger blogs (that I had no idea about when I signed up for it) that the data gatherer in me is curious to see what happens to traffic and comments if I switch platforms. Maybe one of these days I’ll experiment.
@ Stacey – Thanks for providing some info on Blogger — it’s been a while since I’ve really used it and I’m not up on some of the changes.
Almost without exception, former Blogger users are much happier on WordPress and the only thing they regret is that they didn’t switch sooner. Integrating your blog and site on the same server gives you benefits in search optimization as well as a more cohesive look.
WordPress is in fact a content management system capable of doing your entire site. That improves ease of editing/new pages and search optimization for your whole site, not just the blog. If you really want to use a blog as part of your marketing plan, it has to bring in the business, otherwise you’re spinning your wheels. If you feel your current blog is worth your time, I would suggest switching to self-hosted WordPress would be even moreso.
My apologies to James but “No keywords” followed by “branding/identifcation keywords are okay” is extremely confusing. I decided what the hey, I might as well get my branding in my comments too.
I use Blogger for a blog I started a few years ago and the design and layout are as good as any WordPress blog although I admit I’m not crazy about the comments part. I also use WordPress and really I don’t see much difference between the two as far as how professional you can make your blog look. My Blogger blog is also hosted on my own dedicated server so I’m not following that part of your argument.
I also use Akismet on my WP blogs and for some reason I forgot that comments on my blogs post instantly. D’oh!
BTW, I’m enjoying reading your blog.
@ Hammer – I apologize the confusion about the keywords thing. “Ventibate” by itself or “Men with Pens” by itself is what I don’t like. Even worse would be something like “Online Poker,” cuz that’s not even the name of a site, and certainly isn’t somebody’s name. I’ll have to think about how to rephrase the policy so that it makes sense without turning into a full paragraph. I want to keep it short.
Thank you for sharing your experience with Blogger and WordPress, very helpful for everyone, I think.
@ Hammer – There’s a difference between a keyword and a business name. Keywords are “hot bananas” or “dog tricks” and a business name is “Kelly’s Writing Services”. There’s another thread here where Michael discusses the difference between the two and what he accepts and won’t. Trust me that I wouldn’t do something on someone’s blog that isn’t permitted – Michael allows me into his “home” so I follow his rules.
As for the rest of the comments, this is a great discussion. You picked a good one, Michael!
Great list, although I will note an exception for #17. I actually told my brother-in-law to write his posts in Word and then have my sister (his wife) review and post them. He’s dyslexic and needs the help with his writing skills. He hasn’t actually gotten started yet, so no idea if it will do him any good. Usual case of their seeing me succeed online and wanting to do the same, but never getting started.
But he does at least have passion for his topic, so maybe someday he’ll put in the work.
[...] Make sure you don’t make basic mistakes; read Remarkablogger’s: 25 Reasons why Your Business Blog Sucks! [...]
@ Stephanie – Well, that is a perfectly wonderful exception. Anyone who wants to give blogging a shot in spite of obstacles has my vote! I don’t know if you’ve already though of this, or not, but perhaps you could try speech recognition/transcription software, too? Vista has it built in otherwise there’s Dragon Naturally Speaking software.
Hey, speaking of Dragon, has anyone tried it? I’m all for shaving time down and freeing minutes up. I have to say that the idea of speaking my content versus writing my content sounds appealing. Might be a nice change. On the other hand, I probably type faster than I think! But yeah… any reviews?
@ James – Nothing here, I haven’t used it myself. The state of voice recognition and transcription technology is approaching “natural” levels. I use a service called Jott to transcribe notes to myself into emails that are sent to me. Great when I’m commuting. I’m sure the latest version of Dragon is up to the task.
When I see a business blog on Blogger, I think “cheap” – BUT – that doesn’t instantly mean that I am going somewhere else. It might just mean that the owner doesn’t know that it looks cheap..
TONY! Where the hell ya been, dude?
Wow! This thread is ALIVE!
James: on most blogs, I list myself as I did here. However, on blogs that discuss health or parenting issues, I do appreciate an “anonymous” option. I don’t need my business clients to know anything THAT personal about me. So–depending on the nature of the blog, I suppose–there may be good reason to enable anonymous commenting.
The option that Stacey mentioned, Name/URL, is what I use on Blogger sites instead of my Google ID. Anyhow, either way–my point is, you don’t necessarily need a registration/membership to leave a comment on a Blogger site.
The only blog system I’ve seen that I really don’t care for is LiveJournal. It’s just not as easy to navigate as the others. (Granted, it seems to be designed for personal blogs rather than business ones, so maybe that’s intentional. Who wants every weirdo in the cyberworld stumbling upon Great Aunt Tillie’s drunken wedding toast?)
Michael: thanks for the explanation about shared server and site/blog integration. That alone seems like it should be the top selling point in WordPress’s favor.
