You’ve Only Got 10 Seconds

by Yan Susanto

to impress or your visitors will fade away…….

Make no mistake about it.  It doesn’t matter if you have a powerful arsenal of promotional techniques, if you fail to impress and engage your visitors in 10 seconds or less, you’re most likely to lose them to your competitors.

Point is masses of traffic is pointless if you fail to convert them into subscribers, leads or sales.

That’s the truth. Nothing but the truth.

The question is how do you impress and engage them the moment they arrive? How do you convert them in 10 seconds?

jessica-alba

How do you impress her in 10 seconds?

Here are 10 tips to make a lasting impression in 10 seconds.

1. Clear Objective

The central focus of your blog could be summarized in one single line and that’s what blog description is for.

A simple yet clear description gives your visitors an idea of what your blog is all about and what they can expect from you. For obvious reason, to confuse them is to lose them.

If you can’t be clever, be absolutely clear.

2. Don’t Take Blog Design for Granted

It holds true that your blog design could either make or break your blog. You might have good copywriting skills but in 10 seconds or less, if your design sucks, who cares?

Don’t overlook the design aspect of your blog. At the very least, you should invest in a well-designed logo that stands out from the pack.

Need a makeover? Here’s 10 Tips for a Blog Design Makeover

3. Write a Powerful Teaser

I’m a firm believer of using a teaser on a homepage. I honestly believe a well-written and compelling teaser is an effective method of capturing your visitors’ attention right away.

Who likes to be teased anyway?

Open your first paragraph with a “BANG” and strike while the iron is hot. Though it takes a bit of skills to pull it off.

4. Craft the Most Catchy Headline

Did I impress you with my headline above? I’m sure I did. It’s amazing how a simple headline could make a whole world of difference.

The other day I read an article, Could a Monkey Post Your Blog? and I thought it’d be nice if I share it with you what Sheryl wrote,

“you need to put in more time to write it than it takes me to read it and bookmark it.”

So the next time you think of your headline, think hard and remember you’ve only got 10 seconds.

5. Flaunt Your Most Popular Article

If you’ve got it, why not flaunt it? Put your best article above the fold. This is when showing-off isn’t a crime.

Probably now you’ve come to realize the importance of featured section, which is among other things, being the most common feature in a blog design.

6. Proper Call to Action

If you don’t call your readers to action, they are far less likely to take it. The rule is simple. You’ve got to make it easy and achievable for your visitors to take action. In post or after post calls to action usually works the best.

Positioning is everything. See for yourself how a change in call to action positioning increased my subscribers by 60 in 7 days.

And the number keep growing at a rate I’d never have thought possible.

7. What’s in It For Them?

In most blogs I’ve come to know, subscription comes with ‘enticing’ incentives, usually in the form of an ebook, free email course or plain giveaways.

This is what I call ‘the feel good bait‘.

Though I don’t offer anything here, it doesn’t mean that I don’t advocate the use of it. I just don’t have anything to offer yet at the moment.

Does it work? Yes, it does absolutely….

I can’t remember how many times I push that ’subscribe’ button just for the ebook. Of course, no offense, most of them are just BS.

8. Image Speaks a Thousand Words

You’ve heard it too many times. It’s one of the time-tested magic formulas to engage your visitors. Aesthetic values asides, images certainly play an important role in grabbing and keeping the attention of your visitors.

If your headline is to attract, the image is to engage.

9. Video Blogging

First it was blogging, then podcasting and now video blogging. There is no telling where video blogging is gonna be in the future. One thing is certain, video bloggers are already making regular video posting online.

Unless you are camera-shy like me, you can easily differentiate yourself from the crowd though video blogging.

Is video blogging the future?

10. How Fast is Your Load Time?

This is pretty much self-explanatory. If your site loads longer than 5 seconds, you’ve got less than 5 seconds to impress. You do the math.

Oh, check out the coolest ever website load time tester.

Final Thought

The above tips are not revolutionary but they should give you a bit of food for thoughts.

All in all, don’t be obsessed with how much traffic you have, what matters most is the conversion.

Most importantly, whom you convert in that 10 seconds.

Related posts

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{ 113 comments }

Freddie Taylor January 20, 2009 at 3:27 am

Yan,

There are so many points that I want to touch on here cause you roused up a bunch of emotions as far as blogging. I with how you ended talking about these things not being revolutionary cause they are not, but they are powerful never the less.

