What should you observe and then learn from other blogs when you visit them and read their article ? What are the things you look in the blog apart from reading the articles as well as commenting smartly after reading the new article ? I have been thinking about a list to things to observe in a blog to learn and use them in your blog in order to improve quality as well as popularity of your own blog.

Here is a list I normally try to observe when I visit a blog a new blog:-

First I always check if it is taking too much time for loading the page! If it does, normally, depending on mood, I wait or close it. If it opens before I had a chance to open, I see if it is in English, if not close it quickly. After that I observe the following :

1. Layout of non-scrolling area of their home page
I do not scroll as soon as the home page opens. I look it it has tag line. Then I look for ‘components’ or modules those are visible in this area. I normally look for these things :-
a. Does that blog display featured article in this area.
b. Does it display one 336X280 image advertisement ?
c. Does it display a a 468X60 advertisement banner in the header ?
d. How prominently is displays email subscription to the blog, twitter follow link and other social media links.
e. Search option
f. Does it display its latest blog posts.

Then I scroll down to the footer to check if they put up widgets their as well as what Wordpress theme it is using!

2. Check side bar, font and back ground colors
I check number of side bar, position of sidebar, where it is positioned left or right side. Then I check if quickly if they display list of recent posts, most commented posts, most viewed post. I check if they have any interesting title. If find any, I normally click that.
Then I see background and font color. If it is soothing to my eyes or not! If not I make an opinion that blogger does not have an idea about usability of websites! And then I start reading an article.

3. Article reading
I start reading the title and first paragraph. If I find it interesting enough, I continue else look for next article. I also check sentence construction as well as spelling and grammars. Normally I do not care much about them as long as the topic is interesting and I am able to understand it.
Once I complete reading the article, I see what the blogger put at the end of it
a. Does he put a share button ?
b. Does he put an 468X60 advertisement from Google AdSense ?
c. Does it put Subscribe me button.
d. Does he put related posts.
e. Does he put any new module, component that I did not know before.

That is for a new blog I visit. When I visit a known blog which I visited earlier, I always check its page rank if it has increased or decreased. Then check the date of the latest post. If it is one months old, I normally go and check the date of the last comment the blog received.

Then I try to remember if the blog has changed its theme! If yes, I go what theme it is using by quickly scrolling down to footer. If it does not show theme name and theme website, I quickly view the page source! Yes, I do that and try to find out the name of theme!

Then I check how many posts I had missed and why. If I find I really missed, then I try to find the email subscriber option and sign up immediately. But I like those blogs which updates some 2/3 times a week. If it is more, I just check the title of new post and give a pass if not interesting enough.

As for those blogs which I read regularly I, I keep visiting and check number of comments. And read the comments too and try to reply I like or dislike any comment. Normally, I like the commenter who gives a link back to their blog.

So, these are the things I observe in a blog when I visit them for the first time or visit again. How about you ?