Disclaimer: I’m not a really good blogger. Frankly, I’m pretty bad at it. My blog is not an example, nor is it a guide to follow in creating blogs. However, I analyze blogs a lot, most of them being successful, high-traffic blogs that generate great amounts of interest in their respective categories. Heck, even some of them generate money.
Like I said, I subscribe and read lots of blogs. Most of them being very popular and well respected. After a short while, I began to notice that they do a few things correctly on a consistent basis. Whether they be personal development blogs, tech blogs, sports blogs, or blogs about other blogs (yes, they exist), I found that they all have a prevalent commonality which they do extremely well. Here is what they do:
Consistency: Most bloggers update their blogs daily, giving their audience a consistent piece of writing to wake up or look forward to each day. Consistency creates a reliability that subscribers, or even casual readers can rely on. Personally, I like it when I am reading a blog and I can get a new piece of information on a daily, or at least regular basis. Keep in mind, consistency doesn’t necessarily equate into a successful blog. Writing each day about how cool Joe’s party was last night probably won’t generate a great deal of interest.
Quality: A recurring trend I have found with really good bloggers: they do things really well! Maybe not the most salient point, but I have noticed that there is rarely a poorly written, badly informed, or terribly chosen post ever written on a really good blogger’s blog. A sports writer rarely writes about his views on the Bush administration and the personal development blogger rarely writes about how the Colts beat the Chargers 41-21, and how Budweiser is far better than Coors. Simply put, most bloggers are somewhat (for the most part) qualified minds in their respective fields. Their knowledge makes them exceptional writers and thus, successful bloggers.
Focus: Focus ties in with quality. Good bloggers write about a few things. Typically, a good personal finance blogger will stick to writing about personal finance in each post they write. They might write about certain aspects of personal finance, such as ‘Why you should use Mac instead of Windows’, yet the underlying theme is always tied, or loosely tied to their sole focus of writing a quality personal finance blog. Some blogs are poor examples. They might write about iPhones one day, and study hacks the next. Because of their lack of focus, they tend to confuse readers or subscribers.
Never fly solo: Really good bloggers typically use the help of their really good blogger friends. Often a ‘guest post’ will allow for a blogger to get different views and perspectives on a particular subject. For example, a tech blogger might have a Windows bias on a particular current event. A guest post by their Linux buddy can help them get a different view, which will definitely benefit the readers and will only add to the quality of the site.
Don’t just read the comments: Some bloggers write about ‘Why I can change the world in 10 easy steps’ and call it a day. Not cool. One of the most important parts of the blog is the comments. The comments create discussion, argument and act as a medium for the writer to quickly interact with readers. I have seen that some of the most successful, most subscribed-to bloggers will reply to about 20% of their comments. Even if it is a ‘Great idea… I will take that into consideration’, readers care to see that the writer will actually read the comments and join the argument or discussion.
That said, really good blogging is tough. Not only is it a terribly diluted market, but readers want a really good reason why they should read, or even subscribe to your blog. Putting a cool image at the top of your post and talking about Jessica Alba for 2 paragraphs typically doesn’t generate much interest. However, I have noticed that really good bloggers have an incredible ability to create consistent, quality posts very quickly.
Tip: don’t start a blog with the intentions of doing extremely well quickly. Find a field or topic that you enjoy, or something that you are passionate about. Once you have done this, interest is bound to be generated in your writing.
