Not Just Another Internet Business Success Journey

The secret of blogging

There is no single secret that I can write about and there are probably quite a few secrets out there giving some bloggers the edge over the rest. I do not profess to know them all, but here are a few I have learned in the time I have been doing this.

1. Post regularly (more often than I do at present) if you want to build a strong readership.

2. Join Google and start using their webmaster tools, for tracking, statistics, sitemap submission, debugging URL problems, and many other free benefits.

3. After you complete step 2, get a good sitemap tool that automatically re-builds your blog sitemap and submits it to a few search engines, Google included. If you are using WordPress like me, try this free sitemap tool.

4. Back up your site and data from time to time. This is especially important if you modify any of your blog page code, for Google AdSense for example. The blog contents are stored in a database and this needs to be backed up separately to the site code. Check with your ISP helpdesk if you are not sure how to do this. Here is a post on backing up your blog.

5. If you are blogging as a business venture, develop or promote products that fit within your style. I am still developing my style. It is not going to be “Internet Marketing” as that topic is well covered by many other people. I am thinking along the line of personal development and self improvement but more on that later. The important thing is to choose your flavour. There is not much point in being a generalist across a wide range of topics. Be a specialist in a small field and aim to be one of the best in your field.

6. Seek out a few good posts about boosting traffic to your blog but resist buying more than one “product” aimed at helping you achieve this goal. Why? There are plenty of blog posts out there giving you more than enough traffic boosting tips, and most are free. Some of the products I have reviewed seem to be reasonable value for money but some seem to be rehashed content that is available for free elsewhere. Keeping tabs on your traffic can be done with your own ISP web tools, Google webmaster tools and check out what Alexa offers webmasters.

7. Check that your site works in all major browsers. Use the BrowserShots tool for a free analysis of what your site will look like in a wide variety of browser brands and versions.

8. Start out as if you are getting 10,000+ visitor per day. That way, when you write your content, promote products and do what you do, you will be motivated to do your best for every one of those visitors. If you want 100,000 visitors per day then start with that in mind.

9. Let people know who you are and what you are on about. Add an about/bio page to your blog.

10. Make it easy for people to subscribe and communicate. Give them an RSS link, an instant email option, or even a once a week digest, allow comments - and respond to comments - and have a contact me link/form.

See that you are doing each of these things as often as required. You can succeed if you set your mind on it. For one last boost to your blogging toolkit, read about success with an online business.

Brendan.