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]



This entry was posted on January 13th, 2009 and is filed under , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.

 
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100 Responses to “7 Steps To Build A Better Blog”

  1. Timothy   13. January 2009 at 22:27

    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.

  2. Ozzy   14. January 2009 at 16:31

    mark~~~~

  3. gman   14. January 2009 at 16:51

    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

  4. ramon   14. January 2009 at 17:06

    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’

  5. VSNZ   14. January 2009 at 18:22

    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.

  6. shelina   14. January 2009 at 19:05

    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.

  7. Nick   14. January 2009 at 19:18

    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!

  8. AussieWebmaster   14. January 2009 at 19:43

    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.

  9. Darren Singleton   14. January 2009 at 19:43

    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

  10. MizFit   14. January 2009 at 19:43

    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

  11. Tom - StandOutBlogger.com   14. January 2009 at 19:44

    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.

  12. Dana (The Homesteading Housewife)   14. January 2009 at 19:47

    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

  13. Chris Myers   14. January 2009 at 19:47

    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.

  14. MJ Tam   14. January 2009 at 19:48

    Great points! Would love to gain more readers.
    http://www.SugarMyBowl.com

  15. Kevin   14. January 2009 at 19:49

    Really good sound advice, thanks for taking the time to share that :)

  16. Farrhad A   14. January 2009 at 20:00

    Lovely post, enjoyed reading it.
    7th Point is really essential and tough.

  17. Robbie   14. January 2009 at 20:06

    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.

  18. Netwala   14. January 2009 at 20:15

    Really helped me to differential my twitter from my blog!

    Cheers!

  19. Donovan "DFitnessguy"   14. January 2009 at 20:30

    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

  20. Molly   14. January 2009 at 20:40

    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.

  21. Chlankboot   14. January 2009 at 20:42

    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.

  22. dirt   14. January 2009 at 20:58

    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.

  23. Isaac Yassar   14. January 2009 at 21:05

    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.

  24. @toddlucier   14. January 2009 at 21:33

    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.

  25. links for 2009-01-14 « Kunshou’s Weblog   14. January 2009 at 22:05

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  26. Jim   14. January 2009 at 22:10

    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

  27. Roxana   14. January 2009 at 22:30

    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.

  28. BeyondRandom   14. January 2009 at 23:00

    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.

  29. Mr Cakes   14. January 2009 at 23:19

    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!

  30. Chelsea   14. January 2009 at 23:21

    Thanks for the tips :)

  31. Robert Dominguez, The Restaurant Mentor   14. January 2009 at 23:23

    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.

  32. gl hoffman   14. January 2009 at 23:25

    Great list, Howard. Thanks for posting this, it is very helpful.

  33. Heather   14. January 2009 at 23:28

    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

  34. Heather   14. January 2009 at 23:28

    oops perhaps the right link would help Midwest Parents.

    http://midwestparents.blogspot.com

  35. R.W. Ridley   14. January 2009 at 23:33

    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!

  36. Darrin Grella   14. January 2009 at 23:38

    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

  37. david patrick   14. January 2009 at 23:43

    Not lonely but here is my blog: http://corporategenie.wordpress.com

  38. Scot Duke   14. January 2009 at 23:43

    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.

  39. Steven Milstein   14. January 2009 at 23:50

    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.” :-)

  40. Bruno   14. January 2009 at 23:57

    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 !

  41. Steve   15. January 2009 at 00:03

    I’m lonely…http://safatloss.com/blog

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  43. ditesco   15. January 2009 at 00:07

    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

  44. lowell   15. January 2009 at 00:15

    “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.

  45. Colleen   15. January 2009 at 00:42

    Thanks for this post. Very good advice. Any advice on SEO?

  46. Darren Chow   15. January 2009 at 01:18

    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 :)

  47. Kevin Worthington   15. January 2009 at 02:06

    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!

  48. Steph Perez   15. January 2009 at 03:12

    That was very very helpful, for someone like myself who is just getting serious about blogging!

    Great content!

    ya girl…

    Steph Perez

  49. Mike T Nelson   15. January 2009 at 03:13

    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

  50. Randy Gage   15. January 2009 at 03:30

    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

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  52. Pastor Bobby   15. January 2009 at 05:25

    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

  53. Are Morch   15. January 2009 at 05:53

    Simple.. basic.. but extremely helpful tip here.. Great article..

    Just used 7 on my blog http://ecomind-thenewtrend.blogspot.com/

    Cheers…

  54. sheehan alam   15. January 2009 at 06:58

    http://www.theitreport.com

  55. daniel   15. January 2009 at 07:34

    awesome, go 7 steps to http://webmove.org

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  57. pin   15. January 2009 at 13:10

    it’s really hard to keep updating blog…

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  59. Mark Witzling   16. January 2009 at 05:55

    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.

  60. wickedceltics   16. January 2009 at 11:11

    nice succinct post. kudos. now make me less lonely. ha.

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  62. moses   17. January 2009 at 01:40

    All new born bloggers shouldn’t joke with this steps.

  63. april r   17. January 2009 at 07:37

    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!

  64. 요다, 인터넷 하다   17. January 2009 at 11:53

    더 나은 블로그를 만드는 7단계…

    원문 : 7 Steps To Build A Better Blog
    더 나은 블로그를 만드는 7단계
    1. 가치를 창조하라:
    무엇을 쓰든지, 읽는 이에게 가치를 주어야 함을 기억하라. 단지 ‘마이스페이스가 후졌다’(한국식…..

