Aff links | When you spend so long working on your blog content, it can be a hard pill to swallow when you see that not many people are reading it. And there are tons of personal reasons why I didn’t read your blog post which I guarantee are the same reasons many others don’t either. I’m not saying I’m special here obvs – but I’m also saying your blog post isn’t special either (soz). With SO MANY bloggers putting out content every single day, that’s what your blog post HAS to be… special.

Why I Didn't Read Your Blog Post: A Woman holding a mug with a hat and books scattered around her. The woman is wearing a white shirt and jeans.

Photo by Tanya Trukyr on Unsplash

7 Reasons Why I Didn’t Read Your Blog Post

Now I’m not saying it has to have flashing lights, falling glitter and gives away a £10 Amazon voucher for every person that reads it. But you do need to put into practice some things in order to encourage people to both click on your blog post and continue reading your blog post once they’re there. It’s all very well writing a banging blog post but if nobody reads it, what’s the point?

All of the points mentioned in this post are very easy to change or fix – so if you find you are doing some of these things, don’t panic! But it’s certainly worth making the appropriate changes so you can boost your blog traffic and grow a dedicated blog following of readers who love reading your blog posts!

Here are 7 reasons why I didn’t read your blog post:

Why I Didn't Read Your Blog Post

You’re not selling it to me

So you’ve just written an incredible new blog post that provides a ton of helpful information to people. Yet you’re not getting many views? Perhaps it’s the way you’re selling it. Social media provides an excellent platform to really SELL your content and make it almost impossible for people not to click on your blog post. Consider how you’re doing that. If you came across your tweet, your pin, your Facebook post… would YOU click on it?

You have too many pop ups

This is something that puts a lot of people off and has many readers running for the hills. You’ve sold us on your blog post, we’re excited to read it, yet we can’t get further than 2 sentences before 4 different popups fly up and hit us in the face. Assess your popups – you could be putting people off reading your content because of something that’s very easily fixable.

You have no paragraphs breaking up your text

Did you know some people with learning difficulties or dyslexia literally can’t consume huge chunks of text that aren’t broken up? Even people without dyslexia just bloody HATE large chunks of text that aren’t broken up. Myself included. It’s really hard to read. It’s really hard to digest. And that’s one of the main reasons why I didn’t read your blog post.

The writing is too small

Look, I wear glasses. Sometimes, I forget to put my glasses on. So therefore, I can’t see. And it’s reaaaally hard for me to concentrate on teeny tiny writing. It might look cute but accessibility it more important here. Not for me but for a large portion of readers or content consumers who might have disabilities or additional needs. And this could be another easily fixable reason people are put off from reading your content.

There’s no images or graphics

Similarly to the large chunks of text point, not having anything visual in your blog post can be a huge turn-off. Not only do images and graphics help break up a lot of text, they’re also aesthetically pleasing and can add so much more to your content. I’m not saying you have to be like Ansel Adams here, just a couple of nice graphics to compliment your post.

Your title isn’t click-worthy

A catchy blog post title can have a huge impact on your views. So along with the selling your blog post point at the start, consider how your title sounds too. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t click on a blog post titled, “My New Dress” but I WOULD click on a post titled, “The Head Turning Dress You Need This Summer!”

I can’t find your blog post

If you’re not selling your blog post at all, how do you expect people to find it? Of course if you’re clued up on SEO and keyword research (for more info on SEO and keyword research, check out these eBooks) then you could be getting traffic from search engines which is fantastic but social media is there for a reason – USE IT.

Why I Didn't Read Your Blog Post

Has this post helped you figure out why people aren’t reading your blog post? Are you going to change any of these things about your own content? As a consumer of blogs, do you find any of these things off putting too?

167 Comments

  1. I was just wondering how to better my blog posts and increase my views when I came across your post on Twitter!

    I think I definitely need to focus on social media promoting more, as well as using better images.

    Thanks, Jenny! 🙂 Xx

  2. Great points! I have conquered most, but am still working on click worthy titles, and the sell. As for ad pop ups? Nothing makes me back out of a post faster!

  3. Ooh, the point about pop-ups and adverts, I can’t stand a website that’s riddled with them! Something flashing in the corner of my eye while I’m trying to read immediately puts me off. Another thing that people don’t seem to consider is that Google ads are personalized. So, they don’t know what ads I will see on their site and for some reason google is completely unable to decipher what sorts of ads to show me, which sometimes ends with me exiting a blog post because I saw an inappropriate ad (can be a pregnancy test, not porn sites or anything like that ;D) I’ve worked in marketing for yeas and badly places ads annoy me more than they should, haha.

