The following are fundamental things every blogger has to bear in mind to ensure long-term success in blogging.
Ability To Write Well
If you can�t write well enough in the language you choose for your blog, you have to learn to do it at least decently. Nobody likes reading blogs with obviously faulty grammar, spelling, and word and idiom usage or use of language directed to the wrong audience. These faults not only make for uncomfortable reading; they also skew the messages being conveyed. Just like how it works for all web pages that solicit readers, content is king. How will you produce good content if you lack the skills to write decently? It�s not important to be an impressive writer as you can develop better writing skills as you continue blogging. What�s important is to be able to write content that can be easily understood and that has sense and value to readers.
Choose a Target Audience, Focusing on a Subject
If you don�t want to be one of those blogs that disappear after a few months or a couple of years, don�t create a blog that is a hodgepodge of everything under the sun and moon. The hodgepodge specialization has already been taken over by social media and several news outfits� websites. It is important to find a niche you will be very interested to pursue and can see yourself doing almost forever. Anyway, if there are things you really want to include in your blog that are not directly under the niche or subject of your blog, nobody will stop you from including it. You can find creative ways to insert indirectly related items in your blog if you really feel the urge to write about them; it should simply not be your blog�s primary foundation.
You have to consider narrowing down your subject and niche to become more searchable. Keywords can�t point search results to your blog if your blog is too broad and doesn�t relate to the kinds of content being featured. You can�t just ignore the potential traffic you can derive from search engines. While you can market your posts through social media, you can expect better sustainability or longevity for your blog if you earn the favor of search engines and give readers what they�re searching for.
The Knack For Writing Interesting Posts
This one isn�t easy to explain but it can be broadly demonstrated by this idea: what you find interesting is probably something your readers will also find interesting. It is advisable to write posts that are �evergreen� or those that don�t get old, those that readers will still find interesting the years to come. However, you can�t also ignore trending topics or those related to news and current affairs. You can determine what really interests your readers through a �trial and error� approach. Take note of your traffic (most blogging platforms provide the tools for you to see the traffic for each post you publish).
Good Design or Presentation
Yes, content is king but this does not mean that you can disregard design and user experience since they play a key role in how readers engage your content. Studies show that 68% of website visitors will immediately leave a page that has poor design and lacks a focus on user experience. These days, design and visuals matter significantly. Unless you are offering exclusive vital content that nobody would like to miss, you simply can�t put out a blog with bad design. It should be intuitive and optimized for fast-loading. The ads, if there are any, should not be intrusive. Moreover, it will be helpful to adopt a responsive web design to make sure that your blog looks good and easy to navigate regardless the device used to view it.
Timeliness & Regular Posting
Blogging requires effort. Unless you are someone whose reputation deserves a faithful followership, you can�t afford to write only whenever you feel like writing. You have to keep your posts updated. There should be new content on your blog ever so often, depending on your chosen subject. If your blog is about current affairs or interesting new things, as much as possible there should be new content everyday. If your blog features your original fiction stories, for example, a few posts per week would probably suffice as you build anticipation among your readers.
There is no strict rule on how often your blog should be updated. It all depends on your target audience and the subject of your blog. If you are blogging about news or current affairs items, obviously, you have to write daily updates as much as possible since your readers would expect to see something new everyday � just look at a site like Mashable. Many regular readers would even be checking for updates several times in each day. If your blog is trying to impart knowledge and insights, or if the nature of your content tends to be �evergreen,� a few posts per week will suffice.
Reliable Web Hosting
The importance of maintaining a blog with as little downtime as possible is a no-brainer but it unfortunately occurs for many. Don�t let a lousy web host ruin your blogging momentum and turn your readers off. A blog that suddenly goes offline because of bandwidth limits isn�t going to attract more readers and is actually a turn-off. Pick a web host that can offer unlimited bandwidth. There are a few you can find - Hostt is one example of an affordable yet powerful solution. Or if you have no budget to spare for web host fees, you can simply rely on the free web hosting that comes with every free Blogspot(Blogger) or WordPress account. A paid customized domain and service is typically the best approach if you want a professional profile to begin with.
Marketing
You have to think of your blog as a product. To be sold or to reach its intended audience, it has to be marketed in a smart and diligent manner. Don�t expect it to suddenly become popular by simply writing the content. If you are really serious about creating success for your blog, you�ll definitely need to employ a well laid out digital marketing strategy that is executed as a serious corporation would. If you want to do it �DIY� style, there are many marketing methods you can explore. The foremost of which is social media marketing; especially since they�re so powerful for driving traffic to sites in general as is the case with Facebook. Even the most well-written and substantial blogs get ignored because they are not being marketed well enough and fail at proactively reaching out to their respective communities.
If you execute these seven blogging essentials consistently, your success in getting regular readers and earning meaningful revenue from your blog can increase dramatically. At the very least, try experimenting with a few of the ideas discussed and in time you�ll be certain to start seeing great results.
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