There are a prolific number of blogs on the internet. It seems that every second person has a blog these days. The number of truly successful ones, however, you could probably count on your hands and toes. If you want your blog to be successful, follow these tips.
Write about what you are passionate about. When you do, it is more likely to come across in your writing and readers will connect with it more. Doing something for the sake of it is never a good idea. You will also find that blogging is much more enjoyable if you write about your interests.
While good spelling and grammar never go out of style, it’s always helpful to have a “voice”. It may be in your sentence structure or the use of certain phrases and key words. Having a recognisable writing style will set you apart from your competition. This may not come instantly, but the whole point of writing is to constantly evolve and improve.
This is a good way to connect with other similar blogs, as well as building an audience. It’s always good courtesy to visit the blog of someone who has commented on yours. So you can see how commenting on other blogs can direct traffic to your own. However, be careful not to ‘spam’ other blogs as this could have the direct opposite effect. Try and show a genuine interest in the post that you are commenting on.
Simply copying other people’s images or content isn’t the best way to build your blog. Why would people want to read your blog if they can just get the same content from the original source? The main problem with using other people’s content mainly has to do with copyright issues. This is still quite a grey area though, so if you do use someone else’s content, make sure to credit the source.
A good blog design plays a big part in readers staying on your site. I’m not saying you should limit yourself to a black and white colour scheme. Just be mindful of the colours that you do choose. Limit the number of main colours in your colour scheme to three or four, making sure that they are all complementary (when in doubt, consult a colour wheel). Colours that are too bright or clashing are a sure fire way to divert readers from your site.
Much like the previous tip, a clear, easy to read font plays a big part in keeping readers on your site. Stay away from fussy fonts as they are hard to read and not all computers may be set up to see them (which means your text will appear as a default font on these computers). Stay away from small font sizes as well. If you want people to read what you have to say, then it has to be legible.
Syndicating your blog can be a helpful way of staying in contact with readers. These forms of microblogging also help ‘fill in the gaps’ between regular posts. Regular tweets or status updates may be useful for sharing information that doesn’t warrant its own blog post. Of course, there’s the social networking aspect. They provide new pathways for directing traffic to your blog.
Reply to comments and emails. Visit their blogs. Listening to their feedback and advice can help you improve the content on your blog. If you build a relationship with your readers, they are more likely to become regular visitors.
Do you have a blog? Or are you thinking of starting one? If you find any of these tips helpful, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Top Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon