Blogging Online
March 19th, 2009 by Charlie ReeseBlogging is a global phenomena. People from all walks of life are now able to set up their personal soapbox, putting their thoughts and passions out for all the world to see. The cost of setting up a blog and publishing is one of the lowest cost investments you might find in starting a small business.
Competition is stiff, because there are tens of millions of people who are equally passionate in their desire to express themselves. Blog articles that attract the attention of the search engines and your potential audience must be well written, well researched and rhetorically powerful. In addition, it’s important to have the right mix of blog articles, as different types of postings allow you to attract different segments of the demographic audience you seek. This means a greater variety of readers and more of them. When you write blog articles, there are certain techniques you can use which will improve your rankings with the search engines, while other methods will have the opposite effect. Here’s a brief overview of how to make the most of your blog articles.
Before you launch your blog, write a substantial number of blog articles. If you go live with just a few entries, the search engine spiders may conclude that your site isn’t worth another look for a while. The type of article to concentrate on initially are those which offer the reader substance and demonstrate your expertise in your subject matter.
Let’s say your blog focuses on web design in general, certain elements of page function, such as RSS feeds and the use and placement of ads, as well as techy information on potential effects of using Flash. Each one of these topics is a great candidate for a tutorial style of blog article, which empowers your reader with new skills. Before you launch, this category should be populated with perhaps a dozen such pieces.
Another primary objective of all other postings is to pique the curiosity of your reader. Perhaps you’ve chosen to write a piece examining the pros and cons of using a two column versus three column page design. An open ended question at the end might be, While each design has it’s advantages, you need to consider the factors that are best for your overall needs. Let me know what you think. Your comments will be helpful to other readers. This invites participation and a lively and active blog audience. Controversial topics and unusual slants also promote interactive discussions with your readers.
Be sure you post a new blog article every day. If a visitor sees that you post daily, you are psychologically you are communicating your commitment, which is contagious to your visitors. Your site traffic will grow far more quickly if your content is always fresh and of good quality. Conversely, if you post infrequently or erratically, readers lose interest. If you’re not interested or active, why should they be?
Another technique to integrate into your blog postings is to seek out other quality bloggers in your topic area and write occasional comments on a particularly relevant (to your readers) posting. Once that blogger starts to see your regular, intelligent comments, they may come and take a look at your site, thus spreading the word to their readers. You can also develop a blog article of your own, using an excerpt from that other bloggers entry, essentially writing a review. You can include a back link from your site to theirs, which ups your ranking with the search engines.
One distinct advantage of the blogger site is that, if yours is opinion oriented, discussing controversial topics, you have a free hand in your expression of your thoughts, within reason. So you are free to demonstrate your passion for your subject. Do so! This will garner a wider range of opinions, making yours a lively and popular blog. There you have the basics of creating blog articles that will help you quickly gain a loyal following.
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