Written on February 5th, 2009 at 12:02 am by Darren Rowse
13 Quick tips to Make Your Blog STAND OUT from the Crowd
With a new blog being started every second it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Following are some tips on how to differentiate your blog from the millions of others out there.
Image by c.a. muller
1. Pick a unique topic – it is easier said than done to choose a topic that is unique from everyone else today in a blogosphere as crowded as we’re currently in – however opportunities do arise to start blogs on topics that are new trends, products or ideas. Being first doesn’t guarantee success – but it can help.
2. Develop a Unique Voice – while it may not always be possible to choose a unique topic it can sometimes be easier to cover that topic in a way that others do not. Whether it be by using humor, blogging as a character (think Fake Steve Jobs blog), blogging in the 3rd Person (Manolo the Shoe Blogger) or some other way – finding a unique voice or style can set you apart from the rest.
3. Design – having a unique blog design doesn’t mean you need to pay big dollars for a custom design – start with a default one (or a premium design like Thesis) and tweak it with a unique logo, colors and layout. Visual first impressions count and can be the deciding factor as to whether people subscribe to your blog or not.
4. Useful Content – perhaps the best way to stand out from the crowd and make an impression upon people is to produce content that impacts them in some way. Write something that matters, that helps people, that solves a problem, that enhances people’s lives and you drastically increase the chances of them coming back and bringing a friend with them.
5. Be Prolific – something that can make a real impression on people is when they keep ‘bumping into you’. Predict where your potential readers will be going online and position yourself there as a prolific contributor. It might be social media sites, it might be the comments section of another blog or it could be a forum on your topic – wherever it is – make sure you have an active presence there. If people keep seeing you in the places that they hang out they’ll eventually take note and want to know more about you.
6. Love Your Readers to Death – this is key in the early days of a blog when readers seem scarce. The reality is that the 10 readers that you DO have already are a powerful resource – focuse upon them rather than the thousands of readers that you DON’T have. Love them – thank them for their comments – involve them in your blogging – promote them and the sites that they have and in doing so you’ll be building loyalty, trust and relationship that one day will pay off. Each reader you have has their own network and can open up new audiences to you.
7. Be Original – there’s nothing more dry than coming to a blog that has much the same content as every other blog that you’ve already read that day. Don’t just rehash news and talk about things in the same way that others are – dare to be different, play devils advocate, look for new angles in stories, translate the news for your readers and help them to work out how it impacts them etc
8. Express an Opinion – people who express opinions seem to get more attention than those who simply report news. Tell people what YOU think and you’re bound to get discussion between those who agree with you and those who do not.
9. Get Visual – whether it be by using eye catching pictures, diagrams and charts or even using video – when you add a visual element to your posts you will grab the attention of those who are more visually oriented. Images draw the eye, illustrate points and add new dimension to what is largely a text based medium.
10. Use Titles with Bling – post titles that draw people to read your post are essential and can be the difference between someone visiting your blog from a search engine, social media site or another blog and visiting someone else’s blog that has a more intriguing title.
11. Longevity Counts – many blog readers are looking to journey with someone and can be a little suspicious of new blogs and wonder how long they’ll last. Blog consistently for the long term and you build credibility, trust and profile in your industry.
12. Build Momentum – one mistake that many blogs make is that there is a sense that the blog is not really going anywhere. Posts appear on the blog that rarely relate to one another. I find that when I’m in the middle of a series or writing content that builds upon something that I’ve written before that readers really respond well. Its also this momentum that builds a sense of anticipation on a blog – which in turn builds subscriber numbers.
13. Drive People to Your Archives – one of the weaknesses of blogs as a medium is that in they often hide their best content. The content that gets most attention is the latest post – whether it is good or not. Blogs that not only highly what is NEW but find ways to highlight what is BEST in their archives draw readers to the content that is most likely to convince them to stay around for more.
Alone the 13 points above will have some impact upon helping your blog to stand out from the crowd – however the key is to work on more than one because together they make a significant difference.
149 Responses to “13 Quick tips to Make Your Blog STAND OUT from the Crowd” - Add Yours
Clive
February 5th, 2009 12:51 am
Interesting post and great photograph that illustrates your point exactly. But I really liked the title to point 10!
