If you want to set yourself apart as a blogger, you have to do a few things differently. These tips have helped me in my blogging career. They are the result of intensive and committed blogging. Some are guidelines, others are more like explicit instructions. Good luck with your journey. I welcome feedback as comments or questions.
- Be mentored: offer someone doughnuts!
- Monitor inbound links.
- Don’t link out more than you have inbound links.
- Write a dynamite “ABOUT” page for your blog.
- Have a “Best of” page.
- Guest blog out there.
- Host guest bloggers on your blog.
- Write reviews with proper references (ie; IMDB for movies)
- Optimize use of categories.
- TAG by idea, not by words used.
- Write great excerpts, summaries, and introductions.
- Use search words in your title.
- Pick a simple theme and then test, test, test.
- Paragraphs no longer than 10 sentences.
- Here today, gone tomorrow: remember your post is not a bestseller in process. Write it and move on.
- Submit your best stuff to social media. Even better, ask your friends to.
- NOFOLLOW when you should NOFOLLOW.
- Outline your post. Don’t “freewrite.”
- Use pictures.
- Get a picture hosting and posting routine you like.
- Use Google Reader. Leave comments.
- Have a minimal sidebar. Most the “flair” out there is so distracting and lame.
- Make subheadings in BOLD.
- Don’t “create” topics, wait for them to come to you. be ready with a yellow pad or tape recorder.
- Use the future posts timestamp feature of WordPress to get more than one post started in one sitting.
- Schedule deadlines to be mailed to you through Google Calendar (No, I don’t work for Google … wish tho ;) )
- Find your “niche” and become a slave to it.
- Value SEO and learn things about it.
- Set goals.
- Monitor results of goals.
- Spell check and correct basic grammar. Try Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style.”
- Make posts over 100 words, around 200 words and usually not more than 400 words.
- Get away! Time off captures ideas.
- Go to the Library for inspiration.
- Use RANK then do not pay any attention to it.
- Value real readers not empty “click-through” traffic.
- Know your stats.
- Be entertaining.
- Regularly post.
- Be accessible as an author.
- Blogging is not instant gratification.
- Spend most your time working on your own blog and smaller amounts commenting and blog hopping.
- Adjust as necessary, be flexible.
- Don’t look for advertisers, rather look to be the type of blog that would have advertisers.
- Check out addons and plugins available to you.
- Take an official photo.
- Be a brand.
- Ask for feedback
- Put ideas in your blog as “drafts” for rainy days.
- Measure success on your own terms.
Follow these tips and your blog travels will be stronger than a Samsonite.
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12 Comments
These are great tips. Thanks and I plan on putting many of them into use. J
Twitter: rileycentral
@Jen: Thanks a bunch. I hope they help you.
Thanks a lot for sharing these tips. They are amazing.
I’m going to try and make my blog more professional-looking in a few weeks.
Twitter: rileycentral
@Atif: You are welcome. Thank you for reading my blog. If you like it well enough tell social media through the button above.
Hi Damien. Just a few comments:
Twitter: rileycentral
@Blog Bloke – helping you to be a better blogger: Exceptional and true comments. I responded in a whole new post since there was so much to say. Thank you! 6 Mo Better Blogging Tips
Thanx a lot for the tips Damien. Some of them are new to me. Would certainly try them out.
yo!! totally agree!!!
Nice tips, thanks for sharing!
I will start using them…
Henry
http://spanishto-go.com
Great post. I look forward to using as many of your suggestions as possible. Nice guide. Thanks.
Excellent tips. I may just bookmark this or favorite the Digg so I can keep coming back to it.
Twitter: rileycentral
@Eric Brooks: Thanks so much for the comment and Digg. I took a lot of time one afternoon to think these out. It’s very gratifying to know people are reading them.
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