Whether you’re just looking to type about a hobby you have or if you want to attempt to run a business, starting a blog might be worthy of your consideration. Before you get started, first take a few minutes to read these expert-provided tips below. Once you learn about blogging, the process becomes a lot simpler.
Take any ideas as you get them for blogging. Make sure to create a place where they can be stored. Writing just when inspired can be unproductive to your blog. Many times, the best ideas can appear when you’re not able to blog. So give them a place to grow and flourish.
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.
Blogging is about writing. If you don’t like to write, you probably won’t enjoy blogging. But if you’ve never tried writing, you may have an as yet undiscovered talent that you would enjoy. So try writing a few practice blog posts. Write about something interesting to you. If you enjoy writing, then blogging may be for you!
Create a themed blog according to what you are writing about. For example, if you have an agriculture blog, build your colors and theme around country roads and corn fields. Colors that seem out of place will be more likely to turn people off from reading and enjoying your blog.
Make a posting routine. This requires lots of self-discipline, but it’s essential to your blog. If it’s not updated constantly, then there’s no blog. Try experimenting until you find one that fits your pace. There are some bloggers that post around 2-3 articles each day, while others post about one each week.
Write about what you know. When blogging, in particular, it is important to write about what you actually know and understand. You could, of course, put a spin on a blog by talking about how you really don’t understand something. For the most part, however, your readers are going to be interested in your expertise and knowledge.
Utilizing social media websites is a great way to generate interest and increase traffic to your blog. You can use Twitter and Facebook to inform readers of new blog articles which they can then share with their friends. These websites also serve as a way to interact with your readers, and find out what they are interested in. Tailor your blog updates to their interests.
Post new content on your blog frequently in order to keep readers interested and coming back to your site on a regular basis. The largest and most popular blogs add daily posts. If this is intimidating to you, try to come up with a few weeks’ worth of writing prior to taking your blog live. When you’re getting writer’s block, you can use posts like these to help fill some of the gaps.
Consider adding pictures or music to your blog. Stimulating their senses will create a fuller experience, and increase the pleasure of your visitors. Choose pictures and sounds that are relevant to the content of your blog. Before you chose anything, be certain that you are not in violation of any copyright laws.
If you have a very long post, divide it into smaller parts, posted with the title and part number. If a reader finds the first part engaging, they will be enticed to return for further installments. Doing so also ensures that your readers do not become overwhelmed by an especially lengthy post.
Posting images to your blog is a great way to add interest. Public domain photographs can be found online for free, with a little searching or you can add your own photographs. Visual interest is important because if a blog does not capture the interest of your visitors they will not stick around for very long. So, spice up your blog with images that reflect your content.
Having fun with your blog not only makes it feel less like work, but it’s important to the way your blog is perceived. Blogging can become boring, and thus be boring to readers if you aren’t passionate and involved in what you are writing. Seek out a topic that you enjoy, and you will feel excited when you write about it. Smile, have fun with it, and you will be able to make others have fun as well.
Whenever possible, you should try to include some first hand narration on the topics that you are talking about. This will make your audience feel closer to you, which will make them want to come back and read more from you. This is a powerful and easy way to make your blog excel.
When linking out, you should make sure that you are regularly linking to other blog posts that are related to you within your own posts and to the posts of other bloggers. Doing this will show that you are a prominent player within your niche, which makes it more likely that readers will gravitate towards you.
Put up new topics often and do it on a schedule. Posting on specific days lets the readers know what to expect. Readers like it when a site has structure, and they also enjoy reading new content. Try to write about a wide range of topics on your blog, as this will stop posts from becoming repetitive.
Never underestimate the importance of proofreading. If you have blog posts that are full of spelling and grammatical errors, then you probably aren’t going to be blogging for very long. When you are tired, in particular, it is easy to inadvertently use the wrong word. Even if it is properly spelled (and thus not detected by your computer’s spell check feature), “their” is not an acceptable substitute for “there”!
Having accurate information to refer to through the blogging process is a big positive. For every successful blog out there, you can bet that there are hundreds that it not. Use what you’ve learned in the article and avoid becoming one of the many; you should aim to be one of the few.