7 Steps to Better Blogs

If you want to use the internet to market your business effectively you need to become a blogger.

Why?

Because:

• If your blog is on your website you’ll be adding fresh and relevant content – which the search engines love.

• If your blog is a stand-alone – like this one – you’re creating an online presence that develops an information bank around your area of expertise and will help you to be found by the search engines.

• If you search out other people who blog to the same kind of audience as you, but are not in competition (perhaps in an allied business) you can guest blog on each other’s blogs and reach a much bigger audience.

Tips to help you to blog better

1. Pick up a pen and a piece of paper and write a list of subjects that you could write blogs about.  Keep them related to your area of expertise.  Having a focus will help you to get started.
2. Take each subject and jot down a list of points you want to make about that subject then organise these into a logical order.  A structure to write around will make writing easier.
3. When you’re writing try to keep it as concise and focused as possible.  People lose interest in long rambling posts.
4. Write your item first then create the headline.  It’s best to write several headlines before you find one that works.  Writing guru, Ted Nicholas, says you should spend 80% of your time on the headline and only 20% on the article.  If your headline isn’t good people won’t be interested enough to read the blog.
5. Write a list of 3-5 key terms that you think people will search for that your blog addresses.  These should be included somewhere in the blog if possible – and they should also form the tags or labels that you attach to the blog.
6. Get into the habit of writing weekly until you just do it.  Set aside a regular time and day to do this.
7. Learn to edit.  A good way to do this is to write and then leave it for a day or two before posting, you often see it more objectively and can trim and sharpen it up effectively.  Alternatively, get a friend or colleague to give you some honest feedback.

You don’t have to write perfect English to be a good blogger, but it’s wise to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation so that you don’t turn people off.  I often write in Word and use the checkers there, before posting a text version into my blog.

Consistency is the key – happy blogging!