Personal blogs tend to focus on personal anecdotes and universal topics like cooking, crafting, and home improvement. It’s best to focus on one main topic for your blog, but multiple topics could work if the topics are connected in some way. [2] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC’s on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source For technical and professional blogs, use the same friendly tone you’d use to speak to coworkers and employers. Academic blogs are a bit more formal since you’re analyzing topics, using citations, and speaking to an audience of academics or professionals. Aim for a friendly tone that isn’t overly casual or personal. [3] X Research source
Technical, professional, and academic blogs aren’t overly personal but the language still needs to be conversational to draw your readers in. If readers aren’t leaving comments on your blog posts, your language might be too stiff. Try to loosen up the language a bit and write conversationally.
How-tos and tutorials Case studies Answering/solving specific questions/problems Complete glossary of a topic or niche Product lists or reviews[6] X Research source
Keep post titles under 10 words for the most impact. [10] X Research source
It’s also a good idea to use relevant keywords in your post titles. Go with 1-2 strong long-tail keywords per blog post. Long-tail keywords are highly specific phrases containing 3-4 words. For example, if you’re writing a post on how to get started with yoga at home, you might use long-tail keywords like “home yoga workouts” or “yoga poses for beginners. " You could also choose one high-quality keyword to build your post around. Write the post and monitor the number of page visits for 30-60 days. Then, update the post to include another keyword and see if page traffic increases.
Numbered lists and bullet points are great for breaking up text on the page and making the content easier to read.
Embedded videos are also helpful and appealing to readers.
If you’re posting once a week, try to do it on the same day and around the same time every week. For example, you might post every Wednesday morning before noon. Try to get in the habit of writing every day, even if you don’t post everything you write.
This is a great way to get feedback to see how people feel about your content![17] X Expert Source Melissa RodriguezMarketing & Advertising Specialist Expert Interview. 23 April 2021. For example, your blog platform may let you decide whether people can comment anonymously or not. There’s nothing wrong with allowing anonymous comments, but since you’re trying to build a community of readers, the community might not appreciate random people dropping in to make comments with no accountability. Readers may be more likely to comment on posts if they don’t have to divulge their identities, though, so there are definitely pros and cons to consider.
For example, readers may start comment threads to debate or share ideas, which in turn offers valuable insights about your audience. You might also get some ideas for future blog posts.
Conversing on a personal level makes readers feel involved and part of a community. Monitor comment threads for aggressive or negative interactions and step in if you need to restore order. [20] X Research source If a reader becomes a frequent troublemaker, you may be able to turn off their ability to comment. Check your blog settings for more information.
Sharing interesting facts or trends Posting daily tips or helpful suggestions Sharing videos or links that are useful/interesting/entertaining to your audience Posting blog updates or insights
Check out relevant Facebook groups and share your content there. Be sure to stick around and engage with group members and commenters there, too. Encourage them to follow you on Facebook and Twitter while you’re there!
You can definitely branch out within your niche to make connections. For example, if you blog about paleo desserts, reach out to bloggers who focus on the paleo lifestyle, paleo diets, and paleo recipes. This can help you reach a brand-new or totally different audience. Asking another blogger to write a guest post on your blog is a great way to support them and start a relationship. Hopefully, they’ll ask you to do the same one day.
For example, if posts get more visitors when you share the link after lunch rather than before, change your posting schedule and sharing habits to reflect that.
