In 2013, there was an estimated 31 million bloggers in the United States alone and within the next five years, that number is expected to double. As blogging continues to experience significant growth, it is critical for beginners to learn the best methods of finding success whether they are blogging for fun, profit or ghostblogging for another website. The following five tips will help beginners learn best practices and the primary methods of success:
Write your Passion
The most important tip for beginners is to write what you are passionate about. Maintenance can be a lot work, especially if you do not love what you are writing about. If that is the case, find a topic that interests you and write about it online. As the old saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together.” Therefore, those with similar interests who want to be involved in a social platform will visit the site.
Think about where your passion lies and pursue it online. One tip is to not become involved in excessive linking, keyword stuffing, giveaways and other forms of excessive marketing to generate traffic. While adding a link and a keyword occasionally is acceptable, the audience will see a decrease in the content quality if used too often and stop visiting. Readers are visiting the site to learn more about the content you have written, not be involved in these other distractions. The type of audience you want is those who enjoy reading your work.
Differentiation is just as important in marketing as it is in blogging. In most instances, there are millions of other informative sites on the topic you choose. Therefore, prior to launching, it is critical to consider other methods of differentiating from those millions. Although the topic and theme may be the same as other blogs, if you can find a different angle, more readers are likely to visit.
One idea to make your site unique is to post every day which will separate you from casual posters. Another idea is to allow others to share their ideas on different subjects. A third idea is to address topics that range beyond the main theme of the site. Additionally, when considering the design, try adding content such as a video or a photo to engage the reader much more that simple text. Although there are many sites following these exact rules, there are also millions that are not.
Write as you Speak
When writing the same way you speak, you a showcase your writing talents, knowledge of a topic and, most importantly, your personality. This makes the audience feel like they are standing right in front of you sharing your thoughts. This makes for much more engaging posts that are easier to read. The key is to make readers feel comfortable with the copy you are discussing. Depending on the topic, others can help you with issues or vice-versa. Simply put, show enthusiasm, and be casual, engaging and personable in your blog posts.
Deliver Good Copy
Good copy stems from writing content that you would like to read in the blogosphere. For the audience, the worst trick is to be excited about a title and click on it to find the copy is worthless and unrelated. Obviously you will never please everyone but make an effort to be more creative and even appeal to a niche audience. Create good, creative, helpful and informative content to keep your readers satisfied.
Provide Easy-to-Read Formatting
Reading articles, blogs, how-to’s or any other type of material on the Internet is much different than reading a novel or even a magazine. The formatting should be consistent and in small paragraphs to make it easier to read on the screen. Also, bolding headings to differentiate can help users with reading the copy. Headings are critical for separating key information as well as breaking up posts. Unfortunately with modern blogs, headers are under-used. Finally, do not change font colors in the middle of an article. This makes the site look extremely unprofessional.