7 Steps To Build A Better Blog

1. Create Value:
Whatever you write, remember to bring value to readers. Just saying Myspace sucks can’t make your a good writer, since there are over 1 million people already knowing this conclusion earlier than you. Just saying viral marketing is amazing can’t make you a great blogger either. Say something more to make us know something fresh, or, to save our time, or, to create other value.
2. Focus on your own industry:
I can’t remember anything you write if you write about everything. Focus on one industry you’re interested in, man. Beer, Mac, Black-Hole theory…… anything would do, as long as you’d rather cut your sleeping time and sacrifice your dinner to make yourself know it better than anyone else.
3.Blog is not twitter:
Blog is blog, but twitter is another thing. Don’t make your blog into another twitter. I’m not really interested to know what you had for lunch or which brand of soap you bought unless you are Charlize Theron, and 10 posts a day makes me doubt whether you are a blogger.
4.Write drafts:
When you think of some new ideas, put them into drafts as soon as possible. Finally you will find your drafts full of great materials to make a great article, and this is how other Blogger’s great articles are made.
5. Appearance matters:
Just as a great pianist needs a gorgeous concert hall to show his best performance, you need a suitable appearance to make your blog looks great if you believe it is great. Pick a clean theme, use related pictures, insert sharing buttons…and more.
6.Share:
Leave a full link when you quote another blogger’s post, and they will thank you very much and probably do the same thing to you in the future. It’s a small world, and readers won’t forget you just because you refer them to read another blog.
7.Hold on, man:
It’s a lonely and boring job to write blog when no one notice you. Don’t give up if you believe your posts are creating value to the society. Check your blog system to make sure the SEO part is well done. Hold on and keep writing. If you are still lonely after you write 50 posts, leave your blog address here, dude, and I’ll be the 1st one to make you not lonely anymore.
[Image from ToothPasteForDinner]



I’m re-doing my blog @ http://www.pushingbuttons.net, targeted at web design / programming. It’s pretty outdated, I have spelling errors all over the place, and the design is flawed in many browsers. So, needless to say, I have been paying much attention to the trends and do’s and don’ts of blogs.
This post really helps me to focus on the direction I plan to take it. Thanks a lot for your help.
mark~~~~
Good post. I agree with all but number 3. Sometimes I buffer my posts until the weekend and then post them all at once. Shamelessly taking your advice in #7, here is my blog on technical interview questions http://dev-interview-questions.blogspot.com
nice points. i’ll add one: spelling is easy to overlook for anyone. edit your post a day or two later when you’re refreshed and you’ll pick up errors.
‘Appearance maters’
It is indeedly a difficult thing to creat a good blog and it is more difficult to make the blog attractive for long term. Theory is just theory.
Don’t think we’ve made it to 50 posts yet but the traffic has been regular at http://lifeinthegalaxy.wordpress.com Now its starting to look crowded so thanks for the reminder to make it look clean. Most of our articles are long and probably not a blog format will have to learn more about that. Thank you.
Hey! Good points for sure, definitely helpful. Trying to get a little following over at http://www.justmythoughts.com , not sure what else to try!
You should have added write it in two languages… that is a tip am carrying away from this more than anything… thanks for the insights.
Great post, the tips you have shared a common sense really, but us bloggers do tend to forget them from time to time.
I’m close to 60 posts now and the traffic is slowly picking up (as are the readers), I’d appreciate you taking a look.
Thanks,
Darren
thanks for laying it all out there for us.
Id be honored of you are even in my ‘hood if youd stop by and gimmie your .02
Im aware youre beyond busy but in a little blogSTUCKplace (where to go).
Hooked up with a friend of yours (her first name rhymes with bettie. shes a social media whiz) and she’s showing me the way as well…
MizFit
So true! Appearance is very important in blogging to me. If ou have fantastic content but a theme that confuses people or dare I say ugly. Then people won’t stay long enough to sample the quality - and leave with a bad taste in their mouth.
Great Tips!
I do need to streamline my blog a little bit more to focus on one topic more. hmmmm now ya got me thinking… thats not always a good thing!
http://thehomesteadinghousewife.com
I want to redesigned my site and been looking at several sites. I found this site http://www.RashaEntertainment.com and it looks good. I did a little search on it and it gets thousands of visitors a day. Must be nice.
Great points! Would love to gain more readers.
http://www.SugarMyBowl.com
Really good sound advice, thanks for taking the time to share that
Thanks for including number 5- very important to intranet blogs because there is a tide that suggests they should all look the same corporate colour and brand look & feel and NOT have individual identity while the other camp, of which I am the chief stirrer, fights that its fundamental to self-expression that the blogger can choose a design and look and feel for his/her blog that reflects the theme, tone & personality? Ever seen Sharepoint blogs? …Eeeeuuuuwwww.
One thing that works for me is I try to add a visual element (image/photo/illustration etc) within my posts to elaborate on the discussion at hand. It helps take out some of the guess work to comprehend what I’m saying. So I suggest using screenshot of what something should look like or a product being discussed, an image demonstrating a certain object or place, or an image of that new gadget etc… these all add greatly to the value of your post. However, everything should be within reason — too many images can mangle your flow of content and be detrimental.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Matt
Twitter: @sinotechian
Blog: http://www.sinotechblog.com
Lovely post, enjoyed reading it.
