5 Creative Tips to Increase Blog Traffic and Boost Your Business
5 Creative Tips to Increase Blog Traffic and Boost Your Business
Does your business have a blog?
Is it working for you?
If you said “no,” I wouldn’t be surprised.
But it doesn’t need to be that way.
Keep reading to discover why many blogs fail and what you can do to boost your traffic and brand.
What’s Wrong With Blogs?
This platform, if done properly, can generate tremendous traffic, leads and sales for your business that you otherwise would not have had.
Unfortunately though, most businesses do not blog well. Why? Because they refuse to think like a consumer.
They refuse to tell consumers the answers to the questions they most want answered. And it is because of this approach we so often hear the phrase, “Yeah, our company tried blogging, but it didn’t work for us.”
I own a swimming pool company, and when the economy crashed in 2008, it was our blog that really saved our business.
It's important to remember that it's called a "blog", not a "brag". In other words, we need to have our focus on education and information if we truly want to gain respect, trust, and authority.
By being relentless in our efforts to walk, talk and think like consumers—we were able to garner the love of search engines like Google and thereby get huge search traffic—but we were also able to rise to the top of the entire fiberglass pool industry.
Today, as I share these blogging success principles with companies around the country, I find there are basically two ways that people receive this unique approach to blogging:
“Sure this will work for our industry!”
“Oh no, this doesn’t apply to us at all!”
What’s funny is that folks in the same field often make these statements, yet the only difference is the desire and willingness to experiment with something new.
I say this because I don’t want you to automatically disqualify yourself and your business from what you’re about to read.
Whether you’re a B2B, B2C, product, service, local, international, big or small business—there are sound blogging practices here that could truly help your company.
But enough on that. Let’s talk about how you can take your blog to the next level.
5 Blogging Tips That Work!
#1: Leverage the power of “versus”
As consumers, we love to compare. In fact, we compare companies, products and “stuff” like crazy just to make sure we know we are making a sound buying decision and choosing the best product or service to fit our needs.
For example, because my company sells fiberglass pools, we are constantly explaining to our customers the differences among fiberglass, concrete and vinyl liner in-ground pools. For years, we kept getting these comparison questions on the phone or face to face from customers, so we knew it only made sense to blog about these subjects when we started this process of content marketing in 2009. In fact, the first comparison/versus article we ever wrote was entitled, “Fiberglass Pools vs. Vinyl Liner Pools vs. Concrete Pools: An Honest Comparison.”
This one article led to tons of search traffic for my company, but it also opened the floodgates to so many other blogging possibilities and subjects.
After this article was written, I was able to see just how powerful the post was, as it ranked #1 on Google for many important keyword phrases, including:
- Fiberglass vs. vinyl liner pools
- Fiberglass vs. concrete pools
- Concrete pools vs. vinyl liner pools
- And many others
When I saw how quickly this article had captured so many long-tail keyword phrases (phrases of three or more words that have less search competition) in Google search engine rankings, I knew it would only make sense to continue with these comparison-based articles on the blog.
As you can see from the image below, the results thus far have been profound. In fact, just try searching any of the “versus” keyword phrases you see above and you’ll be able to verify how my pool company is on the first page of Google almost every time, usually with the ranking of #1.
Here are some of the top "versus" articles of my company website. Try searching the keyword phrases of each in Google and notice the results.
Keep in mind though these types of “versus” comparison-based articles aren’t just for getting the attention of Google and the search engines. In the article that compared fiberglass, vinyl and concrete swimming pools, the comparisons were truly unbiased and honest. I didn’t make fiberglass out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I talked about its pros and cons compared to the other types of pools in a very open manner.
And it was because of this (and all of the other comparison articles I wrote) that the blog soon became “the consumer voice” of the in-ground pool industry. People knew they could go there for honest and accurate information, and as a natural byproduct, our customers in Virginia and Maryland felt like they were dealing with the thought leaders of the entire industry.
So look for ways to compare the products and services you sell versus the products and services of others in your field. Give factual information about each. The opportunities here are almost endless and the amount of content ideas that can come from this one subject could very well give you dozens or even hundreds of blog post possibilities.
#2: People want the best, now give it to them
Think about all of the times you’ve asked the question,
“What is the best way to…?” or
“What is the best type of…?”