  4. Ahhhh yes, some of these are big pet peeves of mine. I understand why people use pop-ups but if I get spammed with 2 or 3 within the first 10 seconds, I’m going to click straight off. Likewise, what you said about long text and small fonts. If it isn’t easily consumable, it’s a no from me. *shakes head like Simon Cowell*

    Thanks for sharing these Jenny! 🙂

  5. I agree with all of these points. The title can be tricky though because SEO prefers “searchworthy” titles (read: short and boring.) So I have to admit to being guilty of that one. My titles were a lot more exciting before I started paying attention to SEO

  6. I hate pop-ups, ads everywhere and messy post! It’s not just about content but appearance/layout 🙂 That’s why I find your blog post and layout are really awesome. Thanks for this great tips, Jen xxx

  7. I hate pop-ups, especially when they’re difficult to find the little X to close the tab. If I find a pop up, I usually click off the blog as it irritates me. Similarly, when people leave comments on my blog, I feel inclined to respond. Half the time I can’t even find their blog, let alone their most recent post to return the favour. Thanks for sharing!

    Em x

  8. I completely agree with you on the pop-ups thing. If there’s more than one I’m likely to just close the page and not even attempt, especially if I’m trying to read on my phone. I also wear glasses and I find it quite hard to read when a blog post has like a bright pink background or something. If it’s not made super simple for me, I just don’t bother!

    1. Same! More than 1 pop up drives me spare. I actually had that this morning, I was trying to comment on a blog post and the comment box writing was so light – I didn’t have my glasses on so literally couldn’t see what I was typing. God knows what that comment said hahaha

  9. I agree with all of these points! I definitely find it more difficult to read when there isn’t any paragraphs, it’s just too much for my eyes and brain to handle when there’s just a block of so much text! xx

  10. This is a great post to keep in mind! Thank you, and I don’t like pop ups either 😬 I worry sometimes that mine does it but I try to check it to make sure xx

  11. Good tips! Pop-ups are the most annoying things ever and always make me close down a website, regardless of how important the content is to me – I’ve come across sites before with sidebar ads, ads in the text, a mailing list pop-up, an ad bar running at the bottom of the screen, and those incredibly annoying video ads that cover the text that you can’t shut down! Makes me so angry, haha

  12. There are so many blogs lately that just post WORDS with no… meaning? Like I can read it and I literally close the browser not even knowing what I was supposed to learn/read/etc. I now avoid those blogs lol

  13. Thanks for these Jenny, some really valuable tips here! I try to make my posts varied and interesting but I guess it depends on my audience seeing as I don’t have much of a niche! I have no idea whether my layout is good enough or not but I wouldn’t blame someone for being put off by it straight away. I have a question regarding SEO – does it only really “matter” if you’re self-hosted?

  14. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Going to be honest, if I click on a blog and instantly hate the layout, I almost immediately click off. If I’m returning a comment and feel like I have to read War & Peace just to find your latest post, I’m unlikely to return to your site. Simple layout changes can make a huge difference to how appealing your work looks. Which is a shame because it should be about the words…but they have to look inviting too x

    Sophie

  15. I’m with you on these points! I genuinely get so stressed out when a blog post has super tiny writing… and I don’t wear or need glasses! Paragraphs are also such a huge thing when it comes to readability. It’s so much easy to read and absorb a blog posts’ information when it’s split into smaller paragraphs x

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

  16. Agreed. Pop-ups and font choices can be a real turn-off. But before I even get to that stage, I need to know the blog is there, so point 1 & 7 crucial.

    Good post. Thanks for sharing

  17. My pet peeve is when websites make you sign up to comment! Some are alright and not that difficult but there are some that requires a sign up, then verification of email, and lots of other steps and it is quite frustrating!

    I also agree that fonts matter. I hate reading content that has a terrible unreadable font.

    Thanks for sharing! 😊 Have a good week!

  18. OMG, this is so helpful. There are so many aspects to consider but the one that I need to work on is selling myself! I am not that good at it but I guess I just need to get over myself and be confident doing so! Thank you so much for this!
    Darina from daramiblog

  19. Tiny text is an annoyance to me too, but I also hate excessively scroll-y writing because that is also hard to read!
    I feel you on being bombarded by popups. Sometimes I make it past the first wave only to be hit by a whole bunch more halfway down the page. Then I quit . . .

  20. I love this post!! It’s spot on, for sure. I don’t read posts that don’t have paragraphs breaking things up. I feel like I’m reading scholarly stuff when it’s like that, and I lose interest quickly.

  21. Thank for this! I’m with you – I REALLY hate huge chunks of text and excessive pop ups. Also if I open a post and it’s full of all kinds of typos and errors I just close it. 🤷‍♀️ I feel like I see that kind of a lot. I just can’t take a post full of mistakes seriously.

  22. Great post with good tips. You are right…there are so many blogs out there! One thing is for sure…certain blogs and certain personalities resonate with us more than others. Still, all of the above things would help a so-so blog improve. 🙂

  23. Using images to break up the text is super helpful! Everyone has a different learning style, so having multiple ways of displaying information is always great, plus, as a visual learner, it makes things alot more interesting

  24. Great tips. The barrage of pop-ups… that’s my biggest pet peeve! Even if I am completely interested in the topic of a post, I’m closing out and walking away the second I am hit with more than one pop up. Other turn offs include spelling/grammar errors and walls of text.

  25. All of those but especially the formating! If it’s just a huge chunk of text with no pictures I just close the page because I just don’t have the willpower to focus on not missing a line or whatever! It’s basic courtesy to your readers to make the thing readable!! Great post <3

  26. Great list! I 100% agree with small writing and too many pop-ups. Nothing makes me click out of a post faster. Likewise for a lack of paragraph breaks and a website/blog that’s too difficult to navigate.

