Do you know how many online blogs are out there? It’s hard to pin down a number because many blogs start up but are effectively abandoned by their creator, yet still have that ghostly online presence.
If you consider that the number is in the many tens of millions and millions of blog posts are written every day, how can you compete to make your site grow?
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Plan your site from the start
Anyone setting up a new venture needs a plan. It’s especially the case for a blog that may start just as something to tell people of things you’re passionate about, but that could develop into a business that makes money.
It’s easy to set up a template for a blog and start by throwing out a few random ideas, but successful blogs take time in the planning stage to get it right from the off and engage readers from the get go.
Identify your audience
It seems obvious, but who are you aiming this blog at? Is it for a general or a niche market? How do you plan to draw people in? If you don’t know who your audience is likely to be it’s hard to tailor content that will attract people in the first place and then keep them wanting to come back.
Whether it’s DIY tips, healthy living information, tech tips or a huge range of other subjects, you need to structure your content, so it stands out from the crowd. And boy, there sure is a crowd out there!
Research other blogs
Many blogs become stale because either their content is poorly written and laid out, have too much going on regarding visuals, or simply aren’t updated on a regular basis. Take some time to research what other people are doing and have an open mind. If you like the way someone’s doing something, ask yourself why and put your answers into action for your own site. If you don’t like something then identify what it is you don’t like and avoid falling into that trap.
Content is king
It’s not just what you write; it’s the way that you write it. And it’s not just what visuals you use it’s the way that you use them.
When you’ve got an idea take the time to plan your article thoroughly before you start to write. Too many blogs have ideas that are poorly thought through, with incorrect spellings and poor punctuation, and thus can be an immediate turn off for a reader. If you want people to read and appreciate your work take the time to make it flow and check it thoroughly before posting.
As well as information you want to get across and share, think about writing an opinion piece from time to time. Readers will often appreciate the words of someone they have come to trust as an expert in your field, and you don’t have to be controversial unless you think it would be useful to stimulate discussion.
If you’re writing a political blog, you can probably be as controversial as you like!
Original content is much more likely to help your site grow, and though it takes time and thought it has a much better chance of drawing in readers and keeping them than regurgitating other people’s ideas and posts.
Make a visual impact
The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words has a large amount of truth in it. Sometimes a picture can be the difference between a reader staying with or leaving a blog. You can be imaginative in your use of visuals and Dreamstime stock photos, adding color to your post and providing images that complement what you have written.
Use different types of content
Videos and podcasts are popular ways to increase the range of content for your blog, and using infographics from time to time to illustrate a point can make a succinct contribution to what you want to get across.
Give people the opportunity to share your blog with buttons for the likes of Twitter; Facebook, Instagram and any of the other platforms that you think would benefit you by getting your messages out. Design your site carefully, make it easy to navigate and don’t clutter it with too much information and visuals.
Blog for the future
It’s not hard to produce engaging content to help your site flourish, but you do need to take the time to plan effectively, research thoroughly, design well and provide content that will interest and enthuse readers. Enjoy your blogging!