When it comes to researching and making a buying decision, we love to know the “best.”
There is also a very good chance the prospects and customers in your industry are online searching these types of phrases, which is why you should look for opportunities to utilize the word “best” in your content.
For example, as someone who writes about business blogging all the time, I decided to write an article on my marketing blog entitled “50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs in the World.” Within two days of writing that post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for the phrase “Best Business Blogs,” which has generated significant traffic to the site since it was published. Furthermore, it’s these types of articles that will build your reputation as an expert in your field.
Within 48 hours of writing this post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for a very important keyword phrase—"best business blogs."
#3: Focus on problems
Let’s pretend for a second you’re going to buy a pool and you decide to meet with a fiberglass pool builder and a concrete pool builder. Assuming you meet with the concrete pool builder and you tell him that you’re also considering fiberglass, what do you think he would say about the merits of fiberglass?
If you guessed he would likely start telling you about all the “problems” and “issues” of fiberglass pools, you’re right.
In most cases, when consumers are left to debate the merits of the two pools (or anything else, for that matter), where do you think they’re going to go to find out the truth and get an “expert” opinion?
The answer, of course, is the Internet. And in this case, they’ll likely go to Google (or any other search engine) and type in something like, “fiberglass pool problems” or “What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
If you're willing to address negative phrases like "problems" in your blog and company content, consumers will be impressed with your transparency and your brand will greatly benefit.
Knowing that people were constantly typing this phrase into the search engines, instead of being an ostrich and burying our heads in the sand, we decided to write an article on the entitled ”Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Problems and Solutions.”
Immediately, the article shot up to #1 on Google for the phrase “fiberglass pool problems.” But not only that, because consumers saw how open and honest our company was about the product we sold, the article also generated many, many leads, as shown in the image below, and has been read over 100,000 times in the last two years.
Here are the highest-converting keyword phrases of my swimming pool website. Notice how well the phrase "fiberglass pool problem(s)" has done for lead generation. In fact, this one article has made our company over $500k in sales, as many of those leads eventually became customers.
#4: Reveal pricing
A few weeks back, I wrote an article on 5 reasons your content marketing must address price, in which I discussed the merits of addressing the subject of pricing on company websites. So as to not repeat that whole post, the premise behind being more open about this subject comes down to these factors:
- Pricing questions are the first ones consumers tend to ask, whether it’s to Google or an actual person. So if pricing is that important to a potential customer, then we need to figure out ways to address the subject in our content or risk the chance of our web visitors looking elsewhere for the information they seek.
- Because the pricing/cost subject is so critical and a popular search term in every industry, if you address this subject you’ve now put yourself in the position to possibly rank for those keywords in search and experience the huge numbers of visitors that come with it.
- Be more open about pricing to set yourself apart from your competitors andgarner respect from consumers who appreciate your willingness to address their questions.
Here are the top 15 pages (in terms of views) for my swimming pool website over the last two years. Of these top 15, 5 are cost/price-related. These are also some of the highest-converting pages of the site as well.
Note: Just as we discussed in the previous article, addressing the pricing/cost subject doesn’t mean you necessarily give specifics. It may just include ranges or an explanation of the factors that dictate what a customer ultimately spends on your product or service.
With respect to your blog and business, a good idea when it comes to price is to write a cost-related article for every product or service that you sell. For some businesses, this means dozens if not hundreds of content opportunities, which will in turn continue to aggregate more search visitors and traffic to your site for months and years to come.
#5: Break news
If you truly want to be known as the voice of your industry, the subject of real-time breaking news can have an incredible impact on your company’s brand and authority.
Popular speaker and author David Meerman Scott has put a new name to this action: “Newsjacking.” He further says:
Whenever there is a hot story in the news, there is an opportunity to create and publish original content that the media will find and will get you coverage.
Newsjacking can be by writing a blog post, doing a YouTube video, creating an infographic, or even publishing a book on Kindle.
I’ve seen cases of “newsjacking” in all industries, but I’ll just mention one of my own here. About two years ago, a major fiberglass pool manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The day it happened, a few people who were familiar with my blog emailed me the news, at which point I immediately ran a story on the event. Not only did that article bring a record amount of traffic and attention to my blog that day, but it also still ranks for major keywords as well, which means continued traffic and leads to my website.
