Blogging

I have noticed that the most successful bloggers online have all taken similar steps in becoming great bloggers. After lots
of research and study, I can also tell you that blogging is much more complex than it seems to be on the surface. However, with a bit of effort, I believe anyone can become a successful blogger.

Here are 101 steps to becoming a better blogger…

1. First, I’m going to assume you’re using WordPress. You are using WordPress aren’t you? The built-in SEO and pinging functions make WordPress a search engine machine.

2. Sign up for Feedburner.

3. Post at least once a day.

4. Optimize your blog for the search engines.

5. Make sure you have an “About Me” page.

6. Submit your blog to 9Rules.

7. Submit your blog to NewsNow.

8. Let your readers see the REAL you. Blogging is more personal than conventional websites. Don’t be afraid to tell a few
stories from your own life. By being real and personal, you will build a relationship with your readers based on loyalty and trust.

9. Blog and ping.

10. Submit your blog to rss and blog directories.

11. Use trackbacks.

12. Get involved in the blogosphere. Being a blogger is about being part of a community. Leave comments on other
blogs and get to know your favorite bloggers.

13. Give your blog it’s own unique voice… You!

14. Spend 99% of your time focused on creating unique, quality content. Content is King; or as John Reese says, “content is King Kong”.

15. Add a large RSS subscription button to your site.

16. Place an RSS feed link at the bottom of every post.

17. Set up a MyBlogLog Widget.

18. Encourage social bookmarking after every post.

Install these plugins to optimize your blog:

19. Akismet – This plugin helps eliminate comment spam.

20. Optimal Title – This plugin allows you to optimize the title of your blog post in order to improve your search engine rankings.

21. Ultimate Tag Warrior – The best tag system for WordPress.

22. Google Sitemap Generator – This plugin will enable you to automatically generate a Google sitemap for your blog.

23. Show Top Commentators – This plugin encourages feedback and discussion by rewarding the top commentators with a link back to their site in the sidebar.

24. Related Posts – This plugin will find other blog posts that are related to the current post. This encourages extra page views and keeps readers at your blog for a longer period of time.

25. Super Archive – One of the best archives system.

26. WP-Cache – This plugin is an extremely efficient caching system that will make your site much faster.

27. WP-ContactForm – This plugin allows your readers to easily email you. It also helps avoid spam.

28. Popularity Contest – This plugin determines which of your posts are most popular and then puts them in the sidebar.

29. Adsense Deluxe – This plugin makes it easy to implement Adsense into your blog.

30. Sociable – This plugin helps you spread your content through social bookmarking sites like Digg, del.icio.us,reddit, and others.

31. Feedburner Feed Replacement – This plugin directs all of your feed traffic to Feedburner, ensuring accurate readership stats. This plugin will also convert any existing subscribers from the old feed to the FeedBurner
one.

32. Create a custom blog design. Your blog is a symbol of your brand. Make it uniquely you.

33. Add photos to each of your posts.

34. Use tagging.

35. Share the link love.

36. Publish a full feed instead of a partial feed.

37. Consider approaching newspapers with a story about your blog. Remember, journalists are hungry for content and if
you can come up with a unique twist, then you could get some great coverage.

38. Persistence is the key. Give your blog at least 6 months before you start expecting great returns on all of your hard work. Believe me, it will pay off in the long run.

39. Submit exclusive content to high-profile sites.

40. Syndicate a press release. Take some time to craft a truly compelling and newsworthy press release and send it to some of the top journalists and bloggers. You can then submit it to the main press release sites, including PRWeb and PRLeap.

41. Turn your articles into podcasts.

42. Turn your articles into videos using PowerPoint to create an entertaining slideshow. Submit your video to all of the
popular video sites, including Google Video, YouTube, and others.

