Blogging Tips

Okay, so we talked about Mistakes in blogging, and How to develop stickyness to your blog.I thought we needed to cover some basics now – let’s see.

How about this topic – How to attract first time visitors and convert them to readers?

Say you are going to launch a new blog. Or you are going for a revamp edition of your existing blog. What are the things that will get you instant attention, when you show it off to the world? What will ensure you that your first time visitors (guests) gets hooked to your blog instantly?

Number one – Domain Name:-

A domain name is really really really important as it’s your domain name It tells out what your content is , or who you are or what aer you blogging about. I would suggest that any domain name should either specify one of these – not anything else.The best example is here on bloggingtips.com – It tells you exactly what the content is,what you are writing about and what you will get from reading it. Simple precise and easy to remember.

Some of the things that you should remember when getting a domain name are –

Always go for a first level domain name and try to avoid .infos and .net etc.
Always make it simple.
Never go too artistic with it.
Try to relate it with your content and your keyword.
Don’t include dashes please.
Don’t make it too lengthy.

A bad example is dailydoseofinternet.com (which is my blog) where the domain is a bit lengthy, you cannot recollect it on the first visit, but you may catch it along though.

Number two – Template

Your template should be minimalistic (yes, should be!). It must follow the KISS rules (Keep It Simple Stupid). It should be user-friendly, and easy to navigate. It’s natural to get carried away with funky templates but however funky it is, make sure you have the above said standards in place.Or else, visitors will recognize you for your design not your content.

Number Three – Email subscription form

It’s adviceable to have an email subscription list ready so that anyone who wants to be in the loop can make a decision right then and there. It’s easy with the feedburner network.

Number Four – RSS feed button

This is very very essential because almost everybody today uses an RSS reader.And by providing a RSS feeder button(these days you get them in all sizes and shapes), you ensure that you give them a piece of the action!

Number Five – Your best posts

Now, this applies to all those blogs who are revamping their existing design. You would have some most visited posts right? (Get them from your statistics.) Copy those links and make a box in the template featuring them under the respective categories. This way, you ensure that visitors get the best part of your blog. Visitors may not go for the pain of going through your archives to dig for best posts, so it’s your duty to post them as highlights on the main page.Make sure that they are visible on all the pages.

There are more points to follow in the second part of this post. Let me know if you can think of more points.