5 Things Bloggers Should Do – And One Thing They Shouldn’t
Every blogger wants to know how to “make it” in the world of blogging. Newbies, especially, want to know what the magic formula is to suddenly be a breakout blogger, not realizing that there’s a lot of work that goes into the gig.
Those bloggers you admire?
The ones who work from home, blog a couple of times a week, and seem to have it made?
They didn’t get there by taking the easy way out.
The truth is, there are a lot of things that bloggers should do, especially if they really want to stand out in the blogosphere. Some may seem obvious, but others are things that even experienced bloggers can work on. Plus, there’s one very important thing that bloggers shouldn’t do, if they can help it.
What Bloggers SHOULD DO:
1. Promote! Promote! Promote!
Guess what? Blogging isn’t just about writing something, putting it up on the internet, and walking away. Promoting your blog is at least half the job. Using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to promote your blog is a really great idea, but it can be time-consuming. Still, if you want to bring in readers, learning how to promote your blog to them is half the battle.
2. Monetize Your Content
If you just really love to write, and don’t care about making any money at all by blogging, this tip is probably not for you. But most people are likely to be OK with making some money as a blogger, and the best way to do that is by monetizing your content. You can do that by using a service like ConnectPal, which allows bloggers to set a monthly price for subscribers to access their content. You can also use sponsored posts, advertising, and affiliate marketing to make money blogging.
3. Be Consistent
It can be hard to give yourself a “schedule” when it comes to blogging, especially if you’re not getting a ton of traffic on your blog. But being consistent with your blog posts is extremely important. When you create fresh content, search engines pick up on that. Plus, if your readers figure out when you normally post, they’ll know when to come looking, and you’ll hopefully build a more consistent audience, too.
4. Figure Out Your Passion
Speaking of your audience, you’ve got to figure out what you want to blog about and who you want to attract to your blog before you get started, as much as possible. Do you want to be another general food blogger, or are you especially passionate about pie, and want to write about a new recipe every week? Understanding your niche is a big part of blogging.
5. Learn SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is hugely important in the world of blogging. It’s basically a process by which a blogger optimizes their content to show up in online search results more effectively. If you want newcomers to find you through Google, SEO needs to become your best friend. Thankfully, there are a ton of guides to SEO online if you need them.
What Bloggers SHOULDN’T Do
There’s actually a lot of advice out there about what bloggers shouldn’t do, but a lot of it boils down to this: don’t be passive. That means, don’t get lazy about your blog posting. Don’t choose a general topic to blog about if you don’t really care about it. Don’t slack on promoting your content. You’ve got to be proactive to make it as a blogger, and being lazy just won’t cut it.
