7 features that kill your blog’s credibility

Your blog is your best marketing tool, but only if it does what it’s supposed to do.

When everything works correctly, you have a Web-optimized hub with excellent, shareable content that builds your community.

But how do you make the leap from an ordinary blog to one that’s a credible hangout for the people you want to attract?

Let’s start with these seven key areas:

1. Design errors

It may be wrong to judge a book by its cover, but Web audiences do judge a blog by its design—what they see when they first arrive at the home page.

Be honest: If you visit a site that has a static design from the early days of the Web, you won’t take it as seriously.

If your blog doesn’t look the part, then it’s time to spruce it up.

On a WordPress-based site, fixing design issues can be as easy as changing the theme. Most premium themes are between $30 and $100, or you can spend a little more and get a custom design. Either way, isn’t your online image worth it?