Banking on Your Blogging

There are countless blogging tips you can find on generating traffic or even the best platform to use, but what about how to stand out? Your uniqueness is ultimately what will determine the degree of blog success you enjoy. This is especially true if you are blogging to make money. Your uniqueness will attract the blog traffic your site will need if you expect to earn an income.

Here are 5 tips you can use to help establish a ‘unique’ identity that will help you attract the blog traffic you both want and need to be successful.

Topic Selection

It is always a good idea to select topics that have some sort of popularity with readers.

The topic you select to blog about will not necessarily make you unique but the approach you take to it will. The way you present these topics on your site will determine how much blog traffic you attract. Many people may blog about the same subject but you can gain uniqueness in the WAY you present it.

Opinions Offered

Do not be afraid to voice your opinion on any subject as long as you have some knowledge of what it is you are saying. People love to hear the opinions of others even if they do not always agree. Offer yours and watch the readers’ fire back comments in response. Many times your blog success is dependent upon ’stirring up a reaction’ from readers. This increase in interactivity on the site helps create an atmosphere of community and encourages others to join in on the discussions.

Content Quality

The content on your site should always contain some type of information that readers find intriguing, educational, humorous or useful. If it does not your readers will simply not return, end of story! This is especially true if you are blogging to make money since quality content will give you more credibility.

Timeliness of Information

How relevant and timely is the information being shared? If it is industry news how old is it and if it is industry knowledge how relevant is it at the time of its publication or posting?

Simply said the more timely or relevant your content is the more popular you will become which translates into more blog traffic.

Personality

Everybody has a unique personality therefore use it to your advantage on your blog. The ‘tone’ of which posts are delivered can make any blog distinctive. Whether it is humor, sarcasm, witty or a tutorial type of delivery it is always best to match the personality with the type content that is being posted. This can add ‘entertainment’ value or ‘intrigue’ to an otherwise boring piece of content.

The 5 blogging tips we discussed above will help you to capture your own unique identity or personal brand which will influence the level of blog success you enjoy. The uniqueness you achieve will serve to help attract the blog traffic you need and if you are blogging to make money this will be especially helpful. By following these suggestions or even adding your own little ‘deviation’, should put you on track to crafting an identity people will notice. What you do with this identity is entirely up to you!

Blog posting consistency is one thing all bloggers need to maintain in order to attract and retain traffic. Another variable involved concerning posting is the frequency of which fresh blog entries appear on a site. There is little doubt that in the early stages of blog building the frequency of posting is a major factor in the growth rate of a site. In order to attract any blog traffic you must have posts on your site for readers to view. Obviously in the very early stages you need to build up an ‘inventory’ of content therefore your posting must be more frequent. Once a blog has begun to attract a regular flow of traffic however is posting frequency still a factor?

Here is a discussion comparing the pros and cons between posting schedules concerning their frequencies and how readers and content may be affected.

1 - Frequency/Quantity

Strengths

a) Continuously fresh content is being posted to the blog.

b) The more frequent the blog entries the more frequently search engines will ‘crawl’ your site. This normally results in a higher search engine ranking.

c) The more entries that are posted the more likely the content will be shorter in length and therefore easier and quicker to read.

Weakness

a) It stands to reason that the more frequent the posting the less research and depth the material will contain leading to a decrease in content quality or originality.

b) Posting quite frequently can also lead to a tendency to run short on relevant material. This may create ‘temporary’ circumstances when content is not relative to the theme of the blog.

c) Once again the ‘rush’ to post an entry may result in content that contains information with as much depth as you would expect to find in a comment left on a blog. When your aim is to make money blogging your posts should be more useful to the reader since you expect them to spend money at your site.

2 - Length/Quality

Strengths

a) When posting infrequently blog entries tend to be longer in length and contain more comprehensive quality content. This is especially helpful when your intentions are to make money blogging since readers can see more of an investment of your efforts and contributions. This tends to have a more positive influence on their purchasing decisions.

b) With more time between entries there is generally more insight included in the content due to the time invested in developing it.

c) Posting less frequently to your blog may in fact be more appealing to many readers who have hectic schedules. This gives readers more ‘breathing’ room between their visits allowing them to keep pace with any new updates.

