Sara Sentor We have all read tens of topics about what we should be blogging about, but no one ever tells us what not to blog about!
Yes, there are things you would simply be wasting your precious time, blogging about. I wrote in an earlier blog, ‘A Blog can Never Fail-A Bloggers Vision Can,’ that bloggers should be ready to not make it big. They should cater to a much segmented audience rather than the masses.
I stand by my words where blog topics are concerned as well.
1. Gearing for A Successful Blog
A successful blog will be about analysis. The blogger will have the Google Analytics code embedded in the blog pages or any other analytics code. Then, every week the blogger should sit down and analyze the stats.
Where is the traffic coming from, what are the keywords being used, which keywords bring the best response. Once the results are there, work on them.
2. Do not use Competative Keywords-Find the Deep Niche-Long Tail Keywords
If the blog is about Graphic Design, the biggest mistake the blogger will make is using the keyword ‘Graphic Design’. Do you have any idea how much competition there is for that keyword?
A successful blogger will write on the long tail or deep niche keywords being searched for. Do not be afraid to use long tail phrases like, ‘3d Graphic Design Software’. There are only about 1000 searches for this phrase, but if you write on it well, chances are your blog will be on top and you will get at least 25% of the traffic. That is traffic that is targeted.
3. Do Not Write about Anything- Write Off-beat Articles
Stop. Seriously, stop writing about all the stuff people have already written about. How many times can you read an article about ‘Graphic Design Careers?’
However, writing on ‘Graphic Design Careers near Saturation’ may actually catch a few views. It is not what you are writing about, rather how you are writing about it. Changing a word or two, taking a different stance on an article works to change the whole state of mind.
The Three big No-No’s of Blogging
1. No Plagiarizing Blogs: You may think your readers are idiots, but seriously, if you plagiarize content-you are the biggest idiot. I usually redefine plagiarism for my own means, especially for blogs.
If you are simply spinning an article off another blog, have the guts to reference it, otherwise it is plagiarism. It may actually help your blog if you have the guts to say, ‘I used the information from, blah- blah- blah.’ Readers will gain confidence in your information.
2. Do not Blog-if you are not serious: A blog at Gothamist.com states that the worst thing you can do is blog when you are not serious. A blog is a post with links and commentary, not a stream of consciousness. So while it can be personal, it cannot be a journal. Bloggers are serious individuals or organizations; giving readers essential information, do not give the rest of us a bad name, just because you are too lazy to actually understand the basis of blogging!
3. Do not Spam: The worst thing about the Internet is that there is so much spam. Bloggers working at their blogs have to deal with spam comments all the time. I love getting comments, though I am still working at getting comments that are worthwhile! However, when I get comments that are simply blabber, and links, it irritates me. We could make blogs, and forums live if spammers would just give it a break!
Bottom Line: What not to blog about?
So the bottom line is blog, only if you have something worth blogging about. Otherwise, join a forum or launch a website journal.
