Introduction to Blogging
Blog is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog features diary-type commentary and links to articles on other websites, usually presented as a list of entries in reverse chronological order. Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.
Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as web design, home staging, sports, or mobile technology. Some are more eclectic, presenting links to all types of other sites. And others are more like personal journals, presenting the author’s daily life and thoughts.
What is a “blogger”?
A blogger is a person who owns or runs a blog or a person who maintains the blog. That is, posting articles or new posts, information, sharing the most up-to-date news, opinions and case studies to name but a few. Such entries are known as blog posts.
I’ll share some of the blogging tips I wished I knew when I started.
1.Write about topics people are searching for
51% of all website traffic comes from organic search. Which means: for your blog to do well, you need to write about topics people are searching for.
The question is: how do you find such topics?
The answer: Use a keyword research tool to generate ideas.
For example, you can enter a keyword into AnswerThePublic—a free tool—and it’ll show you related questions people are typing into Google
2. Build an email list
Own a Facebook fan page? Good luck, because Facebook can take it down anytime.
Have a YouTube channel? They can delete you whenever they want.
If you’re building your following on a third-party platform, don’t be surprised if they remove you or limit your reach.
The best way to combat this is to build an email list.
For as long as your fans are subscribed to you, you can communicate with them anytime.
How do you build an email list?
You need two ingredients: traffic and something of value.
If you’re following the blogging tips in this post, you’ll likely start getting traffic to your blog. So the next step is to persuade them to join your list.
3.Create content worth referencing
Four years ago, Tim, our Chief Marketing Officer, wrote an epic, 5,000-word article about strategic writing. He then reached out to Rand Fishkin, an influencer in the SEO/marketing niche, to let him know about it, hoping that he would share it with his audience.
Rand said no.
The reason? The post was long, but there was nothing unique about it. It was merely a rehash of existing tips on the web.
4.Make your posts easy to read
Nobody likes to read. They just want the information. If they could download it to their brain, they would.
Real talk: nobody is clamoring to read your article. They would rather watch Netflix than read your blog post.
Therefore, it is your job as a writer to help them decide to start reading. As famous copywriter Bond Halbert said, “Good writing creates effortless reading.”
To do this, you need to learn how to edit your copy so that it’s easy to read. The best book I’ve found on this subject is Bond Halbert’s book on editing. (It says ads on the cover, but really, it can be applied to any form of writing.)
5.Update older content
As you progress along your blogging journey, your thoughts, opinions, and knowledge will change. You’ll find out more about your industry, learn new things, and improve your writing style.
You’d be doing your audience a disservice if you do not update your older content to reflect your newfound knowledge and ideas.
Plus, updating your content has an SEO benefit too.
Think about it: even if you rank #1, competitors may try to fight for the top spot. Or Google may “demote” your rankings because it thinks your content is outdated.
So, you should aim to keep your content fresh and up-to-date.
Read also:What is the scope of blogging in 2020