I am learning these things slowly but surely. The one thing that is becoming more obvious is that is not about numbers, but conversion and implementing some of the lures you are putting out there will do just that. I just recently started flaunting my best material and will be moving into Proper calls for action. That is going to be big for me.

Also, my site design is probably on my mind too much and video blogging is definitely in my future.

Thanks for the food for thought.

Freddie Taylor´s lastest post..Sunday Goal Setting: Week 19

Yan January 20, 2009 at 9:38 am

Freddie, my friend….

Good to see ya here. Apart from being a bit noisy, you’ve pretty much got everything I ranted above. Perhaps, you need to focus more on that noise.

I presume ‘Blogosphere BigShots is converting well, is it not?

Yan

Natural January 20, 2009 at 4:29 am

10 seconds. wow i’ve always said i have 1 second. a great title for the post helps and a topic the reader will care about.

Natural´s lastest post..Fat and Happy?

Yan January 20, 2009 at 9:40 am

So did I impress you in one second? ;)

Make My Blog Successful January 20, 2009 at 4:43 am

Don’t forget – too many widgets can slow your blog’s load time! The clock starts ticking when the visitor arrives at your blog! If those 10 seconds are spent waiting for 42 different “traffic exchange” widgets to load – your visitor may leave without reading a single post!!!

Make My Blog Successful´s lastest post..Choosing the Best Keywords for Your Blog

Yan January 20, 2009 at 9:43 am

You bet they will, Kathy. I’m beginning to appreciate Thesis for its fast load time. Oh by the way, is that your new blog?

Dot Com Dud January 20, 2009 at 6:14 am

Great tips as usual Yan! Number 2 especially for me right now as I am considering updating my blog theme to something that will grab readers attention as soon as they hit my blog, rather than having to look around to see what the blog is all about.

I probably need to optimise my images for load time too, I guess it’s easy to forget these days that not everyone is on high-speed Internet yet.

Dot Com Dud´s lastest post..December Traffic Analysis

Yan January 20, 2009 at 9:49 am

Hey Dud

Don’t settle for generic theme. Choose one that gives more ‘oomph’. You can’t go wrong with that.

Good luck!

Blogging For Fun & Profit - Ethically January 20, 2009 at 6:33 am

Hey Yan,

Good to know that I’m not wasting my time on Blog Design – next step for me (besides continuing to produce good value content) is no.1 – to refine what my blog is about. .

Thanks for the tips and helping me focus on what is important :)

Cheers,

Derrick

Blogging For Fun & Profit – Ethically´s lastest post..New Youtube Video Entry for Alex Jeffreys 2009 Video Competition :)

Yan January 20, 2009 at 9:57 am

Hey Derrick

Welcome to the community! You’ve chosen one of the best premium themes from WooThemes. Good choice, though you could do without the “Live Traffic feed”.

Where are from Derrick? Singapore?

Dalirin January 20, 2009 at 7:09 am

Your title was attractive. Among this tip, I just like a catchy title and your populous post.

Dalirin´s lastest post..Are There Any Domain Name of Your Choice Left

Jeremy January 20, 2009 at 7:57 am

Naturally your post is brilliant as usual, unfortunately I am pretty much too lazy to do it, but I bookmarked it until I can hopefully drum up some motivation to fix a few of those items.

I would like to include a picture in all the posts on LTMB but generally speaking I find that a picture doesn’t much match the post / can’t think of what type of picture to include.

Jeremy

Jeremy´s lastest post..Barack Obama is Not Your Messiah

Yan January 20, 2009 at 10:01 am

Thanks for the compliment, Jeremy. The same respect is due to you too. I do enjoy your writing as well.

As for the picture, any picture is better than none. It makes the post alive, so to speak.

Static January 20, 2009 at 8:03 am

Another awesome set of tips Yan. Great work!

Unfortunately, I never utilize an image in my blog posts. To be honest, I don’t know why… or more like I don’t know where I would get such good images.

Do you use those free stock images or do you just find a random one from search engines like Google Images?

Static´s lastest post..WordPress.tv is Pretty Cool

Yan January 20, 2009 at 10:08 am

Hey Static

It’s been awhile, huh? Good to see you again.

I’ve got my images either from Google search or stock.xchng where you can find tons of free images to use.

Static January 20, 2009 at 8:08 am

Oh yeah Yan, how did you make the caption be a text instead of a part of an image? Did you play with the caption part of the WordPress code?

