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10 Ways To Improve Your Startup Blog

 

Let me be the first to congratulate you on joining the wonderful world of startups. This is an atmosphere of endless possibilities and opportunities. The catch to this world is being unique and staying a step ahead of the game. The major question you have to ask yourself when starting or running an existing startup blog is, “What makes my blog different enough for them to choose mine to read?”

 

 

I can’t lie and say that the answer to that isn’t tricky at times and the techniques necessary to make the readers choose you can take some time to grab a hold of. But don’t be discouraged or quit blogging because you have not reached your desired success yet. Since starting my startup, Blogging.org, I have had to overcome several of the problems that you will have to overcome.  I’ve detailed most of them.  This post will hopefully come to the rescue and give you 10 ways improve your startup blog!

 

1.  Let’s Start With the Obvious

Your blog is one of the jazziest looking ones out there, you have all the right links, tags are placed where they need to be but still no traffic. Well before going down the road to all the technical stuff, did you bother to read your content? If you are a blogger who is quick to throw anything up there just to meet your posting schedule then you may not need to read any further. There is no other way to say it, if your content sucks then your traffic will suck too. Now it wouldn’t be right to tell you that the content on your blog sucks and not tell you how to fit it so listen up.

 

  • If you get bored reading, then your readers will too.
  • If it is not something you are interested in, why bother?
  • If it is something you know nothing about, your “expert” readers will laugh and leave.

 

The bottom line is a blog is a way of saying, “I have enough credibility on the subject to read what I have to say.” If you came across a blog and the writer wasn’t saying much and didn’t sound like they knew what they were talking, would you go back?

 

 

2.  Write It Well

Yes we just talked about content in tip one but there is so much to say about it we needed a tip two. This should also serve as a hint on how important the content is for the life if your blog. Here are a few simple, no let’s rephrase that, essential rules to follow:

 

  • If you are writing a personal blog, remember that other than your close friends and family most people just don’t care. In order to attract other readers you have to give your personal opinion on some hot topics or issues that will provoke comments.
  • Ok now here is the balance to rule number one. Do the research on the topic son’t just post how you think it happens or what you think is going on. Address the facts and opinions from both sides of the issue.
  •  Edit, Edit, Edit. Play with the title to make it interesting. Give extra special attention to the first paragraph because it is the most important one. This will determine whether the reader stays or goes.
  • The last rule is simple. Be yourself. It’s ok to be funny, crack a joke or two. It actually makes the reader what to hear more from you.

3.  Be Consistent

Yep you got it, another content tip! Ok this time it’s more of the technical side of things. You need to write, write, and write. And post, post, post. Update your blog as often as possible. After doing this for a while go in and see when your site is getting the most traffic. After you gather this information use it to post your best work during those times. Ok here’s the hard part. If you have written a post that has everybody buzzing, you can’t come behind it with a flop. Find more things to write about on the topic or an alternative way to write what has already been written.

 

4.  Make it Beautiful

Ok enough about content, now let’s talk about dressing up those great words with a good picture. See, the statement is true, a picture is worth a thousand words so if you can only come up with 4 or 5 hundred words, then a good picture is exactly what you need to take up the slack. Not to mention the fact Google images will grab a hold of that picture and it will become another means for you to gain traffic. Make the blog pop. Find some unique ways to make people remember and think of your blog even after they are long gone.

 

5.  Comments

There is nothing sadder then a post with no comments. It looks so lonely and most people assume that because no one had anything to say that no one is visiting. The way to avoid the embarrassment especially as a new blog is to disable the comments for a while. After you start getting a good number of readers or subscribers then you can open up the option. By then there will be some readers who are dying to say something. The best part is they are probably wanting to comment on something they read before which ends up giving an old post new life.

 

 

 

 

6.  Join a Forum

No matter what it is you like to write about there is a forum or blog out there on the subject. Once you find these blogs and forums it is best to comment on them regularly. Just don’t forget the most important part and that’s to sign every post or comment with your signature and blog url.

 

7.  Link, Link, Link

Of course search engines love a good link. Make sure the links you use serve your blog content but remember too much of anything can be a bad thing so don’t over link.  The most important thing about linking is giving credit where credit is due. If you are using the quote of another person or blog be sure and link to that blog.  Also, when you’re linking, try to use your URL as much as possible.  An example would be KillerStartups.com – notice that we’re linking to only the main URL!

 

8.  Tag it

Just like links, tags are your friends when it comes to search engines. Your visitors will love them as well because it helps them navigate through your blog site and find the information they are interested in or other topics related to your current post. That is why it is important to use precise, relevant, and eye catching tags.

 

 

9.  Make Blog Directories Work for You

Take the time to submit your blogs on Blog Directories. This will make your blog easier to find and rank on the search engine. A couple of good directories are Technorati and Blogcatalog. Once you submit your work, don’t forget to press the “Submit” button so that all the search engines know your there.

 

10.  Invite Guests

No matter how awesome your blog may be and how much your readers love you, sometimes it is smart to let other people have their 15 minutes of fame on your blog. Pulling in the ideas of another expert in your blogging niche is bound to get you some very useful links.

 

Photo Credits

Youtube.com / Blogging.org

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