Regards,
Clive
Farrhad A
February 5th, 2009 12:52 am
Rocking post!!!
I will always keep all the pointers in mind, I need them for my blog.
http://www.twitter.com/farrhad
Tumblemoose
February 5th, 2009 12:52 am
Ok, I’ll bite. These are worthwhile (if not tired) tips. They will all help you stand out.
I can appreciate the work that went into it, put there just isn’t anything new here. (sorry)
Cheers
George
p@r@noid
February 5th, 2009 12:55 am
I have no rights to disagree with any of these points…
Blogging is like a passion..more your explore more u will learn…!!
I have seen people getting board of blogging but I can’t ever justify them. If you love something you will never be bored.
Seems like Darren have covered up every thing a new bie blogger need to learn. That’s positive attitude.
Nice post Darren.
p@r@noid
February 5th, 2009 12:56 am
Thanks to Tweet that I can keep track of new posts so frequently.
http://twitter.com/shoutmeloud
Dave
February 5th, 2009 12:56 am
I especially agree with you about readers responding well to a series of blogs. Another suggestion may be to engage readers through a competition. This has really increased my readership each week.
Political Poet
February 5th, 2009 12:57 am
This is excellent advice which I have taken on-board in relation to my exciting new adventure in the blogging world. I find the design of a blog or website to be an important factor when surfing for new writers and content.
tammy
February 5th, 2009 12:58 am
to george – sometimes we need to re-think the old strategies, and it doesn’t hurt to read them again.
how about profanity or verbal bashing?? that gets people’s attention too.
have a day all!
Jesse Luna
February 5th, 2009 12:59 am
Great tips! I agree that having great content is the #1 way to stand out. If you have all the rest you may get visitors, but if you have great content that reflects your personality then you’ll get FANS.
Dominique
February 5th, 2009 1:03 am
Great tips especially #13. I have yet to learn how to properly divert my readers from current post to archives and vice versa in my blog. Must really put in these helpful tips to make my blog rock!!
Are Morch
February 5th, 2009 1:07 am
I agree with one comment here that Twitter is awesome. Following Darren on Twitter is worth more then I can describe. Everyone that wants to learn how to blog and build up their blogging experience should read Darrens articles.
But friends when you see a great articles like this not only comment on it. Tell your followers on Twitter. Either tweet the link or retweet it. I’m sure Darren don’t mind. And I always bookmark articles that I find that will help me on my way to achieve my goals.
Cheers…
Steve J. Moore
February 5th, 2009 1:11 am
Great stuff, be yourself, be friendly, be genuine!
Greg Rollett
February 5th, 2009 1:13 am
Guilty as charged for number 13. I need to find a fun way to get great posts back in the forefront and increase page counts.
Zack
February 5th, 2009 1:25 am
Great tips, thank you very much.
Writer Dad
February 5th, 2009 1:42 am
I don’t believe that anything is more important than voice. Relevant content is, of course, paramount as well. But a lot of people spit the same things. It’s the precision of our thought that can really make the difference.
Dev
February 5th, 2009 1:46 am
thats y i love to read your tips. unique tips for new bloggers
Jensen | CS-Weekly
February 5th, 2009 1:57 am
Thank you for the summary. They are critical yet easy-to-fulfill. I’ve already been doing some of them. I am going to print it out and make it handy to review anytime.
Jamie Pelaez
February 5th, 2009 1:58 am
I am a new reader of your blog and love the great content you provide.
Being a new blogger the one tip that I have been having some difficulty with is #11 Longevity Counts, or rather consistency counts!
I’ve decided today that the only way to remedy this is by creating a schedule. Because while writing on the fly is great and I will still utilize those inspired moments…. My new blog needs way more content then those on the fly moments.
Catch me on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/JamiePelaez
SEO Tips
February 5th, 2009 2:09 am
Great article my favourite was tip 6 very interesting tip that I shall be putting in to practice myself. I also enjoyed the last tip and a strategy for doing this on Wordpress is by adding the Popular Post plugin
Adam
February 5th, 2009 2:37 am
This all makes sense. Drive people to your archives rings true as I’m often stumbling across really good content by accident. When you write a blog post think about other related post and chuck in a link to it. Please.