If big news breaks in your industry, act fast and discuss the event on your blog. The results can have a lasting impact on your business.
So if you have a blog, keep your ear to the ground and listen for opportunities to present breaking news to the public. By doing this, peers and consumers alike will see you as a leader in your field, which will ultimately increase your chances of getting more business.
Now it’s your turn…
So there you have it, folks—5 unique blogging tips that will boost your business and brand.
What do you think? I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of the above suggestions. If so, what were the results of your efforts? Which ones do you feel like you can improve on the most? Finally, what are some other blogging subjects you would add to the list? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Overview of Blogging Tools
Learn to Navigate the Sea of Blogging Tools Available to Bloggers
By Susan Gunelius, About.com Guide
Ads
Free Entrepreneur Courseswww.life-global.orgTrain IT & business skills online! Hands-on courses. Get a certificate
Online Money Transferswww.FXCompared.comMake sure your getting the best Rates Possible, Compare Now.
US Company for non-USwww.myUScompany.comDo-it-yourself formation in 5 min Includes Bank account, phone, mail
The blogosphere is an ever-changing place with new tools popping up everyday to help you make your blog as successful as possible. From tools to protect your blog from spam to tools to make your blog pretty, you can find them online. Following is an overview of the types of blogging tools available to bloggers through simple online searches:
Types of Blogging Tools
- Blog Design Tools: Templates, headers and more
- Blog Subscriptions: RSS, feeds and more
- Blog Plug-ins and Add-ons: Spam blockers,bookmarking and more
- Blog Analytics Tools: Traffic statistics, revenue tracking and more
- Offline Blog Editors: Windows LiveWriter, BlogDeskand more
About Web Logs will help you understand what blogging tools can do for you and your blog and help you find those tools. Take some time to follow the links on this page. You just might find a tool that will help you save time or earn money!
More About Blogging Tools
Blogging Tools and Offline Blog Editors
More About Offline Blog Editors
5 Creative Tips to Increase Blog Traffic and Boost Your Business
Does your business have a blog?
Is it working for you?
If you said “no,” I wouldn’t be surprised.
But it doesn’t need to be that way.
Keep reading to discover why many blogs fail and what you can do to boost your traffic and brand.
What’s Wrong With Blogs?
This platform, if done properly, can generate tremendous traffic, leads and sales for your business that you otherwise would not have had.
Unfortunately though, most businesses do not blog well. Why? Because they refuse to think like a consumer.
They refuse to tell consumers the answers to the questions they most want answered. And it is because of this approach we so often hear the phrase, “Yeah, our company tried blogging, but it didn’t work for us.”
I own a swimming pool company, and when the economy crashed in 2008, it was our blog that really saved our business.
It's important to remember that it's called a "blog", not a "brag". In other words, we need to have our focus on education and information if we truly want to gain respect, trust, and authority.
By being relentless in our efforts to walk, talk and think like consumers—we were able to garner the love of search engines like Google and thereby get huge search traffic—but we were also able to rise to the top of the entire fiberglass pool industry.
Today, as I share these blogging success principles with companies around the country, I find there are basically two ways that people receive this unique approach to blogging:
“Sure this will work for our industry!”
“Oh no, this doesn’t apply to us at all!”
What’s funny is that folks in the same field often make these statements, yet the only difference is the desire and willingness to experiment with something new.
I say this because I don’t want you to automatically disqualify yourself and your business from what you’re about to read.
Whether you’re a B2B, B2C, product, service, local, international, big or small business—there are sound blogging practices here that could truly help your company.
But enough on that. Let’s talk about how you can take your blog to the next level.
5 Blogging Tips That Work!
#1: Leverage the power of “versus”
As consumers, we love to compare. In fact, we compare companies, products and “stuff” like crazy just to make sure we know we are making a sound buying decision and choosing the best product or service to fit our needs.
For example, because my company sells fiberglass pools, we are constantly explaining to our customers the differences among fiberglass, concrete and vinyl liner in-ground pools. For years, we kept getting these comparison questions on the phone or face to face from customers, so we knew it only made sense to blog about these subjects when we started this process of content marketing in 2009. In fact, the first comparison/versus article we ever wrote was entitled, “Fiberglass Pools vs. Vinyl Liner Pools vs. Concrete Pools: An Honest Comparison.”