Thanks.

Static´s lastest post..WordPress.tv is Pretty Cool

Jen January 20, 2009 at 9:15 am

Good to see you back Yan- although your guest posters have been good too.

Very interested in video blogging, but like you a little camera shy. I also think it has its pros and cons- some people hate to read but others do a lot of their internet time in places where they can’t listen to videos ( i.e. at work).

I like the one about flaunting your most popular article. You are right- if that is one of your best pieces of work the more easily accessible it is the better as that may make the difference between a subscriber and non subscriber.

Jen´s lastest post..Your Network Marketing Income- Should You Fake it ‘Til You Make it?

Yan January 20, 2009 at 10:13 am

Thanks, Jen. I still need to learn the technical aspect of creating a video. I’m a total noob myself.

Anyway, I don’t foresee myself doing it anytime now. Hopefully the associate writers will…… *finger crossed*

Yan

Daphne January 20, 2009 at 10:26 am

Hi Yan,

Excellent post as usual. I took some of your earlier advice and paid some attention to my blog design, and now have a custom header and so on. I like it much better now. Thanks!

Daphne´s lastest post..How Does Your Life Script Read?

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm

Oh did I give you any advice? Yeah, it looks better with a header now. Keep it up and keep blogging, Daphne.

That video is just too awesome and very inspirational. One of the best I’ve seen in recent time.

Cupid Blogger January 20, 2009 at 1:07 pm

It is so true that first impression counts. I think i still need to work on “proper call to action” as Cupid Blogger Dot Com RSS subscriber is not consistent. Sometimes increases and decreases. Just don’t know why.

By the way, i tried to contact you but u didn’t answer. Were u busy lately? :)

Cupid Blogger´s lastest post..Prioritizing People

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:18 pm

As in everything else, time is your best friend, Cupid. Someone told me recently how he achieved ‘overnight success’ in 2 years.

Got the message?

Donny Gamble January 20, 2009 at 1:16 pm

It is very important that you get the website visitors full attention immediately because that could be the decision of the viewer to subscribe to your feed or not.

Donny Gamble´s lastest post..AnyLuckyDay.com – Is it your lucky day?

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:13 pm

Absolutely right, Donny. For the record, did you subscribe?

Wiehanne January 20, 2009 at 2:03 pm

You got my attention when I see this post’s title from my email. So many things to learn from here. :)

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:12 pm

I’m surprised to see ya here, gal. How’s everything in Medan? Must be bustling this time of the year, huh?

Wiehanne January 21, 2009 at 3:23 pm

lol. I’ve been a lurker for such a long time. Time to come out and join in the fun of commenting. :D

And yea, it’s a crazy week here in Medan. Last minute shopping for CNY etc, whew..

Wiehanne´s lastest post..Discoqila Wordpress theme

Rowell Dionicio January 20, 2009 at 3:00 pm

The call to action portion is a really great tip! Recently I’ve added a “subscribe to” link on the bottom of my posts and saw a slow rise but I’ve been wanting to make it larger like yours.

Rowell Dionicio´s lastest post..Stop Wordpress Comment Spam In Their Tracks!

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:10 pm

Rowell, size isn’t the issue. Positioning is. Hope you are soon changing that ’slow rise’ into ’steady rise’. All the best and thanks for dropping by.

Rowell Dionicio January 21, 2009 at 4:50 am

I’m implementing some new strategies and enhancing my content. There is much to learn from your site.

Rowell Dionicio´s lastest post..Stop Wordpress Comment Spam In Their Tracks!

Diana January 20, 2009 at 3:33 pm

a wonderful post, thankyou. Someone just twittered it and i clicked on the, yes you guessed it, title!

I will have another look at our blog (still working this stuff out) and see where thing slike titles and opening phrases can be improved.

thankyou!

Diana

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:08 pm

Hey Diana

Should I thank the one who tweet the article or you thank that person who sent you here? Either way, welcome to the community of great people here. Let me know if there is anything I can be of help.

Yan

Diana January 20, 2009 at 6:14 pm

her twitter ID is qutequte: I will NOT make you RICH! I willingly shoot down unethical employers n authorities (nt pd 2 do it n don’t expect to)! Keen observer of kids & animals.
Location: Singapore

If you wish to thank her by follwoing I am sure she would appreciate it.

great to see such a lively forum here!

cheers

Diana

Diana´s lastest post..Hemp Gathering Video

Yan January 20, 2009 at 6:27 pm

Thanks for heads up, Diana. I’ve just followed her. What’s your Twitter ID by the way?