Kris Scheben-Edey
February 5th, 2009 2:43 am
Great list Darren, all valid points that need to be incorporated into all bloggers checklists. Now the key is for the bloggers to take this information and find a way to actually use it with their own content – in a unique and differentiated way.
For those last two points on the list we made some developments to our blog to reflect those changes. We added a “Live Changes” button that goes on when anything is happening that day (explaining new improvements) and we added a “Knowledge Base” to structure our future archives into an easily searchable page organized by category.
Feel free to check out the changes inspired by this post on our Internet Marketing and SEO blog: http://www.turnfire.com/blog/
Cheers,
Kris
Katrina
February 5th, 2009 2:49 am
Sweet tips – really useful. This is definitely going on my “Fav” list and getting passed on to all my friends!
Thanks…
Brad
February 5th, 2009 2:52 am
Thanks for the tips!
I really like #6 – loving your readers to death. This is something I’m really starting to concentrate on. For starters, I’m shooting off a quick thank you email to those who comment on my blog. I also try to feature posts with lots of comments to give them more exposure and draw more people into the conversation.
Content is also good. Since the beginning of my blog I have tried to write good content that is always consistent. I think it’s paying off as I’m finding more people linking to my posts.
In the end though, blogging is a work of passion more than anything. This especially holds true nowadays when the blogosphere is so crowded. People can’t expect to make money overnight with their blog. I’ve been working on mine for over 2 years now and I’m just starting to see a small financial payoff – but nothing to quite my day job over.
Great post and keep up the good work!
Kayla
February 5th, 2009 2:59 am
All great tips. As I’m using more of these over time, I see my blog growing in popularity. I will keep this post in mind!
Laura-Whateverebay
February 5th, 2009 3:06 am
Wonderful tips and following do guide you to a successful blog. Of course its all about hard work and commitment. I still find myself struggling with my momentum; I am getting better :)
Matthew
February 5th, 2009 3:14 am
I am doing my best to follow all of these tips as I get my blog rolling. There’s so much to do and only so much time to do it in!
Vygantas
February 5th, 2009 3:33 am
Um,
How do you stand out from the crowd by picking up different topic when you are the only one there?
Simona Rich
February 5th, 2009 4:14 am
I love the pic!
I think you gave similar advice through some other blog (don’t remember which one) about making the headline and the first line of a paragraph really appealing to readers.
That’s what I am thinking about every time I write an article. Thank you so much for this advice because readers write to me and thank me for the useful content I provide.
I guess I am on the right path, and this is partly because I listened to your advice!
josephgelb
February 5th, 2009 4:21 am
great post, it inspired me alot.
Ruben Ricart
February 5th, 2009 4:25 am
Hi Darren, and fellow commentators!
Darren, that was great advice indeed – truth is that most folks are visual people and adding some type of interesting visual elements makes it interesting and perhaps keeps their interest while they are there…..again great tips Darren.
Check out one of my most recent videos for Trucker Hat Tuesdays by clicking my name…
Leo diMilo
February 5th, 2009 4:32 am
Good post. However, there are other more concerting things that most bloggers have to deal with than “being unique” or “original”. Getting seen should be the bloggers #1 priority…after all, what good is having unique or original content if no one knows you exist?
Gert
February 5th, 2009 4:51 am
Good and helpful post! Thanks!
AccessAthletes
February 5th, 2009 5:43 am
Nice post! I think the comment about consistency producing good content is key. With the influx of blog, staying relevant is the hardest task.
Gennaro
February 5th, 2009 6:17 am
I take design seriously. You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. The first thing anyone notices about a site is the visual. Let your reader know what they’re in for.
Roman
February 5th, 2009 6:27 am
A couple days ago you mentioned that you have multiple projects that you work on. And that you have your up days and down days for each of them.
Sometimes you are enthusiastic about problogger.com other times your twitter project.
Today after a comment like the one from George (2nd comment). I am guessing that the enthusiasim must be leaning towards some other project.
But what needs to be realised is that you get a lot of new visitors and for them this is all new information. Even though for you, and for regulars, it is repeated information. For the new visitors it is fresh information.
