Writing an Excellent Blog
Important Elements, Suggestions and Tips for Successful Blogging
Jun 13, 2007
The basic concept has been developed, the appropriate name has been chosen, and now it is time to move forward to the next step in blogging. What now? With millions of blogs out in the blogosphere, how does one make their blog stand out from all the rest?
Below, are some basic suggestions and tips to ensure blogging success:
Readability
The readers must be able to read the blog. Although experimenting and playing with loads of different colors, fonts and designs can be fun, readability is crucial. If the reader can not see what he is reading, he probably will not stick around.
User Friendly
- Navigation. Can the readers navigate easily and find what they are looking for, quickly?
- Check the links. Do they all work?
- If advertising is published on the blog, placement is important. Make sure the advertisements are not distracting from the actual content of the blog.
Content, Content, Content
- No matter how great and clever the blog looks, people will not return if the content is simply not there.
- Make it unique.
- Make it different.
- Passion. Be passionate about the subject matter.
- Rich and relevant content is crucial.
Visually appealing
While some may argue this is the most important aspect of a blog; others may say content is king. Regardless of which is more important, the blog should be visually appealing.
- Use images that add to the story.
- Embed videos that help explain the blog's purpose or point of view.
Frequency
- Determine blogging frequency. Will it be done daily or every other day?
- Pick a schedule, and then stick to it. The readers will be looking forward to the routine.
Load time
- While adding music, videos and tons of photographs can be fun to do, if a blog takes a long time to load, the audience may not return. Ensure the page opens quickly.
- If possible, test the blog on various computers, different browsers and operating systems.
Comments
- Blogging is interactive; it’s a conversation between two people, or many.
- Reply to comments.
- Decide prior to publication, if all comments will be posted, or just the positive ones.
- Will comments be moderated before they are published, or posted immediately?
- Be prepared for spam.
Important elements to have on your blog
- Have a “Contact Me” link. Many times, the readers want to contact the author. Do not make them hunt for that information. It must be easily accessible.
- Have an “About Me” page with a photograph. Write a short bio. Loyal viewers are curious about the author. The "About Me" page also makes the blog more personal.
- News-Feeds are valuable tools
- Choose great titles with descriptive headlines. There may be only one chance to grab that audience. The reader will decide by the title, if they want to continue reading the posting.
- Archiving older postings can be very beneficial to loyal readers.
Miscellaneous Suggestions
- Blogging requires a lot of work and a lot of time.
- Patience. It takes time to get noticed. Be patient.
- Be prepared for burnout.
- Before publishing, double, triple check grammar and spelling!!
Self-Promotion
- Be a guest on other blogs.
- Leave messages and comments on other blogs.
- Blog rolls
- Add the blog address to all email account signatures.
Increase exposure by Driving traffic to the site
- Submit to search engines! There are many free ones available.
- Getting the blog "out there", is critical to readership
Like most things in life, blogging requires hard work, diligence, determination, and patience. Fine-tune along the way, and most of all, have fun!!
