A good blog is rare to find - its like diamond.
You can find a lot of rocks these days, but not diamonds.
In a couple of earlier posts I talked about what makes a good blog post from the perspective of both the reader and the blogger.
Click on the links below to read them (seriously, don’t miss them).
What makes a good blog post (from the blogger’s perspective)?
Now let’s get to the big picture - What makes a good blog? I’ll dive right in. After reading this post, go back to your blog and see if you have all the elements that make a good blog.
If not, you need to fix your blog right now 
A user-friendly design
A blog’s design should be user-friendly by all means. Blogs are written for readers and it is the duty of the blogger to ensure that the readers are treated really well.
Some of the things that should be taken care of are the following:
Design that’s clean
I cannot stress the importance of clean design for a blog. A blog that’s designed clean would help readers focus on the content and will not distract its readers.
I see a lot of blogs with cluttered design these days - lots of ads, pop up forms, flashy banners, very less white space and very less content that is immersed in all the clutter.
Oh and use that sidebar space wisely!
Easy to navigate
Most websites I know of, confuse people a lot. A blog that has clear navigation certainly wins the heart of the reader. Why? Because they don’t have to figure out what to do next.
Don’t give your blog readers a hard time in navigating to another page of your site. Make sure you have links to “About”, “Contact” pages etc. on all pages. A good way to do this is to have a menu that is present on all pages.
Also see, if you have the links to your money making pages easily accessible.
One more thing that not only your readers love but the one that Google loves too is using breadcrumbs. They give your site a nice structure and you can make it a lot easier for your readers to navigate back to root pages.
Remember most users will land on your blog’s inner post pages either via search engines or social media or via other forms of sharing. So you should make it easier for them to get back to the home page.
Watch this video to know more about designing a blog for conversion (there’s no audio - don’t panic!):
Killer content
I don’t think I have to say this elaborately; but content forms a solid reason as to why people would think your blog is good! A blog that has a good design but has crappy content will soon be found out.
A blog’s design will help keep the readers for some more time, but if the content is crappy, readers are going to find it out very soon and are going to jump off your blog.
Creating killer content is what that will help you build a strong base for your blog. You need to create killer blog posts and other forms of multimedia-rich content that “wow”s your readers.
If you are doubtful about creating killer content or if you are stuck with it, you will need to grab my free e-course on creating killer content (click on the banner below - it’s totally free)!
A good blog should serve the purpose
Every blog has a purpose. In my opinion, a blog is a marketing tool. It could market a business, or a brand or a product or a service - whatever it may be - if the marketing purpose is not served, the blog is not a good one.
More precisely a blog should be able to convert all the casual visitors into prospects and customers. If it fails to do so, it isn’t a good blog - it isn’t a successful blog.
Or watch this video:
What makes a good blog? What do you look for in a blog?
Do you have any more characteristics or features that you’d look for in a blog before your mind judges it to be a good blog?
To me, I look at the following things (in a nutshell)
2. Exclusive, useful content
3. The content has to be easily digestible (no big blocks of boring text)
4. I should be able to navigate through the site pretty easily (the most common thing I’d look for is more info - say About page and more relevant posts)
5. Social proof (I don’t know if I’m right looking at it - but this shows that a blog is well received and is performing well)
How about you?
Oh ya, the most important point. Before you look for “things” that makes a good blog on other blogs, pay a visit to YOUR blog and see what needs to be fixed!
Well now I must go and read thatt famous blog post of yours. This was a good article…very true too!
hi Jane,
A blog can be created for any purpose, to generate traffic and monetize it with AdSense, Amazon, etc. It can also be used as a portfolio, lead generator or community magnet.
For example, for a freelance designer his or her blog should be his or her business card… it has to showcase your skills, client testimonials and samples.
For a designer, the blog in itself (how it is created, included its layout, navigational menu, sidebar, etc.) represents undoubtedly the best proof.
For a writer, his content (what he writes or produces on the blog) is the ideal proof. Which generates clients.
I’d say a good blog serves your purpose strategically and gets results on a regular and consistent basis.
Why most people stop blogging after awhile? That’s another story; however, the main reason is lack of purpose. Without a purpose, you cannot measure results and success.
Hope it helps?
“I’d say a good blog serves your purpose strategically and gets results on a regular and consistent basis.” - that sums it up all, pretty much. Thanks for your comment Ryan
hi jane
nice article one more time you done great job. very informative post i hope it will helpful with me. thanks for sharing.
Content should be always be valuable. One of the most exciting things about using a blog to market a business or a company is that it comes with the opportunity to connect with the consumer by providing the latest news and information. If your blog content isn’t valuable, you aren’t portraying your voice as a trustworthy authority in your industry.
You hit the nail Paul - no valuable content = not a good blog, period.
I too like easily digestible content Jane. Great post!
If I strain to read I am gone after a few seconds. Use short, punchy paragraphs and plenty of video to resonate with me.
Building an interactive blog scores big points in my book; that’s why I dig video. Once a blogger becomes human to me - meaning I can see them on video - I form a stronger bond with the individual.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan I so agree with your point about videos - I’ve experienced them many times. I’ve started making videos as of now - but not with my face on it so far
You have given me the push 
Thanks!
Thanks for these wonderful tips, Jane. I would try to work out for an easy to navigate and a clean designed blog. I’m confident that my posts are already unique and interesting.
Another important thing is “passion”. If you have no interest in what you are writing about, readers will pick up on it extremely quickly, especially after your fifth or sixth post.
Writing killer articles is the best way to get more readers. Consistency is the second thing to keep them intact for your blog’s health.
Excellent post. All these are definitely key elements that constitute a good meaningful blog. Once your blog possess these components then you know you are the owner of a good blog.
Great article, Jane! To sum up everything, just follow the rule of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) then have a unique, interesting and trending content. Also, learn from the expert like this wonderful MetaBlog.
I’ve seen many blogs with great design but with no real useful information! Content is the KING, no doubt about that! You are quite right when you say that your blog should serve the purpose!
I agree with every single Point. The first aspect of a good blog is Content, of course. But great content without a good usable design, would be futile if the content is difficult to reader. Design and content go hand in hand.
A good blogger may count topics i mean any topics, important or not he/she can grab a readers attention
I think that to write a good blog at least we have a bit of writing skills, and attention to attractive content to attract readers and avoid abusive content
All of these components to make a blog a “good blog,” are all tied up together. If you have a nice layout, but bad to little content, then it defeats the purpose. It’s like going to an all you can eat buffet - the more good stuff, the better the buffet (blog) will be!
Hey Jane,
Awesome post. For me what I love is a clean blog, one that is easy to navigate and a blog that has awesome killer content on it as well.
When those 3 things are applied to any blog then it can become successful.
Thanks for the post and reminders that you have provided.
Keep up the beautiful work.
Hi Jane,
I agree with every word mentioned in this post. Thanks for sharing. I have two blogs and am constantly trying to nurture them so that they are good.
Nice info…I would like to say about the use of Breadcrumbs,
You have said
“One more thing that not only your readers love but the one that Google loves too is using breadcrumbs. They give your site a nice structure and you can make it a lot easier for your readers to navigate back to root pages.“
No doubt the use of breadcrumbs will create an ease in blog navigation but i think in search results , the keywords will not appear properly(due to meta description limits) and it may affect your search rankings…?
Hello,
Good blog is nothing but a blog with good design and compelling content. So working on design should be first step.
Thanks