Robby G
February 5th, 2009 6:32 am
Thou shalt love thy reader (I mean, neighbour)
Carlos Lorenzo
February 5th, 2009 8:17 am
Very well put. We sometimes do it by instinct but nothing like a good summary, specially if you are starting in the blogging thing. I am with you in the good title issue and the building momentum part. I try not to be too repetitive and change topic but always bringing back the good posts with links to the archives as you recommend. I think it is a good idea to surprise people and give them good content, original content. So as you suggest you should pick up a unique topic, one that you feel comfortable with. And definitely, longevity counts. I like your list. 13 sells better than the classic 10. Odd numbers are good. Nice title and list.
Enemy of Average
February 5th, 2009 9:10 am
Good tips Darren….
Especially the tip about involving readers. I have had some success with that on other blogs.
Mark Wilson
February 5th, 2009 9:49 am
Great post! You have to have something that others don’t.
Rohit
February 5th, 2009 10:14 am
A short but informative post.
Another important tip for being a successful blogger is being a good planner.Planning is something very important and all the success of blogging should only emerge from it…
Jonathan
February 5th, 2009 12:22 pm
One of the things I love about you is that you give quick, simple tips!
GossipSecretaries
February 5th, 2009 12:39 pm
These are invaluable tips for the relatively new blogger.
Before designing our blog we did a lot of research on blogs, and quickly realized the importance of having a good design for the blog. We think that having an original design has been somewhat helpful in catching the eyes of first time visitors to our blog.
We work everyday at suggestion #4, to provide unique content for readers. We are hoping that soon our readers will begin interacting on a more regular basis, and provide us with some feedback on the various posts in the comments section.
I thought your photo for this post was great. It drove home the point of how effective having a great visual reference could be for grabbing your readers attention.
Susan
February 5th, 2009 1:28 pm
Good reminders for us novice bloggers. I’m trying to key on having top-notch content and being consistent. It bugs me when bloggers take long hiatuses in between posts. My goal is to blog Monday through Friday, taking the weekend off to recharge the creative batteries.
Darren Rowse
February 5th, 2009 1:42 pm
Tumblemoose – thanks for the comment. I would say however that while I’ve covered most of this previously ‘new’ isn’t just about what you’ve ‘written’ before as an ‘author’ but also about what your readers have ‘read’ as ‘readers’.
Here’s the thing – last time I ran a poll asking the readers of this blog how long they’ve been blogging the results revealed that 58% of my readers had been blogging for less than a year (or hadn’t yet started a blog). around 32% had been blogging less than 3 months or were yet to start a blog.
Less than a quarter of my readers have been blogging longer than 2 years.
While I do try to produce content for the more experienced 25% of my readers – the reality is that it is beginner bloggers who read this blog as much (if not more) than anyone and as a result I do focus upon the basics with more than a handful of my posts.
As you’d know as a more experienced blogger – there’s only a certain amount of basics to write about and so from time to time I come back to things I’ve covered previously.
Not saying this to disagree with you – but hopefully to give you context for why I posted this post. The other reason I published it is simply that this is a question I’m asked time and time again and that I (and quite a few others by the look of comments on this post) think is actually quite a challenge to many bloggers.
T Edwards
February 5th, 2009 2:06 pm
These are very good points. I think #6 is probably the most important. When my blog first started, I really slacked off after a very short time. It was primarily because I felt that it was “not getting anywhere” just as you mentioned. What I didn’t realize was that there were a few people that gave a sh!t and I completely blew them off. Inexcusable.
T
Mike Flip
February 5th, 2009 2:11 pm
I think the “love your readers to death” tip is one of the best. If you can make your readers feel like they are special when they visit your blog, they will be dieing to come back. That was one of the techniques I employed with my other blog – I gave away prizes, I responded to every comment, and was personal with my readers. It also makes blogging a lot more fun when you truly care about who’s reading your blog.
Don Plotner
February 5th, 2009 2:17 pm
Thank you very much for you post it is very informative and I will use all of those approaches into promoting my blog.
OutsourceSurvival
February 5th, 2009 3:27 pm
Hi Darren, thanks for the article.
One question I had about point 12, would you recommend running a series of articles consecutively, or mixing it up.
I have a number of lengthy series in the pipes, and I’m not sure if the best approach is to mix up the content a bit by inserting different topics every few posts, or just bang out one after the other in the series until its finished.
Cheers
Hugh
Richard Butler
February 5th, 2009 7:15 pm
This is what I like about problogger.. It always gives me new insight which I can use everyday. Keep it up and I will still come back again to learn more from you.. thanks!
