10 Basic Rules to Maximize your Blog Writing

Blog Writing or writing a blog can become a snap once you get used to the motions. Keep these 10 basic rules in mind and you’ll be publishing great blog content in your niche market.

1. Write your own material as often as possible

It’s important that you write your own content for several reasons. In theory you know more about your blog’s subject than any potential guest writer, so you’d be the best equipped to write posts. It also communicates to your readers that you’re capable of updating your site. By writing the posts yourself you ensure that the blog reflects your identity as a blogger.

2. Write what you know

If you create a blog due to extensive knowledge or interest in a certain field, write posts that reflect your expertise. Cultivate the reputation of being the go-to blog for your specialty. The more you post theme-specific content, the more people will rely on your for that information Resist the urge to post some completely unrelated content just to “mix it up” on your blog and keep your content uniform. If you have to blog about something else, do it on another blog.

3. Brevity is Key

It’s no secret that the internet has shrunken people’s already short attention spans. Even a loyal reader can be turned off by essay-length posts. This doesn’t meant that your posts need to be three sentences or less, just be conscious of your post length. After you finish a draft, read through it and separate the fluff from the real meat of the posts. Try constructing a bulleted list of key points you want to express in your post, and then write your post strictly around those points.

4. Flashy Writing

In the same vein as the point above, your writing should grab a reader’s attention. Title your blog posts with short, emphatic phrases and avoid generalizations. Take advantage of a thesaurus to replace flimsy adjectives and verbs with ones that pack more of a punch.  For example, the title “5 Great Pasta Recipes” could be jazzed up to “Pasta Recipes to Die For;” “20 Awesome Desktop Wallpaper Designs” to “Breathtaking Desktop Backgrounds” and so on.

5. DO NOT mimic your competition

If you’re competing for readers with similarly themed blogs, it’s likely that you’ll visit their sites just to get a perspective on their blogging methods. If you indulge this temptation, you should NOT copy their material or their style in any way. You want to establish your blog as a distinctly individual presence on the web, and copying content is not the way to win readers over. At worst you could lose readers who recognize similarities between your blog’s content and the content on another site. Be your own blogger; don’t worry about the other guy.

6. Read your drafts out loud

While you should always reread your drafts before you post them to your blog, you might want to consider reading them out loud as well. Reading aloud can help you understand how a certain piece of writing flows (or doesn’t flow). Awkward phrasing might make sense when you say it in your head, but it definitely sticks out when said aloud. Also if you notice that reading your post takes up more time than you anticipated you might want to consider cutting some erroneous sentences.

7. Always check for proper grammar/spelling

There’s good reasoning behind why people regularly cite this point as a must for professional bloggers. Typos, grammatical errors, sloppy writing in general: whether you intend it or not, these mistakes tell your reader that you’re too lazy to check your writing, much less run a blog. The spell check on word processors will check for incorrect spelling, but they have no way of telling whether or not you intended to write the word you wrote. Spell check won’t tell you if you write “rye” instead of “eye” or “of” instead of “on.” So stay vigilant of your writing mistakes!

8. Keyword-rich posts

Keep your blog’s Google ranking high by adhering SEO basics when you write a post. Include meta tags to your posts that highlight the main themes of your content, terms that would likely be searched by people interested in your blog’s topic. For instance, a blog post about car design should contain ample words that relate to the topic (car, design, model and make of the car, etc). If possible, download widgets or applications that help optimize your posts to contain keyword-rich content.

9. Keep your content current and fresh

Write material covering the current news involving your blog’s topic as a way to show your readers that you’re keeping up with the latest trends and happenings in the industry. Before you write, check out major media websites for post ideas. Using the daily headline as a reference point or the focal part of your post has the effect of bringing a real-world connection to your blog. Even if your blog doesn’t have any immediate tie to current events, try to work some tangentially related news into your writing.

10. Have Confidence in your abilities

Above all remain confident that if you put the hard work into it, your blog will achieve success. Write regularly and believe in your ability to communicate your information well. Take stances on topics that move you to share your opinion when the matter involves your blog’s theme. Don’t be afraid to be bold—your readers will appreciate a blogger with something to say.