The Secrets of Highly Successful Bloggers

The best bloggers aren’t necessarily the best writers. They’re the ones who connect best with their audiences.

All highly successful bloggers have this trait in common. They write posts that inspire impassioned responses, whether the reader loves the ideas being espoused or hates them.

If you want your blog to join this upper echelon of hugely popular blogs, pay close attention to these tips.

Take Chances with Your Topics

There are millions of blogs out there. What makes someone want to read yours? To grab a reader’s attention, you have to have something interesting to say. Don’t repeat the same stuff over and over again; that bores the reader.

Instead, take a few risks with your content. Write about a controversial topic. Write a counterpoint to an opinion you saw on another blog. Or simply go beyond your usual comfort zone — if you have a running blog, take a day to write about biking.

Know Your Audience

Here’s where analytics come in. Say you love to travel but your primary audience is made up of women who are content in the fact that they’ve never traveled to another city. Trips may not be where their interest lies.

Instead, write about female-friendly destinations within your city that they may not have heard of before.

Respond to Reader Comments

Readers enjoy sharing their opinions in the comment section, but they enjoy it even more when the blogger interacts with them.

This communication fosters a feeling of friendliness and intimacy that will keep them coming back to your blog, even if you respectfully disagree with their opinion.

Immerse Yourself in the Blog World

There’s nothing bloggers like better than other bloggers. A great way to expose a bigger audience to your own blog is to target several blogs that you enjoy. Chances are their readers would enjoy your blog, too.

Leave responses in the comments section with links to your blog. Don’t be obnoxious about it; you don’t need to go off topic to mention your latest post. Most comments sections also allow you to link your blog to your profile when you enter your name.

Be Active on Social Networks

Yes, this sounds so obvious, but it’s surprising how many bloggers stick to only one social media outlet, which is like going to the Orlando visitor information center and not picking up any information on Disney World. It’s short-sighted.

Don’t make that mistake. Be active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other up-and-coming social networks. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s a great way to grow your brand and connect personally with readers.

Have a Great Design

These days people appreciate presentation on the Web much more than they did just five years ago. A crisp design, including a functioning archives section and tabs rich with relevant content, gives you a leg up on text-heavy, clumsily designed blogs.  A friend of mine, and blog owner, runs a travel website, Sights of the City, which focuses on providing information on city trips.   Before recently, I know it was a challenge for his readers to appreciate all of the information his site offered  because of the layout, but he has since redesigned the site.  As a result, the information is significantly more functional, and the pages have become more relevant.  Now his readers know exactly how to get the information they want!

In fact, Newbie Writers just completed their own redesign, in hopes of improving the user experience as a blog! Let us know how you feel about it! And whether it has enhanced the overall user experience of the site!

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