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| Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash {This is a collaborative post} |
Do you want to share your passion with the world? Blogging is one of the best ways to do just that. I've been blogging since 2008, so that is thirteen years now and the blogosphere has changed beyond recognition. One thing that has stayed the same is the opportunities to get out there and have your say. You can make a difference.
The internet is populated by millions of different blogs
covering a range of topics, and over two-thirds of
internet users are blog readers. This means that while you aren’t without
competition, the scope of your potential audience is vast.
Although you might blog, or be considering blogging, as a hobby to pass the time, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t turn your passion into a profit-making project. If you’re not sure where to start, then check out these five fantastic tips for starting up your own blog.
1)
Choose Your Platform
Choosing
a platform is not a decision that should be rushed. It’s important that you
find the platform that’s right for you before you begin, as changing it later isn’t
always easy.
Wordpress is one of the most popular choices for bloggers around the world, with millions of posts being published every day. This valuable blogging resource allows its users to have complete control over every aspect of their little corner of the internet. However, if your technical skills are not so hot then you may struggle at times if you want a highly stylised site. You, can, of course, always engage a blog designer to help you. That's what I do with my Wordpress site.
Blogger is a very easy blogging platform to get to know and you have the power of Google behind it, but it is less customisable than Wordpress, or something that Squarespace. Also, many loggers worry about the day when Google could just pull the plug on it and your blog would be lost. I also have a couple of Bloggers blogs and it still remains my favourite platform to use.
2)
Share Your Story
If you neglect your ‘About Me’ page, or worse, don’t have one at all, then you’re missing a clever trick. People are curious by nature; they’ll be drawn to read about who you are. Use this portion of your blog to give them an overview of you, what your life is like, and what you do. This will help them feel more connected, more invested in your story and therefore your blog. I've been amazed to find that my 'Who am I?' page is one of the most visited on my blog and that's with over 2500 live posts.
As well as sharing who you are on your about me page, I think it is really important to be authentic and share some of your story in your posts too. Of course, not everyone likes to get really honest and personal on their blog, but even if your content is all about home decor, or nurturing your pets you can still inject a bit of your personality into your posts. They will read so much better if they are written from your heart.
3)
Create Compelling Content
No
one is going to read your blog if your content isn’t interesting, informative,
and well researched. It is worth investing your time in writing a strong blog post, as you'll still be attracting readers in months or even years after your post goes live. Evergreen content that is relevant on an ongoing basis is the valuable basis of a great blog.
Writing is a skill that needs to be honed and practised. Readers appreciate good writing, and when you write well, your audience will be more inclined to keep coming back for more. Why not sign up for an evening class in creative writing, or work with a tutor to improve your grammar and spelling. When you work your writing muscle and give it new challenges you'll see the difference. When I go back and read posts that I wrote twelve years ago I now laugh and wonder why I thought the post was worth publishing, but it is great to see my writing journey.
4)
Be Smart With SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO for short) is a technique that is frequently being implemented by businesses, brands and bloggers alike to boost their readership and authority. SEO is a vital tool for driving traffic to your site through the use of google rankings but getting to grips with it can be a challenge. But once mastered, it can be a powerful tool to tailor your content to your audience and it is worth investing time in learning more about it.
Luckily for you, there’s plenty of help out there if you know where to look. For instance, you could employ the services of an expert agency such as Maratopia Digital Marketing. They’ll be able to help you to target relevant keywords in order to grow your audience, and they'll make this easy for you by taking the strain and doing the hard work of researching what is best for your website.
5)
Connect With Your Readers
It’s
important for you to keep your comments section open, as this is a valuable
tool for connecting with your readers. This has been some debate on this in recent years as more readers nowadays, read and run, but for the ones who want to comment and connect, it can be the start of lifelong friendships and even mutually beneficial business relationships.
Similarly, it’s a good idea for you to be active on social media. Not only can you then include links to your posts that will attract new readers, but these sites also have direct messaging features that will allow your audience to feel more connected to you and let them reach out for advice. I've really enjoyed many of the private conversations I've had over the last few years, and it is heart-warming to know that I am helping others where I have struggled myself.
Do you have any blogging tips? Share them in the comments
below!