Blogging is all about patience. You never become a blog celebrity overnight. It takes a lot of time before you build a group of audience, who will wait for your next blog post! This post will show you 5 Success strategies, that help you build your Blog Empire to last forever.
1. Choose a Niche Area
To find a collection of Web 2.0 icons, I go to Smashing Magazine. To get a tip on blogging, I go to ProBlogger. To know something about copywriting, I go to CopyBlogger. What’s common among these blogs? Simple. They all are dedicated to their niche areas. They have built an authority around their niche areas.
Align the niche area of your blog with what you love doing. If you are an avid photographer, start a blog around it. This keeps your passion alive for a really long time. Also, if you choose a common niche area like Technology Tips, then be prepared to wait for a relatively long time (sometimes as high as 2+ years) as there are many who have built their authority around them.
2. Be Regular and Be Useful
Readers love those, who consistently deliver them good stuff. By good stuff I mean something useful to them – a solution, a tip, a word of inspiration, a collection of stuff etc.
Another aspect of a successful blog – is being regular. Build a blogging schedule for yourself and try to stick to it. If you have a full time job during the week, consider composing 2-3 posts during the weekend and posting them at regular intervals.
Tip: Don’t write irrelevant and non-useful posts just to meet your schedule. This can have adverse effect on your blog
3. Offer FREE but useful stuff
Take my word. People love freebies! Develop something like – a Wordpress Template, a Thesis Skin, a WP Plugin or an intuitive e-Book – and give it your readers for free. You can have some minor clauses here, to have them sign-up for your newsletter. But otherwise the free stuff should have “no strings” attached.
Just because you give them free, doesn’t mean you can compromise on the quality. Once they experience the quality, people may come back to you for more and even ready to pay for it!
4. Don’t overlook SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an essential component of any successful blog. Search Engines are one of the primary channels that bring in new readers and the blog must maintain a friendly relationship with them.
If you are using a great theme like Thesis for Wordpress, much of the Optimization is taken care behind the scenes. If not, there is good amount of home work to do.
Tip: You can check out these excellent blogs to get essential SEO tips and ideas - DailySEOBlog and Search Engine Journal
5. Practice Affiliate Marketing and Advertising but with discretion
Won’t you love if your blog grows up as a secondary income channel? Definitely, I would.
There are numerous Affiliate Marketing and Advertising programs around. But make sure that these are not the primary components of your blog. These should blend with the content, but not the other way round.
John Chow is an expert when it comes to monetizing your blog. Check out his free e-book on “Making Money Online”, that covers everything you need to know about Affiliate Marketing.
Tip: Monetization is a secondary aspect of your blog. Keep “Quality Content” as the primary aspect
Summary:
Analyze and find out a Niche area of your blog
Consistently post useful stuff for your readers
Offer Freebies. But make sure they help people; not trouble them
SEO is essential for any blogs. Make sure you don’t lose out
Making money from your blog is not a sin. After all it makes you – popular and rich
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