10 More Tips to a Successful Blog

This is a continuation of my first post entitled “10 Tips for a Successful Blog: Part 1″. It started out as only a few tips which very quickly evolved into much more. If you arrived here first I recommend that you start with reading part 1.

11. Provide an author biography and photo. Readers want to know a little about who they’re reading. If you have credentials or experience in the field then say so. But even if you don’t give us a reason for your enthusiasm. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received has come from lay people.

12. Avoid nondescriptive link anchors like: “go here”. Respect your readers and give them some idea of where they are going. It might also be a good idea to provide additional information by using link titles (title=”title”), or for pics (alt=”title”). To see what I’m talking about mouse over the “link title” link.)

13. Provide links to your greatest hits (best posts) in your sidebar or to relevant articles at the end of your posts. Giving your readers a gentle nudge to read more of your posts will add ’stickiness’ to your blog.

14. Don’t be stingy with your links. The search engines will love you for it.

15. Luck be a lady: Of course you can’t forget there is always a certain amount of luck that comes with any enterprise. And that also goes for getting the right link from the right source.

16. Blog readers are looking for your personal opinions and experiences. So don’t be a weeny. Stand up and be counted and share something of yourself ’cause that’s what blogging is supposed to be all about.

17. Make your post titles descriptive and on topic. It should be a short summary (with important keywords) of what the post is all about. Descriptive headlines are especially important with search engines and RSS newsfeeds where your readers might only see a headline before deciding whether or not to continue reading the full post. But be respectful of your readers and don’t mislead them either.

18. Never, ever write titles in ALL CAPS. That is a complete no-no because it is akin to shouting and tooting your own horn. Remember the story about the boy who always cried wolf.

19. BUT most importantly I don’t believe in imposing my values on someone else. So if your blog isn’t bringing in volumes of traffic or doesn’t put money in your pocket, remember this — even if your blog brings you some measure of satisfaction you can’t overlook that as achieving a level of success. It’s all relative so above all, enjoy yourself and have fun with your blog.

20. Writing a successful blog does take work but following these blog tips will pay off in dividends. I’m tired already just thinking about it. Now where’s my coffee.

Related Posts: blog, weblog, blogging, blog tools, writing, write, computers and internet, website design, blog marketing, blog promotion

Similar reading:

10 Tips to a Successful Blog: Part 1

10 Reasons Why I Don’t Like Your Blog

Hacking Your Blog to Death

* This post has been updated since it’s original publishing 2006