Give visitors what they want

It’s a fact : most bloggers want visitors. But what does the visitor want back from the blogger?

First in : the title

The title presents itself first to the visitor. Keep the content flowing according to the title. The post should deserve that great title. Keep it attractive, creative and intuitive.

A K.I.S.S from the post

Depending on your content, try to KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE(K.I.S.S)

Time. The visitor’s time is precious. Behind every post there are ideas/messages that you want to convey. Convey them in the most simplest form.

Use simple and plain Engish. They don’t want to feel that they need a dictionary while reading your posts. Even if the words weigh for that occasion, that might just distract them from the main post’s idea.

A paragraph might be too much for an idea, compact it as much as you can until you reach sentences. Rehearsal is a must. Then this makes the post crispy and delicious to read.

The blogger to watch for this : Liz Strauss. Read any of her posts, that might take you less than 10 minutes but you’re sure out with the messages she wanted to convey.

The visitor don’t want to feel that he has lost his time by reading a post OR still trying to understand it. KISS it for them.

Being part of it

Address the YOU to the visitor. While writing something to them, make it feel like they are part of it. Then they gonna find what’s MORE FOR THEM. It’s a return to your blog.

More of it

If the visitor loved what you’ve posted : then give it more of it. Wordpress’s functionality that you might digg into to accomplish just that :

Post’s tag

Use UTW plugins and display corresponding and appropriate tags for that post. Tags are a more specific way to group posts. A click on them will then bring more posts of the same tag. More content of the same type.

let them keep it

That’s one of the most important functionality to present to the visitor but one of least seen on blogs : letting the visitor keep that beloved post.

If they loved it, they want to keep it for a re-read. Moreover they might have just cast a glance on that post, found it interesting but would like to put it for a later read. That’s where social bookmarking site like digg and del.icio.us come onto scene : to keep crispy articles that might want a re-read or a later read.

Allow the visitor to keep your crispy articles by providing them a one-click way to bookmark them on their favourite social bookmarking site. Wordpress’s users might get a look at popular plugins like Sociable, Bling This(mixture of English and French bookmarking site) to put that great functionality on.

Is that all?

By no means. There’s more to it that what’ve posted above. Let the comment form now make us discover what visitors might want more from the content. Let the VISITORS tell us now

related reading

tips

Well written Hans. I always like to know About the blogger, so I look for a link there, and it has to be easy to navigate.

TechZ @ September 23, 2006,12:04 pm(#)

@ techz

thanks for appreciating my writing Techz. Don’t miss the other sequels, more on About the Blogger.

Infact Techz I think to really learn about the blogger, you’ve got to try out everything and not being afraid of “asking questions” even silly ones if I can permit myself.

To really know to what extent a blogger can be good is how he gets to view even the most simplest questions of yours.

As for me, I’ve learnt the blogger I want to be by learning from errors I’ve made. What about you techz, how do you get to view or more know about the blogger you’re

Thanks very much for coming to here.

Hans @ September 24, 2006,8:38 pm(#)

I’d add that a Contact Form is a must. I like the feeling that I can email a blogger any time I please.

However, I don’t agree with all the social bookmarking buttons. If I want to bookmark something on, say, del.icio.us, I don’t click on the del.icio.us button on the site, I click the ‘Post to del.icio.us’ bookmark in my toolbar. I’m sure it’s the same for many other people.

In fact, I might write a post up on that soon …

Still, excellent post Hans, and I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on what visitors want out of bloggers’ comments.

Yvonne @ September 25, 2006,5:12 am(#)

useful post again, Hans !
I agree with what you said and I can’t see anything to add…
And I’m thinking of adding tags or categories to my blog too

Nym @ September 25, 2006,9:56 pm(#)

hey hans, i found a thing you’ll find cool :
Bloggersnap
maybe you already know that…

Nym @ September 26, 2006,3:57 pm(#)

@ yvonne

and it’s there so I’ll go get a tour onto that crispy post and tell you what I think

As for the way you bookmark sites on del.icio.us, I don’t think it’s the same for other social bookmarking sites. That’s why I thought that the buttons below your posts might be a good way out : for “all” the other social bookmarking sites that just don’t let you have the post to me stuff(like the del.icio.us one) for your browser itself

Thanks for giving your insights onto here Yvonne.

Hans @ September 26, 2006,6:06 pm(#)

@ nym

hello Nym,

thanks for that great link nym, rocking yeah

yeah that might be a great way to stay organised there, labels I think how’s blogger calling them

And about the great contact form Yvonne said about, I think there should also be one for blogger.

Hey nym a poll for blogger users : would you like a contact form for blogger and would it be useful for you

Hans @ September 26, 2006,6:48 pm(#)

@ hans : what do you call a contact form ? i can’t see exactly what it is.

Nym @ September 27, 2006,8:08 pm(#)

it’s a quick way to let your visitors send you some words directly to your mailbox without having to display your mail address.

Look at my contact form and you’re gonna see what I’m talking about remember our discussion for the emalimage stuffs about spammers, then that’s the fun way to let others(excluding spammers) reach you.

Hans @ September 28, 2006,10:37 am(#)

ya, a contact form is a must…
this reminds me that i dont have one yet,

also, this post is 100% true about what visitors want from u
will try to be as close to it!

Yashvin @ November 15, 2006,11:33 pm(#)

@ yashvin

if you want you can also have a nice emalimage to display your mail if you want somewhere down in your about you :clown: you decide now how you want your visitors to get in touch with you.

hey there’s also the shoutbox, get a look at my contact page to see it.

Hans @ November 16, 2006,6:36 pm(#)

Excellent post dude.Really loved it.Welcomeback to blogging

Ashish Mohta @ February 3, 2007,7:33 pm(#)

Does these work for Blogger?

Culture Shiok! @ March 6, 2007,7:07 pm(#)

@ Culture Shiok! :

sure this guide helps provide you a clear understanding of what to provide for your posts…. all the tips work apart the plugins issues which is only for wordpress.

You can nevertheless allow your visitors to bookmark your posts by putting the links directly on your blog, see this post.

hope this helps do tell me

Hans @ March 8, 2007,4:00 pm(#)

Nice blog… you’ve got a lot of helpful information and advice here.