When you think about improving your blog the odds are that you give a lot of though to things like you selection of keywords, the number of hits you get and where you rank in the search engines. While all of those things are important to good SEO they are not the end all, be all of your blog. I hear a lot of bloggers asking about how to bring their blogs to the next level but they’re lost on how exactly to do that. So today, we are going to talk about some of the things that you can do to bring your blog to the next level, and they all have to do with content.
You may be wondering why content is so important? After all you have good content already right? Well, maybe and then again maybe not. A lot of blogs settle for GEC – Good Enough Content and hope that SEO and viral techniques will take them the rest of the way. That, my friends, is a pipe dream. People on the web are fickle. That’s not meant as a criticism by any means.
When you go to browse online you have a near unlimited number of choices to make a selection from. If a site is rehashing old content, or just giving you something similar to what is being offered by another dozen trend chasing sites then why should you waste your time there? Most users just won’t… and can you really blame them?
So you need to offer them something that no one else can. I know, that sounds insurmountable sometimes, but really you can do it, even if you work with news. Offer your readers a first in on the facts, an exclusive interview, an analysis that they can’t get anywhere else or a well-informed perspective on the matter. Just be sure that anything that falls into the realm of an opinion is framed as such. Passing your thoughts off as facts is a sure way to get a bad reputation and that can lose you readers quickly. Not to mention that in some cases it can also lead you to a precarious legal situation.
Now that you have something unique you need to look at how it is being delivered, and I don’t mean your platform. I mean your writing. Think about it:
wOuld you trstu someone who’se writing looked like this!
Probably not, while that may be an extreme example ever three or four noticeable mistakes can put a real dent in your reputation. If you’re a little but fuzzy pick up a book on grammar. English writers should also consider subscribing to the Grammar Girl podcast, where you will get lots of handy information on how to write well without a lot of stress or fuss.
Now, go forth and make the best content that you can. Get original, get correct and take your site to the next level. Trust me, readers will follow and with the comes the status and the money.
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Michael Aulia @CravingTech.com says
This is true for most tech blogs as I find many of them are just submitting press releases about new products and that’s it. Would be great if they add their personal opinion or advice about the product or the technology that they are covering.
For example, instead of just saying there is a new update on Firefox, they should download, try, and write about their personal experience.
David@Software Technology blog says
Blogging is a very dynamic activity. The medium keeps changing in the form of new sites, better themes and different design languages & platforms but the main idea of expressing yourself remains the same.
Becca@Backup cydia apps says
To know your customer is the one major component in building a successful blog and community—that is why it is so important to blog about what you are passionate about. You are a good example of what a prospective customer is all about and what they are looking for, what their needs are, etc.
reyah says
I just found out recently the advantage that i could get through blogging in term of earning. So i decided to learn more about blogging, though i started to blog a few years back but it just an online journals and recently i monetize it. But i am thinking of taking it into a next level…a more improve one.
katie.gatto says
I’m thrilled to get so much great feedback on my piece!
Becca – You make a great point, but out the outset knowing who your readers are can be a challenge. Do you have any suggestions?
Michael – Game sites do that a lot too!