Here are seven essential elements you should include in your blog's sidebar:
1. Option to Subscribe
Assuming you have remarkable content on your blog, which I know all you HubSpot blog readers do, your readers would be interested in coming back to your blog to read your latest posts. So make it easy for them! Add a subscribe button linking to your RSS feed URL. You can use Feedburner to create this URL from your original RSS feed URL, as Feedburner makes it easy for readers to add your feed to their RSS reader, like Google Reader . Also, make sure to include an email form field to allow users to subscribe via email, so your posts will go straight to their email inbox.
2. Category List
Often called “categories” or “topics,” this is a list that makes it easy for your readers to find content that they are interested in. Most blogging platforms automatically create this list from the categories or tags that you assign it when configuring each blog post. Try not to assign more than 1-3 categories per post, since any more would diminish the usefulness of sorting your content by category.
3. Most Popular Posts
The sidebar is a great place to display your most popular (usually meaning the most highly trafficked) blog posts. This way, readers won’t have to dig through pages and pages of content to find your most remarkable content. It will also peak people’s interests to find out why these posts are the most popular.
4. Recent Blog Posts
Including recent blog posts makes it easy for users who enter your site through a single blog post (rather than the homepage) to navigate to your most recent content. This is a great way to encourage readers to remain on the site and get additional page views.
5. Search Box
A search box makes it easy for your readers to find content based on the keyword or phrase they’re looking for. You can have this in your sidebar, but another popular option is to have the sidebar in your header (like HubSpot’s blog ).
6. Social Media Connection Options
These days, RSS isn’t the only way readers keep tabs on their favorite blogs. Include links to your social media profiles, such as Facebook and Twitter, so that you can provide updates to your readers on sites that they visit each and every day. You can even add a Facebook Like Box (previously called Fan Box), so that users can “like” your fan page without having to leave your blog.
7. Calls-to-Action
Now that you have all this great content and blog traffic, you should include calls-to-action for what you want your readers to do next. This is especially useful if this blog is a business blog, as you can include CTAs leading to your landing pages and get leads. Try to make your CTAs as relevant to your blog content as possible. You’ll be able to place the most relevant CTAs within each blog post (usually at the bottom of each post) since you’ll be able to customize this space more easily.
What do you think is the most important blog sidebar element? Vote for one in the comments, or add your #8!
Diana Urban
is a User Experience Manager at HubSpot. You can follow her on Twitter
@dianaurban
.
RSS Alien image from Smashing Magazine .
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Eric Peterson 9:52 AM on October 07, 2010
As always, valuable checkpoints from HubSpot. What are your feelings on blogrolls, or "Blogs we like"? I like the idea of sharing the love, as well as the confidence portrayed by such activity.
Lee Kirkby 9:58 AM on October 07, 2010
The idea of embedding a specific call to action in the side bar is a great one. Good way to bring specific focus to a current area of interest. Hadn't thought to do this before.
Glenn Ferrell 10:19 AM on October 07, 2010
All good recommendations. I agree with Lee that the call to action is a great idea - something that usually doesn't get to the top of the priority list. I use Sharebar for social media connections and like it a lot.
Gregg 10:25 AM on October 07, 2010
What about an "editor's choice" bar. These may not be the most popular, but relevant to the business for people to read. Any thoughts?
Charlie Seymour Jr 10:28 AM on October 07, 2010
I always look to HubSpot for great information and this post fits that bill. Though I have on my website MOST of what is described here, there were some other thoughts that reminded me about the work I still have to do. Thanks!
Charlie Seymour Jr
http://PersonalSuccessMarketing.com
Specialist Dental Group 10:51 AM on October 07, 2010
Another great recommendation from the good folks at Hubspot!! We are in the process of adding some of these items to our blog
Blogs certainly allow more flexibility in sharing current information compared with corporate websites.
Gabriele Maidecchi 11:47 AM on October 07, 2010
Nice suggestions, I often see blogs putting all sort of stuff on their sidebars without any real clue on how to make it effective for your goals. Your list is sure a welcome help towards the right direction.
