As many of you know I have been doing a 90 – day blog challenge on this blog. I have been sacrificing writing good blog post in favor of just getting my post up. I also have noticed that while I am getting more traffic to my blog I am also getting less interaction from my readers.
It is obvious to me that I am writing to frequently on this blog. My regular readers are use to seeing me only put up 3 or 4 post a week on this blog. So while I will continue my 90 day blog challenge but I am going to spread out my blog post across my blog network.
Writing Good Blog Post – What I have learned
First newbies will gain a significant amount of traffic by doing a blog post everyday. There are a couple of drawbacks to this.
- Reader burnout – I think loyal readers get burned out on your writing when you are writing something new everyday. It doesn’t give them time to see your post. Also it doesn’t give you enough time to do good research.
- More spammers, I am not sure why this is, but as soon as I started posting daily my spam increased.
New bloggers don’t really have much of a readership so blogging everyday is a good way to start. But once you get into your own groove your better off feeling out how your readers respond to your blog.
3 Helpful Tips To Writing Good Blog Post
I am always refining my skills at writing good blog post. My two worst subjects in school were Math and English to make matters worse I dropped out of highschool. I am often reminded of the fact when I go back and read some of the gibberish I put online. Ironically thanks to online marketing I have improved my writing skills a wee bit 🙂
—> So Yaaa, on to writing good blog post.
1. Don’t clump up your words. Write small paragraphs that are easy to read and spaced out. Nothing is worse than going to a blog and seeing a run on paragraph that has no spaces when I see blogs like that I don’t even read the first paragraph.
2. Use Images! But… Make sure to make use of word wrapping and space out your images. You can instantly tell a good blogger from a bad blogger just by looking at how they use their images in their post. You want your images to be part of the story. Sometimes people use pictures that have nothing to do with what they are writing about. That is just weird.
3. Leave Room For Discussion. I would love to leave comments on everyone’s blog I visit. My first rule of thumb is to only leave a comment if I can add something to the discussion. Thing is though, while many new bloggers want people to leave comments they don’t leave room for the commenting.
You either want your reader to feel something, think something or take an action. Read your own post, would you
comment on it? If so what would you say.. If you can’t think of anything there is a good chance neither can your reader.
Writing good blog post is about engaging your readers not talking over their heads. This can be tricky, but I have noticed that birds of a feather flock together. There are bloggers out there that feel that unless you do x, y and z your not a real blogger. I say BLAH!!! If you aren’t being original your not being a good blogger.
A giant mistake I see in the internet network marketing industry is new bloggers, not knowing much try and pretend that they do by parroting what other people are saying. While sharing information you learn is the blogging way. There is a difference between sharing something, and pretending your something your not.
So what I am saying is: If you aren’t a expert in your niche you shouldn’t try and be something your not. The whole fake it till you make nonsense is not the way to go…
The real secret to writing good blog post is to just be yourself. If your spelling sucks use spell check, if your grammer sucks so what. Life is to short to give a shit what anal people think. 🙂
I use to never like writing, when I first started blogging I was scared what other people might think. I am so glad I stuck it out in my early days of blogging. My blog is my business without my blog(s) I wouldn’t know where I would be.
What do you consider to be a good blog post?
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A good post is one that is informative and helpful to the reader. It should be easy to read and well written. It doesn’t need to be shakespeare, but should convey to the reader that at least the author takes pride in their work.
Hi Richard, I have visited blogs where I had to re-read and then read again because I just can’t figure out what the person is trying to say.
You don’t have to be the most best writer or have the best grammer, but do try and get your point across 🙂
Thanks for sharing..
Thanks for the tips Larry, and for opening yourself up. It does take awhile to find your “groove” but I agree with you that being yourself is one of the more important things. At the end of the day I would choose quality over quantity. Writing a good blog post can take a good chunk of your time.
Hi Randy, I think most people will choose quality of quantity every day of the week.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
Some great tips here, Larry. I’ve got to say that I’m guilt of not doing any of these. I sometimes struggle to keep the paragraphs short and then, when they go on too long and I try to cut them down, they no longer make sense. I need to get into the habit of actually writing for the blog post and not just trying to adapt it after.
