- Your own site: It’s OK to blog on other forums and websites, but you should own your site for the best results.
- Choose a blogging platform like Blogger, WordPress, or any other that meets your needs.
- Why are you writing? Have a summary or mission statement.
- Have contact info and a contact form if readers would like to get in touch with you.
- Your blog must have a professional image, but it should also reflect your personality.
Have a bio and post your picture, so your readers know who you are and where you come from, professional and personal.
- Set up Google alerts to see what people are saying about you, your blog, or anything related to your topic.
- Proofread spelling and grammar.
- Format your blog, so it’s pretty and easy to read.
- Include the best post list so readers can easily find your featured articles.
- Connect with readers on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
- Write consistently and frequently.
- Post 3-5 times a week, especially when your blog is new.
- Write a series on a topic.
- Take a poll or ask questions to involve readers.
- Have a contest or giveaway to attract attention and to get readers to share their contact information.
- Respond to comments. Get to know your readers by starting conversations.
- Cite your sources for story inspiration. Those sources will thank you.
- Interview other bloggers or industry experts.
- Target content toward those who spread it, people with large social media networks.
- Reward those who share your content by thanking them publicly.
- Choose a subject your target readers relate to.
- Quality writing gives you credibility and conveys professionalism.
- Use illustrations and graphics.
- Write about controversial topics that beg for a response.
- Use bullet points.
- People like numbered lists.
- Use subtitles so readers can skip to topics of interest.
- Write short paragraphs.
- Write a how-to article.
- Make lists of top bloggers, and they will likely want to link to you.
- If you’ve written a great post, spread the word to your personal network.
- Understand that you can’t make something go viral.
- Have “blockbuster” posts once in a while, but fill your blog with normal, simple posts most of the time.
- Do your own research.
- Get creative and interesting.
- Use videos.
- Engage your readers so they will tell their friends.
- Have a list of links to other related blogs. It’s good information for your readers and flattering for those bloggers.
- Submit articles to other websites as an industry expert.
- Attract readers first. Sell to them only after they trust you.
- Do your readers turn into clients? Use a call to action in your posts.
- Write compelling headlines.
- Worry more about your content than your statistics. It takes time to build a reader base.
- Write when you think of good topics. If you think of a lot of ideas at once, you can publish them later.
- Read other successful blogs and note what makes them successful.
- Use RSS to keep up on these blogs.
- Write about popular and up-and-coming topics. No one wants yesterday’s news.
- Use humor to make your blog fun to read.
- Link to other blog posts you agree with and those you disagree with.
- Choose a good domain name.
- Link to the most popular posts in your sidebar.
- Link to related old posts in your new posts.
- Make sure the page title for each post is unique and descriptive.
- Make sure your target keyword is in a heading tag in the HTML code.
- Participate in forums with a link to your blog in your signature.
- Use an XML sitemap.
- Research popular key phrases. Don’t assume you already know the best keywords.
- Have good titles with simple keywords, communicate the topic, and grab attention.
- Choose one keyphrase for each post.
- Use the key phrase in the title.
- Use the key phrase in the first sentence.
- Make the first instance of the keyphrase bold.
- Use the key phrase in each paragraph.
- Link the keyphrase to a relevant website.
- Make sure the repeated use of this key phrase doesn’t sound “spammy.”
- Don’t keyword “stuff.” Both search engines and people will know what you’re up to.
- Create unique meta descriptions and keywords for each post with 50% related to your website topic and 50% related to that blog post.
- Again, create unique tags with 50% related to the website and 50% related to that post.
- Create and use relevant categories.
- Optimize your URLs with a permalink.
- Keep your URL short, so it’s easy to remember, copy and paste, link to, tweet, and share.
- Publish a press release.
- Write a link bait post so people will want to link to you. It could be funny, controversial, free, interesting, or whatever you’d like.
- Make sure old links still work.
- Get a .edu link by getting involved with a school.
- Get a link from a government (.gov) site whenever possible.
- Exchange links with related high-ranking bloggers.
- Write about or link to other businesses, so they link to you.
- Submit a guest article on another blog and link back to yours.
- Submit your blog to directories like Yahoo and DMOZ.
- Embed a sharing system to make it easy for readers to post it on social media sites like ShareThis.
- Have other people promote your blog on social media sites or do it yourself.
- Submit to blog directories in your niche.
- Submit your blog to Technorati.
- Post to StumbleUpon.
- Submit blog posts to Digg.
- Share your blog link on Reddit.
- Share your blog with your followers on Twitter.
- Could you post it on your Facebook page?
- Have a link to your blog on your LinkedIn profile.
- Submit your post to EzineArticles.
- Have an RSS button for readers to subscribe to your blog.
- Allow readers to email your article to their friends.
- Use ShareThis reporting and analytics to see where people are sharing your post.
- Titles are important for readers and search engines.
- Add pictures to make your blog interesting, and use “alt” tags to name your pictures.
- Choose up to 15 categories with strong keywords.
- Build relationships with other bloggers and experts in your industry: share news, advice, readers.
- Track analytics: Use Google Analytics, Google Webmaster tools, or Get Clicky for free.
- Every blog and every blogger are unique. Use the tips you enjoy and that work best for you.
