When you’re a blogger, the most important way to build your online reputation is to create good content. Unless you’re publishing a photography blog or similar visual project, writing is the most important piece of the blogging puzzle.
How well you write will ultimately determine how much highly valuable repeat web traffic you can attract. And it will ultimately determine whether or not people will link to your blog organically. As you probably already know, the more links your blog earns on the web, the higher your visibility will be in Google.
The higher your visibility on Google, the better your blog will do on the web in general.
As you can probably tell, good writing is key in the blogosphere. Unfortunately, many newbie bloggers don’t have much formal writing experience, aside from basic academic writing experience.
If you’re struggling to get your ideas out on WordPress in an eloquent manner, here are a few writing tips to make your foray into blogging easier and more effective:
1. Read as much high-quality online content as you possibly can
Any professional writer will tell you that reading a lot will make you become a better writer. While novelists might read novels to become better at what they do, bloggers should read online content to become better at what they do. If you want to find some good blogs to read, check out Technorati’s list of the top 100 blogs.
It’s also a good idea to regularly read news websites and other popular websites that publish online content. The point is to get a feel for what kinds of things pro bloggers and webmasters write about and what kinds of things the public likes to read.
2. Go easy on your readers
Things like bullet points, numbered lists, headings, and bolding of main points make your writing more accessible. People who regularly read blogs typically only read them for a few minutes at a time, in between everything else they have to do in their busy lives.
So, it’s your job to capture the attention of your readers and make reading your blog easy for them. You should also try to write in a concise manner and focus on eliminating wordiness and repetition in your blog posts. Keep in mind that people ultimately want to read content that is succinct, clear, easy on the eyes, and insightful.
3. Let your interests and passions be your guide
Your first inclination as a presumably left-brained blogger may be to do what many bloggers do: research keywords and write articles based on those keywords. The problem with doing this is that your content quality suffers. Sure, your content might rank higher, but that doesn’t mean people are going to read it and share it.
The best writers write about what truly interests them. So, think about what really stirs you up or inspires you, and blog about that. Readers like passion, and they like blog articles written by someone who’s truly interested in a topic.
4. Take your time
If you’re using your blog as a business tool, building your brand with the help of your content is critical. You may not be able to control what potential business associates find out about you when they search for you on the web.
They may do a background check on you and discover that your credit isn’t good or you didn’t get your degree from an Ivy League school or that you’ve only been in your field of business for a few years, for instance. Your blog is an opportunity for you to build your credibility.
You’re in control of what people know about you from your blog. So, take your time writing thoughtful content. Spend two hours on each of your blog posts instead of thirty minutes, especially if you’re trying to attract new clients.
You don’t have to be the next Shakespeare to produce a good blog. You simply have to put forth effort to become a better writer and improve your content. So, consider the suggestions above, and keep writing, reading, and sharing!
Image Credit: Nenyaki
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