Expert blogging can seem like an elusive concept, a skill that is hard to cultivate. Do not feel intimidated by it, because it is a talent that can be learned. Blogging is merely communicating with your website visitors in an informative, and engaging manner. Take some advice here on how to make your blogs stand out from the pack.
Make sure that you consistently post when running a blog. If you don’t post content regularly, then your site traffic will diminish fairly quickly. Have a guestbook or contact information posted as well, so your audience can interact and provide feedback. If your readers are happy with your response, they are more likely to come back.
Use the correct spam filter for comments. If you require registration to comment, a CAPTCHA on the registration page is usually sufficient to keep spammers away. If you allow anonymous comments, an “advanced CAPTCHA,” that is, one that asks the user for “the number of hours in a day” or something similar is usually enough. Avoid services like Akismet, as these produce lots of false positives.
If you are starting your own blog, you probably won’t have a multitude of readers and comments right away. You will have to search out people and show them you exist. Some ways to do this are with social networking, such as
Facebook and Twitter. Use these sites to communicate with people, not just to post links.
Find blogs within your niche and comment on their posts. Google Reader has an excellent tool for keeping tabs on blogs that are related to your own. Comment on these regularly, when there is something you want to divulge.
Make controversial posts. We all know this is what keeps readers coming back for more. Think about it, if you write a post that everyone agrees with, it will get boring and many people won’t want to read it. When you write controversial things it will keep readers coming back for more.
Give your readers all of the different links to social networking sites they need to follow your blog easily. You can increase your blog’s impact and your own reputation if you make use of social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This will allow your readers to forward your content to their peers and bring in more traffic.
Use bulleting to ensure that certain points stand out in your blog. Bulleting is used in traditional print media as well. That is because it makes even difficult to digest material more manageable for readers. Bulleting should be reserved, of course, for delineating the most important parts of your text.
Majority of the traffic that your site will receive is going to come from search engines such as Yahoo, Google or Bing. Knowing how to use SEO tools is going to help you to have a higher ranked webpage which will bring in more viewers. You will know how to use the correct keywords and where to place them for the most success.
Try to include an about us page on your blog site. This is a place where you can connect to your readership and a place where you can explain what your blog is all about. This will help you connect to your audience and help you clearly define your blog for yourself.
Aim to have a large number of videos in your blog. Use TubeMogul in order to publish these videos in as many different places as possible. In addition, you should ensure that your blog URL is not just simply in the video. It should also be in the text description that goes along with the video.
Avoid a blog that is too general in scope! Don’t make your blog about anything and everything or you will find no audience exists for such a thing. Instead, focus in on a subject you know well or have a great interest in. By doing so, you will stay interested in blogging and connect with readers with similar interests. So, pick a topic and stick to it and you will build a following.
Be sure to identify the hotspots of your blog. Hotspots are the places that tend to be the most visible on your blog. What you have in these areas depends on your layout and your reader’s reading habits. You could use the space for various incentives, such as reminders for subscribing, advertising, or even premium content.
While it is important not to use an extreme amount of graphics, you do want to include some images in your blog at least. How many you choose to use depends on the type of blog as well. While the text is the most important part of a blog, images help attract readers as well as elaborating on the meaning behind the blog.
When you are trying to think of a topic to write about for your blog, it is important that you find a topic that people are going to want to read and a topic that people are going to want to share with their friends. This will give you the greatest attention from the surfers of the world wide web.
On a particular day, or days, each week, provide a definition to a word relevant to the topic of your blog. Include some history or other important notes of interest. Be certain that you have properly researched the word before you post it, and make the presentation exciting for the reader.
Be careful when deciding whether to use ads in a blog. They are often used by blogs to generate money. Advertisements aggravate many people and can appear to demean the focus of your site. The reader immediately figures out that you’re trying to earn money.
You now are equipped with the information and techniques needed to create meaningful blogs that are packed with information for your customers. The more informed they are, the more you will see the results in your bottom line. Employ the techniques you have learned here, and get started on writing unique blogs for your own website.