Thursday, May 30, 2013

10 blogging tips for blogging beginners



Starting to blog doesn't seem as easy as creating one? Are
you also feeling trouble for what to blog? Believe me; it can be as simple as
eating and walking! Good thing is most of the bloggers go through similar
phases in the beginning. Here, I am sharing a few tips on providing your blog a
backbone since the very first posts you do on your blog.







10 blogging tips for blogging beginners (BlogShrill.blogspot.com)








Did you decide your blog’s niche?


Niche refers to the field of your blog on which you are going to update your
blog. It may be a science blog, a technology blog, a musical or a
sportsperson’s blog. It is always advisable to not to post anything and
everything on the same blog. Your posts should be related to the field on which
your blog is all about. Although you can, but no one expects cold drink in a
coffee mug! Similarly, neither search engines nor readers pay attention to new
blogs with no exact content on the same field.

For example, if your blog is a sports blog, you should stick to sports news as
well as sportsmen/women’s career databases and achievements. Anything that is
related to your blog’s field is important to you. Grab it.




Target your readers



When you are writing for sharing, it should be dedicated to
those who are going to read it. It remains better to predict who will be the
target for your blog posts, teenagers, adults (mature) or both? If your blog is
targeted on kids and teenagers, then you may also do some designing work to
make your blog look livelier. And if it is targeted to adults or elderly
people, you should avoid using too bright colors. They may confuse to whom the
blog is dedicated to.


If your blog is for readers of any age-group, you may try to
write and update taking both in mind. You may put some light humor between your
writing, which may get good attention of elderly readers and teenagers as well.
Similarly the way of your writing may change if you write for professionals or
anyone else.




Research before you write



It remains always better to know more than what you are
sharing on your blog. When your readers ask anything about the post, you may
explain better only when you will be having enough knowledge in that field.
Also, researching helps us confirming the correctness of the information we are
going to share in your blogs.




Get article ideas from latest news and article directory



The most important aspect in blogging is having ideas for
next posts. Even experienced bloggers face the trouble to decide an interesting
topic for their next article. So, the beginners who are going to face such
troubles should not step backwards. Keep yourself updated with the latest news
about the field you blog belongs to. For example, if it is a science blog, you
may watch a science news channel or newspapers. We need not to copy their news
to our blogs, but at least we may get one or many ideas related to the news
which are on heat currently, hence we can pen them down in our own efforts,
knowledge, research and style of writing. Similarly, beginners may also use
article sharing sites like Ezine articles, but one should not copy/paste those
articles to his/her blog. You are going to read those articles for getting
ideas for writing only.




Tell your readers who you are



Although it is not exactly for what visitors come to you
blog, but you should introduce them with the author of your blog and how much
efforts you make to present any information before them. Tell them who you are,
what are your hobbies, why do you write blogs, your educational qualification
or anything in short. You may also ask your readers to join you on your
social media account to get in touch.




Update regularly; turn your blog into a magnet



It is important to remain and readily posting to your blog
from time to time. Some blogs are updated even 12 to 20 times in ‘a day’. To
get recognition for your blog, you need to work really hard and post at least
once in a week. If your readers are wishing to check more posts on your blog,
posts should be there! And it may only happen if your post them. Blogs that are
not updated for a long time are ignored by readers as well as search engines,
which mean you will have the least chances to appear in top 50 results. So, one
should keep updating his/her blog regularly with nice, well-written and
interesting posts.




Invite; and welcome comments



Comments are a necessary part of every blog and play an
important role in completing a blog’s ultimate goal; reaching its readers. It
helps bloggers to know about what do they lack in their writings and how can it
be improved. It also helps in establishing relations between you and your
readers.


Ideas, suggestions, query, criticism or any type of sharing
related to blog’s topic should be invited as well as responded in comments.
Your blog’s success lies in winning the loyalty and trust of your bloggers that
can be done by posting meaningful and quality content and actively
participating in the conversation started in comments.