This one article led to tons of search traffic for my company, but it also opened the floodgates to so many other blogging possibilities and subjects.
After this article was written, I was able to see just how powerful the post was, as it ranked #1 on Google for many important keyword phrases, including:
- Fiberglass vs. vinyl liner pools
- Fiberglass vs. concrete pools
- Concrete pools vs. vinyl liner pools
- And many others
When I saw how quickly this article had captured so many long-tail keyword phrases (phrases of three or more words that have less search competition) in Google search engine rankings, I knew it would only make sense to continue with these comparison-based articles on the blog.
As you can see from the image below, the results thus far have been profound. In fact, just try searching any of the “versus” keyword phrases you see above and you’ll be able to verify how my pool company is on the first page of Google almost every time, usually with the ranking of #1.
Here are some of the top "versus" articles of my company website. Try searching the keyword phrases of each in Google and notice the results.
Keep in mind though these types of “versus” comparison-based articles aren’t just for getting the attention of Google and the search engines. In the article that compared fiberglass, vinyl and concrete swimming pools, the comparisons were truly unbiased and honest. I didn’t make fiberglass out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I talked about its pros and cons compared to the other types of pools in a very open manner.
And it was because of this (and all of the other comparison articles I wrote) that the blog soon became “the consumer voice” of the in-ground pool industry. People knew they could go there for honest and accurate information, and as a natural byproduct, our customers in Virginia and Maryland felt like they were dealing with the thought leaders of the entire industry.
So look for ways to compare the products and services you sell versus the products and services of others in your field. Give factual information about each. The opportunities here are almost endless and the amount of content ideas that can come from this one subject could very well give you dozens or even hundreds of blog post possibilities.
#2: People want the best, now give it to them
Think about all of the times you’ve asked the question,
“What is the best way to…?” or
“What is the best type of…?”
When it comes to researching and making a buying decision, we love to know the “best.”
There is also a very good chance the prospects and customers in your industry are online searching these types of phrases, which is why you should look for opportunities to utilize the word “best” in your content.
For example, as someone who writes about business blogging all the time, I decided to write an article on my marketing blog entitled “50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs in the World.” Within two days of writing that post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for the phrase “Best Business Blogs,” which has generated significant traffic to the site since it was published. Furthermore, it’s these types of articles that will build your reputation as an expert in your field.
Within 48 hours of writing this post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for a very important keyword phrase—"best business blogs."
#3: Focus on problems
Let’s pretend for a second you’re going to buy a pool and you decide to meet with a fiberglass pool builder and a concrete pool builder. Assuming you meet with the concrete pool builder and you tell him that you’re also considering fiberglass, what do you think he would say about the merits of fiberglass?
If you guessed he would likely start telling you about all the “problems” and “issues” of fiberglass pools, you’re right.
In most cases, when consumers are left to debate the merits of the two pools (or anything else, for that matter), where do you think they’re going to go to find out the truth and get an “expert” opinion?
The answer, of course, is the Internet. And in this case, they’ll likely go to Google (or any other search engine) and type in something like, “fiberglass pool problems” or “What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
If you're willing to address negative phrases like "problems" in your blog and company content, consumers will be impressed with your transparency and your brand will greatly benefit.
Knowing that people were constantly typing this phrase into the search engines, instead of being an ostrich and burying our heads in the sand, we decided to write an article on the entitled ”Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Problems and Solutions.”
Immediately, the article shot up to #1 on Google for the phrase “fiberglass pool problems.” But not only that, because consumers saw how open and honest our company was about the product we sold, the article also generated many, many leads, as shown in the image below, and has been read over 100,000 times in the last two years.
Here are the highest-converting keyword phrases of my swimming pool website. Notice how well the phrase "fiberglass pool problem(s)" has done for lead generation. In fact, this one article has made our company over $500k in sales, as many of those leads eventually became customers.
