What do you have to offer that other blogs don’t? In every 24 hours about 900,000 blog posts are uploaded; we’re not saying this, the guys at Technorati say so. And they should know, sincetheyindex133millionblogs!It seems almost impossible to get noticed these days, and yet, there are those stalwart blogs that rise out of the murk and shine. What sets them apart? Honesty, integrity, a unique voice – these aspects and more lift these blogs out of the endless ocean of blog mediocrity.
1. Come Across As An SME
Become an authority in your subject area. This is easy if the subject on which you’re blogging is something very close and dear to your heart. Bring out all your inner wisdom, experience and expertise and share them freely and openly with your readers. If your readers want to know the answer to anything pertaining to your blog, they should come to you.
2. Be Unique
Having a unique voice and perspective is what will make your blog shine.Ifyour blog reads just the same as any other, you won’t get more than a few passing glances. To really stand out, don’t be afraid to stand upandbare it all. Be honest, funny, vulnerable, strong, informative and above all, caring. Your readers should feel your personality in every word you type. 3. Find A Fresh SpaceNo one wants another clone of the same old, same old. Think up a new niche if you can, or work up a genuinely fresh take on an old space. Unless you can think of a way to update a much-used space with a fresh perspective and voice, leave the usual niches alone.
4. Provide Useful Information
There are all kinds of information, but the information that you can use is valuable information. Reach out to your readers with information that they can trust and rely on for their needs. If you get comments from users about how they print out your pages for offline reference, you’ve got it made.
5. Strive To Benefit Your Community
There could be any number of blogs sharing the same niche as you. It doesn’t really matter. You’ll still be raking in the love and the moolah if your focus is on community benefit. Put in some dedication into it, and create a memorable web presence by sharing information, helping other bloggers, providing useful and insightful comments and networking positively.
6. Toot Your Horn
Comment on posts in other blogs, and respond to the comments your comment receives. Let people know you as a receptive, observant and intelligent party. Lead the readers back to your blog cleverly and convert them into your readers. Get those backlinks, trackbacks and whatever else you can reap.
7. Use Eye-Catching Titles
A great headline can catch a wandering eye, prompting the reader to click just to check out what it’s all about. A great headline is your best buddy when you’re a blogger. It doesn’t matter how great your article is if your headline is boring and common.
8. Update Your Blog Theme
Grated content is the king. However, if the most fabulous content is presented on a boring palette with no visual appeal at all, even the most ardent reader will walk away. Use the best fonts, great contrasts and updated designs. If your reader is happy to browse your site, you’ve bagged a new best friend.
9. Make Sure Your Blog Works
Imagine inviting guests over to your house when your dishes are not done and the couch looks slept-in and there’s trash all over the place. Those guests will probably never come again. Imagine your blog is your home – broken links, dead links, bug-infested plugins, clutter, navigation issues and slow loading time will keep your readers out.
10. Use The Right Tools
Submit your posts to social tools regularly. This is your best bet to have your content spread out and get more readers checking you out. Use one of these fabulous tools – Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit, even the Splashpress Blogosphere News.
11. Be Regular And Consistent
How often do you post updates? If you’re missing for any length of time, your reader is likely to lose interest and move on. Once you’ve grabbed a reader’s interest, you must keep at it – think of a reader’s interest as a tender plant that needs watering and sunshine.
This article is written by Dean. He writes for conversion optimization company Invesp – that helps business in fine tuning landing pages, improving their overall campaigns and increasing the conversion rate.