Darren Rowse
February 5th, 2009 7:25 pm
OutsourceSurvival – I think either could work. I like to run a series of consecutive posts (one day after the other) if the topic lends itself to that – but at times I’ve also spread them out more when the topics were a little more general and/or the posts were more detailed and needed more time to write (and digest).
Ridwan Ibrahim
February 5th, 2009 7:43 pm
You rock man! yes in order to become a good blogger you need to have a passion for it and equip with knowledge on how to blog. You have demonstrated the power of blogging keep up the good work man.
http://vur.me/wealth2u/lazy40money
http://vur.me/wealth2u/lwsfreedom
Elliot
February 5th, 2009 9:35 pm
They forgot #14. Read and implement what you learn at problogger.net!!;)).
Joe Itwop
February 5th, 2009 10:39 pm
#6 really hit home for me. I have a small online journal that is read religiously by friends and family. I wrote a post about the ShamWow infomercial and started getting lots of search traffic. So I wrote about it again… and again and again. I was getting lots of traffic, but a closer look showed that none of them were coming back and none of the were subscribing. It was all single, low-value visits.
To make it worse, I was boring my regular readers who had enough of the topic. Thankfully I think I caught it before I lost their loyalty.
Thanks for this and all the other great posts Darren.
Ranjan
February 5th, 2009 11:04 pm
All the above point are really touch the success blogging. If any one follow these step will definitely get the success. Three points i have all ready used and i am going to follow all the points.
thanks
Dustin
February 6th, 2009 1:08 am
All great points. I particularly like the idea of driving people to your archives. Posts aren’t always going to be awesome, so make the most interesting or popular articles prominent. I find that I do this constantly.
Cyrus
February 6th, 2009 2:21 am
Thank you for the tip, will use it to be different form the rest of the crowd.
Make Money Online Tips
February 6th, 2009 3:49 am
A very good post yet again there Darren. I think some of the points have been mentioned by you in the video yesterday.
LinkArchive.info
February 6th, 2009 4:14 am
Thank you for the tips, it really helped me understand more about my visitors and I know what to change.
Bob
February 6th, 2009 7:52 am
Great post for beginners like me. Many thanks! I’ve been at only a matter of weeks, and am still not sure where the kitchen is, so I’m particularly interested in helpful tips. Keep on writing–I’ll follow along!
All the best to you.
http://shamanwhirlwind.blogspot.com/
The Nonsense Society
February 6th, 2009 8:33 am
I struggle with making the commentary of my posts unique and interesting. I feature the work of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers, and writers so I don’t want to diminish their work by saying too much. I feel as though I can’t provide much comment-provoking opinions because I like everything on the site. I wish I could be more proactive in how interesting the posts are. Maybe I will find a more effective style and voice in time?
Great post, thank you!
Neil
February 6th, 2009 9:47 am
Thank you for the tips :)
Deanna Murrel
February 6th, 2009 11:06 am
I have been following your blog and love the layout and images. How do you insert your images to look so clean and neat. I feel like I am looking at a book or magazine. Take a look at my blog which I started in November 2008 (first blog). I cannot figure out how to manipulate the images to have that clean look. In a Word document you can use the “tight” feature to move the images around and manipulate them with your text. I do not know how to do that with blogging. Are you using a separate software to assistance with your posting? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am working on the “31 Days to Better Blogging” but as you will see I am behind (quite a bit).
Champagne Living
February 6th, 2009 11:09 am
Thank you Darren. You know, sometimes I (we) forget, or don’t even think of some of the more obvious things we can do. There’s no need to do a handstand and juggle with your feet to attract attention….a beautiful, elegant woman will turn the heads of both men and women because she stands out in a crowd. That’s what I’m hoping to achieve. A blog that elegantly stands out in a crowd, with my manner of speaking, my choice of posts and my appreciation of both the readers and my blogging journey (because I would hope that both will shine through in my writing & comments).
Sheila Atwood
February 6th, 2009 11:13 am
On your last point I have noticed that your list related posts on the bottom of your post as a way to drive people to your archives.
I have also seen blogs that put a “best posts” category in their side bar.
I think these two methods work better than just listing an archive section. I know I go to them more when I am on a blog.