Atniz January 20, 2009 at 5:14 pm

Interesting concept. 10 seconds is just like the first impression.

Atniz´s lastest post..The Problem Working At Home

Yan January 20, 2009 at 6:29 pm

Hey Atniz

Shall we say, 10 seconds is just like ‘love at first sight’. It happens to all of us at one point or another, doesn’t it? Oops I digress.

Yan

Ambo January 20, 2009 at 5:14 pm

Like your title, you got me here in 5 secs yay! Great tips and i’ve learned again from you. Now i know your magic hehe. Thanks my friend!

Ambo´s lastest post..Barack Obama Inauguration Schedule

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:30 pm

So it works, eh? Thanks for giving me that 5 secs opportunity to impress you or did I?

Ambo January 20, 2009 at 5:38 pm

You did! That’s why i keep on coming back here! Thanks again.

Ambo´s lastest post..Barack Obama Inauguration Schedule

Alexis January 20, 2009 at 5:16 pm

Hey,

I agree with your 10 tips. I would also add another: you will make a stronger connection with your readers if they know something about you. So if you haven’t already, take time to write something at the “About me” section. The more they will have the impression they know you, the better you will bound so it will be more likely they will spend more time on your page.

And about writing catchy headlines, what do you think about my post at: http://www.learniacs.com/learn-to-write-good-headlines

Have a lovely day,
Alexis

Yan January 20, 2009 at 5:28 pm

Aha, you might have missed my “About Me” page. It’s one of those things you can’t have without if you’re concerned about your credibility online.

Thanks for the input. Yeah, headline with a question generally does well. May I ask why do we need to register to add a comment? Do you enforce it on purpose?

Yan
PS: Pretty good blog design. It has a bit of ‘oomph’.

Alexis January 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm

I haven’t missed your About :) It was an advice for beginner bloggers, not for you. And regarding Learniacs, well, it’s not my site, I just guest posted there. I don’t know why you have to register to post a comment, maybe it’s a way to encourage people to sign up to the sistem. My blog is http://www.uncover.ro Hope you like it :P

Make Money Online Tips January 20, 2009 at 9:52 pm

Impressing that girl in 10 seconds is a different thing, LOL.

BTW when will the contest results come?

Make Money Online Tips´s lastest post..All About Blogging

Ruben Ricart January 21, 2009 at 4:06 am

The results of the contest have already been revealed on the post previous to this one…check it out here.

http://thoushallblog.com/and-the-winners-are/

Article Spinning January 20, 2009 at 11:46 pm

I agree with you, Yan. Online visitors are becoming more and more impatient. If you can’t deliver what they want and deliver it FAST, they are out of there. Who would blame them? With the billions of pages out there, there’s always a choice probably better than you just a few clicks away.

You are also very right about showing off your best post- “If you’ve got it, why not flaunt it? Put your best article above the fold. This is when showing-off isn’t a crime.” :) Thanks for sharing, Yan.

The Moneyac January 20, 2009 at 11:53 pm

Great post and points Yan.

I know that, and I also mentioned on my blog, that when a new reader comes to a website, they first look at the upper left corner of the website, you got exactly 3 seconds to catch their attention.

During those 3 seconds you must give them reasons why not to leave.

Cheers,

The Moneyac

The Moneyac´s lastest post..Do Affiliate Marketers Improve The Web ?

Yan January 21, 2009 at 1:48 am

3 seconds? Now that’s even harder….. ;) Anyway, I believe I have enough reasons for you not to leave, don’t I?

Sayz January 21, 2009 at 12:28 am

It seems I am a little bit late to drop comment,
LOL…
Whatever…

- I can’t remember how many times I push that ’subscribe’ button just for the ebook. Of course, no offense, most of them are just BS.

LOL, yeah… and that is when I began to select E-books carefully…
But it works for almost every starter, free stuff really entice these starter and they’d treat it as a treasure…

Sayz´s lastest post..ablogger.com Review

Yan January 21, 2009 at 1:52 am

Sayz, the party just started so the night is still early. Thanks for revisiting and your last statement is yet another truth.

And that’s also why I’m yet to have anything to offer….

Yan

Ruben Ricart January 21, 2009 at 4:07 am

Awesome Article Yan! Love the structure and the way you laid this out.

