Time to put your blog on a diet?
Widgets, plugins, advertising, blogrolls, images, videos, and more can be added to blogs to add functionality or just plain fun. There are thousands of add-ons to consider using on your business blog, and many of which will be beneficial to you or your readers. However, add too many of these added features and your blog will balloon from fun and functional to fat and flaky.
The problem with blog add-ons, plugins, and widgets
- They can distract your readers from your larger purpose — giving them useful, relevant content that they want
- They slow down your site loading speed — even though many people have high-speed connections, making them wait is likely to make them want to leave your site altogether
- They don’t always add value — while they may be cool or unique, they may provide nothing that your readers are looking for when they come to your site
- They don’t always work — if something in your sidebar stops functioning even temporarily, you’re left with a big blank space, or worse some gobbledygook that makes your site look bad
- They can lure your readers away — some widgets are so cool that your readers end up visiting the widget-creator’s site and leaving your blog entirely
Tips for putting your blog on an add-on diet
Ask yourself these questions to determine which widgets/add-ons to keep, which to toss, and 
which to limit in some manner. If you answer “yes,” this widget is good for your diet. Any “no” answers mean it’s time to wean yourself from the widget or not consume it in the first place.
- Does this add value for my readers?
- Does this add value for me?
- Is this the most simple/pretty/clean way to add the functionality I seek?
- Can the look of the add on be made to complement my blog’s theme?
- Do I get enough control of the widget to create a professional blog presence?
- Is this add-on being used by my readers now?
If you have other tips for keeping your blog svelte and stylish, please chime in. Or, if you have examples of blogs from either extreme, send in the URL so we can all go take a look.
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Hi Shonnie,
Great tips. There have been many many times I’ve taken a second look at my blog and thought, “That doesn’t look right. I don’t need it anyway.”
All too often I see third-party widget after third party-widget, needlessly cluttering a blog.
Comment by David Airey — March 10, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
Thanks for your “second” of these ideas, David. Nice new site by the way. You do make some really eye-catching logos. Have fun!
Comment by Shonnie Lavender — March 11, 2008 @ 9:45 pm
Not only can those widgets “junk up” your blog…some of those widgets can be positively HARMFUL too boot!!!
I had a HORRIBLE experience with one that seemed innocent in the “Blogrush” sense… and as a result my blog’s (not the one above) PR went from a 3 to a zero overnight!
You’re so right… sometimes less is MORE!
Comment by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd — March 14, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kathy. I think it’s helpful to share such experiences so others can perhaps avoid similar problematic steps.
Comment by Shonnie Lavender — March 14, 2008 @ 10:28 pm
already reduced the number of widgets I had, too many not really useful that had been there for ages!
Comment by Aprende Coaching — April 20, 2008 @ 11:30 am
“They can distract your readers from your larger purpose — giving them useful, relevant content that they want.”
I agree with that statement 100%. When I come across a great blog post, I get distracted and I end up doing two things:
1. If the content is relevant and interesting, I subscribe to the RSS feed and never come back to the blog (unless there’s a video or image I can’t see through Google reader).
2. If it’s not (1, I move on to the next interesting blog.
Comment by HeyStephanie — June 23, 2008 @ 12:33 am