Blogging for rookies: 10 Tips and Trick to better blogging

Creating a blog for the firs time can seem overwhelming, but the truth is, it's one of the simplest ways to join the online community. Check out these tips to make sure your blog is positioned for success:

1. Define Clear Goals:

man with a jiggsaw piece on a road to a bign Goal sign

Before you start a new blog, it is of huge importance to define your goals for it. Your blog has a better change of success if you know from scratch what you hope to accomplish with it. Are you trying to establish yourself as an expert on the field? Are you promoting your business? Do you blog for fun only and to share your ideas and opinions? Your short and long term goals for your blog are dependent on the reason why you're starting it anyways. Think ahead of time on what you'd like to gain from your blog in 6 months, 1 year, 5 years . Then design, write and market your blog to meet these goals.

2. Know your audience:

Your design and content should reflect the expectations of your audience. For example, if your intended audience are young adults, the design and content will be really different than a blog targeted to business professionals. Your audience will have inherent expectations for your blog. Don't confuse them but rather meet and exceed those expectations to gain reader loyalty.

3. Be Consistent:

Your blog is your brand, just like Coke or Adidas, your blog represents a specific message and image to your audience, which is your brand. Your design and content should consistently communicate your overall brand image and message. Being consistent allows you to meet your audience expectations and create a secure place for them to visit again and again. That consistency will be rewarded with reader loyalty.

4. Be Persistent:

A busy blog is a useful blog. Blogs that are not updated frequently are perceived by users as static web pages. The usefulness of blogs comes from their timeliness. While it is important not to publish meaningless posts, since you may bore your audience, it is important that you update frequently. The best way to keep readers coming back is to always have something fresh out of the oven, which is meaningful, for them to enjoy!

5. Be Inviting:

One of the most unique aspects of blogging it is social impact. Therefore, it is essential that your blog welcomes readers and invites them to join a two way conversation. Ask your readers to leave comments, ideas and even suggestions. By doing this you show readers that you value their opinion, and this will keep the conversation going.

6. Be Visible:

Most of your blog's success relies on your effort outside your blog. Those efforts include finding like minded bloggers and commenting in their blogs, participate in social bookmarking through sites such as Digg or StumbleUpon, and join social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Blogging is not a demonstration of, "If you build, they will come". Instead, creating a successful blog requires hard work by creating meaningful content on your blog as well as working outside of your blog to promote it and develop a community around it

7. Take Risks:

fish jumping from a small water bowl to a big one

Beginner bloggers are often afraid of the new blogging tools and features available to them. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things. From adding a new plug-in to hold your first blog raffle or contest, it's important that you maintain your blog fresh by implementing changes that will enhance the user experience, instead of overloading it, most likely causing your blog to crash (WordPress). And don't become a prey for those "Awesome" brand new widgets or pluggings, instead go over your blog's true needs and goals and review each potential enhancement in terms of how will it make your blog better and how your audience will respond to it.

8. If you don't know, Ask for Help!

a paper guy helping another paper guy get off paper

Even the most experienced blogger understands the blog-osphere is an always changing place and no one knows everything there is to know about blogging. Most important yet, bloggers are part of a close knit community, and the majority of bloggers understand that everyone is a beginner at some point. In fact bloggers are one of the most reliable and helpful people you can find on the net. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask any questions. Remember, A fool is that one who never asks questions, rather than the one who risks himself to have some answers.

9. Keep Learning:

It seems like everyday there's a new tool available for blogs. The Internet changes are quick and sometimes even drastic, and blogging is not a niche that makes the exception. As you develop your blog, take the time to research new tools and features, and keep track of the latest news in the blog world. You never know where a new helpful tool will be launched that can make a true difference when it comes to great enhancement that could make your like easier and your readers happy.

10. And Overall, BE YOURSELF:

You have to remember that your blog is an extension of you and your brand, and your loyal followers will keep coming to hear what you have to say. Add up your personality into your posts and adapt a consistent tone for your posts. Review if a corporate tone would be better for your blog, or maybe a youthful tone, or a comic tone. Then stay consistent with that tone in all your blog communications. People don't only read blogs to read news , they could read the newspaper instead. so don't blog like a news reporter, spice things up!

And here it is, 10 tips to be a better blogging! Hope this helps you guys, please show us some love and comment and share!