Be socially active



One of the most important things is to let readers know
about your blog. That is why; your blog should have recognition on popular
social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn etc. Search for
applications that automatically update you latest blog post’s news to your
social media account. Also, do some promotional work from your personal social
media accounts. It should be the next step as you create your blog. Join
bloggers’ online community websites where you can meet with other new and old
bloggers that may help you in improving your blogging and search engine
optimization techniques.




Be yourself



Another thing that should be remembered is to be you. Avoid
taking writing inspiration from other blogs or anywhere, but use your natural
writing style. Writing in proper grammar and qualitative English never mean to
become a robot who always talks in passive voice or what had been feed into its
memory. You are a human and unique in yourself, hence you should keep yourself
alive in your writings. It does not only help in presenting better to your
readers, but also help them know and recognize the author.






Start writing!


As now you have known much on beginning with a blog, you should be offline and
give enough time to come up with meaningful and informative articles. Wake up
the writer inside you and start weaving your knowledge and researched
information in your writings.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Maximizing Your Blog's Traffic Potential: 10 Essential Tips for 2023

Blogging has become an essential part of digital marketing, and it has become more competitive than ever to attract traffic to your blog. Creating good content is not enough, and you need to implement various strategies to increase your blog's traffic. In this article, we will discuss ten tips that will help you drive more traffic to your blog.


Tip #1: Create High-Quality, Long-Form Content

Creating high-quality, long-form content is the foundation of any successful blog. According to a report by SEMrush, long-form content (containing more than 3000 words) gets three times more traffic, four times more shares, and 3.5 times more backlinks than shorter content. However, it's not just about the length of the content; the content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.
When creating high-quality, long-form content, make sure to keep your audience engaged by providing valuable information. A well-written and informative guide can help establish you as an authority in your niche, and your readers will keep coming back for more. Long-form content can also help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) since it provides more opportunities to use relevant keywords and phrases.
To create high-quality, long-form content, it's essential to do proper research and analysis of your target audience's interests and pain points. Use tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify the keywords and topics that are popular in your niche. You can also use social media platforms like Twitter or Reddit to see what people are talking about and what questions they are asking. By understanding your audience's needs, you can create content that resonates with them and provides value.


Tip #2: Optimize Your Content for Voice Search

As more people use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant to search for information, optimizing your content for voice search is crucial. A study by ComScore estimates that by 2022, more than 50% of all searches will be voice-based. To optimize for voice search, focus on using natural language phrases and long-tail keywords.
To optimize your content for voice search, consider using tools like AnswerThePublic, which provides you with the most common questions related to your niche. By creating content that answers those questions, you can optimize your content for voice search. It's also important to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly, as voice searches are often performed on mobile devices and users expect fast results.
Another way to optimize your content for voice search is to use structured data markup. Structured data helps search engines understand your content better and can improve your chances of appearing in featured snippets. Featured snippets are the short answers that appear at the top of search engine results pages, and they often come from content optimized for voice search.


Tip #3: Leverage Social Media to Promote Your Blog

Social media is an excellent tool for promoting your blog and attracting new readers. According to a report by Hootsuite, there are over 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide. In 2023, the focus will be on using video content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Video content tends to be more engaging and shareable, which can help increase your blog's visibility and drive traffic to your site.

When promoting your blog on social media, focus on providing value to your followers. Share your blog posts, but also share other relevant content that your audience might find interesting. Engage with your followers, answer their questions, and build a community around your blog. Make sure to use hashtags to increase your reach and consider collaborating with other content creators to expand your audience.

To make the most of social media, it's important to have a clear strategy in place. Start by identifying the social media platforms that your target audience uses the most. For example, if you're targeting a younger demographic, platforms like TikTok and Instagram might be more effective than Facebook.

Once you've identified your target platforms, create a content calendar that outlines the type of content you'll post and when. Consider using social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts and track your performance.


Tip #4: Build an Email List and Use Personalization

Email marketing is an effective way to drive traffic to your blog and retain readers. According to a report by Hubspot, email marketing generates an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. In 2023, the focus will be on personalization and segmentation. By segmenting your email list and tailoring your content to your subscribers' interests and preferences, you can increase engagement and drive more traffic to your blog.

