What Not to Do When you Have a Blog

Sara Sentor
Monday, February 28th, 2011

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.

Tags: blog topics, Blogging, Starting a Blog., writing a blog
Posted in Blogging Tips | No Comments »

Make your Blog Rock and Roll!

Sara Sentor
Friday, December 3rd, 2010

I have been doing a lot of researching and I have been looking at a lot of blogs. I have confined my search to my own blog industry so maybe the information here will not be relevant to many of you. However, take everything with a grain of salt and I am sure you will be able to get something useful out of this post.

So what makes a blog rock?

I asked myself that question and began to go to different blogs. My favorite thus far, is Problogger. It’s a clean and simple blog. The articles on the site may not be rocket science but they offer truly beneficial information.

As bloggers we get weighed down with a lot of information and get pulled in a lot of directions. It is hard to keep on track. Darren Rowse, the founder of Problogger has managed to keep on track and flourish doing it!

So the first step to making a blog rock is keeping on track. You have a category, niche, industry you have based your blog on? Keep on writing within that niche.

I just read a post by Darren Rowse where he promoted his new blog, FeelGooder. As a writer I can understand his need to diversify. You can’t write about the same thing day in day out for years. It’s excruciatingly painful.

That is why you diversify your writing. However, do it on another blog. You may not have time to maintain another blog. Then do what the Masters tell you-Guest Blog. My blog allows guest blogging, Problogger is open to it and so are tens of other blogs. Find the industry you are interested in, find a blog in that industry and then guest blog.

It will help you keep your creative juices flowing; stop you from being bored and in the end work as a tool of marketing for your primary blog.

The second step of helping to make your blog rock is to guest blog.

It is hard to determine at times what works on a blog and what does not. We can write a blog that seems to be the best of our work-ever. Yet, not one comment. It’s galling, frustrating and completely undermines your self-esteem. That is why you have to dedicate at least a couple of hours a week to simply visiting other blogs. Bookmark a couple of your favorite blogs and follow them regularly. Comment on them and read, actually read which of the blog get comments and which don’t. It’s a tip Darren from Problogger gave to others some time ago and I agree with it.

Third step to making your blog rock and roll is interacting with other bloggers and creating relationships with them.
After you have done all the above and you still don’t get the results-what do you do? The thing to do is persist.

Some blogs are so dynamic they take off within months-others take time. People like Darren have been blogging for years. Don’t even contemplate comparing your blogs with these mega blogs.

Just keep doing what you are doing and soon enough you will write that one post that will make you a social marketing mega hit and then there will be no stopping you!

Anyone have more tips- feel free to pitch in!

Tags: blog posts, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Tips | 1 Comment »

Make Money Blogging

Sara Sentor
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Can anyone Money Blogging?

Can anyone make money blogging? No.

Yes, you read that right, I said, ‘NO’.

Make Money Blogging Ads Online

The best solution in today’s work environment is work from home-or so that’s what the couple of hundred ads we see online everyday would have us think. There are ‘blog at home mom’ advertisements, ‘small fee to make millions blogging’ ads, ‘100% risk free way to blog at home’ and numerous similar advertisements that seem completely genuine but are actually misleading.
Not everybody has the ability to write. Not everybody has the perseverance, patience and diligence to write day after day and then write some more promoting the same blogs online.

Sure, you may be writing about what you love, it’s your passion, blah, blah, blah. No matter how good a writer you are and what your passion is, only someone who can write without expecting an immediate return can succeed in blogging.

How can some people make Money Blogging?

Well, they are pretty persistent. They have been blogging for some time and they follow the below given steps:

Always write for the reader. First of all if you market yourself, your product or your ads you are doomed for failure.
Always aim to give more than you get. The information on your blog should be informative and helpful and contemporary. What-ever the topic is, aim to write something useful and unique. It may not sell your blog but it will gain you visitors and followers.
Put up ads. Get appropriate affiliate programs and do not be shy promoting the, Just make sure the programs help your visitors.
Request donations. If you have a blog that provides information that is helpful and if it is really worth the while [you can tell by the number of followers, fans and tweets you have...]you will get donations either in the form of money, links, references or simple reviews.
Become web savvy. You have to get the right blog software, know how to manipulate HTML, be able to syndicate via RSS, send pings and trackbacks, use contextual advertising and know search engine marketing. Are you lost? Read about all this before launching the blog.
Become a Social Media freak. Oh yes! Facebook is not all about friends. It is a wise business investment completely free. Use twitter, facebook and for some linked in and promote your blogs there.
Have a target audience Know what you are writing and who you are writing for. Do not write about hip hop on a site with senior living ads.
Remain Focused. It’s easy to write about everything but harder to focus on a target and provide speciailized information. However, its the latter that will make you the money.
Use Google adsense. Until you start making serious money Google adsense will help you glide by with a couple of bucks every month.
Never spam The online users are very sophisticated today. they don’t want junk and hate spam so don’t make a nuisance of yourself.