Weakness

a) Many who visit blogs tend to rush through what they read due to eye strain, time schedules, multi-tasking or other reasons. As a result of this readers may lack an appreciation for any additional research or depth a post may offer since they may prefer a ‘lighter’ and quicker read.

b) By posting less there will be fewer visits by search engines which can result in a decrease in blog traffic due to lower search engine rankings.

c) If a post appears longer in length after an initially scanning it, some visitors may opt to skip over it completely. This is not unusual especially on the internet where people tend to ’scan’ content more than they actually read it.

Although a frequent blog posting schedule is needed in the very early stages of its development that may not be the case once the site is established. There appears to be some merit to posting infrequent blog entries as long as content quality remains high. Once your site establishes a regular flow of blog traffic these readers place more importance on quality than quantity. Frequency seems to be of more importance early in the blog building stage to simply attract ‘attention’ but quality tends to better sustain the popularity of the site. In the end it all comes down to what your readers have become accustomed to but one thing does remain consistent, your content must be worth their time.

Creating a blog that attracts traffic involves much more than just getting visitors to stop by your site. The blog traffic that lands on your site wants content that is of interest and displayed in a way that is easy to view. In addition the blog reader wants to know a little about the author of the content insofar as their personality and motivations. Most popular blogs take the time to share not only information but also their opinions or perspectives when it is applicable. It is things like this that help to ‘humanize’ the blog and make it all the more appealing for the blog reader.

Here is a look at 5 aspects of your blog set up that if properly implemented will make for a more comfortable experience anytime visitors hit your site.

Show YOUR Personality

If you got an opinion or different perspective you want to share than do it because your readers likely are interested. This way they get a chance to know where you stand and it helps them to also know what to expect from you.

Remember that blogs are the closest thing on the internet to being living and breathing entities due to the ability to leave comments and interact. This is what makes them so popular so ‘embrace’ the spirit and show a little attitude if you are so inclined. This is expected and accepted!

About You

Give the blog reader a little ‘insight’ into who you are. Tell them why you are blogging and what your intentions are with the blog. What purpose are you trying to serve and what they can expect from you. Besides if you expect any blog traffic to visit and read your posts it would be rude to NOT introduce yourself to them.

Easy to Scan

Do not ‘jam’ up your blog with large blocks of text because this creates eye strain and is intimidating for anyone who first lands on you page. You want to present an enjoyable experience for your visitors and not ‘force’ them to navigate through an ‘ocean’ of words. Keep paragraphs and sentences as short as possible.
Format your post in a way that will make it easier for the blog reader to scan. Use lists or bold subtitles that help people easily review the content and get the ‘gist’ of your message.

Useful Content

Remember you do blog for the readers, so always aim to be helpful. Whether your strengths are humor, adding insight, being quirky or simply presenting useful information always aim to serve a purpose for the blog reader.

Use Visuals

The use of visuals helps to reinforce a point or message that is found in the text. By incorporating social media tools such as video or audio you can also add content other than that found in text.

Strategically placing graphics within the body of your content also serves to alleviate eye strain by breaking up large blocks of content. This offers a haven for the blog reader to rest their eyes which helps to minimize the strain associated with reading off a computer screen.

When you are creating a blog it is always wise to keep the ease and comfort of the blog reader in mind. Subtle things such as a little insight into your own motivations for blogging or perhaps a more ‘user friendly’ layout add enormous appeal. The 5 aspects of a blog which we touched upon above can make a huge impact on the amount of blog traffic you are able to attract and retain. It is no coincidence most popular blogs pay close attention to theses areas to ensure readers have satisfying experiences each time they visit. The point is you want your site to deliver your content in a manner that is appealing and comfortable for the blog reader. Remember their satisfaction will ultimately be your satisfaction as well knowing that your efforts are effective and appreciated!