When it comes to writing a blog and producing real and engaging content, there are some basic core principles that you need to understand and be sure to stick to. There is no question that blogging can be fun, therapeutic, profitable and more. All it requires is having something to say, saying it the right way and helping people find the end result they are looking for.
So let's dive in to some of the basic concepts that you will need to follow in order to make up great content.
CONTENT SUBJECT MATTER
Blogs that address a specific and limited range of topics generally tend to out perform those with a more broad based approach. Blogging within a particular niche is usually one of the better ways to experience success. However, there are limits to specificity. If you were to select a subject matter that is too refined, you can find yourself running out of things to write about. On the other hand, if one decides to blog in a highly covered topic they risk not getting regular readership and simply being lost in the shuffle of all the other like minded blogs.
There is no secret formula that will yield the perfect niche for your blog. There are, however, some guidelines you can follow when selecting a blog topic that will help lead you to a choice that has a good end result. So, let's discuss a few of these key items that is required to create and maintain good blog content.
1. Remember that you will be maintaining, updating, making adjustments and researching the topic of your blog for as long as you decide to keep it. Therefore, it makes a perfect sense for you to choose a subject matter that you have a keen interest in and a basic knowledge and understanding of the topic.
You may come to find out that there are a lot of people looking for information on products or services and that there are a few great sources for that information online. However, if you don't know a lot about these products and services and find them to be dull and boring, you will probably have a hard time maintaining the site over the long run.
2. Remember you will want to write about something in which others are actually interested in. There must be a group of people out there who are regularly looking for the information on your subject matter. However, you must also consider how many other sources of information are out there already. It can be very tough to break out in a competitive field.
3. Remember that just because you find an underserved niche and it will make your life easier, it is not necessarily a requirement for success. There are those who will tell you that writing in a competitive niche is great. After all, you know in before hand that there are a high potential of visitors on a current hot topic. All you have to do is create a different reason for them to come to you instead of everyone else. That is, of course, in most cases much simpler said than done.But, if you are up for a challenge and are certain that you can offer something that will truly distinguish you from the herd; then by all means consider blogging in a competitive sector.
CONTENT QUALITY & UNIQUENESS
There are several things you can do to create content that really have no specific relationship to the quality of your blog. Nothing will allow a blog to be a success like having high quality content. Strong content drives readership, because people will seek out and find that which they believe to be value added. Additionally, other people who operate blogs notice valuable content and they will often link back or comment to your quality posts.
People will keep coming back to a blog they know provides to quality information or that speaks them in some way. Sites that are supposed to be funny, but are not, do not get repeat visitors. Scientific blogs that speaks to certain advances that contain bad information do not develop a readership because they cannot be trusted as factual. Blogs that have grammatical and spelling errors seldom generate massive traffic simply because they lack credibility.
UPDATING CONTENT
In this day of fast moving and even faster paced information, people like new information. If they are interested in your subject, then be prepared as most likely they will want to see more information about it as often as possible. They absolutely adore frequently updated sites. People reward blogs that provide frequent updates with more visits. Providing regular content is one of the best ways to appeal both to your human readers and the search engine robots that will lead even more real people to your blog.
Updates can vary in length. The fact is you don't have to write the great American novel for every post. Generally speaking, however, extremely short posts will have less value (both to the search engines and readers) than more developed writing. However, the desire to provide more lengthy and meaningful posts will need to be balanced against usability considerations, which we will discuss later. Most will agree that content that contains between 250-600 words are the most optimal.
CONTENT USABILITY
Usability, as it relates to blogs, can involve everything from how easy it is to navigate to color choices. As for written content, the primary concern is with constructing posts that address the readers' preferences and expectations for writings they are interested in and looking for. Internet readers tend be "scanners." They generally scan a page or post and then decides they will invest more time in reading the material in depth. If their first glance does not provide them with something to grab their attention and interest, they are more likely to click away than they are to continue reading. Thus, content should be offered in a way that is easy read. It should also be provided in a way that encourages the reader to return.
Content usability is important to any blogger that is truly interested in maximizing the overall value of the user's experience. It is those attention to details that will separate your blog from the everyone else while it will also increase repeat visits and total page views.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
If, in fact, you follow these guidelines you will be well on your way to a successful blog filled with high quality content. This assured to bring your readers back time and time again. Remember, content is king and if you wish to have a blog that anybody reads, then you need to be sure that you keep the King alive.
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