I did not know when I wrote the post “5 Reasons I Didn’t Read Your Blog Post“, back in August of 2015, that it would become one of the most popular posts on my site. It consistently brings in traffic, usually ranking in the top 10 everyday.
It has been shared over 8,000 times and as of today, has 262 comments. Many times I have thought about changing the Pinterest pin after it was pointed out to me that it looks like a toilet but hey, it keeps getting re-pinned! That is one for the “Why I did read your blog post” list.
Initially, I wrote the post as a way to vent my frustrations and I really did not expect it to be so well received. I was prepared for the backlash. I mean, honestly, who am I and why do you care I didn’t read your post? But you came, you read, you left a comment and I am so happy that you did. The copycat posts that sprung up bordering on plagiarism and not linking or crediting me, not so much. But it is what it is.
I am also pleased that some readers left honest feedback about my blog. Two of the suggestions I implemented was using a darker font and making the comment form immediately accessible without having to scroll past over 200 comments. I didn’t expect free blog advice too, but woohoo, thank you!
So just in case you didn’t have time to read all the comments on that post, here is a summary of all the reasons my readers would not read your blog post. (It’s not me this time, it’s them, so direct your wrath appropriately.)
The reasons are listed by most to least mentioned complaints.
More Reasons I Didn’t Read Your Blog Post : Reader’s Response
- 1. Pop ups (ads or opt-in)
- Visually boring/poor layout/too busy
- Too many ads
- Not mobile friendly
- Poor content
- Dark background/lack of white space
- Small/light text
- Typos/spelling mistakes/grammar/profanity
- Load time too long
- Video ads
- Landing/lead pages
- Bright colored font
- Too many sponsored ads
- Post too long
- Too many Gifs
So what’s the good news about this list? Well, almost all of the reasons are to do with the way a site looks and it’s usability/functionality. Design choices that can be easily modified.
How do you feel about this list? Do you have more to add or do you think this list is too picky?
30 comments
I think the topic of pop-ups being successful is debatable. You may get more subscribers than without one, but how many people did you drive away that would have read your blog without subscribing? I bookmark blogs, but cannot stand to have my email box filled every day. An actual reader is more valuable than a subscriber; a subscriber may receive emails that they delete every day, but never follow the link. I don’t care when the subscribe pop-up happens, instantly, after so many visits, after scrolling, or after a certain amount of time, I am clicking right out and will never take a blog seriously again.
Thanks for both articles. I am starting a blog and have no idea what I am doing so I am stalking other great blogs on Pinterest. I am glad so many bloggers like to share their thoughts on what to or not to do on a blog. Thanks again.
I find it interesting that the Top reason is popups and NOT content. I dislike popups, but marketing stats prove that they work. It was only recently that I decided to go with my gut and stop using them. (I do have a polite one that is easily closed).
What changed my mind? Promotion. As I visit up to 20 – 30 blogs each day it gets old real fast having to wait for the popup to load as well as the many ads, and floating social buttons. (BTW another item I removed from my blog).
I must be patient because if I know the content is stellar, I will wait for the page to load. I am not patient when it comes to mobile devices though. ^_^
Sometimes the internet wifi is soooooo slow for me, it is just added frustration. I hope a lot of people follow suit and remove their pop-ups. At the very least, just from mobile access.
This is a useful summary of points. I think I’ve gradually been getting better over time, or at least not making as many stupid mistakes as when I first started. The truth is, I still finding blogging tough at times, though.
Hi Elena,
All those reasons make perfect sense to me. I really don’t feel like reading someone’s blog posts when the loading time is too long because of ads, popups and plugins. I haven’t read your original post but I will read it for sure.
Have a wonderful day!
Zaria
Hi, Elena!
Happy to have found you and your site! Handy list. Curious…have any of your readers commented on a length that is too long? What is your experience as to a good length?
Look forward to seeing you around in cyberland!
I know that Google says they want posts that are 1500 or more but personally in blog land I find that attention spans are much shorter. I have seen people be successful with as little as 300 and as much as 3000. I think the key is variety. Not everything you write will need lots of detail and sometimes you do.