To build your email list, offer something of value to your readers in exchange for their email addresses. This could be a free e-book, a checklist, or a discount code. Once you have their email address, segment your list based on their interests and send them personalized content that they will find valuable. Consider using automation tools to schedule your emails and make sure your subscribers receive relevant content at the right time.

When using email marketing, it's important to follow best practices to avoid being marked as spam. Make sure to include an unsubscribe link in every email and only send emails to people who have opted-in to receive them. Also, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly and have a clear call-to-action. By following these best practices, you can build a loyal email list that drives traffic to your blog.


Tip #5: Collaborate with Other Bloggers and Influencers

Collaborating with other bloggers and influencers in your niche can help increase your blog's visibility and attract new readers. In 2023, the focus will be on building relationships and partnerships with other bloggers rather than just exchanging backlinks. By co-creating content, hosting webinars or podcasts together, or guest posting on each other's blogs, you can build a loyal following and increase your blog's traffic.

When collaborating with other bloggers and influencers, make sure that your values align. Choose partners who share your vision and who have a similar target audience to yours. By working together, you can create something truly valuable for your readers. Consider using influencer marketing platforms to connect with potential partners and make sure to track the results of your collaborations to make data-driven decisions.

Another way to collaborate with other bloggers is to participate in online communities or forums. For example, if you have a blog about cooking, you could join a Facebook group for food bloggers. By participating in these communities, you can share your expertise, build relationships, and drive traffic to your blog.


Tip #6: Incorporate Interactive Content

Interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, and surveys, can help increase engagement and keep your readers coming back for more. In 2023, the focus will be on incorporating more interactive content into blog posts and social media campaigns. By asking your readers for their opinions or feedback, you can build a sense of community around your blog and increase engagement.

To incorporate interactive content into your blog, think about what your readers might find interesting or entertaining. This could be a quiz that helps them determine their personality type or a poll that asks for their opinion on a current event. Make sure that the interactive content is relevant to your niche and provides value to your readers. Consider using tools like Typeform or SurveyMonkey to create and distribute interactive content.

Another way to incorporate interactive content into your blog is to create videos or webinars. Videos can help you showcase your expertise and provide value to your readers. Webinars can help you build relationships with your audience and drive traffic to your blog. Consider using platforms like Zoom or GoToWebinar to host your webinars and make sure to promote them on social media and your email list.

Tip #7: Use Data and Analytics to Improve Your Blog

Data and analytics are essential tools for improving your blog's performance and increasing traffic. According to a report by Orbit Media, 42% of bloggers use data to measure the success of their blogs. In 2023, the focus will be on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze data and provide insights into your blog's performance. By using AI-powered tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush, you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your blog for better performance.

To use data and analytics effectively, focus on the metrics that matter. This could be page views, bounce rate, time on page, or conversion rate. Use the data to identify areas where you can improve your content or user experience and make changes accordingly. Consider using A/B testing to test different strategies and make data-driven decisions.

Another way to use data and analytics is to create user personas. User personas are fictional representations of your ideal customer or reader. By creating user personas, you can better understand your audience's needs and create content that resonates with them. Use tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights to identify demographic information about your audience and create user personas based on that data.


Tip #8: Use SEO Best Practices to Optimize Your Blog

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). By using SEO best practices, you can increase your blog's visibility and attract more organic traffic. In 2023, the focus will be on using natural language and semantic search to optimize for voice search and improve user experience.

To optimize your blog for SEO, focus on using relevant keywords and phrases in your content. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify keywords that are relevant to your niche and incorporate them into your content. Make sure to use natural language and avoid keyword stuffing, as this can harm your SEO.

Another way to optimize your blog for SEO is to use internal linking. Internal linking refers to linking to other pages on your website within your content. By doing this, you can improve your website's structure and help search engines crawl your site more easily. Make sure to use descriptive anchor text and only link to relevant pages.

Tip #9: Focus on User Experience

Interacting with your blog... A good user experience can help increase engagement, retain readers, and drive more traffic to your blog. In 2023, the focus will be on creating a seamless and personalized user experience that caters to your audience's needs.

