Banking on Your Blogging

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!

When creating a blog there are a lot of things you need to be mindful of such as theme, design, layout and niche. Something else that should be of concern however and is often initially overlooked is the style of writing used. Most popular blogs have a distinctive ‘delivery’ in the way they post to their sites and this has a lot to do with their popularity.

Developing and adopting a writing style should be started early on in the blog building process and here are 3 compelling reasons why.

Adds Personality

By developing your own style you are better able to stand out from other blogs by giving yours a personality. Readers look for and expect a little personality in the blogs they visit. Most popular blogs you visit will normally demonstrate a little personality in the way they deliver their message. This helps to ‘humanize’ the site and makes it more inviting for readers to leave comments.

Easier Writing Process

By establishing a particular style of writing when blogging it is the norm that this writing style reflects the way you usually communicate with others. Once again we are speaking about you introducing some personality into your blog. By using a style with which you are most comfortable you will find that this makes the writing process much easier for you. Being that the delivery you are using is more natural to you the writing process will flow more smoothly as a result.

Makes for Interesting Reading

Using your ‘unique’ style that reflects your ‘unique’ personality will naturally make the blog content on your site very original. By introducing your insights, opinions and perspectives you can add ‘flavor’ to even the most ‘vanilla’ content’ you post. Readers tend to like content that may show a twist or offer an opinion that provokes thought. It is simply human nature to have an interest in what others may think. Another advantage to thought provoking quality content is readers are more likely to comment so you have therefore stirred an interest and ‘encouraged’ participation.

When creating a blog attention needs to be paid to establishing a style of writing with which you are comfortable in communicating your thoughts. Adopting your ’style’ early on in the blog building process helps to ‘brand’ you with readers while you are developing both your blog and your reputation. The 3 reasons we discussed above are legitimate and well-founded insofar as they help to better distinguish your site from the others online. By ‘branding’ your site with your own unique style of writing you stand a far better chance of becoming one of the most popular blogs within your niche.

Blog comments are normally a good sign since it indicates people are reading your posts. If fact this form of participation should be encouraged by asking your readers to post comments at the conclusion of any of your blog entries. Most popular blogs are generally littered with user comments and this is something you will want to strive for on your site as well.

Now the point will come where you will experience an increase in participation on your blog. Eventually your readers will begin to post comments faster than you can read them. This is great, your site is gaining popularity, congratulations! If your blog is monetized to earn you an income all the more reason for the good cheer!

OK now what do you do?

Here are 3 tips you can use as a ‘rule of thumb’ when managing comments left on your blog.

Discard Unrelated Comments

Invariably you will receive many comments that are unrelated to any blog entries or subject matter being discussed on the site. Upon closer inspection you will likely also find many links in these comments. You are dealing with spam which is the online version of junk mail. Discard these comments since they serve no other purpose than to clutter up the blog.

Respond to Direct Questions

Questions that are directed at you should be addressed as long as they are related to the subject matter spoken about on the blog. To ignore these questions would be the equivalent of snubbing someone and you want to avoid knowingly doing this. On the other hand you may find a question that is not aimed at anyone in particular and these comments should also be allowed.

It is also quite common for readers to post comments that ask questions not always directly related to what you may be discussing. In effect they are taking advantage of the community spirit that exists and are looking for help/advice. You have a choice here of either discarding the comment or allowing it. I suggest you allow it since you want your readers to know your site can be considered a ‘resource’ for them.

Post Good and Bad

Do not be too ‘thin skinned’ about any comments you receive that are not as flattering as you may want. If the comment is well grounded or meant to be constructive than let it be. Even though you may not want to see it yourself there are others who may have an interest in such a comment. This may be YOUR blog but you have built it for the readers so do not withhold any comments from them just because of your own personal bias.

In the end readers will admire you more for being so open and humble.

Blog comments are something you want to see more of on your site. Looking around the internet you will find that most popular blogs generally have active readers who litter the site with their comments. This is good since it shows your blog entries are generating a reaction and better yet they are even being read. At a certain point you may begin to find that as the number of comments increase so does the difficulty in managing them. The 3 tips we discussed here today serve as a guideline for helping you ‘navigate’ and categorize your comments. Using these tips merely as a ‘rule of thumb’ should succeed in helping you to place, discard or respond to comments in an orderly and sane manner. What are your thoughts on this?