The techniques used to build a successful blog are ever-changing as new methods linearly supplant the old, and innovative methods of driving traffic to blogs open up new frontiers to the blogger.
Here is a brief survey of ten proven methods for constructing a successful blog.
i. Add content to your blog frequently and consistently. If possible, maintain a daily posting routine, however do not compromise the quality and originality of content in order to maintain such a regime.
ii. Write for readers and not search engines. However, do bear in mind that compelling post titles and keyword density do contribute to how easy it might be for searchers to find your posts via the search engines. Do not become pre-occupied with keyword density and search-engine driven composition.
iii. Use clear, concise language. Do not forget the lessons of school composition. Express yourself clearly and develop ideas in a flowing, logical manner, however do not forsake enthusiasm and humor. Avoid unconventional or unduly over-technical language usage unless you know your prospective audience is comfortable with it. If you are unsure of a certain aspect of grammar or a particularly spelling, then look it up. Writing can also be a learning experience.
iv. Engage your readership. Say something original. Air your opinions, stand up and be counted on major issues. Ask questions or your readers, solicit their opinion on certain matters. Do all these things with the intent of engaging your readership.
v. Look good. Make your blog appealing to look at but not at the expense of functionality. Do not overwhelm the reader with banners, buttons and too many outbound links.
vi. Respond to your readers. Always reply to thoughtful comments. If a reader invests time in composing a response to your post, then honor that likewise with a response.
vii. Link out to authority blogs. Linking to other blogs in your niche can often bring traffic from curious bloggers. Bloggers can be quite obsessive when it comes to monitoring their traffic and inbound links, so if you link out and subsequently send traffic to a blog, it’s possible the recipient will respond in a similar manner.
viii. Be self-referential. Build strong internal linking within your posts. When posting a series of articles, be sure to link to all posts in the series from within each individual post. Refer to other areas of your blog within posts (links within posts are usually considered higher authority links.)
ix. Comment on other blogs. Seek out other blogs in your niche and comment on them Search the blogosphere (Google blog search will help here) for recent posts on topics similar to your own recent posts and comment on them. Do this frequently, if possible daily.
x. Use other communities. Established and evolving social communities offer a huge melting pot of potential readers. Become involved and engage other networkers. Twitter seems to be the current in vogue method of networking.
