Many bloggers simply launch a blog and start scribbling their experience into it, and expect it to be a huge success. However, this is not how it works. If you want your blog to be a big success, you shouldn’t forget the most important element of your blog: your audience. The more subscribers you have, the more popular your blog is. In order to get more subscribers, you will have to do things they like. Here are few tips you must use to make your blog successful.

Give Your Opinion

Instead of writing very specific, informative article, give your opinion about it. People like to read blogs because they aren’t written by companies selling their products, but by an average individual with many things in common to them. Tell people what you think about the topic, and ask for suggestions.

Provide Resources

If your aim is to educate your readers as much as you can, provide useful resources in your post. Provide links to web pages that has more information on the topic. This will bring the visitor time and again on your blog to search for information and additional resources.

Write Less

If you can explain something in 400 words, don’t unnecessarily make it a 1,000 word article. People forget long post easily because they hardly read it. However, shorter points with proper sub-headings are more effective and attractive. Provide knowledge quickly at the speed of sound to your readers.

Write Attractive Headlines

If headlines are attractive, people will certainly look into the content of the post. However, this wouldn’t work if you don’t have relevant content inside. So, write a brilliant post, and use whatever you have to develop an attractive headline.

Have Convenient Format

Instead of letting people search for information from bunch of words and sentences, arrange them in proper manner. Don’t write essay-type posts, but posts with many headings, sub-headings, and bullet points, where finding relevant information would be easy.

Be Consistent

People subscribe to your blog because they like your writing style. If you are inconsistent in your style by providing information in random way, they will unsubscribe in seconds. Create your own style and be consistent.

Use Keywords

Jot down most-searched keywords in your niche and use them in all your posts. Put them in sub-headings, headings, headlines, and in the body. However, make sure it looks natural and don’t over use them.

Edit

Every time you edit the article, you improve its quality significantly. Before you click on ‘submit’, re-read your content and remove unnecessary information. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes.

Last month I met a blogger and we had a long chat about trends in blogsphere. Although he was quite adept in his field and had an extremely polished vocabulary, he was facing few problems with his blog.

He had started a blog just a month ago. He was, however, out of topics. He felt there was nothing more to write about. Everything he knew was written by him in just 17 posts. There was definitely a problem which he failed to notice. Hence, I promised him to check his blog and provide necessary solutions within a week.

After reading all his posts, I derived my conclusion instantly. He was a very skilled writer and had enough knowledge about the topic. His problem, however, was not end of topic. But he had taken his level of knowledge for granted. Explaining basic things in his niche didn’t make sense to him. He thought it was too obvious, and people would definitely know all these things.

I explained him the importance of starting from the basic and writing a separate post about every possible topic he had learned over years. He was not quite happy with my solution as he wanted his every post to be unique; something that was never written about before.

I faced a similar problem when I started this blog. I thought blogging tips are available all over the web, what difference I could possibly make. I wanted my every post to have some piece of information nowhere to be found on the web. I soon realized this strategy wouldn’t work if I want to have a long term blog.

Instead, I focused on the importance of simplicity. Breaking down things into many posts and explaining each point in-depth is the key. There may be many people smarter than you around the world. However, a major part of world’s population is still looking for simple information, with essential elements.

And it’s completely okay to be out of ideas. Instead of trying to hard to think about new topics, here is what you can do to post simple topics.

• Mention some experiences you had
• Write about the problem you faced recently and how did you overcome it
• Write about how you learned a significant lesson
• Think like an expert, write like a beginner

Remember, it is not necessary to write everything you know in a single post. Break it down into small topic and cover the depth of each of them.

Doubting your own capabilities and hesitating to write an effective content is a problem faced by numerous bloggers these days, which has led many careers to end.

Many bloggers, trust me on this, have given up blogging because they don’t trust their capabilities. Yep, it’s definitely good to quit if you don’t think you are capable of handling a task, but throwing off the towel much before the game start wouldn’t help.

I must admit, and am not bragging, I faced similar problem during initial years of my blogging career, but I have now overcome it. And it is not difficult. Here is what you can do to eliminate this hesitation.

Face it – There are no shortcuts

We start doubting our capabilities when we don’t receive desired results. You cannot attract many readers on the day you launch your blog unless you are a celebrity. Understand, it takes time; at least 8-12 months to get results. By results I mean attracting traffic, making money, receiving comments, etc. Every job demands hard work. You don’t get a promotion on the first day of your new job, do you?

Act Before You Doubt Yourself

People start doubting their abilities and hesitate to blog because they aren’t able to attract any readers. This happens probably because they do not take appropriate action. I would like to share a very short story with you. Recently, I met a guy who asked me about affiliate marketing. Out of everyone I have interacted in my blogging career, I must confess, this guy pissed my off terribly. I explained him hundred times that it’s impossible to earn money unless you work on it, but he refused to understand and opposed my views constantly. At last, I gave up explaining him, and few days later, he gave up affiliating marketing.

