Entries from August 2007 ↓
August 8th, 2007 — blog reviews
I came across Binary Moon through hearing about their blog contest. Basically, the competition offers the chance to gain a link and possible review from the PR7 site.
The first thing I notice about the site, is that it is designed by a real expert. It has calming effect, that very few websites have. It inspires me to consider hiring a designer to take improve the rather ordinary design of this blog.
The second thing, which sticks in the mind is how did the blog get a PR of 7.? I think the importance of Page Rank is quite often overestimated; nevertheless, given the chance to increase our page rank, most bloggers would be very happy. Given the blog has a page rank of 7, I was surprised that the blog has activated the “do follow” plugin. It is interesting that the blog has such a high page rank, given that it willingly gives out so much “google juice”.
Binary moon is well worth checking out for a few design and wordpress tips. It is also worth reading this thoughtful review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. - Don’t worry it is a non-spoiler
August 8th, 2007 — Blogroll
Before writing a post it is a good idea to have a plan in mind. If you just sit down and hope for the best, the writing may flit from one idea to the other. I try to formulate ideas for posts during the day. Then, when I sit down to write, I already have a clear idea in mind what I should be writing about.
Questions to ask yourself before writing an Article:
1. What is the aim / purpose of this post?
It is important to have a clear idea in mind what you wish to achieve with the post. Don’t try to mix several ideas, if you get sidetracked the article will lose its focus. If you have a few different angles, write different posts.
Continue reading →
August 7th, 2007 — social bookmark sites
Social networking sites can give significant amounts of traffic, so it is hardly unsuprising people spend time trying to improve their chances of success.
It is difficult to know how much time to spend on these kinds of activities. For example, to do well on Digg, I think you would need to be a daily contributor and work hard at building up a network of helpful friends. If you are able to invest this time, you might be able to have success. But, it is a lot of time, that maybe could be spent on writing content for your blog.
However, if you are successful, then a couple of Digg home pages can really make your blog. For example, it was this that really made John Chows blog 12 months ago.
If you do spend time on social networking, make sure, you don’t neglect your blog. At the end of the day, no matter how many friends you have on Digg, if you don’t have outstanding content you will never make home page.
Also, I would say that you can have a very successful website and blog, without getting any traffic from social networking sites. After all, the traffic is often very temporary anyway.
One thing worth sharing is Stumbleupon Exchange
As long as you stumble sites, which you feel are genuinely deserving of being stumbled, then it is OK. But, I would not like to see stumbleupon taken over by spammers.
August 5th, 2007 — blogs
To my name I have at least 7 blogs. These blogs get updated, between every day and once a fortnight. I actually have more blogs, but I don’t count these because they get updated more infrequently. To be honest, I like starting new blogs, but starting a new blog is a bit more difficult than maintaining and growing it in the long term. Nevertheless there are many good reasons to start a new blog.
2 Things to Bear in Mind.
1. What is the Objective of the New Blog? Is it to make profit or is it for another niche interest of yours?
2. Would you be better off working on your existing blog?
Good Reasons to Start A New Blog
1. You have the time and enthusiasm for the blog.
You need to be clear how much time you can put into the new blog. Bear in mind, this is a long term commitment. You need more than just an initial wave of enthusiasm, which passes after a few weeks. If you are able to make a decent commitment to the blog, only then is it worth doing.
Continue reading →
August 3rd, 2007 — copywriter
Usually, when writing titles, it is important to choose keywords that are useful for SEO purposes. However, if you always write for search engines, your titles can become bland and repetitive. You should be willing to be bolder and stand out from the crowd. Every now and then use an engaging, challenging or enticing title. This will add a little spark to your blog.
For variety try these Title Formats:
1. Ask A Question.
The benefit of asking a question is that it encourages reader feedback and engagement. When you write a “how to post” It is like giving a lecture, in which you speak to readers. Asking a question, implies that you don’t know the complete answer. This is the kind of post that will encourage others to participate. Try titles like: “Why do readers leave your blog so quick?” “How do you get noticed by other bloggers?”
2. Top 10 or top 100.
True, this is not going to be particularly original, but, the fact is people do like them. They are easy to read, they give an air of authority. If you really want to stand out try a top 50 or even top 100. A top 100 may take a long time to write, but, it has a good chance of becoming an authority article. For example, there are many top 10 wordpress themes, or top 10 wordpress plugins. But they are all incomplete. A top 100 plugin page would have all the best plugins in one place, rather than scattered around the internet.
Examples:
3. Make it Relevant
There are many articles about Google penalties on the internet. If you add another article “How to avoid Google penalties” The title is not particularly outstanding. However, if you use “How John Chow can avoid more google penalties” You have 2 extra advantages. It creates interest in those who know about John Chow. Also, the post is not just theoretical, but promises to be a workable case study. Giving personal experience creates an added interest in the article.
example: did duplicate content kill John Chow? - personally I don’t think so, but interesting research anyway.
4. How I broke technorati 2000 in 12 months.
It is one thing to give SEO tips, anyone can do that. But, it is another to actually make it work. If you can write a post like this you will definitely attract interest because people like to hear about personal success stories. The only problem is that to write a title like this you do actually need to break into the technorati top 2000. - Maybe in the next 6 months… If you do write this kind of article, maintain a degree of humility and don’t overdo them, otherwise you may put off some readers.
5. Secrets of SEO.
Everyone knows the standard SEO techniques: good content, get links e.t.c. Nobody needs another article regurgitating these old points. What people need is new SEO advice; the latest techniques and tips that not many people no about. When you write about Secrets of… It gives the impression that you have some inside knowledge, something different. Just make sure when you write an article like this you don’t start of with:
- Good content is important
- Work on getting more links to your site.
6. Be Controversial.
Generally, I don’t like creating controversy for the sake of it. I would never criticise another blogger in a post, it lacks professional judgement. However, there is no reason why you can’t go against the prevailing orthodoxy and write the opposite to what most people think. For example, when problogger suggested we write a list post. The first thing that came to my mind was “Top 10 reason lists are Rubbish.” - If these articles turn out to be non serious / humorous, even better.
7. Lateral Thinking.
Look at your niche from a different angle. How much can you write about mortgages without it getting a little boring. Try taking a new angle on the blog. It’s hardly particularly original but you could try “What can Harry Potter teach us about mortgages” I’m sure there are better examples of lateral thinking than this. However, I did get alot of people coming to the blog through searching “harry potter”
With these titles I would advise using them sparingly, if every post is about “secrets of ….” or “How my blog is doing very well, thanks very much” you just alienate readers. These types of articles are more powerful if they are used every now and then. They are a chance to write something different; if they are very good they may get picked up on social networking sites. The important thing is to try something new. Don’t just keep writing standard blog posts like “Where to put adsense” e.t.c. These posts are fine but try to mix it up with more original writing. As an added benefit, you will find writing these articles encourages you to stretch yourself, looking for new ideas and angles.
This post is a contribution to 31 days to build a better blog at problogger