#4: Reveal pricing
A few weeks back, I wrote an article on 5 reasons your content marketing must address price, in which I discussed the merits of addressing the subject of pricing on company websites. So as to not repeat that whole post, the premise behind being more open about this subject comes down to these factors:
- Pricing questions are the first ones consumers tend to ask, whether it’s to Google or an actual person. So if pricing is that important to a potential customer, then we need to figure out ways to address the subject in our content or risk the chance of our web visitors looking elsewhere for the information they seek.
- Because the pricing/cost subject is so critical and a popular search term in every industry, if you address this subject you’ve now put yourself in the position to possibly rank for those keywords in search and experience the huge numbers of visitors that come with it.
- Be more open about pricing to set yourself apart from your competitors andgarner respect from consumers who appreciate your willingness to address their questions.
Here are the top 15 pages (in terms of views) for my swimming pool website over the last two years. Of these top 15, 5 are cost/price-related. These are also some of the highest-converting pages of the site as well.
Note: Just as we discussed in the previous article, addressing the pricing/cost subject doesn’t mean you necessarily give specifics. It may just include ranges or an explanation of the factors that dictate what a customer ultimately spends on your product or service.
With respect to your blog and business, a good idea when it comes to price is to write a cost-related article for every product or service that you sell. For some businesses, this means dozens if not hundreds of content opportunities, which will in turn continue to aggregate more search visitors and traffic to your site for months and years to come.
#5: Break news
If you truly want to be known as the voice of your industry, the subject of real-time breaking news can have an incredible impact on your company’s brand and authority.
Popular speaker and author David Meerman Scott has put a new name to this action: “Newsjacking.” He further says:
Whenever there is a hot story in the news, there is an opportunity to create and publish original content that the media will find and will get you coverage.
Newsjacking can be by writing a blog post, doing a YouTube video, creating an infographic, or even publishing a book on Kindle.
I’ve seen cases of “newsjacking” in all industries, but I’ll just mention one of my own here. About two years ago, a major fiberglass pool manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The day it happened, a few people who were familiar with my blog emailed me the news, at which point I immediately ran a story on the event. Not only did that article bring a record amount of traffic and attention to my blog that day, but it also still ranks for major keywords as well, which means continued traffic and leads to my website.
If big news breaks in your industry, act fast and discuss the event on your blog. The results can have a lasting impact on your business.
So if you have a blog, keep your ear to the ground and listen for opportunities to present breaking news to the public. By doing this, peers and consumers alike will see you as a leader in your field, which will ultimately increase your chances of getting more business.
Now it’s your turn…
So there you have it, folks—5 unique blogging tips that will boost your business and brand.
What do you think? I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of the above suggestions. If so, what were the results of your efforts? Which ones do you feel like you can improve on the most? Finally, what are some other blogging subjects you would add to the list? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Does your business have a blog?
It's important to remember that it's called a "blog", not a "brag". In other words, we need to have our focus on education and information if we truly want to gain respect, trust, and authority.
“Sure this will work for our industry!”
“Oh no, this doesn’t apply to us at all!”
This one article led to tons of search traffic for my company, but it also opened the floodgates to so many other blogging possibilities and subjects.
Here are some of the top "versus" articles of my company website. Try searching the keyword phrases of each in Google and notice the results.
“What is the best way to…?” or
“What is the best type of…?”
Within 48 hours of writing this post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for a very important keyword phrase—"best business blogs."
If you're willing to address negative phrases like "problems" in your blog and company content, consumers will be impressed with your transparency and your brand will greatly benefit.
Here are the highest-converting keyword phrases of my swimming pool website. Notice how well the phrase "fiberglass pool problem(s)" has done for lead generation. In fact, this one article has made our company over $500k in sales, as many of those leads eventually became customers.
Here are the top 15 pages (in terms of views) for my swimming pool website over the last two years. Of these top 15, 5 are cost/price-related. These are also some of the highest-converting pages of the site as well.
Whenever there is a hot story in the news, there is an opportunity to create and publish original content that the media will find and will get you coverage.
Newsjacking can be by writing a blog post, doing a YouTube video, creating an infographic, or even publishing a book on Kindle.
If big news breaks in your industry, act fast and discuss the event on your blog. The results can have a lasting impact on your business.