  65. Yoda   17. January 2009 at 11:55

    Simple and impressive post. I translate this post to Korean on my blog to know your cool article to korean blogoshphere.

  66. tusaattitly   20. January 2009 at 08:06

    I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…

  67. Taylor   21. January 2009 at 13:29

    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

  68. Blog SEO & Traffic Tips   22. January 2009 at 03:47

    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??

  69. Lesbiche   27. January 2009 at 13:45

    Nice site you have!

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  71. eageshash   30. January 2009 at 21:25

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  72. wrermanaree   1. February 2009 at 16:15

    meditic.com - now in my rss reader)))

  73. BrooryJacralm   4. February 2009 at 03:38

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    ————————
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  74. Stetiliodia   9. February 2009 at 18:36

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  75. Golleyelderljna   15. February 2009 at 17:02

    Hello, I can’t understand how to add your blog ( meditic.com ) in my rss reader
    ————————
    my blog: http://dewat.ru/

  76. Howard   15. February 2009 at 17:04

    to Golleyelderljna:
    just click on the RSS button on the top:
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/meditic

  77. hesynoiniot   17. February 2009 at 15:17

    meditic.com - cool sitename man)))
    ————————
    my blog: http://potet.ru/

  78. affiliate.solutions   19. February 2009 at 11:36

    I really liked your blog! You have some great content. Check out my blog and give me some feedback… I just posted a great blog about the 20 new SEO tools
    here is my blog address:

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  79. lieben   6. March 2009 at 01:33

    Interessante Informationen.

  80. HotWomen   27. March 2009 at 14:00

    I have the same opinion as yours on this. What you said is true.

  81. Mariella   2. April 2009 at 10:48

    Hi, great site here :) I am looking for fans of our favorite celebs. If you have any nude pics with someone, i will appreciate your help :) In exchange I can upload some top hottest stuff from my archive here. Regards! Waiting for links with good stuff, and free of course :)

  82. xp0n1k   13. April 2009 at 10:53

    Хм, как я вижу у Вас сбирается достаточно элитарное общество в плане специалистов своего дела. Странно, конечно, бывает видеть среди профи откровеных диллетантов, но я отношусь к ним с “надеждой” что-ли. В том плане, что они когда-то выучаться и смогут помогать людям. Сложно правда бывает иногда отделить комментарий и совет профи от дилетантского, в том плане, что и те, и те пишут так сказать на отмашь, т.е. пару слов. Еще зайду

  83. Defiler   20. April 2009 at 22:02

    Удивительно как Вы при достаточно спокойном таком стиле в плане дизайна блога смогли все так грамотно скомпоновать. Тут и текст, и оглавление и ссылки и навигация прикольная. Я вот два раза начинал дизайн мастерить, но так не разу не смог к идеау прийти. Если надумаете когда-то заняься благотворительностью и выложить Ваш шаблон в свободный доступ, то я его первый скачаю, единсвенно только теги пока у Вас не модные. видел щаз крутящиеся уже. До встречи в блогосфере

  84. Shaun Davis   23. April 2009 at 22:47

    Hey just a heads up, I wanted to let everyone know that Xio Dibin speaks English. I hope I posted in the right location?

  85. gaitteElult   4. May 2009 at 14:24

    Best reviews of the day about Depression, Essay on teen depression, Depression help ways and Major depression symptoms.

  86. Olgamoskvina   6. May 2009 at 23:41

    Да ну нах не верится чёта !!))))

  87. JessicaKeF   11. May 2009 at 00:56

    I really very liked this post. Can I copy it to my blog? Thank you in advance. Sincerely

  88. sleeliogy   7. June 2009 at 21:41

    Дизайн у Вас интересный, я вот тоже для блога искал - стала прикручивать, а все посты куда то делись. Эээх… буду писать заново

  89. sportmasterrr   8. June 2009 at 18:07

    Скажите а могу я статьи с вашего сайта у себя на блоге публиковать? Е сли да - то ссылку ставить или просто источник указывать?

  90. Fandplayend   10. June 2009 at 11:52

    круто,все нужное

  91. Kelly Brown   13. June 2009 at 02:57

    Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting

  92. JaneRadriges   14. June 2009 at 05:21

    Great post! I’ll subscribe right now wth my feedreader software!

  93. Gollivialse   16. June 2009 at 22:01

    За такие посты надо награды давать, на полном серьезе!

  94. Foormunny   18. June 2009 at 06:44

    222

  95. Sithimmetly   24. June 2009 at 05:45

    I’m new to the site and just purchased lots of items last night, and still have not received an email with the items.

    How long does it normally take to get the items? I understood that as soon as I paid everything would be emailed

    to me. Just wondering……
    Thanks

  96. Utethimetex   25. June 2009 at 04:27

    Man, that’s great…Thanks for providing such a good info

  97. GEKSNARFGAG   25. June 2009 at 14:07

    Do add more stuff to this Blog man!

  98. Occattgat   26. June 2009 at 19:51

    Круто! Хотелось бы побольше таких же интересных постов

  99. PeterMontee   3. July 2009 at 14:06

    The safe answer ;)

  100. CedaCrathegef   3. July 2009 at 15:44

    Мне нравяться ваши посты

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