Blogging has Appeal but is Misleading

The current economy has not been good to many. Companies have downsized, small businesses have gone down and the average citizen has had to face economic problems comparable to the Great Depression. No, that is not an exaggeration. The housing market is down, contractors don’t have gigs and even the medical industry is being affected. That is why people are opting to try their hand on the online market.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of opportunities here but the fact remains. Success for bloggers comes through sheer hard work. It’s not a part time job, it is a full time occupation. There are no short cuts and no easy way to making money via blogs.

Tags: Blogging, facebook, social media, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice, Blogging Tips | 6 Comments »

5 Quick Ways to Make Your Blog Magical

Sara Sentor
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

As a blogger, one thing that you should always keep in mind is how your blog can appeal to readers and be more user-friendly. It doesn’t take much work to make a blog magical, just put these 5 quick ways to make your blog magical into practice and you should be on your way to a good start.

1. Post photos – Most readers like to look at picture, so in every post you should try to find an interesting picture to go along with what you are talking about. A post with images will enhance the visual impact of any blog and make it more readable. All it takes is one good photo to grab a reader’s attention and drive them to the article. Usually, a post without any photos can look sluggish even if it’s a well written article. Sometimes, the wall of text alone might not appeal to readers, so a good image is a must-have for a great post and a magical blog.

Add magic to your blog with informative content

2. Provide informative content – A best way to build readership is by providing informative content. You can do this by making sure your content is unique, entertaining and interesting. You can also engage good writers to submit articles to your blog. There is no blog secret as worthy as this one!

3. Create dynamic headlines – Headlines are what draw reader’s interest to an article. The best thing about this tactic is that it just begs you to read it and viewers, of course, are curious to read. Although an interesting headline with grab the reader’s attention, you will have to keep them interested in the article by making the article interesting. Another good idea is to make your headlines bigger.

4. Be entertaining – Keep your readers entertained and come back begging for more. The key to an entertaining blog post is to bring a smile to your readers face and make your readers identify with you. You don’t have to be a professional comedian, just have a bit of sense of humor at times.

5. Improve readability – Most people come to your blog to read articles; that is the reason you keep writing them right? So the easier they are to read, the better. A hard-to-read article or design that obscures the content will only turn visitors away. Here are a few tips to make your blog magical and keep those readers reading:

Keep spaces between lines in a paragraph
Underline your links
Make clear where your post starts and where it stops
Separate your post from the rest of the blog design
Use images at the beginning of the post
Left align
Headings and subheadings must stand out

Those are my 5 quick ways to make your blog magical. If anyone would like to offer their own tips on how to make a blog magical, please feel free to add them in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.

Tags: Blogging, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog. | 20 Comments »

Blogging SOS – 10 secrets to share!

Sara Sentor
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Grandma made the best home cooked meals, when asked about her cooking secret she replied, “The secret is keeping it simple.” Yes, grandma knew best, and if she were a blogger she would have used these 10 simple blogging ingredients to make a blog good enough to eat.

1. Ask Questions

Encourage your readers to share their thoughts at the end of posts. This makes them feel you value their opinions and what they have to say.

2. Draw them in

Engage your readers straight away with a short story on the topic, paint a visual picture with your words that will enhance their reading experience.

3. Get to the Point

Be brief, or at least break up long posts into short paragraphs with subtitled headings. Many people do not have the time to read long posts or rather some get bored immediately on sight at a bunch of words all crammed together. So get to the point right away, this way they can skim on down to the end if they want and leave a quality comment which is what YOU want.

4. Images

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. On the web it does more than that, it also draws them in. A good image right at the head of the article will spark the interest of readers to view your post. Many readers have said that it was the pic that made them curious.

5. Interaction

Keeping them busy is important. A post with just text is boring to a lot of readers, so fill some of your posts with backlinks to other articles you’ve written, videos, worthy useful quotes, and more pics.

6. Giveaways

Everyone loves to get something for free, and doing this periodically will keep them tuned in.

7. Instructions and tutorials

Enlighten your audience with good information they can use to help them improve in something. Instruction posts and tutorials are a wonderful way to share what you know.

8. Post Regularly

Do not expect anyone to show if you’re not there yourself. Post often enough not to lose your audience. Most blogging platforms will allow you to schedule your post which is convenient for bloggers who may not have the time to compose posts daily. This feature is definitely great for those who experience writer’s block as it allows you to write many articles at a single time, and date them to post on a different date. Your blog will still run even when you cannot.

9. Make them Happy

Think of your readers and what will please them over what will please you. Readers who are happy with your blog are pleasure enough.

10. Subscription and Email Lists

This is a good option for many blog readers who also lead busy lives and may not have the time to sit and read straight from your blog. Maybe they only have time to read from their inboxes.

What’s your secret to blogging success? We’d like to know…

Tags: Blogging, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog. | 5 Comments »