@ AnnaLisa – There are several good reasons to allow anonymous comments. If I were running a blog about combating and educating about domestic violence and abuse, for example, I would definitely allow it (or do the reverse: make it registration-only as a safety measure). There are blogs about many adult topics (not illegal, mind you) or politically or religiously sensitive topics, where privacy and anonymity are desired.
@ Tony – There most certainly are great blogs on Blogger. They are in the minority, and I suppose you could say that about any blog platform!
Thanks for the insight. This post was certainly an eyeopener for me. I realize that I have quite a bit of work to do. I have hung the list on the wall…is that a baby step towards blog adulthood?
@ Steve – The size of the steps is far less important than the direction.
Ok, I’m guilty of #15 only because I haven’t finalized the design of my super secret theme. Other than that, I think I’m good.
I do think I should forward this to the people at the “day job” because they are doing everything wrong, especially #24.
Michael… re “You have comments turned off”… They don’t get that it’s supposed to be a conversation, a way to connect with real people.
Re “You write posts that sound like commercials”… They don’t get that real people prefer to be talked with, not talked at.
A most excellent list Mr. Remarkablogger!
I’ve had decent luck with using blogger to publish within my website, and I’m currently in the process of redesigning to make it a seamless integration.
However, I disagree about wordpress – I personally think it looks spammier – just too much stuff going on – and I’m still uneasy with it’s security. I know the geek \ nerd \ tech community loves wordpress, but I’m unconvinced the general public is more comfortable with them. Which is a big reason why I stuck with blogger – Keep It Simple Stupid.
Either way, it’s the content that matters more.
Good points
. Talking about blogger, I have saw good blogs hosted on it, the bad thing is that all them has .blogspot extension… That deprives them of credibility.
@ MarkP – Thanks for those really sharp observations about Blogger v. WordPress and public perception! I think you make a really valid point about that and bring up some things I haven’t considered! See, this is one of the things I love about blogging: new ideas in the comments!
23. You keep referring to posts as “blogsâ€
So true, I manage a business blog (but don’t write content) and a regular task is to correct terminology. I have tried to explain correct usage but I guess if the people writing the content don’t read blogs then they can never really appreciate the difference.
I do suggest content ideas (and prompt audience interaction) though so we don’t make too many of the above errors.
[...] at the Remarkablogger blog Michael Martin has listed 25 reasons why business blogs suck (his word, not mine). As I read through his excellent list, one thing stuck out like a black [...]
@ jaybong – I feel for ya, man! Keep fightin’ the good fight!
@James – Michael already explained it to me and I clearly apologized to you. I hadn’t read his other post on the subject. I was also posting my comment with my tongue in my cheek.
@ Hammer – *blink blink*… I’m not sure why you’re apologizing. I’m not mad. Never was. Are you mad? *confused*
Excellent list… I’m printing this off and sticking it someplace highly visible.
I have blogs and businesses, but have always been a little leery of combining the two (probably because I’m more than a little afraid of screwing up one with the other, hehe). Still, I’ve been wanting to do something combining the two for a while, and this is great food for thought. Thanks!
I can’t argue more..^^..especially with # 18..^^
By the way, sorry again about last time..you know what I mean..^^
@ Rich – Awesome! Glad to hear it.
@ Joy – Thanks, and no problem!
I would agree with you, and I have to admit I think most businesses (ours included) start of making a lot of those mistakes. I’ve been on the net since before there was a net so to speak (BBS systems, Prodigy, CompuServe, etc) and it’s taking me awhile to really grasp the usefulness of a blog as it pertains to business.
My question is how to find people who are interested in blogging, and how to compensate them – when the blog itself doesn’t necessarily generate direct dollars.
I’d love to talk to people who are interested in blogging about IT Certification or anything IT related (I’m also interested and open to discussing compensation).
Anyone’s who’s interested, stop by our website at http://www.palaestratraining.com
@ Christopher – There are blogger job boards you can advertise at. A quick search will turn them up.
Of all your 25 points, I can really resonate with this: “You think the blog is about you and your business, instead of the success of your customers”. Without customers, there is no business. We have to think and do things in the direction of “What’s in it for them” rather than “What’s in it for me”.
@ Vivienne – EXACTLY! If I were to rate this mistakes by egregiousness, that one would be right at the top.
The CopyScape remark is so true. It makes your blog look pretentious. You are also correct when you say it does not stop stealing anyway.
Calling posts blogs is a red flag for, “I have know idea what I am doing”. I am a fan of the WordPress plug-in that removes the dates from posts. You should post often but if you can not post as often as you would like this plug-in will make your blog look a little more professional. Just my opinion.
Spot-on list by Michael and great comments by all. It might have been said already, but a saying of Liz Strauss’s comes to mind: “Everyone is your customer, even your dad.” I wish more businesses blogged with that in mind.