I know images are great but I often have trouble finding images that I know I can use legally. I’m definitely going to try and implement these tips though. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Nathan, I agree it’s a pain to find images you can use. There are few places online that you can get some.
I think zemanta and flicker have been very helpful in finding pictures. Also if push comes to shove there are plenty of places you can buy images pretty cheaply..
Interesting that your traffic increased but that included more spam and less interaction. I will consider that when trying to increase my post output, thanks for sharing.
Hi Matt thanks for stopping by and commenting. This post is a perfect example of what I am talking about. If you look at my past 5 post you will see that even this post is getting more conversation than the ones I put up early.
I really think it comes down to the type of blog you have.
I think that staying within your niche topic is key. Sometimes we end up drifting to topics that are not connected to our blog that we lose relevant market. Also, we need to post something that makes sense of course.
Ya I can agree with that. That is why I created several blogs so that I could dedicate each one to just a few keywords..
Thanks for the tips. Will be starting my blog tonight so am cramming for some late tips. One of my own, coming from a blog reader, don’t make private anything that’s not necessary. When I’m checking out a blog I get annoyed if I get excluded from banal topics such as ‘my favorite movie’. Why? If you’re setting up an online clique, fine, but if you want publicity let your readers get hooked by lots of free access stuff and then, if you really feel the need, set up members-only sections.
Hi Mika, good tip! 🙂
I don’t know what else to add to your tips on writing a good blog post – you’ve said it all. Ever since I’ve first read your blog I’ve considered you write good articles.
Hi Roger, I appreciate that and thanks for reading…
People who aim in making money through blogging usually are those who uses a niche even without much knowledge and interest about it. Its different with bloggers whose aim is to share their thoughts, interest so they can build connections with their readers. It would be good if we can do both.
Hi Helen, you hit the proverbial nail on the head. If you can blog about something you are knowledgeable and passionate about you have a winner!
Thanks for sharing…
You’ve done a good job at covering all the key points. The only thing I’d as is to make sure every post has a call to action. Whether that’s to comment, check out another article or even buy a product. Don’t let attention spans go to waste!
Hi Sunny, call to actions are very important. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Nice. I agree that posting too often can frustrate readers. Strange isn’t it? But I’ve found that some time between posts on my favourite blogs can make me ‘hungry’ for more posts, so that when there is a new post, I’m more excited on it and spend more time reading it carefully.
The 90 day challenge sounds interesting though!
Great perspective, thanks for sharing it..
Hi Mark, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hi Steve & Vicky.. Since this is your first visit I will let it slip. This is an example of a bad comment.
Larry,
I agree that if blogging is not your niche then you shouldn’t even pretend to be one. Readers will immediately know and no one likes fakers. I think that quality should always be a top priority. You can post everyday, but if your topics don’t make any sense or aren’t well thought of then it really defeats the purpose. Same with writing long paragraphs, nobody wants to read extra long paragraphs when you can make it simple yet concise. And yes, allowing the audience the chance to comment on the post is worth it. When you allow your audience to put their 2 cents in, it makes the discussion more interesting.
Hi Tom, I don’t think a person shouldn’t blog. But I do think that a person needs to be real. So I can agree with “don’t pretend to be something you aren’t”
Thanks for sharing!
I guess the most important part in writing besides the quality of content, you need to leave something to your readers. Anything to comment on or a question would do. An active place for conversation is a good thing to know that you have their attention and thoughts to share with. Spams are everywhere, we can’t avoid it but we can’t moderate them atleast.
Hi Sheena, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
The use of images is absolutely a bright idea especially that most people are more on visual type of people. Personally, I find it interesting to read a blog post with images on it most especially if I can relate the images to the writing itself.
Hi Stan, thanks for commenting.
Images are helpful because it helps you be congruent with your message.
Larry,
Everything you said about the basic parts of making a good blog post are certianly true.
For #3 I would add asking… in your final paragraph you can bring up topics for discussion. like for this article you could ask the question, “What are YOUR most important pieces of blogging” Or “how do you rate the importance of these steps”
This makes it absolutely clear that you are looking for interaction and gives people food for thought for commenting.
