2. Blend With A Good Theme - A Good Theme For Your Blog Is Very Important. Make sure that you check out one that will be of ease for you to use and manage. There are a lot of options you can choose from. The most commonly used is Wordpress. WordPress is a state of the art publishing platform that focuses on aesthetics, web standards and usability. It is available for free and priceless at the same time.
You can also use Blogger. New blogspot themes are created everyday. The platform is free so if you are starting out and would like to test the waters first, then the theme will be the best option for you. It is easy to use and new features were added allowing owners to experiment.
Just make sure that you check out your options first before signing up for an account. This enables you to see which one will fit your lifestyle and your writing style.
3. Give Your Blog A Splash Of Security - Make it easy for your readers to comment on your blog, but more often than not, some people, especially the spammers, take advantage of this… so make sure that it is also secure. There are a lot of plug ins now available to make sure that spammers are kept at bay.
Another thing you must do is to have a captcha. Captchas is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that it is not generated by a computer. Most themes already have plug ins available. You will also be able to have a way for your readers to sign in their name, email (which is secured and not published) and their website as an option when they comment.
Gravatar enabled sites also makes it easier for you to identify people who comment on your articles. Image source.
4. Spice It Up With Cool Visuals – I have learned this from Richard (@Minervity). It is not enough that you use words that will inspire and move your readers to action, but choosing the best images is also important.
But you need, of course, to consider that the images you choose are something relevant to the topic you are writing about. They must also not clash with the color scheme of your own theme. Many people take this for granted. Don’t! It is a must that you give ample time to find striking images.
When you find a good image, make sure that you acknowledge the source of your image. Placing a link of where you got the image is important. It is your way of giving credit to the original owner of the picture. Of course, it would be great to take the pictures yourself, but we are just being realistic here. Image Source.
5. Top It Off With A Good Article Title - Choosing A Good Title Is Another Important Consideration. Don’t just write an article title, put some thought into it.
I make sure I carry a small notebook with me, just in case an inspiration hits me. Imagine, putting so much effort into your research, you labor with the images to use, all the hard work will be a big waste if you do not at least pique the attention of readers.
But it is a big no no for you to create a title that is way off your article. It must carry the essence of your message. It is like the summary of your thoughts.
You can use word association. One can also pose a thought provoking question. It of course will all depend on the mood and the pace of your article. Practice makes perfect. If you don’t get it the first time, back track your older posts and see what catches your reader’s attention.
6. Garnish Your Blog With A Killer Design – The most comments we get are those that mention how beautiful the blog is. I am of course proudly talking about Bit Rebels.com as well as when I would write articles for Minervity.com. Having a good theme should always be complemented with a killer design.
Layout, colors, tabs, must all be put together in such a way that it is pleasing to the reader’s eyes. One must consider the way their readers will look at one’s site.
It should not be so crowded that people will have to squint their eyes just to view every bit of detail that you put into it. It must also be relevant to the type of information you are sharing. Imagine your site is on design, and your site has a crappy one, what do you think your readers will feel? Remember killer design is important. There are a lot of designers who you can tap to work with you just in case you want to have a customized and personalized feel to your site.
7. Let It Simmer And Let SEO Do Its Job - You have worked hard on building your site and now it is time for some help via SEO. Search engine optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to your site from search engines. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry – specific search engines. This will enable your site to have web presence. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific key words and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of the search engines.
A lot of beginners take this for granted and wonder why their sites are not searchable. We will discuss this in more detail in succeeding blog posts. You can check out a lot of articles related to SEO. You can even ask your web developers to help you maximize your web presence. Image Source.
8. Serve It Hot Via Social Networking Platforms – The social media revolution has truly begun. More and more people are getting into social media platforms like Twitter, FaceBook, FriendFeed, Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious.
I believe that it is important for a blogger to be part of a social networking platform. Why? Because people want information fast and easy. And the best part of it all is that you also get to connect with people with the same interests that you as an author have. Plus this will allow you to build relationships with your readers.
You get the pulse of the news, of the people who make the news, and those who are interested in the news, real time. If you have great information to share then you can do so easily. Recommendations from people based on their experiences are more accepted now than those that are seen on traditional media. Besides, you need to be authentic because people will see right through you. It will take time for you to build credibility as a beginner. Have patience and persevere, in the long run you will reap its benefits. |