  27. Hi Jenny,

    Writing that is too small is an instant turnoff. As is too much stuff going on in the sidebar or wherever. Clean and simple work best. And also, if I spot a bunch of spelling/grammar errors, I generally stop reading. Not that I want or expect perfection (I make mistakes too!), but it does need to look like you care. Thanks for these reminders.

  28. This is such a helpful post! I hate popups or even blogs that require you to sign in (I don’t mind signing in to a wordpress account or blogger one time only). Thanks for sharing these useful suggestions.

  29. This is really useful thanks for sharing! Pop ups and lots of adds that make it difficult to read on your phone are a deal breaker for me, it’s gotta be easily accessed

  30. Small text isn’t a deal breaker for me as you can CTRL + any page on the Internet to make text larger. My biggest bugbear is ads. Pop ups are the devil incarnate and those click to close ads that appear as a bar at the bottom of the screen… nope. The only thing worse is ads where the click to close button doesn’t work. UX is key, and if that means less ads – or even better, no ads at all – so be it. I know ads can bring in extra money, but is it worth compromising UX on?

  31. I agree with all of these! I really struggle to promote my posts on social media because I feel like I’m annoying people haha! I guess it’s a major way of getting clicks though 😊 x

  32. Such an interesting post and I agree with lots of these! I think not being able to like or comment along with pop ups all the time are what annoys me the most.. Sometimes coming up with a name can be so hard – but I agree, it needs to be catchy. xx

  33. I would also be put off by a blog post if it is filled with spelling or grammar errors. One or two in the whole post is ok, but if there are 5 errors in the first paragraph then I usually don’t read the rest of it

  34. I also dislike when words are hard to read. I’m blind without my glasses and I cannot read writing with a black background for example. Or other colors that clash with the backgrounds. Also, fonts that are difficult to read bug me too. What’s wrong with simple to read font? “Keep it simple, stupid.” I’m no expert here but I know when something looks bad. 🤦‍♀️

    For these reasons, even if the blog has amazing content, I likely won’t return or sign up to their mailing list. Even in school, whenever students had slides that were impossible to read I would get annoyed. Profs do this too. You would think profs would know better but they’re equally as guilty! I would often end up changing my slides to a better layout.

  35. I think mine is okay 😬 far from perfect, and one area I’d like to improve is the whole website layout.

  36. I don’t mind pop ups but it’S a bit too much when every 5 seconds, there would be a pop up to sell course, subscribe etc. It ruined the reading experience.

    I also couldn’t believe that there are bloggers who use unreadable font type and size. It shows that they haven’t preview their blog post. There’s a reason why the preview button is at the top of blog post editor.

  37. This is a great list of handy tips. I know that my first several blog posts are lacking in photos. I should really go back and add some. Pop ups are definitely the worst when it comes to reading blogs!

  38. Oh my goodness this is helpful!!! Thank you so much for writing this Jenny! I’m going to be going through my posts and checking these things out.

  39. This is such awesome advice! I wasn’t really aware of some of these aspects before reading right now, so thanks for sharing and always providing so much important information!

  40. Hi Jenny. Excellent points there for all of us to remember when we are writing our posts. I HATE (with the intensity of a thousand burning suns!) pop-ups – I’ve come to read your post, don’t make me instantly regret that decision. In terms of my own failings, I know that I have to put in more effort on the social media front (I am working on it 🙂 )

    For anybody that would like some help with headlines you could do worse than try: https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer (sorry Jenny – I hope links are ok, I have no connection to whoever it is that designed this).

  41. Big blocks of text and loads of pop ups are enough to have me clicking off. Other than that I will always try and read a post.

    Great advice though, I am always conscious of what I am putting out and how readable it might be for others. I’d hate to think people clicked on and clicked off straight away x

  42. Thankyou for these tips. I am currently getting started in a blog and am struggling to grow my audience, though I think that selling it through other platforms can definitely help 🙂

  43. Thanks for these tips Jenny, they are something all of us bloggers should have at the front of our mind. I must admit pop-ups and huge chunks of text put me off too. Also sites that are really difficult to navigate and are full of ads.

  44. Pop-ups are a huge put off for me too! If they don’t disappear straight away I’m more likely to close the whole page. Font is so important to! It’s not always the size as I can zoom in (even though it takes a minute), but the actual style of the font can stop me from reading a post. If it’s difficult to read it’s always hard to stick with. Great post!

    Anika | chaptersofmay.com

  45. I got worried when I first saw the title of this one, haha! As soon as I see just one big block of text I’m like nope! My worst is definitely titles – mine says what it is on the tin for book reviews and everything else I get really stumped with. Need to re-read your post.

  46. Yes, I’ve been blogging for over 2 years and support what you say. I also hate sites that have annoying pop-ups! I often just leave them if they persist.

  47. It’s a handy list of things to keep in mind when creating your blog posts! I’m trying to work hard on the titles – they can really make a difference, I’ve realised!

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