Ruben Ricart´s lastest post..Simple Guide to Marketing your Blog to Success

Yan January 21, 2009 at 5:56 pm

Thanks, Ruben and good to see ya here.

Dennis Edell January 21, 2009 at 8:41 am

I believe I have them all ok except for 7 & 9 – like you I’m looking for something not crap-like to give away and also a little gun shy with the camera lol.

I need to re-evaluate my images. The first several months have one on every post, then I stopped with revamping plans but never got to it.

We’ll see how well my call to actions and conversions continue when I start digging deep into affiliate marketing this year. ;)

Great list my friend. :)

Dennis Edell´s lastest post..Do You Use Google Alerts?

Yan January 21, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Dennis, I’ve followed you since the day you came back into blogging and successfully created a “noisy” community around DE.

I can tell that you are making every effort possible to improve your blog. You aren’t afraid to experiment with something new and I’m sure the same dedication will bring about better results in whatever you do.

Good luck with your affiliating business.

Yan

Dennis Edell January 22, 2009 at 12:59 am

Wow dude, thanks! Extremely nice words, and I greatly appreciate it. :)

Dennis Edell´s lastest post..Do You Use Google Alerts?

Dennis Edell January 21, 2009 at 8:42 am

Oops think I forgot to subscribe to comments.

Dennis Edell´s lastest post..*Best Blog Review Contest* EXTENDED To Months End – $100 First Prize

Wei Liang | Earn Money Online January 21, 2009 at 9:21 am

There are 3 things that I will look at before I begin to browse through the content.

1) Blog tagline ( Appears right under the blog title )
2) Blog design ( Avoid putting in tons of ads )
3) Headline

This takes up 10s and these are the ones that give me the reason to stay on with the blog. Yet another solid post Yan. You have speak out the mind of what a first time blog visitor wants.

Wei Liang

Wei Liang | Earn Money Online´s lastest post..Lesson 24: Affiliate Marketing (Part 1)

Yan January 21, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Tagline! Yes, I wanted to use the word but somehow it eluded me when I wrote this post. Weird, eh?

Thanks for speaking out your mind too. At least I know I’ve created a good impression on ya.

Andre Thomas January 21, 2009 at 12:24 pm

There’s a great book on the subject by Mark Joyner. It’s called “The Irresistible Offer”. It’s a book I think everyone should read if they are interested in capturing attention.

Every time someone lands on your blog, you’re technically selling the offer to read your blog. So everything that applies to selling, applies to optimizing your blog too.

Andre Thomas´s lastest post..10 Ways To Eliminate Distractions

Yan January 21, 2009 at 6:03 pm

Every time someone lands on your blog, you’re technically selling the offer to read your blog.

Well said, Andre. I suppose it applies to everything we do in life, doesn’t it?

You know what? Somehow the name of the book sounds familiar to me. I guess it was sighted on my last visit to bookstore. Not to mention, the name itself is irresistible.

Sheryl Loch January 21, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Thank you Yan!

I feel pretty special getting a mention in one of your great post! And yes, your title grabbed me! I wondered what the emergency was.

I tend to fight myself when it comes to post titles. I know the SEO part can do wonders but, the ‘Grab Their Attention’ can also be beneficial.

My blog themes were made for me so, I will keep them for a while. LOL!

Since some of us are camera shy maybe we should all get together and make a ’suicide pack’, in other words we will do a video even if it kills us.

Thank you again!

Sheryl Loch´s lastest post..Blog Co-Op Free Membership

Yan January 21, 2009 at 6:20 pm

It’s my pleasure, Sheryl. I wrote #4 with you in mind as it just clicked with me the moment I read it on your blog.

Hey, I outlink pretty regularly here at TSB as my own way appreciating my readers. No notice is given in advance though. We just love the ’surprise’ factor..

You like it, don’t you? Thanks for being part of TSB and we really love your presence here.

Yan

mercblogger January 21, 2009 at 5:16 pm

10 seconds? Isn’t that a very short period of time? What if your visitor really loves to read? I’ll try to follow your tips and see if it works. Thanks for the Tips.:)

mercblogger´s lastest post..Big Time Money Saving Tip

Yan January 21, 2009 at 6:22 pm

What if your visitor really loves to read?

If you fail to score at least 5/10 above, usually they don’t…… Oh, action speaks louder than words too.

Welcome to TSB.