To improve the user experience of your blog, start by making sure that your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly. Mobile devices now account for more than half of all internet traffic, and users expect fast and responsive websites. Use tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to check your website's mobile-friendliness and make changes accordingly.

Another way to improve the user experience of your blog is to use clear and intuitive navigation. Make sure that your readers can easily find the information they are looking for and that your website's structure is logical and easy to understand. Consider using breadcrumbs or a site map to help users navigate your website.

Personalization is another key aspect of user experience. By tailoring your content to your audience's interests and preferences, you can increase engagement and drive more traffic to your blog. Use tools like OptinMonster or Hello Bar to create personalized pop-ups or banners that offer relevant content or promotions to your readers.

Tip #10: Be Consistent and Persistent

Consistency and persistence are essential for building a successful blog. It takes time and effort to attract traffic to your blog, and you need to be patient and persistent. Creating a consistent and sustainable content strategy that delivers value to your readers should be the aim.

To be consistent, create a content calendar that outlines the type of content you'll publish and when. Make sure to stick to your schedule and publish content regularly. Consistency can help you build a loyal following and establish your blog as a reliable source of information.

Persistence is also important for building a successful blog. Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results. It takes time and effort to attract traffic to your blog, and you need to be persistent in your efforts. Keep creating high-quality content, promoting your blog on social media, and engaging with your readers. Over time, your efforts will pay off, and you'll see an increase in traffic to your blog.

Driving traffic to your blog requires a combination of strategies and efforts. By creating high-quality, long-form content, optimizing for voice search, leveraging social media, building an email list, collaborating with other bloggers and influencers, incorporating interactive content, using data and analytics, optimizing for SEO, focusing on user experience, and being consistent and persistent, you can attract more readers to your blog and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.

In 2023, the focus should be on personalization, collaboration, and using AI-powered tools to optimize your blog's performance. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can stay ahead of the competition and drive more traffic to your blog.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

How to make your blog/website look more professional and attractive





Introduction





Are you unhappy from the
look of your blog?
 Do you often miss
your visitors due to the not-so-impressive interface of your blog? And
all you can do is to let your hard work remain unseen from the eyes it
deserves?
 This wait has to be made over! So, this time I am writing an
article on how to design a blog/website making it look easy and professional.






How to make your blog/website look more professional and attractive (BlogShrill.blogspot.com)




What exactly are Professional blogs? How these are liked more by
our readers/visitors?





The term ‘Professional
blog
’ is hereby used to define a blog that is pleasurable to
read
 by its readers. A simply cool and attractive design and
the art of presenting your work can get your blog what it was missing since a
long, the readers. You must agree that if your blog is cool enough in
information and look, then a visitor may like to check out more posts on your
blog, but if your blog lacks the charm, then we cannot even guarantee if
visitor will even read the information for which he/she had reached to us. With
a simple, elegant, cool and professional look of your blog/website, you
can establish a relation of friendship between your blog and
readers, so that they will not step back from visiting it more than once. Below
are some tips to make your blog look simply easy, cool and professional.







Keep it clean and eye-friendly





Clean blog designs make your readers see and what they are
actually looking for. Too much is never good for anything, specially the
clutter
 in a blog. Non-matching elements and third-party add-on may
drive the attention of your readers more to it and less to the main content.
Design it in a way that makes it eye-pleasing to readers. Serve
your readers with an ease and simplicity, and work
on your blog’s layout if required.





Use proper typography, font colors and background





How would you feel when
you are serve coffee in a bowl?
 Is not that unusual for anyone? In the same way, an
inappropriate typography
 may come in between your good content and
‘awesome’ readers. Avoid too much fancy fonts for your main
content. You may use different fonts for your heading,
sub-heading and content. One should try to use same font for all the posts on
your blog. It brings a similarity and balance in your blog posts, thus adds to
the look of your blog.





