I was doing my usual surfing of the internet and ran across an article that Darren Rowse wrote about on his blog, problogger.net. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would add on to it as well as add a couple of my own thoughts.
3. Good Blog Design – I cannot emphathise this enough. The way your blog is designed will either make or break your blog. There are many themes and designs out there, so you need to be selective and choose the one that fits your style and niche, but is also appealing to the audience as well. Colors play a big factor in this. I’ve mentioned this as well all the way back in Episode #39, and the topic of color branding in Episode #41.
4. On Site Branding – This is key to distinguishing yourself from the crowd. If you cannot effectively brand your blog in your blog (roundabout way of saying this), you will become part of the crowd and not the leader. Think of a big crowd with everyone wearing grey. Looks bland doesn’t it? Now imagine one person in that crowd wearing a bright yellow shirt. Who will your eyes be drawn to?
5. Make Your Blog Personal – Having that personal touch is what makes your blog your own. Your style of writing, personality, and connection with the audience can drive your site in a powerful way. The audience have someone they can relate to and trust, all of which drives people to your site and create a 2-way conversation.
Now for my contribution:
22. Traffic tends to Gravitate towards Mature Posts
Notice I didn’t say old posts. These are posts that have been around for a while and still stand the test of time and keep drawing an audience to it. Its one of the foundational posts of your blog. I have noticed on my site that many visit the archives and not the most recent post. It puzzled me for sometime until I found out that I hit something that created an interest beyond what I thought. It happens alot in the blogosphere, but that just one of the perks of new media ;).
If you have something you would like to contribute or have questions about, feel free to comment. If you want to read all 21 tips, then I suggest you head out to the post: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/07/18/21-ways-to-make-your-blog-or-website-sticky/
Traffic is the big problem in blogging.