Gina Chen January 21, 2009 at 11:53 pm

Yan,

Lots of good tips here. I especially like the one about taking more time to write a post than it takes a person to read and bookmark it.

Writing well takes hard work. I think blogging started as a very unrefined medium where people were literally writing in a diary as if no one else would read it. But it has evolved into a more polished medium. We bloggers need to evolve with it.

One question: You suggested making the blog subscription plea at the end of each post … Do I need to be self-hosting to do that? As you know, I’m on wordpress but haven’t self-hosted yet. Love to be able to do that if I can?

– gina

Gina Chen´s lastest post..How journalists can use Facebook

Yan January 22, 2009 at 12:07 am

Gina

You can easily integrate feedburner feed into wordpress.com. Here’s the instruction for your perusal
http://www.google.com/support/feedburner/bin/answer.py?answer=78487&topic=13252

Trust me. There are only so much you can do with wordpress.com. When the time is right, you should migrate to self-hosted version.

Yan

Shanker Bakshi January 22, 2009 at 1:01 am

5 sec , 10 sec i don’t know you impress me. nice write up .

Shanker Bakshi´s lastest post..List Of Blogs With Top Commentators Widget

Yan January 22, 2009 at 1:19 am

Shanker

Do I need to impress you now? I don’t think so. You have been impressed long ago, haven’t you?

Miguel January 22, 2009 at 3:12 am

Yan

- Blog Design, one word -”Thesis theme.” Just might take, no worries you can leave it.
-Don’t forget to follow up your teaser with a effective first sentence. Its purpose, to get your reader to the next line- and so on.
- Flaunting your best article or as Yan says show off! Go ahead, show the goods. :)
-Show off your ebook or social networking profiles as well. Help people easily connect with you in other places. Give people a chance to get to know you. Another testament that you’re no spammer.
- As far as video blogging, it’s neat to mix it up but text will remain king for a long time.

-Any tips to help speed up site loading? I agree, conversion not traffic is what matters. Some people want traffic because they want money so badly.

-Mig

Miguel´s lastest post..Miguel Elsewhere: Thou Shall Blog

Yan January 22, 2009 at 10:02 am

Mig

Now you are commenting like me…. oops, I should say, I’m becoming more like you….. LOL

Thanks for the contribution. Thesis is definitely my first choice now. Unfortunately, many aren’t so much in favor of me changing my theme.

Hey, buddy. We look forward to your next piece of article.

T Edwards January 22, 2009 at 4:28 am

Wow, what an informative post. These are all great points. It’s amazing that so many factors can have profound effects on the success of your blog. I’m going to pay special attention to Number 6.

Thanks so much.

T

T Edwards´s lastest post..My To Do List Is Complete…Almost

Yan January 22, 2009 at 9:58 am

Yeah, if you put #6 into your To Do list, it will definitely be ‘complete’.

Hey T, did I ever say I like your blog header?

T Edwards January 22, 2009 at 11:34 am

Done deal, Yan.

hey, thanks for the compliment!

Diana January 22, 2009 at 6:40 am

Hi Yan

I think the quality and quantity of the comments you have received on your blog speaks heaps for the quality of the piece your peers.

People like lively discussion relevant to their area of interest!

cheers

D

Diana´s lastest post..Hemp Gathering Video

Yan January 22, 2009 at 9:54 am

You know what? I do enjoy replying to the comments more than writing the article itself. Those guys are quality commenters and a bunch of nice bloggers I’ve ever met online.

Thank you for being with us too, Diana. We love to see more of you here at TSB.

Diana January 22, 2009 at 2:58 pm

OMG to get that much quality comment! Keep writing good articles and i will keep coming!

Now Ofcourse I have to take on board some of your advice myself…LOL

Oh for more time in a day!

blessings

D

Diana´s lastest post..Hemp Gathering Video

Mitch January 22, 2009 at 8:35 am

Goodness, you just wrote this yesterday and I’m already down at #71? Sheesh!

I like all of these, but the one I don’t really stick with is #8. I don’t use images randomly; to me, if it doesn’t have anything to do with my article, I just won’t use it. Not that I’m not impressed with your image for this article, though (cough). Otherwise, I’m with you all the way.

Mitch´s lastest post..Barack Obama – Our Time For Change Has Come

Yan January 22, 2009 at 9:49 am

Mitch

Your time for change has come. As a writer, you have a tendency to write long article so technically using images help to break them into a more acceptable reading format.

