Blog: Expectations vs. Reality
What is the blog?
Any blog is like a daily diary. A WordPress Blog is a daily diary on the Internet. It is also a commitment to write an article daily, 365 days a week. Not everyone has time and passion for that, and because of this, you see so many abandoned blogs.
Blog: Reality check
There is a joke within the blogging community that most blogs have an audience of one. An overwhelming amount of blog publishers abandon their blogs within the first year.
Technical issues with a blog + SEO
If you are a blog owner, be prepared to deal with the following technical problems:
- A blog software needs to be upgraded at least once a year; after WordPress.org publishes the next year's release.
- Blogs often break because the blog template you purchased is incompatible with the latest WordPress code. Usually, this happens after the upgrade - your template was made for the previous year's WordPress release, and the new version is different. And since the software for your blog is written in PHP computer language, fixing technical issues with your blog is expensive. You need to find an experienced PHP programmer who knows how to do it.
- Search engines have a hard time indexing any blog.
Being passionate is a big plus
Being passionate about your topic is essential to creating a successful blog. Remember, "Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire." (St. Catherine of Siena) Consistently creating exciting content for your blog, content that people want to read, is an art. That is why only a few blogs make it big.
BELOW is a list of our recommendations for writing a successful blog. The rules are the same whether it is a personal or corporate blog, a blog about fashion, travel, finance, or legal issues.
#1. Don't do it all by yourself
Find people who are passionate about your cause and who will contribute articles to your blog. It could be a group of friends in the case of a personal blog or representatives from different departments for a corporate blog.
#2. Create an editorial calendar
Publish articles on specific topics regularly. There is nothing new about having an editorial calendar. Traditional print publishers did it for years, and now blog publishers do it. All it means is that you publish blog articles about a pre-selected subject on specific days of the week. It also means that your readers expect that you will release new blog posts on a particular date, and if they like your articles, they will start following you.
#3. Write articles about "hot" topics
These articles may create interesting discussions and tons of comments from your readers. You can find what is currently "hot" on the Internet by using Google Trends, a Google feature that displays what topics are popular on Google every day.
Often, Google Trends highlights a particular political event, a major scientific discovery, or the latest sports news. Regardless of what is currently hot, Google Trends provides many good article ideas for any blog.
#4. Watch your competition
Use the Google Alert feature. Set a Google Alert on your main blog theme keywords and variations of these keywords, and receive notifications in your e-mail box showing what your competitors are writing about.
#5. Write about the latest trends
Write blog posts about conferences and networking events that you attend. Cover the latest industry trends and write YOUR opinion about them.
#6. Interview other people
Interview industry leaders or other influential bloggers and facilitate discussions about topics you cover.
#7. Use social media
Which social media platform to use to promote your blog articles? It depends on where your audience likes to hang out; this trend changes quickly. For the law firm, it could be LinkedIn; for the fashion website, it is Instagram. Mastodon is very popular among technology people.
Consider using third-party software to automate this process.
#7. Become a guest blogger
Start writing articles for somebody else's blog. It will make you more popular in the blogosphere, and your guest articles may inspire somebody to read your blog posts.
Need recommendations on how to find a blog where you can publish your posts? Search the Internet for phrases like:
- Submit a guest blog,
- Contribute to our site,
- Guest post,
- Article wanted,
- Writer wanted,
- Guest author,
- Submit an article.
If you want to be more specific, add the name of your industry (fashion, travel, etc.) to this phrase. For example, if you are a fashion blogger, you should search Google for the keywords: fashion + guest post written by.
#9. Publish a newsletter
Encourage your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. Then send them a monthly notification with the excerpts from your articles and a link to the full article published on your blog.
#10. Watch your blog statistics
Install Google Analytics and keep track of your blog activity. It is essential to know how many unique visitors you get every day, every month, and every year and how much time they spend reading your blog. After all, "What gets measured gets managed." (Peter Drucker).
Be prepared that Google Analytics code changes every few years, and install the latest version of Google Analytics.
Final Thoughts
Enthusiasm is contagious. Pass it on. Be enthusiastic and passionate about your central theme, and keep writing. Create a movement. You will be surprised how many people are out there who are interested in the same things as you. Creating a platform so they can express their opinion and join you in your quest is a good thing.
After all, "To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success." (Henry John Heinz).
Last updated on January 2, 2023.
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