Being able to keep your blog fresh is often a very difficult task. It is to easy to fall into an everyday blogging habit that becomes dreary and tiresome – it then starts to show in your content. These blogging tips may just help to keep you on track, keep you alive, and keep your blog looking alive and fresh.
- Provide variety in your content – whilst you may need to stay within your niche, that doesn’t mean you cannot provide a bit of variety through the use of graphics, video and perhaps even some humor.
- Spend as much time writing an eye catching title as you do your content. Titles hook the reader.
- Work on that first paragraph. After the title, the first paragraph is what will keep your visitor reading the balance of your post.
- Using contrasting layouts. Don’t just stick to writing paragraphs. Include bullet points, numbered points and formatting features such as bold and perhaps color. Learn to create style sheets for your posts.
- Mix up the length of your posts. Quick short posts are less draining than long in depth posts. Use the short posts to give yourself a break and to break up the page.
- Make the page easily scanable highlighting relevant points. Most visitors these days are looking for a quick summary read – they can then file the post away for future reference or move on.
- Proofread your content. Don’t always try to proof read your work immediately. Come back an hour later and proof read it. You will be surprised how many more errors you will find with that one hour break.
- Knowledgeable – if you are not totally sure of the subject matter, do a little research. If you are still unsure then either don’t write about it, or turn it on its head and admit your limited knowledge; ask your readers for input. You will often find that people just cannot help but stick their noses in and add their little bit.
- If it is appropriate, provide relevant links to further information on within your own site or on another site. If you feel readers may jump ship to another site then either create the links to open in a new window, or place all the links as further reading links at the end of the article.
- Use comments from previous posts as starting points for a new post. The commentator will love you for the exposure and your readers will be encouraged to comment more often.
- Learn to write commentaries about other blogs and their articles. This is particularly useful if you have something to add to the article or have a valid counter opinion. Readers like to see debates, or alternate views.
- Get to know to your regular readers and acknowledge them occasionally. One sure way to increase your reader base. As new readers arrive they see that regulars are being mentioned, their comments referred to and of course your posts referring (with links) to their posts. Serious bloggers will want to get in on that action.
One more blogging tip. One of the best ways to freshen yourself up is to read other blogs. Putting together a list of blogs that inspire you is not overly difficult. I bookmark half a dozen blogs that I like and place them into the one bookmark folder. When I am a little bored or lacking inspiration I just go to that folder and open them all at once (using Firefox). I can then move between them, reading, comparing and always gaining more inspiration.
These 12 blogging tips should help to keep you fresh and if you are fresh, your blog will be fresh.