Sheila
BLOGBOOZE
February 6th, 2009 4:07 pm
This is a Rocking post. I very much believe in the points:
*Love your readers to death
*Be original &
*Express an opinion
Marc - belly-off-project.com
February 6th, 2009 7:46 pm
Thanks Darren for the great list, will try to stick to it in my blog!
Marc
Charlie
February 7th, 2009 12:46 am
Good post. The points are all old news to serious bloggers, but newbs need to have these pointers in order to start successfully. So good advice thanks for sharing. :)
BlogMonies
February 7th, 2009 1:46 am
Developing a unique voice, finding a unique topic and using related posts to push them to your archives are all time-tested tips. Simply put, solve the readers problem and they’ll keep coming back.
Blogmonies.com
Apni Beauty
February 7th, 2009 5:09 am
I am running my blog on beauty and styling and I’ll surely try these tips on it. Thanks alot!!!
seosoeasy
February 7th, 2009 5:17 am
Iam proud to work on this freelance because i had gained lot of valuable tips like the above one in building websites and blogs.Really i am improving day to day by reading like this kind of posts and today i learned in making a unique blog.Thanks for the effort made!
Niche Marketing
February 7th, 2009 11:39 am
Glad I found this site – I’m finding the content very useful – thanks!
Niche Marketing
February 7th, 2009 12:37 pm
Excellent content here and a nice writing style too – keep up the great work!
I Need A Blog Idea
February 7th, 2009 6:24 pm
I think the second point is really the most important. As a writer it’s so important to find your voice. That’s what will keep the readers wanting more. It’s often difficult to distinguish between bloggers because so many are very drab in their writing. Find your voice and you’ll find an audience.
Great post!
seger bagio
February 7th, 2009 9:23 pm
Great post. You ‘re Inspiring me Darren.
axel g
February 8th, 2009 2:27 am
A wonderful list of helpful pointers +_+
A Fitness Minute
February 8th, 2009 3:11 am
I’m digging on the tips. Thanks, a soon to be pro blogger!
mike
February 8th, 2009 3:34 am
Useful Content is important. It will keep people coming back for more.
Shravan
February 8th, 2009 3:58 am
Thats a really nice blog, very loyal and inspiring….thanx for sharing the valuable information.
Jerome
February 8th, 2009 7:09 am
Thank you for your excellent advice. For a beginner blogger like me your points would be greatly helpful. Please keep up the good work!
Calvin
February 8th, 2009 8:33 am
Hey man, you are such an inspiration, I am starting my blog soon, infact im launching next week and I have been doing a lot of research and I found your blog as the most helpful and resouceful of all, everything you say makes sense, I actually took your advice and started registering for more social networks and put my url as my site and its working wonders, I have a good response and anticipation from those I communicated with via the social networks, thanks a lot dude, oh, this is my blog url by the way, http://www.footballfevr.com
Cheers,
Calvin
Prasanna Deshapriya
February 8th, 2009 11:13 pm
Thanks for the tips
I really found them useful.
Lee, Blogger's Workshop
February 9th, 2009 11:41 am
Great tips – thank you for sharing these.
As for tip # 1, you’re right – it can be incredibly difficult to find a unique topic… but sometimes taking a different angle on a popular topic can do the trick, as you noted later in your post.
Taking 10 or 15 minutes to do a simple topic map can be a good way to find these unique angles. If you can find someone who is willing to listen (and offer suggestions), you can use them as a springboard for ideas as well. (I’m surprised my wife doesn’t start running when I mention the word “blog”.)
As for #3… a professional design does help tremendously. The challenge (at least if you’re not paying someone to code the entire design) can be to balance design and content production. It’s easy to kill an entire afternoon tweaking your design when you should be writing.
I just started using FlexxTheme by http://www.ithemes.com to cut down on design woes. It seems pretty straightforward so far (which is good for me since I know just enough about coding to be dangerous).
I think having a clean, well laid out theme is more important than loading up on plugins and other gewgaws, at least at first. There’s always time for that when your blog starts to build traction.
Anyway, thanks for the great post!
Lee
Jeanine
February 9th, 2009 4:17 pm
I like the tip about driving people to your archives. That’s a good way to keep all posts active. I’m going to try it!