Gretchen Nemechek 12:08 PM on October 07, 2010
Great Post. Since we run our blog on Hubspot, I would like to ask the following questions:
1) How do we get a search bar in our sidebar? Is this available with Hubspot?
2) I notice on the hubspot main blog page, each of the articles has a blurb with read more link at the bottom. We would like to be able to do this on our blog as well. What do we need to do to configure this? Thanks for the great content!!!
Landon Calabello 1:23 PM on October 07, 2010
I love HubSpot's info! It is always helpful.
For me there is not so much a #8 in mind, but rather a way to motivate users to take action with your CTAs, subscriptions, etc.
Incorporating incentives for users to take action within your sidebar is key. Just like HubSpot sending me a great whitepaper on using Facebook for business when I signed up for their newsletter.
Thanks, guys, for the great work!
Jon-Mikel Bailey 2:25 PM on October 07, 2010
Number One is really important, especially the part about the email signup. I still find tons of readers who are baffled by RSS. BUT, they still read blogs and know what an email and email newsletter is. Thanks again guys for another great post!
Davina K. Brewer 2:32 PM on October 07, 2010
Not sure it's necessary for both recent and popular posts; I include a few as excerpts under each post itself. Agree with Eric on the blogroll, recognizing other blogs and sites.
As part of the Option to Subscribe and Social Media connections, I'll add: contact info, esp. if you don't have all the SM links. FWIW.
SecurEdge 2:42 PM on October 07, 2010
Great list -- I agree that number one is the most important. You should always have an option to subscribe by email. Its one of the easiest options a reader can take to convert.
Andy Ptacek 4:11 PM on October 07, 2010
Great list! I always look for the most recent post list on other blogs, but just realized I didn't have it on mine... Glad I read this :)
Eddie Gear 9:49 PM on October 07, 2010
Good Recommendations. I do not believe in adding a social media connect button on all the sidebars. I only put them on my contact page. Do you think its mandatory and its gonna make a big difference.
James Chai 12:28 AM on October 08, 2010
We would add
1) Related Topics
2) Popular Tags
3) Helpful Links (other than your own)
Jay Walsh 12:52 PM on October 08, 2010
I have to agree with all but one of the items: the search box. In the number of sites that I've created (when looked through the Google Analytics overlay) the search box his hardly used, if at all.
The Humble Executive 6:40 PM on October 08, 2010
Great post. I am going to try to put a search box on my blog.
Richard Santos 10:31 PM on October 08, 2010
Great info..I'll be coming back for more...
Faheem ul afaq 6:07 PM on October 10, 2010
great help, thanks, our's have 6 of them. :)
FAQ Support Rep 2:15 AM on October 12, 2010
How does this CTA or Call to Action work?
Jane 1:10 PM on October 12, 2010
Thanks for the useful list - am also wondering how to get the search box on our Hubspot-hosted blog. We've been looking to implement that since day one.
rebekah donaldson 5:00 PM on October 12, 2010
8. Have a 'Creative Commons' license for your blog content, so it can be excerpted and republished with proper attribution. It's the right thing to do, and encourages link love.
NOTE: I think usability may decline after putting more than say 5 elements -- some of which are going to be quite long -- in a narrow sidebar. At the least, 95% of this stuff will be waaaaay below the fold. So which element is first (at the top) could make all the difference.
EcoEvaluator 11:08 AM on October 20, 2010
Another great post from the gang at hubspot. These are all legitamate points and worthy of our attention. Keep up the good work.
Himanshu Chanda 3:49 PM on October 20, 2010
I would say these 7 are great point The 8th imp thing is dont have the 8th item. I will make things look cluttered
Howard Smith 3:19 PM on October 21, 2010
What a great suggestion for a call to action in the blog side bar. It ties the blog back to what my site is all about. Thanks will implement!
Latief@Simple Blogging Tips 8:45 AM on October 24, 2010
Yes, sometimes we forge about this basic things for our blog. Thanks for remind us ;)
Sara Sentor 7:34 AM on October 28, 2010
Proper use of the side bar is highly recommended for a blog to survive for long. It would be interesting to see what happens if some posts or comments that receive great public attention are kept for long duration.