When you first start out blogging it seems like a very hard
proposition. There is so much that you have to learn and much of it is only
learned through trial and error. However there are a few tips that I can share
with you that will make the process easier and more profitable.
1. Find a Niche
The first thing you should always do when creating a new blog is to find your niche. This is the specific topic that your blog will cover. You do not want it to be too general, like cars or pets, but you do not want it to be so specific
that your audience is limited, like a blog just about purple tennis shoes. Find
something you are passionate and knowledgeable about for the best results.
After a few months of blogging about the topic you will grow to hate it if you
do not really love it to begin with. Make sure your topic has a long life also.
You do not want your blog to die off because you picked a topic that will be
passé in a couple of weeks.
2. Know Your Audience
Once you have discovered what your blog is about then you need to know who your audience is. Who will be interested in this topic? If you are writing about children then your audience is probably parents. If you are writing about the latest boy bands then your audience is probably young teens. You get the idea. Find out who your audience is and what they want to read about for the best results. If you do not focus on your audience then you will not have a successful blog.
3. Use Keywords
Part of focusing on your audience is finding out what they want to read. This can be accomplished by using various programs, for a fee and for free, that track what people are searching for online. Keywords that are commonly looked for can help you to generate content that will be both popular and profitable with your audience. You do not want to focus solely on keywords, but using them to inspire your great content is a sure way to help your blog out to a strong start. Be careful not to overuse keywords or make it obvious what you are doing. Natural writing includes many of these words without forcing them in. Just make sure you know who you are writing for and what they want to read and keywords will fall into place.
4. Title Well
Many times the very first thing that a potential reader will see is your blog post title. That is why it is so important to title accurately and attractively. Search engines like Google also look at blog post titles as indicators of their content. For best results try to keep your blog title between three and ten words and use catchy wording. You want to make it clear what the article is about while still giving your readers a reason to read on. Things like numbers and name recognition work well in titles. An example of this would be: “5 Ways That Living Like Batman Can Make You Rich”. The example title is under ten words, it has name recognition with Batman, it has a number so you know approximately how long it will be, and it also gives incentive to read on with the promise of wealth.
5. Break it Up and Keep it Short
Speaking of numbers, list post work very well in the blogging world. For some reason people love lists. I think it is because lists are easy to scan for information without having to read everything. They also give a good indication of the length of a post. For example, a list of five is going to be short while a list of sixty is going to be long. That way the reader instantly knows how long they are going to be reading. Lists work well because they are broken into small parts. The reader can jump only to the points that interest them. However you as the writer also have an advantage. A list post is easy to write because each point can act as a mini post. There is no need to flow or make things fit with a list. Instead you take it on one point at a time, making it very easy to complete. After all, you can write a couple of sentences about anything. Beyond just lists though you should also remember that shorter is better. No one wants to read a huge chunk of text or scroll through pages and pages of information. Instead, keep your posts short. Under two thousand words is unusually a good length. You can also break up posts with headers or bullet points to make it easier on readers to keep track of your points. Use bold to emphasis major ideas, but do not go overboard and make the text too cluttered. If you have a topic that requires a longer post, try to break it up into a post series. That way you can update more frequently and still give readers the information they need.
6. Update Often
Speaking of updates, you should update your blog often. What that means is really up to you. It could be every day, every weekday, or three times a week. As your blog matures you will find out which days are most effective for your niche. However you really should avoid posting more than once or twice a day or you could become annoying to your blog followers. Twitter is the place for short, constant updates, not your blog.
7. Encourage Interaction
Speaking of Twitter, you should encourage interaction both within your blog and with social media. Including Facebook like buttons and Twitter feeds on your blog helps to increase your audience and also helps to make your blog posts go viral, which is a great goal to have for any blogger. You should also have a blog follow button and an open commenting system, the easier the better. I know you will also be open to spam comments, but when readers comment on your posts it really upgrades your blog’s quality. Encourage comments by requesting them and ending your post with leading questions or further thoughts.
8. Become a Part of the Community
But how do I get commenters, you ask? Well, it is as simple as quid pro quo. If you comment on other blogger’s sites then they are likelier to come and comment on yours. You also get the advantage of appearing to their audience. If you write an insightful comment you can get more traffic to your blog, even from a competitor’s blog. The point is to interact with other bloggers and learn from them. The blogging community is helpful and kind most of the time and if you are polite you will get a lot of help from your fellow bloggers.
9. Use Images and Multimedia
Another way to make your blog stand out to readers is to use images. People are very visual and they like interaction. If you can grab their attention with a great image, a video clip, or a infographic then they are more likely to stick around your blog site. Capture their interest and give them something to do to keep readers coming back for more.
10. Keep it Simple
Last but not least, keep it simple. You do not want to overwhelm readers with a messy, overly colorful, and ad-strewn blog. Instead, keep your blog clean and simple and use color for dramatic effect. If your blog is hard to read, like yellow text on a white background, then no one will bother. Make it easy for readers to come in and get comfortable.
These are just a few of the things a new blogger can do to get started on the right foot. Talk to other bloggers to get more advice and learn as you go. Good luck!