7th Point is really essential and tough.
I’m a regular reader of this blog and I’m never let down when it comes to tips on blogging. I always make sure to follow at least some of the guidelines laid out here. Recently I re-launched my blog @ http://virginincvuture.wordpress.com , a Finiance, Stock, and Tech blog form the eyes of a 16 year old and used a lot of the tips you’ve posted so far. Keep up the good work.
Really helped me to differential my twitter from my blog!
Cheers!
I love this information here. My blog is just starting to come alive because I’m really enjoying writing quality post with great pictures.
If you have time and would like to check it out it’s right here: http://buywomensfitnessblog.com
Thanks for taking the time to post this!
Donovan “DFitnessguy” Owens
I’m not near 50 posts on my new blog so you don’t have to check it out, though I appreciate the open offer.
Just wanted to express how much I enjoy reading your blog and how much it’s helping me keep my focus.
Molly
* I haven’t done a new blog lately because I’ve been concentrating on setting up and getting to know some new social networking sites. After that, I’m doing a new blog on another love of mine, research online.
Hi, Although I agree with what you stated and thank you by the way for the concise manner it is presented, there’s one point on which I’m not very convinced: point (2), I’m blogging because it’s me, what I’m putting in my blog are my ideas, my life. So I think that whatever i ‘live’ and blog about is good for my blog. It’s covering many topics, no problem, if you’re not the kinda guy who’s subscribed to Google Alerts to have something to write, i think all what you will write is sincere and from you, so it’s OK. And finally i would add another advise to bloggers over there spoiling their sites with ads, if you allow me: don’t think of monetizing your blog unless you really deserve it, surfers are not idiots, think of proving content, good content and you’ll be rewarded, forget about traffic, respect your audience and it will come by itself.
Good blogging for all of us.
These are good tips, and I really appreciate you posting them. I definitely need to work on narrowing down my focus because I currently have one of those “everything” blogs. I’m sure I’d gain more readers if I could get focused, but I have a hard time picking just one topic since so many things are interesting to me.
I have to mention that you didn’t give credit to Toothpastefordinner for the comic you’re using at the top of this post. That just happens to be one of my favorite comics of all time, and the author gives readers the freedom to use his images as long as you give credit and link back. It’s not too late to add that to the image.
Hi, I’m Isaac Yassar and I help people reach success in self development, business, and blogging for free. Chlankboot, I like your idea to forget monetizing blog, I have to admit that you are the first person I ever hear saying such thing openly. I also agree that people got to be their selves, since dude, people niche are usually specific, none loves everything. If you want to live you’ve got to be yourself, if not you’re a robot = inanimate = dead.
It’s especially nice to see a post where the advice given is followed to the letter. Writing a blog is about community, building trust with audience is all that matters.
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Good tips. I see so many blogs which fail to understand these basic concepts.
I also think it is important to remember who you are writing for. So many seem to be writing for themselves and forgetting the audience. You create value by providing something your intended audience can use.
I also think simplicity and clean theme are important. Often due to a lack of focus or an attempt to monetize, the blog becomes cluttered and hard to read.
Finally, in the vein of #7, I just launched http://www.socialmarketing20.com in late Nov. I’m just now building a blog roll. Please check the blog and contact me if you’d like to do a link exchange.
Jim
Read your blog for the first time today, thanks to a tweet I received this morning. Wanted to let you know that I have concentrated my blog on the Motivation side of health and fitness for the over 40 year old woman - the kind that took care of everyone but herself until now. I am redoing it now (it used to be on Blogger) and I am aiming to get my own domain and developing a company around the concept. However, I am stomped at the moment (ok, overwhelmed is more like it) and I have no traffic to my blog (my friends have read it but they do not post comments, which would help, but they are shy. Since you said on point 7 to name it, here it is http://www.aviddiva.wordpress.com. You can send me any comments on what you see, email or blog. And thanks for the lesson.
Very nice post with some tips I will have to try out on my blog! I have been just posting what appeals to me and not really focusing on any one real topic but after reading this I might have to rethink it all. Thanks again.
Drafts are truly powerful! I always write multiple drafts, sometimes just paste link into post area, and later come back and add my text and hit the ‘publish’ thingee!
Thanks for the tips
Thanks for the advice. I have just entered the world of blogging and started out with a very specific topic, helping restaurants. I was contemplating changing my blog to be more general so I could write about anything. After reading this, I know I am on the right track. I am not near 50 posts yet, but any advice would be great. You can find my blog at http://www.therestaurantmentor.wordpress.com.
Thanks and I look forward to reading your other posts.
Great list, Howard. Thanks for posting this, it is very helpful.
Good points. I recently paid to have my template personalized because I’d read that you don’t want a standard template for your blog either. I still wanted it to look simple though and I think it looks nice.