Also, incorrect
and inappropriate usage
 of font colors and background may irritate the
eyes of your visitors. A proper match is necessary between the font color and
the background of your blog. Never use dark font colors on
dark backgrounds, and light font colors on light background. Avoiding dark red
and blue colors is also recommended unless your blog and background suites it.
Using a black/brown/light blue font color on white/grey backgrounds is never a
bad choice. You may also use ready-made background pictures or
sheets which are designed in a way to draw readers’ attention to
content. I have used a white background as it is a symbol of silence, peace,
elegance and simplicity for me.





Work on your blog/Website’s favorite icon





favorite icon or
simply called as ‘favicon’ is a special icon that represents your
website as a small icon when your blog/website is added as a bookmark. It is
also known as URL icon as it can also be seen before the URL in the URL box of
your browsers. It is commonly 16 x16 pixels and unique for each
website/webpage. If your blog is on a sub-domain like Blogger (Blogspot) or
WordPress, the favicon associated with your blog by default is company’s own
logo or graphical representation. To have professionalism in
your blog, one needs to add a self created and unique favicon.  You may
Google out various favicon generator utility websites which get your favicon
done for you free of cost.





Use a professional looking blog logo/banner





If you are dreaming a professional
looking blog, then you must have a professional banner and logo to make it look
more professional. Using a plain text sometimes adds up into the unprofessional-ism.
So, if you are good at design/editing pictures, it is the time to utilize your
talent, or you may even get it done by a professional artist
or designer paying a bit or more.





Reconsider your banner and ad placement





If informative articles
and photos are all that your blog serves, then avoid unnecessary
pop-ups and forcing your readers to view a full page advertisement. Please ads
above or below the title of your post. Avoid placing ads twice between your
content if your blogs are not lengthy enough. Organize your
blog and ads taking your readers’ convenience in mind. Ads
should only consume a minimum of 2 to maximum 10% of your blog.





Get more from your header and footer





Header and footers are
an important part of your blog and adds a big percent to your
blog’s overall look and design. Instead of using the default, you can include
social plug-ins or home, blog, about links in your header. Similarly, you can
put your social media plug-ins, link fan pages, partner blog/websites, a
message for readers, contact us card, about us, about author, recent posts,
popular posts and links to main pages of the blog right there in the
footer, instead of just using a copyright text therein. If
used well, it provides your blog a more professional and eye-catchy look in the
eyes of viewers.





Avoid unprofessional and illegal/’stolen’ images





Images in your
blog/posts work as an interest generator for your readers. Do you
know why we never like studying history books as a student?
 Mostly,
it because the history books are either has boring/uninteresting black and
white image or no images at all. One should use original/self clicked images
for their posts or one may even write text in your plain images. The only thing
is you must have images!





You may also request the
website owners or other sources to provide you permission to use their
copyrighted pictures.





Pictures in your blog
posts do not only create interest in your readers but these images also
drive traffic
 to your blog. How? Image search engines
like Google, Yahoo, Bing and many others when shows you pictures in their
results, you always have chances that the searchers may visit your blog from
right there. For how long a visitor will stay on your blog, it depends on his
interest and your blog’s design and looks. Hence, a proper and clean design is
‘must-have’ necessity for every blog/website owner.





Use ready-made premium templates (free or paid)



How to make your blog/website look more professional and attractive | Use ready made templates (BlogShrill.blospot.com)









If you feel it difficult
to work on a professional looking design yourself, you may use free or
paid ready-made premium templates for your blog. These have
professional look and are search engine optimized too.
Another benefit of using premium templates is you get all the social
media plug-ins
 already installed. Though, your search engine’s rank
depends on the content of your blog, but these templates
promise to be 'search engine optimized' and thus helps in ranking us better in
search results.





Final words; Content is the real king





These are some tips on
how to make a blog/website look professional. But, we should also
keep it in mind that if a professional/attractive look can impress your visitors,
then your quality content stands for turning your visitors into your regular
readers. One needs to give enough time and effort to be regular with your
content posting to win your readers’ attention.


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Quick ways to Improve Blog traffic







Introduction






Are you planning to improve your blog/website but not having as much time as you may need to make improvements in your blog and its looks? In this post, I am just sharing some quick ways, which you may better call ‘suggestions’ to improve a blog without spending a whole day/week or two in the same.