Overview of Blogging Tools
Learn to Navigate the Sea of Blogging Tools Available to Bloggers
By Susan Gunelius, About.com Guide
Ads
Free Entrepreneur Courseswww.life-global.orgTrain IT & business skills online! Hands-on courses. Get a certificate
Online Money Transferswww.FXCompared.comMake sure your getting the best Rates Possible, Compare Now.
US Company for non-USwww.myUScompany.comDo-it-yourself formation in 5 min Includes Bank account, phone, mail
The blogosphere is an ever-changing place with new tools popping up everyday to help you make your blog as successful as possible. From tools to protect your blog from spam to tools to make your blog pretty, you can find them online. Following is an overview of the types of blogging tools available to bloggers through simple online searches:
Types of Blogging Tools
- Blog Design Tools: Templates, headers and more
- Blog Subscriptions: RSS, feeds and more
- Blog Plug-ins and Add-ons: Spam blockers,bookmarking and more
- Blog Analytics Tools: Traffic statistics, revenue tracking and more
- Offline Blog Editors: Windows LiveWriter, BlogDeskand more
About Web Logs will help you understand what blogging tools can do for you and your blog and help you find those tools. Take some time to follow the links on this page. You just might find a tool that will help you save time or earn money!
More About Blogging Tools
Blogging Tools and Offline Blog Editors
More About Offline Blog Editors
- Before You Start a Blog
- Selecting a Blogging Application and Host
- Team Blogs and Multi-Author Blogs
- Creating a Blog
- Designing a Blog
- Writing a Blog
- Parts of a Blog
- Blogging Tools and Add-ons
- WordPress Plugins
- Wordpress Tips and Tutorials
- Developing a Successful Blog
- Blogging Rules and Ethics
- Reading and Finding Blogs
- Popular Blogs and Bloggers
- Blogging Reference Guide
Before You Start a Blog
Before you join the blogosphere, take a look at these articles to make sure you're ready.
- What is a Blog?
- Before You Start a Blog Determine if Blogging is Right for You
- Quiz - Should You Start a Blog?
- Top 10 Reasons to Start a Blog
- 5 Elements to Start a Blog Successfully
- 5 Tips to Choosing a Blog Topic
- 5 Steps to Start a Niche Blog
- Choose a Domain Name for Your Blog
- 5 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Blog
- 5 Things You Might Not Like about Blogging
- Top 10 Blogging Books
- 5 Great Kindle Books for Beginner Bloggers
Ads
Free Blog Promotion Toolwww.buzzbaiting.comLearn How To Get More Visitors. Marketing Your Blog Is Now Easier!
Create a Facebook Profilewww.Facebook.comFind & Share A Wide Variety Of Facebook Applications. Sign Up Now!
Super Search for EEwww.solspace.com/super_searchExpressionEngine search plugin Powerful, flexible CMS search
Selecting a Blogging Application and Host
Learn about the various blogging applications and hosts to help you choose the best one for you.
- 6 Questions to Ask to Find the Best Blogging Software for You
- Blogging Application Comparison
- Your Turn - Which Blogging Application Do You Use?
- Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org
- Should You Pay for WordPress.com Upgrades or Use WordPress.org?
- Blogging with Wordpress
- Review of Blogger.com
- Review of Typepad.com
- What Is Tumblr?
- Tumblr Features for Bloggers
- What Is LiveJournal?
- What Is Posterous?
- What Is Pinterest?
- How Bloggers Can Use Pinterest
- Types of Blog Hosts
- 5 Tips to Choose a Blog Host
- 5 Popular Blog Hosts
- Choosing a Blog Host: BlueHost Overview
- Tutorial: How to Sign up for Blog Hosting with BlueHost
Team Blogs and Multi-Author Blogs
Learn how to create and manage a team blog and the multiple contributors who write for a team blog.
- How to Develop a Team Blog
- Best Applications to Create a Team Blog
- How to Create a Team Blog Style Guide
- Team Blog Online Communication and Collaboration Tools
- What Does a Blog Editor Do?
Creating a Blog
These tutorials and lessons will help you start your blog.
- How to Create a Blog for Free in 4 Easy Steps
- Tutorial: How to Start a Free Blog at Blogger.com
- How to Start a Free Blog in Wordpress
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- How to Create a Podcast in 10 Easy Steps
- How to Create a Vlog in 10 Easy Steps
Designing a Blog
The articles below will help you improve the overall look of your blog.
