The Top 5 Tips for Starting a Successful Blog

In our current technology driven and content saturated society, access to the internet is so widespread that global communication is achieved with little effort. This makes getting your message to the masses so simple you could do it in your sleep; but it also presents the obstacle of not being alone with regard to what you have to say.

Blogging gives you the opportunity to discuss or present information on any topic you choose. But how do you create an engaging and unique blog that attracts the audience you need to be successful?

Here are five tips for starting a blog that will put you on the path toward obtaining the audience you want and need for your blog to be successful:

1. Choose Your Content/Topic

Some blogs have such a diverse array of topics that you don’t know what the blog is supposed to be about, or the post content has nothing to do with the blog’s purpose. Before putting your blog on the internet decide what it will be about and, whatever the topic is, make sure it’s something you’re knowledgeable in.

Selecting one topic or a small number of topics that tie together can help you become established as an authority on the subject, which provides its own benefits, such as establishing backlinks to your blog from relevant sites where you are listed as a source or data reference.

2. Establish Your Web Presence

Spend the ten-spot and buy your own domain name, rather than blogging from under the umbrella of a free hosting site or mass-market blog hosting enterprise. Some bloggers choose their own name as the domain name for their blog site, and others use a name that reflects the content of their site. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can host your personally owned domain name for next to nothing, so the eventual benefits your blog sees will easily pay for the annual cost of domain name ownership. This also provides you with a domain name for branding purposes if it is relevant to your blog’s content.

3. Keep Posts Short and Sweet

Most blog readers prefer the posts they read to be less than 800 words, otherwise they get bored and move on to the next post or next blog site. Make sure you say as much as you can with as few words as possible, to keep your site’s visitors engaged and interested. Where possible in your posts, make use of bold text and bullet points or section headings, to draw your readers’ eyes to focal points in your posts.

4. Keep It Simple, Stupid

This adage applies to everything – even blog sites. Don’t turn your blog site into a flashy carnival of color and motion, making it harder for your site’s visitors to find out what your site is about. Blog readers prefer sites that are well-designed but also want sites that are easy on the eyes. Yes, be creative, but do so in an on-topic and subtle way.

5. Immerse Yourself in Social Networking

Establish a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn page… to name just a few. On the most popular social media sites, use regular posts to refer viewers to your blog site. The more traffic you have on your blog site, the more public interest and appeal you can generate through word-of-mouth and back-linking.

These tips will help you get started with establishing your blog and getting it on its way toward success. There is also a wealth of information elsewhere on the internet for becoming a successful blogger, so spend some time researching and then make your move into the blogging world!

The writer of this article, Nicole, has been writing about finding success in blogging for years. She recommends Bouncing Orange as a great digital agency.