Five Keys to Better Blogging
Even though blogging is a relatively new aspect of the web, the number of blogs is increasing exponentially every day.
There are only so many people looking at the internet to begin with, and all of those blogs are competing for traffic.
The question you must ask yourself is "how can I become a better contender?" 1.
Keep Producing Quality Content Every blog has one thing in common, and that is that they all have a specific focus.
You need to keep your current readers interested and at the same time attract new readers.
In order to do this, there are few things you need to remember: • Write meaningful entries.
Your readers need to gain something from your blog.
After all, they are spending their valuable time reading it.
• But consistent with your updates.
Your readers want to know when they can count on reading something new on your blog.
• Stay active in the blogging community.
Respond not only to comments made on your own blog, but others as well.
• Concentrate on quality not quantity.
If you can say something in five sentences, do that.
Dragging it out for three paragraphs will only make people less likely to read it.
2.
Make Your Blog User Friendly If people cannot find the information they are looking for the will just move on to something else.
Your page has to be organized and easy to work with.
Readers who want to subscribe to the RSS feed should be able to do so with ease.
Organization and design can make or break your success in the blogosphere.
A few tips for keeping organized are: • Put the RSS Button in an easy to find location.
Avoid burying it within your content.
• Make your entries clear and concise.
• Include specific categories and a search box so that readers can navigate your site easily.
• Too many bells and whistles on your blog are a waste of space.
(If you need an example, think of all the gadgets on your cell phone that you never use).
• Use an easy to understand writing style.
A blog chock full of terms that aren't understood by the average person will be passed over by the average person.
When providing a definition of lesser known terms, keep the definition simple.
3.
Make People Aware Of Your Blog.
If your blog cannot be found, no one can read it.
Here are some steps you need to take to insure that people know you're out there: • Use SEO (search engine optimization) techniques to help gain readers.
You can just search "SEO" and find many articles on how to do this.
• Use blog search tools such as Pingoat and Ping-o-Matic.
These will help the blog search engines find your blog as soon as it is updated.
• Use social media to find new readers.
Digg, Del.
icio.
us and Reddit are examples of social media that you will want to use.
4.
Be an Individual Don't look like everyone else who has a blog.
Experiment with different layouts, tools and visual devices in addition to unique content.
5.
Pay Attention to Your Reader After all, your blog only exists because of the readers.
Make sure that you interact and listen to them.
If they feel that they are not an active part of your blog, they will move on to something else, not matter how outstanding a blogger you are.
There are only so many people looking at the internet to begin with, and all of those blogs are competing for traffic.
The question you must ask yourself is "how can I become a better contender?" 1.
Keep Producing Quality Content Every blog has one thing in common, and that is that they all have a specific focus.
You need to keep your current readers interested and at the same time attract new readers.
In order to do this, there are few things you need to remember: • Write meaningful entries.
Your readers need to gain something from your blog.
After all, they are spending their valuable time reading it.
• But consistent with your updates.
Your readers want to know when they can count on reading something new on your blog.
• Stay active in the blogging community.
Respond not only to comments made on your own blog, but others as well.
• Concentrate on quality not quantity.
If you can say something in five sentences, do that.
Dragging it out for three paragraphs will only make people less likely to read it.
2.
Make Your Blog User Friendly If people cannot find the information they are looking for the will just move on to something else.
Your page has to be organized and easy to work with.
Readers who want to subscribe to the RSS feed should be able to do so with ease.
Organization and design can make or break your success in the blogosphere.
A few tips for keeping organized are: • Put the RSS Button in an easy to find location.
Avoid burying it within your content.
• Make your entries clear and concise.
• Include specific categories and a search box so that readers can navigate your site easily.
• Too many bells and whistles on your blog are a waste of space.
(If you need an example, think of all the gadgets on your cell phone that you never use).
• Use an easy to understand writing style.
A blog chock full of terms that aren't understood by the average person will be passed over by the average person.
When providing a definition of lesser known terms, keep the definition simple.
3.
Make People Aware Of Your Blog.
If your blog cannot be found, no one can read it.
Here are some steps you need to take to insure that people know you're out there: • Use SEO (search engine optimization) techniques to help gain readers.
You can just search "SEO" and find many articles on how to do this.
• Use blog search tools such as Pingoat and Ping-o-Matic.
These will help the blog search engines find your blog as soon as it is updated.
• Use social media to find new readers.
Digg, Del.
icio.
us and Reddit are examples of social media that you will want to use.
4.
Be an Individual Don't look like everyone else who has a blog.
Experiment with different layouts, tools and visual devices in addition to unique content.
5.
Pay Attention to Your Reader After all, your blog only exists because of the readers.
Make sure that you interact and listen to them.
If they feel that they are not an active part of your blog, they will move on to something else, not matter how outstanding a blogger you are.