- 10 Essential Blog Design Elements
- Top 5 Blog Design Mistakes
- Blog Design Checklist
- 10 Easy Ways to Make Your Blog Design Shine
- How Much Does Blog Design Cost?
- 5 Ways to Find Blog Designers
- 5 Tricks to Make Your Blog Posts Look Great
- How Color Meanings Affect Blog Design
- International Color Meanings and Blog Design
- 10 Sites for Free Social Media Icons
- How to Choose a Blog Theme or Template
- Free, Premium or Custom WordPress Theme?
- 5 Sites for Free Wordpress Themes
- 5 Sites for Free Blogger Templates
- Sites for Premium Wordpress Themes
- Wordpress Themes for Business Blogs and Websites
- Find Free Blog Templates with eBlogTemplates.com
- Review - Flexx Wordpress Theme
- Review - eNews Wordpress Theme
- Review - MyProduct WordPress Theme
Writing a Blog
The information in the articles listed below will help you learn how to write a blog that people want to read.
- How to Write a Blog People Want to Read
- 5 Ways to Improve Your Blog Writing and Get More Readers
- 3 Steps to Write Great Blog Post Titles
- Secrets to Writing Blog Post Titles that People Click
- 5 Tips to Write Great Blog Posts
- 7 Tips to Write Scannable Blog Posts
- 10 Tips to Write Blog Posts That Get Shared and Increase Traffic
- 10 Ways to Increase Traffic with Blog Writing Tricks
- The Secrets of Blog Post Length
- 20 Blog Post Ideas
- 5 Blog Post Idea Generators
- Blog Post Checklist
- Do You Need a Blog Editorial Calendar?
- How to Create a Blog Editorial Calendar
- How to Get Free Products to Review on Your Blog
- 5 Things Bloggers Can Learn from Copywriters
- 5 Things Bloggers Can Learn from Journalists
Parts of a Blog
Blogs are made up of many parts and pieces. Get the information you need to understand the basics of blog terminology.
- The Fundamental Parts of a Blog
- Create Your Blog's Home Page
- Making Your "About Me" Page Shine
- Blog Contact Page Overview
- Blog Page Overview
- Overview of a Blog Post
- Top 5 Sites to Find Free Photos to Use on Your Blog
- Finding Free Photos from Flickr to Use on Your Blog
- 4 Free Photo Editing Sites
- What Are Blog Comments?
- 5 Ways to Identify Blog Comment Spam
- Overview of Blog Categories
- Blog Category Organization Tips
- Overview of Blog Archives
- What is a Blogroll?
- What is a Widget?
- What is a Blog Sidebar?
- 15 Popular Sidebar Items
- What is a Blog Header?
- What is a Blog Footer?
Blogging Tools and Add-ons
Just when you thought you understood how to blog, you realized there are a wealth of tools and add-ons available to you to help you enhance and extend your blog. Learn about these tools and what they can do for you and your blog.
- Overview of Blogging Tools
- 15 Free Blogging Tools No Blogger Should Live Without
- 15 Free Google Tools for Bloggers
- 10 Affordable Blogging Tools to Make Life Easier
- Use TwitThis to Share Blog Posts in Twitter
- Top 5 Blog Statistic Trackers
- Making Sense of Blog Statistic Trackers
- Google Analytics Review for Bloggers
- 10 Metrics Bloggers Should Track
- Tools to Add a Forum to Your Blog
- Best iPad Apps for Blogging
- Top 5 Reasons to Use an Offline Blog Editor
- 10 Essential Features to Look for in an Offline Blog Editor
- Top 5 Offline Blog Editors
- Review of Windows Live Writer as an Offline Blog Editor
- Free Windows Live Writer Plug-ins
- Review of BlogDesk as an Offline Blog Editor
- Review of PollDaddy to Create Free Blog Polls
- 10 Websites and Books to Learn CSS
- HTML Overview for Bloggers
WordPress Plugins
Check out these WordPress plugins to add functionality and features to your WordPress.org blog.
