Is It Time for Some Spring Cleaning Around Your Blog?
Have you seen those shows where people bury themselves alive under junk out of a compulsion to horde? Some blogs look like that, but I’m assuming yours doesn’t. Instead, your blog may look like my garage. Stuff collects there too, but the health department probably doesn’t need to be notified.
Every spring, my wife and I survey the junk that has been deposited around our house and we begin to collect it all. Then we sell it at a yard sale for about five percent of what we originally invested in it. The financial loss is a necessary evil that gains us the benefit of restored order and neatness.
Blogs have a tendency to collect junk too. I’m not referring to the content so much as I am all the clutter that often surrounds it. Maybe it’s time to do some spring cleaning around your own blog, just to make sure your content is nicely showcased…
The Big Question to Ask: Why Is This Blog Here Anyway?
Before deleting anything in the design of your blog, re-focus. Answer the question of why you’re blogging. What’s the essence of your content? Whom do you intend to reach? And after answering these questions, conclude with what is essential to keep?
Start Deleting Junk
Begin the process of removing anything that distracts readers, clients, or consumers from the main thrust of your blog. For example…
- Ad spaces that haven’t been purchased after six months. (Take the hint.)
- Widgets that duplicate an effect, like having 3 or 4 blogging network widgets with the same visitor faces in each.
- Share buttons that never get clicked. If nobody ever shares your stuff on Newsvine or Mixx, why do you keep the buttons around?
- Webrings and click exchanges. These have been bad mojo for a decade now.
- Out of place graphics. Be careful not to over-design your blog. Making something look cool can be a distraction.
- While you’re at it, delete drafts you’ll never finish and spam comments too.
If your blog is too far gone, it may be time for a fresh re-design, but hopefully some simple deletions will give your blog a squeaky-clean feel. Give up your compulsion to collect blog junk and focus on producing great content that compels people to discuss and share.
photo credit (and it’s not my garage)
In addition to serving as Editor of Fuel Your Blogging, Brandon is also a Pastor at Saddleback Church and Online Community Coordinator for Pastors.com. He’s also a web designer, blogger, and church communications consultant. Catch him on his own blog or on Twitter.
Nice post, I always love Spring cleaning. :) I usually try to keep my blog as clean as possible anyways, but my little “spring break cleanings” always get the best results.
I definitely get really picky about what stays in my FTP directors and databases, as well as the plugins I use on my blog. The less clutter around, the better. :)
Absolutely, which increases performance and tightens security just a bit too.
I finally removed adsense from my blog because it was not worth it. But deleting drafts that i never complete need to be deleted. I am not a very good designer but a bit of a programmer, so i try to remove the unnecessary codes
Equally important!
These are some very good tips. I need to do a little spring cleaning on my blog.
Thanks so much!
I have removed the broken links and added social media links in it.