Conservation Tools

To find out what your blogis about, search engines like Google and MSN Search use programs called Web crawlers or spiders. These programs analyze millions of Web pages including blogs, then decide which sites and pages are most relevant for various search terms.

Every search engine has its own formula for ranking Web sites which are kept secret!

Don’t get too caught up with trying to write for search engines, write for people but tag your post correctly.

Also, use links properly - search engines factor in the links from other sites to your site, including the number of links to your site which influences your popularity. They analyse the text in those links, and the quality of the sites that link to yours.

Tag and Social Bookmarking

Tags and social bookmarking services are similar. Social bookmarking refers to users recommending which topics are most popular with them. This is done through votes and by tags.

Public bookmarking sites show the world what you think is important information, and asks others to “vote” for your recommendations as you vote on theirs, and the winners rise to the top.

Tags are like mini-categories for blog content, tagged by the blog owner or visitor. Together in combination with social bookmarking, you can search through tags for the most popular posts within a specific category based upon traffic, voting, or other recommendations.

Tags and social bookmarking help your readers to talk to each other, and to share favorite posts and articles.

Blog Syndication

Blog syndication is the use of your blog’s feed to deliver your blog’s content to other blogs, feed readers and aggregators. It’s a way of bringing the content directly to the reader. FeedBurner and FeedBlitz, among others, offer email subscriptions of your blog’s feeds, delivering feeds directly to your email inbox. This is especially useful for those who are unfamiliar with feeds.

Why do you need a feed?

A feed automatically delivers your blog post to your readers. Feeds therefore extend your reach. They allow the reader to read your blog content at their leisure, on their terms. The choice of feed reader controls how they view your feed, in a way, giving them control over your blog content. Readers cam click to go to your page in a moment, to read more, find more information, or to comment.

There are two ways a visitor can subscribe to your blog. They can subscribe through the feed via their feed reader, or have the feed emailed to them.

Feeds can also be limited to a specific category of posts, giving your readers a chance to monitor specific topics you blog about, or set for specific authors. To increase feed subscriptions, make your RSS icon visible on your blog. Place it near the top of each page, at the bottom of each post in the post meta data section, and even in the footer.

Your blog readers may not be familiar with feed technology, introduce them to it. It’s a great time-saving method for monitoring the news, weather, and your blog.

5 GOLDEN TIPS TO GREAT POSTS

Use magnetic headlines

Be personal

Post regularly

Respond to comments

Use links in every post

3 WAYS TO KILL YOUR BLOG

Spelling mistakes

Catchy titles unrelated to content

Rudeness or dishonesty

START CONVERSATIONS

You need to interact with your audience for them to return again and again to your blog. They interact with you through comments and there are a few simple ways to attract comments. The easiest way is just ask people to comment! Eg.

“Do you agree?”

“What do you think?”

“Would you do that?”

“Do you know more?”

Give your post depth

To give your post depth you need to do research and get other opinions.

1. Ask Your Readers – Just ask your blog readers for their opinions. Posts that are simply questions are great ways of getting comments on your blog but their real potential is to learn what your readers think.

2. Research Your Topic - One of the most obvious ways to get a quote for a post you’re writing is to Google the topic and see what others have written on it previously. It makes  good sense to research your topics before you post.

3. Target Specific Bloggers/Readers - the last method is where you ask a question of specific people. Send an email out to 4-5 people, experts in their niche to ask them for a quote or to do a ‘one question interview’. Then include these short quotes in your post - giving it more depth and also can add some expertise to your post.

BLOG REGULARLY

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be regular with your posting. Whatever frequency you can, do it the same throughout. Be regular – every day, or every other day or every 2 days…even once a week… but regular..

If you have to leave for a while tell the readers why and for how long or when you will be back.

Where necessary use the post dating facility to prepare blogs ahead of time so that they upload t a specific time even if you aren’t a the computer.

10 ways to create GREAT CONTENT

1. Be useful and unique. For a blog to be successful your content needs to be useful and unique to your readers 2. Find out what your readers want and give it to them.

3. Express yourself. Let loose with your own passions, experiences and knowledge in a way that your readers want - create content that will add something to their lives.

4. Entertainment – Remember that your blog is a form of entertainment. People may come to read it for laughs, for gossip and for fun conversation.
5. Education – you are an expert in your field, attract readers who are primarily interested in learning something about your topic.
6. Information – You are reporting from the front lines. You have may be the most informed person out there on an issue, product or topic. Be the first to tell it.
7. Debate - some blog readers want to have a good old fashioned dialogue, debate or even a fight over an issue
8. News - many blog readers just want to be kept up to date in a field
9. Community The most important purpose of your blog which will contribute to success is if you can tap into the need that people have to connect and belong.

10. Unique and original content Your blog can be GREAT if you can guarantee ‘unique’ content to your readers. Distinguish yourself by creating your own niche. Either with the topic or your style.

Personality is everything

If I told you that your blog is a personal diary then I lied. Your blog is so much more than just a diary, it’s a conversation between you and your readers. You want them to not just read your posts, but to feel compelled to take action. The action could be to comment on the post, or preferably to make a sizeable donation. Always keep this goal in mind while you develop your blog.

I’m no expert but these tips below may everyone, from beginners to the experienced and especially the fatigued to get started/restarted, to energize your blog posts and drive up traffic and donations.

It’s not only what you write, its how you write

Yes you do need to tell a compelling story with every post, content is important. But to turn a good post into a GREAT post, the recipe needs a dose of your own personality.

1.      Be personal– every reader likes to get inside your skin, feel the magic of the post.

2.      Be yourself – not too stiff or formal. Think of your audience as a good friend, write to your readers so it sounds natural, the way it would if we were chatting with each other over a coffee.

3.      Write about what you love and let us feel your passion. Use emotion (The sad death of a gentle elephant http://elephantvoices.wildlifedirect.org/2008/02/25/the-sad-death-of-a-gentle-elephant/

4.      Remember that you are having a conversation with your readers, they will respond and interact with you like an audience, so don’t be afraid to perform.

5.      Leave out the jargon and technical language.

6.      Be honest

7.      State an opinion about a news item and include the opinions of others on the topics that you’re exploring.  eg. “I think this is the stupidest thing but Joe Smith in his blog (hyperlink it to his URL) has  a totally different opinion”

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people read the headline, but only 2 out of 10 go further and read the actual blog post?1. Grab attention Your headline may be the only impression you make on a prospective reader. Unless your headline turns a browser into a reader, the rest of your words may as well not exist.

2. Communicate with key words A headline must also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely must

3. Lure the reader into your body text. A compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit or reward for the reader, in trade for the valuable time it takes to read more.