There is no such thing as a shortcut to a successful blog

magic_pill.jpg 847×552 pixels.jpgOver the last week or so I have had the unpleasant experience of watching as a so called “marketing firm” uses some rather awful “SEO tricks.” Why have I been watching this? Mainly because they have sold their bag of snake oil to one of our blogsite design clients.

Let me first qualify why I am writing this post. I am not at all bitter at this firm. Their own stupid ass practices will net them just what they deserve. The sick feeling I feel in my stomach, while I get the feeds in my RSS reader are for our former client. What sickens me the most is the fact they were sold a dog and pony show. I fear this particular blogger has been taken advantage of too.

Building a successful blog takes work

Not only does it take work, it takes time. And it will take longer if you don’t put in the effort from the very beginning and do it right. One of the keys to blogging is to freaking post to your blog. Not crap like puking up a short sentence with a link to a major news source. Quite frankly “expert marketing firm,” if I wanted to read the news on a blog I would go visit Foxnews or Drudge. I and 98% of the others reading blogs don’t want to read the crap you are putting on professional service providers blogs. And yes, I and most other bloggers know exactly what you are trying to do. You are trying to make up for the outlandish fees you are charging for the SEO magic you are telling your new client you can accomplish.

You are doing a disservice to the blogger and to their readers. Blogging done right takes time and it takes effort. And the crap load you are putting on blogs is just that, crap. You are serving no purpose and you are doing nothing to position this blogger as a thought leader or opinion shaper in their particular field and niche. Your automated method of piling on all of these post is doing nothing to answer any of the questions this particular blog’s readers are starving for either.

There is no magic pill to building a successful blog

Until more good bloggers scream at the top of their lungs, this kind of garbage is going to continue. And yes, I am upset. What is worse, I fear the blogger I am not mentioning by name nor URL is going to not get results and quiet blogging all together. This means they will stop using a great marketing tool in their blog. And their readers will go elsewhere to get what they really want. Readers of blogs are looking for answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Not the god awful stuff I am seeing this so called “marketing firm” pile on this blog.

To you new bloggers and old bloggers, do it right. Don’t look for shortcuts to build a successful blog. And don’t look to blame others if your blog is falling flat on its face. More likely than not, it is the person you see in the mirror.

About The Author
Grant Griffiths is founder of Blog For Profit and co-founder of Headway, the first Drag and Drop WordPress Theme Framework. You can follow Grant on twitter at @grantgriffiths
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So many shortcuts. If only people knew they actually take LONGER than just doing the work from the beginning :)

"One of the keys to blogging is to freaking post to your blog." LOL, one of the best lines EVAR.

So many shortcuts. If only people knew they actually take LONGER than just doing the work from the beginning :)

"One of the keys to blogging is to freaking post to your blog." LOL, one of the best lines EVAR.

The only shortcuts when I read something like this are the ones straight to business hell. It really sucks when you see something like this happening; the only real plus point is that you know, sooner or later, they'll fall flat on their face. The sooner the better...

The only shortcuts when I read something like this are the ones straight to business hell. It really sucks when you see something like this happening; the only real plus point is that you know, sooner or later, they'll fall flat on their face. The sooner the better...

Great post Grant, unfortunately I have seen it too. Some people do get instant success, but these are very few and far between. Lots of people are looking for shortcuts to hard work, and that's what these companies prey upon.

Great post Grant, unfortunately I have seen it too. Some people do get instant success, but these are very few and far between. Lots of people are looking for shortcuts to hard work, and that's what these companies prey upon.

I agree completely - your blog has to have YOUR voice and YOUR thoughts, or it isn't going to be valuable to YOUR readers. Those unique elements are essential.

I agree completely - your blog has to have YOUR voice and YOUR thoughts, or it isn't going to be valuable to YOUR readers. Those unique elements are essential.

Yes, it is quite slimy. The sad part is the clients of these "SEO" firms are usually oblivious to the harm being done to their brand image, or worse, when search engines penalize them or blacklist them altogether.

For the rest of the honest bloggers, just keep creating good content, market it correctly, and over time you'll build up a following and become an expert in your niche.

Rob - LexiConn

Yes, it is quite slimy. The sad part is the clients of these "SEO" firms are usually oblivious to the harm being done to their brand image, or worse, when search engines penalize them or blacklist them altogether.

For the rest of the honest bloggers, just keep creating good content, market it correctly, and over time you'll build up a following and become an expert in your niche.

Rob - LexiConn

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel? Don't hold back. :)

You are so right about this. I feel sorry for them. It is sad, so sad.

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel? Don't hold back. :)

You are so right about this. I feel sorry for them. It is sad, so sad.

Amen! I think work and time are the two elements most neglected in blogging today. You hit the nail on the head!

Amen! I think work and time are the two elements most neglected in blogging today. You hit the nail on the head!

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