Photo Credit Clemson’s photos

I, like most bloggers (and online visitors), have ADD (Attention Deficient Disorder). I want answers fast and I don’t want to search for them.

Put me on a blog that’s difficult to navigate, and I’ll need a GPS (Global Positioning System).

Today’s Lesson

For both business and blogging, I do online research. If I land on a website or blog and am not intrigued by what I see within seconds, I’m off to the next one. However, if I see an interesting title or first sentence of an article, I’ll stop in my tracks and read on.

If I find what appears to be an exceptional blog, I’m compelled to read more.

I scan the sidebars looking for popular articles or some type of archives. Often, I find none.

Sometimes, at that point, I leave. Usually, never to return.

However, when I’m looking for my NBOTW (New Blog Of The Week), I will give the new blogger the benefit of the doubt and often scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “previous posts”.

New bloggers excluded, these are the things I look for:

1) About page

2) Previous posts and/or Popular Posts

3) Archives (either full list or by month)

4) RSS feed

Although categories are often helpful, I normally don’t scan those, unless it’s a a blog that has hundreds of posts.

A contact page is also great to see. Some prefer not to leave a comment (or do not know how to), but may want to communicate via an email.

Personally, I prefer to see the this information, above the fold. I realize the “craze” is to have a lot of this information at the bottom of the page (in the footer), however, some visitors will not know to scroll to the bottom of the page. Sometimes I get lazy, and won’t scroll either. Sorry!

Without a GPS, the best writings on a blog could be completely missed.

I also put my blog to the test. I’ve made a few modifications and found my categories are in need of attention.. Although I had one spammy comment (which I deleted) about my Amber Alert Ticker taking up too much CPU usage, I choose to leave it on my blog, with hope it may save a child’s life.

Keep in mind, this is only my opinion, but I am trying to look at blogs objectively….as a visitor, and not necessarily as a blogger.

Today’s Assignment

What do you like to see when you land on a blog?

Do you often feel you need a GPS, or will you make time to “dig” through the blog?

How do you think new visitors will react when they land on your blog?