Even if you don’t, I’m too with you all the way. Good to see ya at #71

Yan

Mitch January 22, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Well, think of it like this, Yan. My article on the psychology of gambling was around 2,200 words. If I’d popped a picture of a woman holding a baby in the middle, it would look goofy. I could have popped a picture of Freud in the middle, but that would be weird also. I figure that, for me, a picture or image in a post should at least be related, kind of like in this post of mine. Maybe I’m a bit too particular, but hey, it’s how I roll.

Mitch´s lastest post..The Psychology Of Gambling

Yan January 22, 2009 at 6:51 pm

No worry, Mitch. I just quoted it from your last article – Barack Obama – Our Time For Change Has Come.

It’s good to be picky sometimes. That kinda develops the perfectionism in us.

Blog for Bloggers January 22, 2009 at 11:37 am

Dude, this is awesome.
Too many people look at traffic but really they need to start looking at how well that traffic converts. If an average visitor spends only one munite on your blog, you have somework to do and these tips should work wonders.

By the way this was the first post I have read on my HTC G1 phone :P

Blog for Bloggers´s lastest post..What My Car Taught Me About Blogging

Yan January 22, 2009 at 6:53 pm

Aha, you got a brand new phone, eh? Did they pay you for advertising?

Blog for Bloggers January 23, 2009 at 1:45 am

haha, I wish

real estate broker philippines January 22, 2009 at 1:55 pm

yah. as a writer / blogger, you have to write long topics in order to gain more comments but you need also to consider reader’s appetite. Some will get easily bored if your blog is boring and has no sense at all…so it must be interesting from the start to finish…=)

real estate broker philippines´s lastest post..JP Morgan adds 6,000 seats to BPO facility in RP

Yan January 22, 2009 at 6:55 pm

Hey

I suppose what matters most is the value we give to the readers – long or short is just individual style of presentation.

On the other hand, I agree with you 100% on the “interesting” aspect of it. Hope you find this article ‘amusingly interesting’…. ;)

Welcome to the community.

Paul A Moore January 22, 2009 at 3:56 pm

Thanks Yan,

Great post. It really makes you think about what you can do to make those 10 minutes effective. I plan on getting into video blogging too!

Paul A Moore´s lastest post..Free coaching! Follow Along With Me.

Yan January 22, 2009 at 6:57 pm

You’re most welcome, Paul. I’m still trying to pluck up the courage to vid-blog. Thanks for dropping by. Good to see ya here.

Celes | EmbraceLiving.Net January 23, 2009 at 2:44 am

Hey Yan! Thanks for this extremely powerful post. I’m going to look at this set of tips and work on how I can improve my site based on that. The importance of getting loyal visitors over first time visitors can never be overstated. Stumbled your post! :)

Celes | EmbraceLiving.Net´s lastest post..Goal Achievement: Planning

Yan January 24, 2009 at 2:43 am

You’re welcome, Celest. Thanks for the stumble. It’s certainly good to have you as one of our loyal readers.

Diana Freedman January 24, 2009 at 12:17 am

The design and load time mean, but the first article title a will give me the first meaningful impression of a blog. This is another reason why your blog posts should be consistent to your topic. If not, first-time readers might not think subscribing to your blog would provide a valuable source of information.

Yan January 24, 2009 at 2:47 am

Couldn’t agree more, Diana. “Content is King” as long as it stays on topic and add value to the readers. Otherwise, it’s a lost king.

passive income ideas January 24, 2009 at 3:04 pm

Hey Yan,
That’s a good one. I like what you say about flaunting it when you have a good post. It’s also more like sharing it with the whole blogosphere since you’ve put in so much work on it. .BTW the link from DP does not work.Hey you’re pretty good at finding beautiful pictures.

Peter Lee

passive income ideas´s lastest post..The Easiest Natural Link Building To Search Engine Success

Yan January 26, 2009 at 2:40 am

So Peter, which of the two impressed you most? the picture or the content?…. ;)

Gerald Weber January 25, 2009 at 5:27 am

All great tips Yan. Especially the catchy headline and call to aciton ones. I need to start getting into the video on blog thing as well. I think that’s a great idea.

Gerald Weber´s lastest post..When the Ban Hammer Comes Down on StumbleUpon

Yan January 26, 2009 at 2:45 am

Gerard

I think you are made for the camera. I’ve seen you dancing on vid so I guess another video would be a great idea.