The logic is simple. If you want results, take action. If you think you are weak at something, learn about it. Doubting yourself wouldn’t help. It would kill your morale. Spare some time to work on your blog and give it some time to grow. Short cut, in any case, is just a myth.

There was a guy who provided free content to his readers for approximately 11 years. He worked hard and watched his readers list grow. Later, he launched a paid website and as expected, thousands of readers followed him. People say he succeeded immediately. What about the 11 years of unpaid hard work he had put? What if he too would have doubted hi abilities and quit?

The secret is to keep going and never give up.

You will agree with me when I say it’s not possible to be at our blog all the time. However, you will find it little difficult to concur when I declare that not being at our blog doesn’t mean we can’t improve the blog. We definitely can, that is, if we want to.

And you probably wouldn’t believe if I say that being away from your blog is actually the best you could do to improve it.

If you are among those who are always thinking about their blog, its performance, its traffic, etc. then probably these tips a re tailor-made to suit your needs. Sometimes, I just sit against my computer and stare at the blank word document because I don’t know what to write. My mind is as blank as the word document. Perhaps, it might have happened to you as well.

That’s the time you need to be away from your blog. Here is how it helps:

1. Coming up with Fresh Ideas
   This is something that even the best blogger of the world might not be consistent in. It requires a calm and clear mind to generate new ideas. And do you really think sitting in front of your computer for hours would help? It wouldn’t.One possible option is to get away from your PC and relax for a while. Then, take a pen and paper and start jotting down all the topics that you have written about. Select any topic among them and try to look at it from a very different perspective, from all the possible angles.

   Ask yourself: have you covered all the sub-topics that could possibly be created from this topic? What else people would need to know about this topic? For instance, ‘Blogging Content’ is a topic or an idea. However, there can be numerous sub-topics or sub-ideas created from this topic like ‘How to write good content?’, ‘What is bad content?’, and so on.

   This is a very good exercise that promises consistent flow of ideas. You would never have to stare at the blank screen and keep thinking for hours.

2. Relate with the real world
   The real, refreshing outside world probably has much to offer. It can help you to come up with something that the internet wouldn’t. How do you think a new idea is generated? It is generated when we look at various things and think about it differently. Look at everything around you, everything in the outside world, each or any of them could be your next topic, or a new blog.Let’s look at something concrete for now. Pick up any magazine and you will find hundreds of article, which is no different from a blog. Magazine itself is a big blog.

   Next, a business. Any business. My father owns a departmental store. His business, in many ways, can help me to improve my blog. No, I cannot start writing about shopping habits or prices of groceries, if my blog is about improving the way your blog. But I definitely can learn  lot from the smart business models, new ideas applied in the store, how advertising affects the business, or just the way people act, and apply it in my blog someway or the other.

   If I can’t apply it, at least I would know how to operate a business. However, that’s not what we are focusing on right now. According to me, you will get something out of it. Remember, it all depends on how we look at something.

3. Use the technology
   If it’s really urgent to update something on your blog, or replying a comment, and your are traveling, or just far from accessing a computer, don’t fret. Just relax and enjoy the benefits of the improvement in technology. You can access your blog or edit it through your mobile, iPod, blackberry, PSP, or many other devices.An application called WordPress for iPhones can allow you to type and post your article on your blog. You can also edit blog pages, upload images, or reply to a comment. So, you aren’t actually away from your blog, are you?
4. Offline Advertising
   It is the most effective way to utilize your time improving your blog while you are away from it. Unfortunately, very less percentage of the bloggers today use offline advertising as a source of promotion. This can be very effective if your blog discusses something about the real outside world. Offline blogging can be done by distributing t-shirts, car stickers, posters etc. I will be soon writing about the various ways to advertise offline because I rally think it’s quite effective and least used.
5. Just Relax
   Here is another point on which you won’t agree with me, but relaxing does help to improve your blog.
   I have seen many bloggers face something known as ‘Blogger’s Block’ i.e. a time when they are not able to write, not even a word. Relaxing, then, is the best solution. Even if you are a bit overworked, relaxing will help you to soothe you mind and body, which is quite important to come up with new ideas regularly.Being relaxed is a way to calm your mind.
   Being relaxed is a way to be creative.
   Being relaxed is a way to be in a proper state of mind.
   Being relaxed is a way to improve your blog.

Okay. These were my suggestions on how can you make optimum utilization of the time you are away from your blog. Some people have the habit of carrying a pen and paper along with them, wherever they go. I do believe it’s a great idea because it helps you to jot down every idea you come up with.

I would really appreciate if you can discuss how you can utilize you “non-blogging” time. Would love to read your inputs.

Suggestions Please!