- 11 Essential Wordpress Plug-ins
- 7 Wordpress Plugin-ins to Boost Blog Traffic
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Boost Page Views
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Help Bloggers Make Money
- 6 Wordpress Plugins to Increase Blog Comments
- 10 Wordpress Plugins That Save Bloggers Time
- 5 Wordpress Plugins for Blog Maintenance and Enhanced Functionality
- 5 Wordpress Plugins to Analyze Blog Visitors
- WordPress Plugins for Facebook Integration
- Review of VaultPress for WordPress Backup Service
- Review of Gravity Forms Plugin
- Review of the Tweetmeme Retweet Button
- Review of Subscribe to Comments Plugin
- Review of Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (YARPP)
- Review of WP Super Cache Plugin
- Review of Editorial Calendar Plugin
- Review of WP Maintenance WordPress Plugin
- Review of Post Teaser Plugin
- Review of WP125 WordPress Plugin for Ad Management
Wordpress Tips and Tutorials
If you use Wordpress, these tips and tutorials will help you use the functions and features available to you.
- 10 Steps to Start a Blog with WordPress.org
- How to Install WordPress.org with SimpleScripts
- WordPress User Roles and Capabilities Overview
- 10 WordPress Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Blog Running Smoothly
- Advanced WordPress Technical Terms Glossary
- How to Install a WordPress Theme from the WordPress Dashboard or FTP
- What Is a WordPress Child Theme?
- WordPress SEO Tips to Increase Search Traffic
- How to Make a WordPress Blog or Blog Posts Private
- How to Copy and Paste from Word to Wordpress
- Tutorial - Embed a YouTube Video in a Wordpress Post
- Tutorial - Insert Google AdSense Ads Between Posts in Wordpress
- Find WordPress Mobile Apps
- Your Turn - What is Your Top Wordpress Tip?
Developing a Successful Blog
You've joined the blogosphere and published your blog. Now, learn how to make your blog successful.
- 100 Free Blog Tips Every Blogger Should Read
- Essential Requirements to Starting a Successful Blog
- Blog Review Checklist
- Blog Posting Frequency Overview
- Blogging Tips
- Top 10 Tips for Beginner Bloggers
- Blogging Secrets from Top Bloggers
- 10 Unique Traits Top Bloggers Share
- Breaking Bad Habits for a Better Blog
- 10 Free and Easy Ways to Increase Blog Reader Loyalty
- 5 Tips to Turn Blog Content from Boring to Amazing
- Blog Strategy vs. Blog Tactics - How to Blog Strategically
- The 3Cs of Blogging Success - Comments, Conversation and Community
- Should You Close Blog Comments on Older Posts?
- How to Respond to Negative Blog Comments
- 5 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Blog
- 5 Ways to Give Blog Archives a Longer Life
- Add Related Posts to Your Blog Entries
Blogging Rules and Ethics
Understand the do's and don'ts of blogging with these articles.
- Blogging Best Practices
- Top 3 Blogging Rules
- Legal Issues Bloggers Must Understand
- Copyright and Fair Use Considerations
- Understanding Creative Commons Licenses
- 5 Easy Ways to Be Labeled as a Spammer
- Avoid Blog Comment Spam
- Creating a Blog Comment Policy
- Sample Blog Comment Policy
- Sample Blog Privacy Policy
- Sample Blog Terms and Conditions Policy
- Sample Guest Blog Post Submission Guidelines
Reading and Finding Blogs
Who else is blogging? Learn how to find them here.
- Directory of Blog Search Engines
- Your Turn - What is Your Favorite Blog?
- Tutorial: How to Find Blogs with Google Blog Search
- Tutorial: How to Search Technorati to Find Blogs
Popular Blogs and Bloggers
Learn from the best-of-the-best in the blogosphere.
- Top 10 Blogs of 2011
- Top 10 Blogs of 2010
- 10 Top Blogs of 2009
- Top 10 Blogs of 2008
- Popular Blogs About Business
- Popular Blogs for and by Business Women
- Popular Blogs About Celebrities
- Popular Green Blogs
- Popular Blogs About Politics
- Popular Blogs About Writing
- Profile of Successful Blogger Heather Armstrong
- Profile of Successful Blogger Perez Hilton
Blogging Reference Guide
Breaking down blogging into easy-to-understand snippets through frequently asked questions and a layman's glossary.
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