Steve
Thanks a lot Steve! 🙂 making me look bad lols..
All joking aside that is exactly what I love about blogging. If you encourage inter action you can attain valuable insights to your own business. You are absolutely correct, I like the way you phrase the question(s) it really does convey the message to the person that I would like there feedback.
Your comment is excellent and anyone else that reads this definitely pay attention to what Steve just said.
Thanks for sharing…
Great video! Thanks you for sharing it with us. It was very informative and easy to understand. These tips are very easy to follow. Thanks once again!
Hi Arjee, thanks for commenting.. 🙂
That’s a good blog post Larry! Informative and I like how you open up a bit about your past and just make it relatable. Thanks
Hi Brandon, thanks for reading man..
A certain blog I follow has too much information in the posts. They are excellent posts – well researched and really informative, and they give me a lot to think about and even implement in my blog – almost too much.
I find that really reading the whole post takes me a good 45 minutes or longer because there are so many referred to topics (that you have to click out on to read), but they relate to the post and help you understand the post. So essentially, I’m reading 5 posts in one! I personally think she could break her post up into separate posts.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Kari
Hi Kari, you bring up a good point. I am guilty of this myself. I have written blog post with over 2,000 words. I realized afterwards I could have broken that down into a series of blog post and could of extended the use of my content.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
Nice insight Larry.
Also, to maintain readership loyalty, you should reply also to your readers comments because they will be flattered.
Never fake your blogs. Fakes never surpass the original.
I love reading intelligent post like this. Thank you Larry.
Hi Hampton, thanks for the compliment 🙂 I recommend using gravatar in your comments. It will go along way to getting more of your comments approved on this blog and other blogs…
These are really helpful tips. I agree with all of them. Clumping up information can only get people confused and images are the best way to get people to see your blog better. Without images, your blog can be kind of boring. By setting up a conversation, you can raise people’s curiosity and desire to comment back to your page.
Hi Brenna, you are welcome. Blogging is all about the readership. The goal of every blogger should be to engage, entertain and educate their readers…
Well I still consider myself kinda newb on blogging so these are helpful tips
“The real secret to writing good blog post is to just be yourself” – this I like very much!
I’m not an expert on my niche, I’m an explorer, but I love it. Now I’ kinda got your blessing too 😛
Thanks, Denny
Hi Dennis, welcome to the world of blogging. We were all newbs at one time or another. Just hang in there and keep writing, you will see your voice develop with every post you publish…
great share larry, are too many images bad for seo? as they increase page size right?
Hi Swapnil, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I would say yes and no..
It’s bad for seo because to many pictures will slow your site and therefore lower your rankings in google. I am pretty sure they still take the speed of the site in consideration.
I would say a good picture to text ratio is for every 300 words 1 image. Don’t forget to use your main keyword as alternate text in your image for better seo.
Traffic increase comes with spammers—they are like mosquitos at a picnic. The blogger’s goal ought to be to engage and inspire the reader. Those who do not are shooting themselves in the foot.
Hey Larry,
Thanks for the informative article. I have to really agree on your comment about keeping paragraphs short. That is the number one thing that I personally like, short paragraphs that aren’t wordy whatsoever, almost bullet point in nature, but informative.
Like most of your posts….Keep up the good work.
thank u so much, larry. Great video… I like your voice and they are very helpful way to write good blog post…
Mine is a new blog and I have worked as an author and editor in different blogs earlier. I’ve written more than 100 blog posts. Well, I am still a beginner, I suppose. I’ll follow your tips. i really liked the video that you’ve embedded to explain this post more further. Now, I’ve learnt, frequency is not more important, but the quality of the content matters. Thanks Larry!
Thanks for sharing..! Well, I am agree..! When readers come online and read the article the always suing scanning as their way for reading.
So, the make sentence short and separate the article into small piece of paragraphs and divided it to small session of discussion is great dial with that issued.
I am agree writing a great post is not enough for blogging, to since the success of great article is the build authorship and community. Thus, we should spend sometime to response the blog comment as well as comment other blog in order to build community.
That is really nice post, I really love this. Marry Christmas.