43. Submit to blog carnivals.

44. Participate in and submit to social web 2.0 sites, including Reddit, Digg, Delicious, Netscape, and Stumble Upon.

45. Turn your articles into downloadable reports/ebooks.

46. Join Blogburst.

47. Syndicate your articles to EzineArticles, GoArticles, iSnare,
American Chronicle, and other high-profile article directories.

48. Exchange guest posts with other bloggers.

49. Participate in group writing projects and memes.

50. Create a Squidoo lens that links back to your blog and established you as an industry expert in your chosen field.

51. Interview industry experts. This is one of the best ways to create original, engaging content.

52. Offer an e-mail newsletter in addition to RSS. An email newsletter allows you to form a closer relationship with
your visitors and picks up those who still aren’t comfortable with RSS technology.

53. Ask your visitors for suggestions on how to improve your website’s content because in the end, it’s really all about your readers.

54. Create a customized 404 page.

55. Claim your blog on Technorati.

56. Enable automatic trackback and ping functionality.

57. If someone mentions your website on their blog, thank that blogger in the comments of the post and send them a thank you note. You can monitor any mentions of your blog using Google Alerts, Technorati, and Blogpulse.

58. Make contact with related bloggers online as well as offline.

59. Build up the readership of your blog using StumbleUpon Ads.

60. Edit yourself ruthlessly.

61. Translate your site into multiple languages. This is one tactic that few sites are taking advantage of.

62. Have your blog reviewed by ReviewMe.

63. Become a Guest Blogger.

64. Use Google Analytics.

65. Validate your feeds.

66. Claim your blog at Feedster.

67. Interact with your readers. Blogging is a two-way communication tool. The most successful bloggers interact with their readers. They answer reader emails and comments and ask for feedback and suggestions on a regular basis.

68. Write about something that you love. You will not succeed if you are working at something you don’t enjoy. As Dale
Carnegie once said, “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”

69. Attend blogging conferences.

70. Invite your readers to submit articles.

Top Ways to Monetize Your Blog:

71. Kontera ContentLink

72. Text Link Ads

73. BlogAds

74. Ad Brite

75. Direct Ad sales & Sponsorships

76. Affiliate Sales

77. Google Adsense

78. ReviewMe

79. Bidvertiser

80. AuctionAds

81. Some of the best ways to monetize your RSS feed include the FeedBurner Ad Network and Text Link Ads.

Blog Writing Tips:

82. Learn to write great headlines.

83. Make your articles scannable. People don’t read on the Internet. They scan.

84. Use numbers in your titles to attract attention.

85. Vary your content. Be unique. Create a quiz. Interview a fellow blogger. Poll your readers. Review a book. Shake it
up a bit to keep your readers interested.

86. Edit your writing ruthlessly.

87. Write like you talk.

88. Write with passion. It will come through in your writing.

89. Say something worth reading.

90. Always write with your reader in mind. Imagine that you are chatting with them over lunch at a local cafe.

91. Make your important points up front.

92. Include bullet point lists.

93. Create a “top 10″ list.

94. Create a “How To” article.

95. Create a weekly or monthly roundup of great posts from around the blogosphere.

96. Watch for trends in your industry.

97. Read voraciously and bring your readers the golden nuggets of everything you learn.

98. If you ever find yourself with writer’s block, check out 101 Great Posting Ideas.

99. Leave your readers hungry for more. Give them a quick preview of what you’ll be posting the next day. They
are much more likely to come back if they are already excited about the next days post. Anticipation is
one of the greatest marketing tactic.

100. Have fun! Blogging doesn’t always have to be serious. Feel free to make your posts fun and entertaining.

101. If you’re still looking for blogging tips, then here are some great resources: ProBlogger, JohnChow, and Successful Blog.

Kim Roach is a productivity junkie who blogs regularly at The Optimized Life. Read her articles on 50 Essential GTD Resources, How to Have a 46 Hour Day, Do You Need a Braindump, What They Don’t Teach You in School, and
Free Yourself From the Inbox.