Whether you’re blogging for profit, pleasure or
promotion, your primary goal will always be to get as
many eyeballs as possible on your posts. As the bigger
kids on the blogging block – like Daily Blog Tips – have
proven, it’s possible to start from scratch and attract a
substantial, highly profitable following over time.
Some of the most popular niche sites such as
Mashable began as hobby blogs and now serve up
millions of page views per month. If you want to get to
that level, there are a few things you should keep in
mind when structuring your blog’s content and layout.
Niche It Up
First and foremost, memorable blogs tend to zero in on
a lower-level niche at a particular level of specificity.
For instance, you won’t have much success by
focusing a blog on “technology”, as it’s too broad a
topic. Google, Bing and the like will favour the
heavyweights when it comes to search engine rankings
and visitors are more likely to drift towards a trusted
source. A more reasonable niche to pursue would be
“creative industry technology”. It’s a lot easier to
corner a smaller niche than it is to dominate a broad
swath of the market, and you can deliver higher-quality
content to your readers by narrowing your focus.
Avoid the Clichés and Find Your Voice
One of the main problems with most bloggers is that
they use a generic approach to crafting blog posts and
entries. While such utilitarian writing styles have their
place in standard reviews, tutorials and news items,
they don’t really resonate with readers and are
extremely forgettable. When is the last time you saw a
post on Yahoo News or even Mashable that really
stood out to you? Bloggers like Seth Godin and James
Altucher have a distinctive writing style that’s easily
recognisable, which is something you should attempt to
emulate in your own way.
Take Risks and Be Passionate
When you take an unconventional stand, people respect
your integrity and will debate you on your point of view.
Don’t be controversial just for the sake of being edgy,
but avoid vanilla-flavored boilerplate op-eds that are
forgettable. In addition, you should blog about
something that really lights your fire intellectually.
When you work on something you love, your passion
shines through the underlying content and attracts a
dedicated, die-hard core of readers that are extremely
loyal. Furthermore, those fanatical readers often do
your evangelising for you and promote your blog in an
organic manner through social media channels.
Build a Destination & a Reputation
Probably the most brilliant thing Apple ever did with
the iPhone was to create an all-inclusive platform for
users. In other words, they crafted an entire ecosystem
instead of just an operating system or a piece of
hardware. Alongside iTunes, the iPhone forms a one-
stop iOS destination for apps and media content. Your
blog should be a one-stop shop for information on your
niche that your readers will immediately jump to when
they need advice. Make sure your deep content is well-
indexed and easy to find, and invest time in perfecting
internal linking to increase time-on-site and boost page
views.
Parting Words
The most important thing to remember is that very few
people strike gold on their first attempt on any given
blog. If a successful, high-traffic blog is integral to your
overall business plan, you’ll just have to tough it out
and plug away until you discover the magic formula.
Finally, always remember that all the fancy software
and SEO tactics in the world can’t replace quality
content that delivers value. Craft relatable content that
first and foremost helps your audience, and the traffic
will follow sooner or later.