I really enjoyed the original post too. I don’t love pop ups either, but I also don’t hate them. They do really annoy me when they pop up before I’ve even had a chance to read a word on someone’s site and get to know them, however. Clashing colours and ads all over the place put me right off. A few spelling mistakes don’t bug me, but lots of mistakes are pretty distracting and will cause me to give up pretty quickly. Flashing things make me cringe too…. but I think that’s me turning into a ‘grumpy old woman’…. maybe. 😉 Linda.
I hear ya Linda! I am the grumpy old woman, now get off my lawn.
This was a gutsy post to write but look how it paid off! I can’t imagine any blogger passing it up. Site design should be simple (I know the email pop ups are annoying but less so if an x is available to close it). Glad the post has done so well for you. It was good info and so is your part deaux 🙂
Thank you lovely! Congratulations on going self-hosted!
I have long hated pop-ups but have been considering making a deal with that devil. Like you, Elena, I’ve also heard they’re successful. Some people just don’t share or subscribe without being prompted. I wonder if it’s like the old saying goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Hmmm….To squeak or not to squeak…
That is definitely the question. I think it can be done less invasive by making a few adjustments like a delay in time or scroll before it pops up. I hear many choose to turn it off on mobile devices altogether as they are hard to close too.
The dark backgrounds do it for me since, well, I need my reading glasses. I have a pop-up sign up on my site which my blog person told me I HAD to have. I’m now wondering if I need to delete it….
I don’t think you need to delete it. You can set a delay or prompt on scroll which makes it less distracting.
As always, you share such good advice with us, Elena. I would echo what A says about spelling/punctuation/grammar. I’m a stickler for this and perhaps I’m being snobby, but I find it hard to take a blogger seriously if s/he hasn’t covered these fundamentals.
Oh dear, I hope I pass your test!
I use ad block for the pop ups…but the gifs make me crazy. I guess that just shows my age. I know lots of folks love them. I might get used to them like the scrolls at the bottom of ESPN and CNN…but probably not. Thanks for the round up. xo
Yuck, I hate them too. Look at me, look at me, look at me. Screw the content. I’m gone.
I shared your original post on a Facebook page I manage and it got a lot of readers there too. It was a classic post, Elena.
This list is pretty good too. One big turn off for me is dark backgrounds – I struggle to read off them.
Dark backgrounds are hard for me too, especially with colored fonts.
“I don’t read your blog because you’re an asshole”
dies laughing 😀
I would agree with many of the items on that list; however, I think my top two would be poor content and grammar/punctuation/spelling errors. I understand that anyone can start a blog and write whatever they choose to write about, but if you want people to take you seriously then learn how to write a proper sentence! Ads and pop-ups are very annoying, busy layouts take away from the content, and font that is difficult to read defeats the purpose – I’m not going to strain my eyes to read your post. Very interesting stuff here, Elena!
OMG, most of my reasons are here. The reasons I didn’t comment are a whole other story. I once was on a thread with a blogger who had video ads you had to watch before you could comment. I told him how off putting it was and he got pretty pissed at the feedback. So maybe add to that “I dont’ read your blog because you’re an asshole.” Just saying. Yeah, am feisty this morning. I didn’t do my morning ritual. ‘=) off to do it now
Carol
http://carolcassara.com/o-dark-hundred/
My number one would be inappropriate pop ups. I hate them when I first come onto a site. Don’t mind so much after I’ve read the post that brought me to the site in the first place. My number two though is spelling, it hurts my eyes.
I almost exclusively read posts on my phone. Sometimes the X is hard to find or doesn’t work and that is frustrating. I hope I am not a spelling offender. I am so use to shortening words for texting that it sometimes creeps into my blog writing!
I loved the original post and agree with these reader additions. I know pop-ups are a necessary evil for some, but if you can’t find a quick way to shut them down, it is tempting to be off and moving to someone else’s blog. Thanks for the follow-up!
It is a hard decision to make not to have pop-up subscriptions because I do hear they are so successful. I wonder how many un-subscribe later.