And make sure you don’t dress as elf anymore.

Yan

Sire January 26, 2009 at 4:52 pm

You know Yan, at first I was going to say that you were probably stretching the point when you said that we only have 10 secs to capture our readers attention, as it usually takes me more than that just to focus on the page. The I realized that it was part of your plant to get our attention, and guess what it worked.

I a nutshell I believe what you are saying is that our blogs are like a body made of different members and each member has an important role to play. If one member is letting the rest down then the whole body suffers. So if your post is one part of several members and it has done a great job in supplying good content but the other members, such as poor theme structure, too many ads, crappy title etc let it down, people just won’t stay long enough to read the post.

Sire´s lastest post..Sire’s Big Moment A Total Flop

Yan January 27, 2009 at 1:45 am

Sire

I love your analogy. I guess you didn’t keep your creativity at home, did you? Thanks God you didn’t take out the G-string here…. ;)

Getting attention? Well, you can pretty much look at it that way. This article has the most ‘retweets’ ever on day one.

Yan

Sire January 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

Hey Yan, there is still a few good ideas left in this old brain of mine, I just have to find ways of digging them out.

Sire´s lastest post..Sire’s Big Moment A Total Flop

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:11 am

I certainly never doubt what’s in your mind, Sire. You have proven time and again that you really do have them.

Troy - VIPMillionaireLeague January 27, 2009 at 8:28 am

SO VERY TRUE!! I, as a consumer as well, have found it to be that although I attempt to be more analytical of things in my life or to not have such a small attention span, it is not easy to keep my attention. And these tips are head on right. Good post.

Troy – VIPMillionaireLeague´s lastest post..Article Marketing Insight

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:17 am

Thanks for the compliment, Troy. Like it or not, we all do have short attention span and I hope I’ve succeeded in keeping your attention the most.

Have I?

Shirley January 27, 2009 at 5:45 pm

Very good. The compelling headline coupled with the quick load time, images, and interesting teasers are great for drawing people in. Many people often underestimate load time, but it can truly make or break a site.

Shirley´s lastest post..How Slow (or Fast) Is Your Website on Dial Up?

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:06 am

You bet, Shirley. Though I admit I’m sort of lacking in that “loading” department. It isn’t as quick as it should be…

ZK@Internet Marketing blog January 28, 2009 at 11:24 am

A clear blog focus is what most of the blogs lack…I would say you have less than 10 seconds to make an impact and keep the user on the site

ZK@Internet Marketing blog´s lastest post..Professional Web Template Designs from Template Kingdom

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:09 am

A clear blog focus is what most of the blogs lack…

I’m hoping mine does not lack of one…. does it?

DemoGeek January 29, 2009 at 5:13 am

Excelllent points Yan. I think I pretty much have most of the ingredients that you’ve outlined but still struggling to reach to the masses. Due you think hosting it as a Addon Domain hurts? I feel guilty of it all the time.

DemoGeek´s lastest post..Live preview of all the installed fonts on your computer

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:04 am

Hey Geek

I don’t think being hosted as an addon domain has anything to do with “reaching the masses”. Well, I don’t see the connection either.

You have a neat blog with lots of resources and I don’t see the “whys” you can’t. Keep blogging and keep promoting. The latter is foremost importance if you ask me.

Thanks for dropping by.

Yan

DemoGeek February 1, 2009 at 12:54 am

Sorry, I should have been a bit more clear with my comment…what I meant by add-on domain is that if having hosted the blog as an add-on domain ever hurts reaching the masses thru search engines. Was curious to know if there are any penalties by SE’s for hosting a blog as an add-on domain than as a primary domain?

Thank you for the compliment. As many of us I don’t have that much time to spend most of my day promoting. What would be the best way to promote a blog effectively? I’m sure you have a bunch of posts for that.

Thanks for your response.

Nihar January 29, 2009 at 11:06 am

Yan, great post. You are right. Got only 10 secs to impress the reader.

all the tips are valuable.

Nihar´s lastest post..How to Access Gmail Offline using Google Gears

Yan February 1, 2009 at 12:19 am

Thanks for dropping by, Nihar.

Matt W February 4, 2009 at 5:25 am

9. Video Blogging

At the moment, I think if anyone is to use video as their primary source of blogging, they still write a paragraph or 2 filled with their keywords.

Search Engines can’t pickup video. As long as it stays fluent with a combination of the two, you should be gold.

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