Blogging is great fun and can be quite therapeutic. But, if you’re looking to make money with your blog you will need to dig in a bit more. There are lots of things you can do with your blog to help you get more traffic leading to increased sales.
Here are 7 tips to get you started:
1. Clear Blog Design
You want an attractive design that pulls the reader in. Be sure to structure it so the readers coming to your blog won’t be confused about what to do. Decide what it is you want them to do and create your blog around that single action. Do you want them to read your post then subscribe or buy something? Read your post, laugh at your wit, then go away? Don't read your post, just click on the AdSense? Whatever it is you want them to do, be sure your blog layout conveys that message so they won’t be confused and not know where to turn next.
2. Decide What You Want The Outcome To Be
What is it that you want people to do? Decide before you even start putting your blog post together what you want the outcome of that post to accomplish. Is it to establish yourself as THE expert? Is it meant to stir up controversy to get lots of comments in the hopes it goes viral? Is it to promote your own product or an affiliate product? Is it to leak a little information to prime the pump before your product launch? You can give valuable information in your post AND have it point your readers in the direction you want them to go next.
3. Use Plugins
Seek out WP plugins that will make your blog friendlier to the search engines as well as to people. Readers like plugins like Comment Luv because it means when they leave a comment on your blog, their last blog post link will show under their comment so they can attract readers to their own blogs. This will encourage more comments, which is always a good thing.
4. Use Keywords
People search for keywords in the search engines so by using your long-tail keywords in your post titles you will make it easier for people to find your post. It’s in your best interest to get as many people to read your posts as possible since you went to all the work to write and post them. When researching your long-tail keywords think about your readers, the problems they might be trying to solve and what they need. This will help your current readers and bring in some organic traffic as well.
5. Use PLR More Often
PLR is awesome! A prewritten post might give you a spark of an idea for a blog post of your own or you could lightly rewrite it to add your own personality. Either way, it will help you take action and get you publishing to your blog on a regular basis.
6. Learn From Great Bloggers
Whether you've been blogging for a long time or just beginning, there’s always something to learn. Subscribe to the best blogs, listen to what they have to say, and analyze everything about those blogs so you can make yours better.
I recommend Kelly McCausey’s Smart Blogging Skills program. I’ve gone through it and it has helped me build up my own blog so I always like to mention it to my readers.
7. Publish Lots of Fresh Content Regularly
Last but certainly not least, post new content frequently. Readers like to read blogs that have fresh content published regularly and will check back often if they know you post consistently. It's hard for a reader to get into following you if you only post once in a while. They don't have to be huge, time consuming posts; they just need to be relevant and timely. Also keep in mind that search engines love to see fresh content!
These are my top 7 blogging tips. There is always more you can do with your blog to make it even better. So keep on learning, posting, tweaking and testing.
Looking for more information on how to Blog Smarter? Check out Smart Blogging Skills. I've gone through this 15 Week course. You can see my review here.