Five Fundamental Blog Tips
Kia Ora
Good evening, from New Zealand, friends and colleagues
For the very newest among us who might be brand new to Blogging I offer the 5 Fundamentals that I believe should be the foundational guidance in writing any Blog.
Personality Counts
Avoid the trap of writing what everyone else does, or how everyone else does. The audience wants originality, authenticity and above all to trust the writer.
Develop a style, test and adjust it over time and when you find what works then deliver it consistently, but stay relevant because disruption is all around us for those who believe in a foolproof formula.....there isn't one.
Personality changes and matures over time and a Blog can too but only if that is what the audience wants and expects.
Write For People Not For Google
Which is a great segway into remembering that we write for people not for SEO or Google. We write to perform a service that people are seeking; information, knowledge, enlightenment, yes and even just entertainment.
If we write what people are looking for then Google will follow.
That is ultimately what they do, they serve up what people want, and they get that from our content.
Be aware of what is happening in the world of Blogging and particularly in the niche of choice, because then we are better informed about audience expectations.
Invite Commentary Interact
Commentary provides credibility creates authority and develops the personality of a Blogger and their Blog further.
Do not shy away from controversy which is not to be confused with lewd, rude or inappropriate exchange.
Controversy can be a good thing and can bring a Blog to life if handled sensitively and intelligently.
An effective blog should be a dynamic interactive experience for the audience.
Find Great Titles
A good title is the bait on the hook. It is what draws the audience to the Blog so that we may then deliver the package inside the Blog.
As an extreme example last night I posted a title which was actually the opposite of what I was going to talk about.
This was because I was aware of the psychology that would cause people to open the Blog expecting one thing only to find another
But the Blog itself was written in such a way that it kept the reader reading, because what was inside was of value to them and was wanted, or maybe even needed, by the reader.
Develop Cadence Create Expectation
Once we develop a personality for the Blog, and gain trust by delivering what is required by the audience, we must then consistently deliver to an expected cadence.
Irregular cadence will confuse and irritate an audience and eventually cause them to seek their information elsewhere.
Posting regularly is more important than posting frequently, though the key thing is to find a balance between the two.
It is generally recommended to be producing 2-3 posts per week.
Follow The Basics Adjust to Taste
Following these 5 basics, monitoring responses and audience figures, testing and adjusting along the way, for what does and doesn't work, will help top develop an effective authoritative Blog.
With that, from New Zealand, Friends and Colleagues,
I wish you a peaceful day or night depending on your hemisphere,
Kia Koa, Kia Kaha
Hamish🧐
Recent Comments
130
Good Morning Hamish,
That is solid advice, without foundation things do not last. I know this well myself as I have build quite a few things here on the farm. Brick and mortar stuff like flowerbeds, bookshelves, fishponds, and a pergola. I am proud to say it all still stands and functions.
Over time, one develops one's own style and setup. When I check on old posts, there is a lot of fine-tuning needed.
Websites evolve, and it never gets boring while you are watching your creation grow up.
Stay safe and healthy,
Taetske
1981.Good Morning Hamish,
When I bought this, at that time 150-year-old ruin in 1981 I had no idea about building. I talked to the workmen who were making this place liveable, and they taught me the basics of cement/sand mix. My first job was a little fishpond on my patio in 1981
It was an old well filled with big stones. Probably so village children would not fall in as this place had been abandoned.
I build my fishpond on top with an overflow into the well and underneath the rainwater from the patio could go there too. It was rather rustique but still functions after all these years.
This is a photo I took recently when there was a tremendous downpour. When it rains, it is an event as we get far too little in the south.
Stay safe and healthy,
Taetske
Writing for people is certainly the case Hamish but without a bit of love from big Mr G, people may not find it to read it!
With millions of blogs and hundreds of millions of blog posts out there in the dub dub dub universe, yours has to come somewhere near the top of page one to stand a chance of getting eyes on it. This where writing with Mr G in mind comes to the fore.
Then, if it's written for the people (who find it) they will enjoy it, but not before hand.
Good tips Hamish, hope you had a great day!
Mark
As I said to Lawrence Mark if you write for Mr G I think you will be disappointed. If you write for people and then Mr G you stand a chance of success.
A keyword might get people there but it will not hold them, thats why you must write four people...in my opinion, doesn't make it right.....🧐
Don't disagree but a beautifully written post that could be lapped up by readers galore won't be seen by many unless Mr G serves it up to them in the SERPs.
It may get an audience worthy of its content if it's linked to from elsewhere or if the writer pays for clicks but if you want it to be found and read freely then Mr G's game has to be played beforehand.
No ranking - no views - no readers!
Just my two penn'th of course Hamish 🙂
Mark
We will agree to disagree on the priority order but will violently agree on the two ingredients being required.🧐
No problem with that at all Hamish, healthy "debate" is one of life's fundamentals and joys.
Hope you had a great day🙂
Mark
Great post
Although I did have to google 'Cadence'. I had never heard the term before.
Unfortunately, the first definition is musical 'a sequence of notes or chords'. So I now have a picture of you playing the bagpipes to your audience.
It's Monday morning, the start of a very new and exciting week. I'm allowed to be a little weird!
I read a lot of posts in my news feed. Most of the source are everything from mainstream media to very large blogs like the Huffington Post and ESPN as well as popular scientific, automotive and financial blogs like the Motley Fool.
In almost every post you can easily tell that the author is putting his own personality into it. No matter whether they a pushing a political or social agenda or breaking down the NFL team's draft choices and giving their opinion of who did good and who didn't.
Some of the authors are employees of the outlet but I wonder if some of them are freelance writers well known enough to get chosen to write for the big and high paying outlets.
To stand out you can't write the same way as the less successful.
Even if I call somebody an idiot for their delusional political and social takes I still read their posts.
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Good morning,
I hope you are having a wonderful morning. Thank you for the information.
I have found in my writings, that these are key items to take into consideration when writing your blog.
Good information especially for those who are new to our community!
Have a great weekend.
Carla
You too Carla always nice to have a chance t E chat with you take care🧐