So, below are some steps that may help to improve your blog in a few minutes.





Quick ways to Improve Blog traffic (BlogShrill)






  • Tweaking your template/theme/look







When we say ‘tweak’, it means twisting your blog’s theme a bit, but sharply. Forget who you are, and think from a reader’s mind. In what look you will get more attracted to a blog? It is when your blog uses an eye pleasing typography, making your writings more understandable and easier to read.





Look at the background of your site and think again. Is it a plain colored background or an image? If your blog’s main content is ‘text’, then it is recommended to use white colored background. If it is a photo/video blog, then make sure that you are not using unpleasant colors in your background, like dark red or blue. The vision of the visitors should not be misdirected by unusual backgrounds.





Look at the width and space dedicated to your main content, archives, advertisements etc. Are you giving other columns more space than the blog posts? If so, it is the time to adjust widths accordingly.


Look again, at your social sharing buttons. Aren’t they so improper or old fashioned? Are your social buttons, including RSS buttons matching with your site’s background and typography? Take a moment, add new buttons and even change its placement, if necessary.






  • Run a website speed test







How much time does your blog/website take in loading completely? Is it happening very often, that it keeps on loading on and on for minutes? What should be the cause of its slowness? It may be due to using too many third party gadgets that keeps on sending/receiving data to its maker’s site. If you are not sure about it, find out run a site speed test immediately. Once you know, remove every element that is responsible.





Even if the cause is high memory consuming files, then shift all of them from you site to a file hosting site. Some trusted hosting sites are Google’s Cloud, Norton Cloud, Amazon Cloud front etc. You may also use some easy loading sites like Uploadbaz.com etc. Optimize images by using proper alt text.





Why is it needed to be done? There may be some ‘good’ visitors who are not stopping by your blog/site because it takes too long to load.






  • Add/Show popular posts list at the home page







Most of the readers are not likely to subscribe to your blog/website as they are there to read out a specific news or information. But, if you are showing a list of popular/most visited posts of your blog at your homepage or a side of your blog, it may sure get you more visits and may even impress your visitors making them to like/subscribe your blog.





After all, this is why we leave social sharing and like buttons on our sites.






  • Use plug-ins wisely







Suppose your blog is related to business and commerce, and it is likely that you may want to add a third-party plug-in/add-on to show the current condition of share market and its graph. Similarly, a score board for a sports related blog, a science news box to show latest science and space news and so on. Wait! Are you using too many plug-INS unnecessarily that do similar task? Are you using plug-ins from a trusted source? Does your blog/website really need these plug-INS? If not, remove all the unnecessary plug-INS right now.






  • Use a ‘slash’ at the end of permalinks/URLs







Though it never troubles using or not using a slash at the end of URLs, but many SEO experts recommend adding a slash after URLs/permalinks. It lets the search engines know that it is not something else but a page, thus being ranked a bit better in search results.






  • Be a thinker







What change can make by blog look better? Should I place ‘About me’ box below the post or at the footer of site? What else can be done to improve my posting? It is the most interesting part of improving your blog’s inner and outer look. Thinking is something that you can do while sitting, standing, walking, running, eating and even while sleeping. Give it a way to the thought of improving your blog.


As you know, earning knowledge is good, but earning experience is what we may call another side of wisdom. So, keep thinking more and more to improve your blog. It will also help you to keep going with the current trend of styling a blog.






Final words






We know that how much dedication and time it takes to come up with a good article every day/week or month. It may take a moment or two in thinking a topic, but to research and expand it briefer than brief is the biggest challenge to a blogger. And in all that, we hardly get time to design and improve our blog/website’s look. If we say about search engines, that are a big and most effective source of visitors, even these do not rank a blog/website according to its look or interface, but by the quality of content a blog has. But, if you are designing your blog timely, you will remain aware of what is actually eating your blog’s speed and looks. So, I suggest everyone to keep brainstorming and searching new and innovative ideas for your blog’s improvement. And give equal time to your content and its quality also.









(Please feel free to add queries, suggestions and ideas that may help us in improving a blog/website in comments)