According to Blogger.org, in 2016, there were 6.7 million people blogging on blogging sites and 12 million on social media. That’s a lot of blogs! With those figures in mind, it’s clear that if you want to have a successful blog, you have to stand out from the crowd. So here are some tips on how to make your blog stand out.
Make Your Blog Stand Out
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1. Don’t Shout
We were only half kidding with this one. Some people insist on having flashing, crazy images and colors on their blogs, or auto play music, or other equally irritating things that will turn people away from your blog. This doesn’t look professional and, ultimately, will cost you some readers.
A well thought out design, with appropriate visuals, is far more compelling than LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS text or music.
Looking for a new blog design? Here are our favorite WordPress themes and designs.
2. Quality of the content is key
High quality content is both engaging and useful to the reader. Answering questions that they might have about your line of business and how you can solve their problems is one way, but how you do it matters as much as what you do. A flat recitation of fact won’t keep anyone reading. Incorporating storytelling is a great way to keep their attention focused.
Be mindful of the tone of your blog: people who are reading it now won’t want to see a big change in style. Your personality and unique voice need to shine through if you are in the business of blogging. Readers aren’t just coming for the words: they’re coming for you and how you convey your message!
3. Use different media
Images, infographics, videos… All great ways to get information to your reader and changing up the style a little to appeal to readers is never a bad thing. Ultimately, the written word is what controls your SEO, but it’s not all about SEO.
When it comes to these other forms of media, make sure you use high quality ones! Low resolution images or badly formatted infographics won’t help you. People are more likely to share when they’re blown away by something, either written or visual, so make it good!
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4. Make your content easy to read
Short sentences and paragraphs, sub-headers for easy scanning, and an easy on the eyes font and color scheme, all make a difference in the readability of your blog.
5. Publish consistently
A blog that hasn’t been updated in six months looks like a sign outside your store, hanging by the hinges and blowing in the wind: it gives the impression that no one is home! Consistency builds trust. While you’re at it, pay attention to those people who are reading your blog! If they share your materials on social or make comments, be sure to engage with them. Readers are turned off when they try to engage online, only to be ignored!
Another good way to develop a readership is to build momentum by providing content that relates to one another. In other words, develop a series of posts on a topic and then issue them one at a time, with a promise of more to come.
What I’m trying to say: don’t publish every day in the beginning and taper off. Do what you can from the start! We at Click Start Club aim for two posts a week, but since it’s Q4 we both have to take care of – we have limited it to once a week right now.
6. Be where your readers are
You can promote your blog without ever mentioning it directly by simply being where your readers are, particularly on social media. If they get the feeling they’ve seen you before and they like what you’ve said, they’ll check out your profile, which must, of course, contain a link to your blog! It’s awesome.
Be mindful of acting professional online because it can all add up to a bad image if your readers like your blog but don’t like what you say elsewhere. If you wouldn’t want your parents to see it, you shouldn’t post it.
Don’t be daunted by the number of blogs out there: successful blogging isn’t something that happens overnight, but rather through persistence and consistency, you’ll build up a readership and a following. It takes time but it’s worth it in the end!
Do you have any tips on how you make your blog stand out? Share them in the comments.
