12 Easy Ways To Improve Your Blog.
Blogging has changed dramatically since the first blogs hit the internet in 1997. Evolving from online diaries of the writer’s life, today’s blogs have a wide range of faces and functions. Some blogs come and go while others sustain themselves for years becoming niche hubs and popular destinations. Aside from talent and commitment what separates the fly-by-nights from the blogs with longevity? That’s a question every ambitious blogger is dying to answer. But it all starts with a desire for constant improvement. It’s important to have a plan if you want to advance your blogging skills. Dissecting the strengths that makes some blogs surpass others will help you turn your own blog into a more successful venture.
Making improvements is not a tough task
Design
An uncluttered design, focusing on content, is the most attractive to readers. Readers are not looking for dancing bears or blinking lights telling them they are the “one millionth” visitor. They come in search of intelligent content about a topic of interest. Blogs should be organized and easy to navigate. Poor designs can instantly turn off a visitor before they ever read a single word you have to say.
Related posts
Utilize “related posts” plug-ins whenever possible. There are more than a few varieties available online and this plug-in follows each post with links to other posts that have similar subject matter. This can keep readers engaged and reading more on your site rather than leaving. This is particularly useful when visitors come in from search engines via informational queries. When “related posts” are easily accessible it increases the chances they will continue their research on your blog, as opposed to going back to the search engine.
Headlines
An effective headline is the most important way to draw readers. Titles should attempt to summarize the purpose of your post in the headline, but they should also fascinate and intrigue. They should also encapsulate phrases you would like to be found for in search engines. The most important on-page factor in SEO is the title-tag, so the words used there will impact how often each post is returned in searches. Try to use words and topics that people might be searching for.
Be Succinct
Make your point using as few words as possible. Remember, most people have severe Web ADD and giant blocks of text will be not be appealing. Avoid unnecessary verbosity, run-on sentences and big paragraphs. Long posts should be broken up with numerous sub-headings or bulleted lists to make the post more visually “digestible”. Use bold font to highlight the best points, insights, wisdom, humor or clever turns of phrase.
Consistent Style
Whatever your style of writing is, use it consistently. Comedic, technical, academic or casual, pick one and stick to it. Your readers will want to know what to expect. Chameleons may be cute but they aren’t very effective bloggers. It’s ok to have an off-topic section for those days you feel like breaking the mold, but as much as possible stylistic cohesion will be an attractive feature for visitors.
Social Media
Social media has been accused of diminishing the public interest in blogging. Why write 140 words when you can write 140 characters? Perhaps it may have cut into blog growth a bit, but there are still lots of people with plenty to say. Make sure to create social media profiles for your blog in as many places as it makes sense, but particularly Facebook and Twitter. These are great places to promote your logo and to network with other bloggers, readers and other individuals that may become readers in the future. Prominently feature your social media contact information on your blog so that no one has to work too hard to find you.
Branding
Learn to see yourself as a “personal brand”. Site design, blog content and writing style are all aspects of branding your blog. A logo design will go a long way toward launching your blog’s brand and making it memorable. Once you have a logo, make sure to use it. A small item that not many bloggers think about is a favicon. That’s the tiny little graphic that sits next to your URL and lets readers know who you are. Add a favicon to your blog to give an extra touch of professionalism.
Business Cards
Speaking of professionalism, even if you aren’t necessarily “blogging for money” don’t miss the opportunity to see yourself a business. While there are numerous online channels for you to promote yourself, never neglect the offline ones as well. It’s relatively cheap to print up business cards and having one will be a great way to build your community and be remembered every time you discuss your blog with someone in person.
Keywords
Keywords are important, but use them wisely. When it makes sense, try to incorporate your main keywords in your blog titles. But only use keywords that are truly relevant to the content of your post. Whenever possible, back-link keywords to older posts; strong interlinking can be a boon so search engine rankings. Just keep it natural, overuse of keywords in a post is abusive to your readers, and will impede real community development. Also, in spite of some claims, it’s and not particularly attractive to search engines either.
Credibility
Is your blog content bizarre or believable? Offer some information about yourself that will build credibility with your readers. Let them know what experience you have that contributes relevance to your posts. You can increase your authority by getting interviewed, attending conferences, participating in contests, guest blogging and joining blog carnivals. The more active you are in the community the more likely you will be used as an informational reference point. All of these efforts and citations will add to your credibility and build your readers’ trust in your words. However the flip side is that you must be honest. Any hint of lies or deception will undermine all of your work and could potentially destroy your reputation entirely.
Interesting
If your blog is devoted to the pregnancy suspension ability of female armadillos, don’t expect a large following. Readers look for content that stimulates thinking, provides information, educates and improves their abilities. The broader range of relevant topics and ideas you can incorporate into your blog the more mass appeal you will generate.
Edit Before Posting
Edit your post and then edit it again. Nothing turns readers off faster than a blog full of misspelled words and awkward grammar. Before you can be accepted as credible, your writing must be technically correct. Think about each post as a good pot roast, you need to let it rest before you can serve it. If you can give your work some time to sit and then revisit it with fresh eyes to catch any errors, repetition or unnecessary words.
Blogging for fun or profit is rewarding but only if you make the effort to do it right. When you are always looking for little ways to strengthen and improve your blog you can earn a loyal group of followers and maybe some cash as well. There are a lot of little things you can do every day to build a better blog, but it’s amazing what a difference the “little things” can make. It’s not always easy to pay so much attention to detail but when you do, you’ll find that love you put into your blog will be returned ten fold by your readers.