I’m well beyond 50 posts and still struggling with gaining readers. I don’t think I stink too badly. I’m not sure what else to do.
http://www.coolzebras.com
I also started a group blog called Midwest Parents. We have yet to find our readership too.
http://www.midwestparent.blogspot.com
oops perhaps the right link would help Midwest Parents.
http://midwestparents.blogspot.com
Agree with everything with a slight amendment to number 3. If you are the brand (even if you’re not Charlize Theron), then a post about your breakfast might be useful, and frequency does build traffic. Of course, “breakfast” posts should appear in small doses on your blog, but a sprinkling of the inane let’s people know your not a blogbot with one thing on your mind. I think this is only true in the case of musicians, authors, actors, artists, etc. JMHO. Great post!
I love to see posts and ideas on how to make one’s blog better. I am at a point where #7 is fresh on my mind. I have so many inconsistencies that it drives me nuts. I have had flurries of people one day (500+) and the next day no one. It is completely due to the content and inconsistent posts.
RECRUITING BLOG.
Thanks for a good post: http://darringrella.blogspot.com
Not lonely but here is my blog: http://corporategenie.wordpress.com
I am all over this stuff..love it. Confirms what I have been thinking of doing for a long time. I need separate blogs to rant on the different subjects I am the expert on..in some cases the only expert on… Now the questions is..TOOLS..are there all-in-one tools that can be used to easily blog to the different sites I set up? Windows Live Writer now is not recognized by FireFox..so I am looking for a better tool that works with WP.
Carry on with this info adn ..Oh yaw..my blog is pretty lonely.
Great post! #7 lead me to your SEO tag which I’m sure will prove very helpful. Maybe you should add “#8. Add links to your own blog.”
I agree with all your point and was mostly doing them. And now, I’m gonna use #7 http://www.i-progress.blogspot.com Thanks !
I’m lonely…http://safatloss.com/blog
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Great article. What called my attention in particular is #7. I think in a sense, this is what makes other bloggers stand out. Being helpful to each other is a sure fire way to get noticed. You got me:)
If I may, and I do not want you to think that this is spam… I posted an article that I believe will be interesting for you to read. It adds up to your #5 item on your list. Check it out.
Blogging For Money
“Just saying Myspace sucks can’t make your a good writer”
Ah, the irony.
Anyways, I love how the comments section turned into a blogspam section.
Thanks for this post. Very good advice. Any advice on SEO?
Came across your blog after reading an email from Ryan Deiss. I agree with the SEO part. Too many bloggers fail to do a good job, so their killer content is never discovered. Thanks for the post
Great tips, thanks. I will be sure to try these tips on my site (http://www.kevinworthington.com/), where I focus on lightweight web servers for Windows (lighttpd and nginx), as well as general tech news and tips.
I am interested to read the other posts on your site now. I found this post thanks to Darren at problogger.net. (He tweeted it.) Thanks again!
That was very very helpful, for someone like myself who is just getting serious about blogging!
Great content!
ya girl…
Steph Perez
Thanks for the advice and tips! I tend to be too technical at times with fitness stuff and forget the big picture.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Good points here. Only thing I would add is, have a point of view! The best newsletters and blogs are written by people that don’t just report facts or trends, but actually give some insights and opinions on them. Even when they hate you (as some people are likely to do) - they still come back to see what you have to say.
-RG
[...] 7 Steps To Build A Better Blog [...]
These are very insightful tips. To often bloggers get caught up in the esoteric and overlook the simple things - the things that really matter - content (fresh and informative) and appearance. Thanks
Simple.. basic.. but extremely helpful tip here.. Great article..
Just used 7 on my blog http://ecomind-thenewtrend.blogspot.com/
Cheers…
http://www.theitreport.com
awesome, go 7 steps to http://webmove.org
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it’s really hard to keep updating blog…
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Based on the number of comments regarding point #7, it’s clear there is a need for many of us to get the word out. After following the basics, what other innovative ideas are out there? My Blog http://www.marketingwitz.com is focused on generating return on marketing investment and related marketing topics. I have a small but loyal following, and would like to increase the number of loyal visitors rather than reaching the widest audience. Sugggestions are welcome. Thank you.
nice succinct post. kudos. now make me less lonely. ha.
[...] Howard’s Startup Game » 7 Steps To Build A Better Blog 2009-01-16 | Categories: blog Howard’s Startup Game » 7 Steps To Build A Better Blog. [...]
All new born bloggers shouldn’t joke with this steps.
http://www.sweetleafteablog.com
We are lonely-planning cool topics for the future. any critique would be greatly appreciated.
thanks for posting this info-easy to understand!
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원문 : 7 Steps To Build A Better Blog
더 나은 블로그를 만드는 7단계
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Simple and impressive post. I translate this post to Korean on my blog to know your cool article to korean blogoshphere.
I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…
You have an awesome blog here. My site is http://www.videobloggingtips.com/ and I would love to do a link exchange with you. You really have some great stuff. My site has a Page rank of 2 and gets around 150-200 unique views a day.
Let me know if you’re interested.
My email is ttomp13@gmail.com
This was a great read. I see way too many people not focusing on point #2, come on now who is really gonna be interested in a bunch of random topics??
Nice site you have!
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