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Blogging is a topic that seems to come up a lot with bloggers as well as online business owners but is there a right way to blog?

Are there certain things you should and shouldn't be doing that could make or break your blog? 

Like most things online, there are no hard and fast rules and there is no one size fits all advice.

But there are a few do's and don'ts of blogging you should keep in mind the next time you sit down to write.

Just remember, every single blog is going to be different and understanding what will work for your blog and your audience will take a bit of time and research.

For now, let's dive into the do's and don'ts of blogging!

If you haven't started a blog yet and would like a step-by-step tutorial on not only how to set up your blog but what to do in your first 90 days, check out this post, How to Set up a Profitable Blog 

 

Blogging Do's

 

1. Content, Content, and more Content

Content is everything for your blog.

This is how your audience gets to know you, how they trust you and how you make yourself visible online.

Needless to say, content is seriously important for your blog.

But what type of content should you be focusing on?

Because writing about how your dog is snoring on the couch probably isn't going to drive the most traffic or build that relationship with your audience.

The point of blogging is to serve your audience and in order to serve your audience, your content has to solve a problem.

The best types of blog posts are the ones that help your audience become a better version of themselves but also have actionable steps to do so.

The more helpful information and value you can give to your audience, the more they will want to not only stick around but come back to your blog time and time again.

 

2. Write like you're talking to a friend

As a new blogger, it can be tough to know how to write.

Do you write like you're writing a paper in English class or what?

This was one of the toughest lessons for me to learn when it came to writing because I took a lot of formal writing classes in high school and had to basically unlearn everything I thought I know about writing!

Here's the thing, your audience is full of REAL people.

They don't want to read a really stuffy, boring blog.

They want to learn from someone they feel they could be friends with.

Someone that cares if they succeed or not.

The easiest way to do this is to actually pretend you are talking to a friend!

Not only will this exercise help you loosen up, but it'll help make sure you put everything in each and every blog post that you need to.

Remember, content is important and the more you valuable information you write, the better.

 

3. Pick a Consistent Schedule

Most of us have other jobs or even a second business bedside blogging which means we can't just write all day every day, even though we seriously wish we could!

The fact of the matter is, no matter how often you can blog make sure you are being consistent.

If you blog for a solid week and then ghost your audience for three months, they're going to forget about you and your blog.

If you can only write one blog post a week, do that.

If you can consistently write two or three blog posts a week, do that.

Find what works best for you and your schedule and stick to it!

Not only do you want to be consistent with your blog posting schedule, but you also want to be consistent with your blog marketing schedule as well.

Your audience probably isn't sitting on your blog waiting and hoping for you to post a new post.

But when they see your post on Pinterest or in a Google search, they're going to click on it.

This means you want to be consistently marketing your blog.

This is the best way to be seen and stand out. You have to be in front of your audience.

 

4. Quality over Quantity

Since I'm on the topic of how often you should write and what to write the most important thing to remember is quality of quantity.

It doesn't matter how many blog posts you write if no one is reading them or benefiting from them.

You can write one blog post a week and drive thousands of people to your blog every single month, I do.

This all comes down to what you are writing.

Are you writing something that resonates with your audience?

Is your audience searching for the solution you are offering with your blog? 

Are you providing value?

At the end of the day, what you are writing matters a million times more than how often you are writing.

Keep this in mind every single time you sit down to write.

If you want to learn how to drive more targeted traffic to your blog and get more people to read your blog check out Six Reasons no One is Reading your Blog.

 

5. Build a Relationship with your Audience

I know, I know.

I talk about building a relationship with your audience all the time, but it's seriously important!

You are writing for them so, show them you care!

Make sure you're replying back to their comments!

It takes a lot for someone to leave a comment on a blog post so don't forget to let them know you appreciate them taking the time to do that!

The point is to remember who you are writing for and let them know you care!

 

6. Add a Call to Action

So you wrote this incredible blog post packed with tons of valuable information, your audience loves it but now what?

What do you want them to do next?

A call to action is telling your audience what you would like to happen next.

Is the goal of your blog post to be seen by even more people?

Tell your audience to share your post or pin to Pinterest.

Maybe you want them to join your email list to grab a checklist that goes along with the blog post.

Give your audience something to do next.

This will also help you build that relationship with your audience that we talked about!

You can add this call to action at the end of your blog post or in the middle.

I like to put a call to action throughout the post.

Like always, each person's audience is going to respond to different things so, find what works best for you and what gets the most conversions.

 

Blogging Don'ts

 

7. Try to be Someone Else

Storytime, my very first blog I ever wrote was a fitness blog.

I read every fitness blog I could find and decided they knew what they were doing so I started writing just like them.

Did it work?

Nope.

That blog didn't last because I wasn't myself.

I was trying to be like everyone else on the internet writing about fitness.

Don't get me wrong, fitness and health is a very profitable and popular niche but when it's written generically it won't get you anywhere.

Just write like you speak.

Put your personality into each and every post and blogging will not only be more enjoyable to you but your audience will find your posts more enjoyable as well.

 

8. Use Google Images

We all want gorgeous photos on our blogs because they make them more aesthetically pleasing and well, they just look really nice.

But did you know you can run into huge fines if you take photos from Google?

Images that are on Google usually are not free to use for anyone.

There is a copyright on them which means you could look at big fines if you use them.

Luckily, we live the era of the interest and can find just about anything we could ever want, which means you can find royalty free/copyright free images to use on your blog!

I personally like to use Unsplash.com for copyright free images.

Just do a Google search for copyright free images and websites will pop up.

Just make sure to read the agreements to make sure you can use those images freely.

If this freaks you out, of course, take your own images when and where you can.

 

9. Be Afraid to Invest

There is so much to learn not only about blogging as well as what you decide to blog about.

And you want to make sure you doing everything you can to not only give your audience the best possible blog posts but to be as successful as possible.

This means you can't be afraid to invest in your blog. Invest in a blogging course or eBook, invest in a domain name, a hosting site, a marketing course and make sure to invest your time in researching your blog topic!

How can you expect other's to invest in your and your blog if you're not willing to do the same?

 

10. Overthink This

Blogging is scary.

You're putting your words out there for the world to see and it's easy to get so caught up in launches, doing all the right things that you don't put your blog out there.

I can give you all the advice I have but at the end of the day, you are the one that has to implement and you have to put your blog out there!

My best advice?

Just start writing!

Write for your audience, write to answer their questions and write to give them value.

If you want to learn what to do in your first 90 days of blogging check out this post.

 

There is no One Size Fits all Advice to Blogging

Like I said before, there are no hard and fast rules to blogging, only advice, strategies and tools that you can use in your blogging journey.

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