Blogging is taking over the Internet these days. Everyone wants to get their message out to people on the internet. Standing out from the crowd by creating and maintaining an interesting, relevant blog can be difficult. Use the tips presented here to create a successful blog to attract readers, and maybe even earn you a few bucks.
Use tags correctly. Tags let you categorize your posts into different categories, which can then be searched by readers. Each of your posts should have two or three tags. Make sure you use the same words for similar posts (don’t have a “bikes” and “biking” tag, for example), and don’t give posts too many tags, as this tends to clutter up categories.
Make sure that you do not have duplicate content. You can check for this by using the robots that are out there. If you do have content that is duplicated, the search engines will probably tag your site for spam, and you will not wind up getting the attention that you are looking for.
Always strive to be real. Don’t be a “know it all”. Be honest, be transparent, and be available to your readers. Make authenticity a hard-and-fast rule. Blogging is known to be the best way for a person to express their individuality. Don’t try to prove your perfection in your blogs; your readers are more likely to respond to you if you feel vulnerable and human. If you aren’t right, then you aren’t right. You are a unique person and that is part of your individuality.
Write posts in advance that you can use when you are busy or just can’t come up with a new topic. We all have those days that we are on a roll and the words are just flowing. Take advantage of those days and write some posts that you can stash away for a rainy day. Use those posts when you need to take some time off.
Design your blog to keep not just the reader’s interest but also your interest. If you grow bored with what you are writing about, you won’t be likely to keep blogging. Even if you do, the quality of your writing will suffer. Your readers will be able to tell that your writing has lost some of its punch.
Structure your posts so the reader can simply scan them to catch the gist. Those who read blogs are, as a rule, an impatient bunch. They flip back and forth between pages practically at the speed of light. If you want to get your message across, give them something that will catch their attention with just a quick scan.
Refrain from using blog designs that are similar to MySpace. This means using extremely busy designs that have too much content on your screen, too many animated graphics, etc. Having these busy designs makes it extremely difficult for your readers to read your blog. As a result, they’ll likely leave.
There are many good blogging platforms available with Blogger and WordPress being the most commonly used services. Both are great free platforms that allow one to quickly set up a blog for free. Blogger has the advantage of allowing commercial content whereas with WordPress you must upgrade to a premium service to post commercial content. Let your purpose for blogging be your guide when choosing a blogging platform.
Guest blogging can be your best friend when it comes to leading readers to your own blog. Find a good, relevant blog whose owner will allow you to post. Then create some awesomely written posts and make them stand out among other guest posts. Use this tool to give readers a taste of what they can find by hopping over to your blog!
Try to utilize synonyms for your keywords. This will ensure that your site does not come off as a piece of spam. Varying your word choice is also a great way to catch the attention of your varied audience. This is an easy step that can make a world of difference for your blog.
Try not to overdo using other types of social media on your blog. If all or most of your tweets contain self-promoting links, you may soon be overlooked for predictability or even ignored entirely. Intersperse links with interesting, ‘stand alone’ content.
Encourage your readers to comment on your blog. This will keep your readers feeling that they have an active role in your blog. Try and respond to as many comments as you can. This keeps readers coming back so they can keep discussing your topic.
Take advantage of the many tools that have been specially created for bloggers. In the last year of two the market has exploded with software that is designed to make the blogger’s job easier. If this software is used correctly, not only will your blog benefit, your job will become considerably easier to handle.
When you are creating videos for your blog, you should make sure that you are doing all that you can to be as real and personable as possible. Videos are extremely important when it comes to the brand of your blog. Do not waste this great opportunity for branding your blog.
Try to include at least one picture in your blog posts. Images can sometimes express an idea better than words. They improve the overall reading experience. Choose compelling pictures related to your posts that readers will be likely to remember. Using pictures creatively will increase the chances that a reader will revisit your blog, and share your posts with others.
Utilize tabbed zones when you recommend articles. The sidebar area is also of critical importance. You can make a tabbed zone that will contain the articles you feel are important for each category. This lets you see what can be found and it can greatly increase your click rate for your chosen articles.
Blogging is all over the Internet today. People blog for lots of different reasons, creating a huge number of unique blogs. The Internet is big enough to accommodate a wide variety of blog topics. Use the tips and tricks, from the article above, to make your blog successful.