Better Blogging Through Solid Tips And Tricks
Blogging can be a place where you show the world your personal thoughts, or it can be just someplace where you're looking to earn a little bit of money. Whatever your reason for blogging may be, it is important that you are knowledgeable on what to do. Read on for some tips to get you started.
Use tags correctly. Tags let you categorize your posts into different categories, which can then be searched by readers. Each of your posts should have two or three tags. Make sure you use the same words for similar posts (don't have a "bikes" and "biking" tag, for example), and don't give posts too many tags, as this tends to clutter up categories.
Since blogs are written on a more personal level, you should avoid writing in formal tones. This will make it easier for the reader to relate to you on a personal level. This will keep your readers coming back later on to read more of the blogs you write.
Don't overdo any element on your website, such as advertising or keywords. Such practices will have your blog flagged by search engines, which hurts your ranking and undoes your hard work. Your writing tone should be natural, and the words should flow smoothly.
Make your blog stand out from the competition. Stick with interesting, unique content. Providing information that is difficult for people to find will also draw readers. Consider writing about your hobby, or an experience you can share that few people have had. Share your own expertise into a process or job that most people know less about. The idea is to provide readers with a reason to look for posts on your site.
Providing an RSS-to-Email option is a great National Day Fact tip for those running a blog. This can be used so that readers have the ability to subscribe to all your latest posts without needing an RSS reader. Even today, lots of people do not use RSS, so using a RSS-to-Email service is crucial. An excellent choice for one is Feedburner.
Give your readers all of the different links to social networking sites they need to follow your blog easily. You can increase your blog's impact and your own reputation if you make use of social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Such sites give you invaluable access to a virtually infinite audience.
When you are writing, make sure that you stick to what you already know. You want your articles to be written with some level of expertise so that people will take you seriously. If you have to spend a lot of time researching, it will come out in your writing that you do not know much about the topic.
Avoid the overuse of personal pronouns. When most of your blog is coming from an I, me or you standpoint, it can turn the reader off. You may be perceived as lecturing, pompous or just plain narcissistic. Make your writing a little less personal, but still remain approachable. It is a good balance to find.
Link building is a great way to traffic to your blog. In order to generate enough quality links you need to submit your blog to web directories like DMOZ, Aviva and other blog directories. Doing this creates incoming links which help your site get spidered, indexed and ranked higher by search engines, all of which drives more traffic to your blog.
Consider making posts that contain fun lists, like a "top ten," or whatever number you desire. You can do this on a regular basis, enticing your readers to see what interesting list you conceive next. You can use bullets or numbers, with links to greater content included in each one.
Try using some brainstorming techniques. A very simple, yet intimidating thing can be applying some large filters to your content. A good example would be something like a list or a how-to. If you are struck with writer's block, try sitting down and finding a specific number of ways in which the issue can be solved.
Use interlinks to encourage readers to visit several of your pages in one visit. This will make your site more easy to navigate and will keep your readers happy. One annoying thing about amateur blogs is the inability to find other pages. Make finding things simple for the reader without overwhelming them.
Try to keep your fonts simple and easy to read. If you try to use fancy or small fonts, your readers might have a hard time figuring out what you are trying to read. You want to give your readers as little to complain about as possible so they will come back to your site often.
Once you have an established readership, consider monetizing your blog. There are various ways of doing this, depending on the host of your blog. Even if your blog does not have a theme that is easy to monetize, you can add a donation button, allowing visitors to donate to your site through a service like Paypal.
Apply header tags to easily separate the sections in your blog posts, wherever you can. Also, make sure that you are using good search engine keywords in those headers. This will make your blog come up more in the search engines and in turn, will bring more traffic to your blog.
You have spent some time reading all about the world of blogging. Like anything else in life, the more knowledge you have about a subject, the better off you will be. Keep this article handy for referring to anytime you may need it, and have fun on your journey.