Jimmy - Work From Home Information
February 9th, 2009 8:02 pm
Excellent tips.It can be hard to find a unique topic to blog about these days, but if you can write useful content then you will be doing fine.
emi
February 9th, 2009 9:22 pm
I was desperately in need of the post like this…very useful..thanks a lot.
Anuj
February 9th, 2009 11:13 pm
Nice Post. But I think reputation also matters a lot. Means lets take example of this blog only. You’ll find these points in most of the blogs, just google for “how to attract traffic to for blog” or something like that, but yours is popular because Darren Rowse has build a reputation. I know its not a overnight process, it needs time.
As for being unique, I have seen very nice posts and unique ideas getting no traffic, but simple post which you can find on millions of site getting most visitors (I thought I was almost unique when I wrote about http://remember-postoffice.blogspot.com :) . So, I guess if the post is not out-of-this-world, it’ll ’stand out’ if written by a known author.
but it didnt attract much traffic
seth
February 10th, 2009 4:26 am
Archives is something I have been trying to work on. My blog is fairly new, but I am trying to fill my archives with lots of useful content so that when I spend lots of time on promoting my visitors come back. Your tips are great, thanks for the post and I’ll definitely be bookmarking this blog!
Patrick
February 10th, 2009 6:14 am
13. Drive People to Your Archives
That’s my favorite point there. I never thought about driving readers to my archive. I focused so much on new content, that I forget about them. I need to at least refer to the archive when key words are used in new articles.
thanks
ric @ onlinemoney
February 10th, 2009 7:26 am
1 Quick tip to Make Your Blog STAND OUT from the Crowd – write posts like the one above.
i keep stumbling on this site and every time i do i strike gold :)
thanks for the great post.
ric
Suneel
February 10th, 2009 7:17 pm
I have observed so many blogs for the past few months that I had started blogging which have content that does not make any sense.
I really did not understand how some one can type after formulating the words and sentences in their minds and bring out such a junk material for their readers.
Darren, if you find some time do write a post on the applications which produce junk content for wordpress blogs and do mention the adverse effects that this creates.
ashok
February 10th, 2009 7:46 pm
I haven’t seen this listed or mentioned anywhere, maybe I missed it, but another way to set your blog apart might be to set up that “about me” page you have the right way.
I mean, this sort of combines the “have a unique voice” and “express an opinion” tips. But I’m thinking like this: a lot of bloggers are able to engage an audience without always being useful or even opinionated. They have a way of writing about their life or inviting questions about what’s going on with them that makes them fun to be around.
Seth Godin’s concept of “cat blogs” doesn’t apply here, I don’t think. It helps to have a few posts that show you’re human, and your about me can be a huge help in developing a narrative through those posts that complements your larger blogging aims.
S.P. Gass
February 11th, 2009 2:53 am
This tips make sense, but I’ve had a somewhat different experience. I think most people would make more money with their time than blogging by getting a second job at McDonalds.
Kevin Sherman
February 11th, 2009 3:06 am
Here’s an idea to make your Twitter page stand out…
Put a video of yourself on your Twitter page and personally say hello to your followers with BubbleTweet.
http://www.BubbleTweet.com
Trina
February 11th, 2009 5:37 am
Reader appreciation is important and why we write. It’s an easy one to overlook too. Every comment makes me happy but if I don’t tell them they will never know.
ed
February 11th, 2009 5:44 am
I like the idea that a unique voice is ok. Sometimes I have to ignore the grade school English teacher’s voice in my head and write the way I wanna say it!
Trina
February 11th, 2009 5:59 am
Building momentum is a challenge when, like you pointed out, it seems like it isn’t going anywhere. However, you sure won’t get there if you stop!
PraShawn
February 11th, 2009 7:56 am
Great post I enjoyed it. I think being creative is all about pickinig a unique topic. This is not easy I can say. I think picking a topic what you love to write about and which will be a topic of long lasting interest is also a huge factor what the bloggers must consider. I think you are right about being original because creating a whole new voice others than every body else may give the bloggers a head start. I think adding unique content regualrly can mean a great deal of traffic. Great post once again!
Dining Guy
February 11th, 2009 8:30 am
Thanks for the tips. I am glad I found your link. I am going to refer to this post a lot to get my blog going. I started about a month ago and I know I am getting views but nobody seems to make comments. I think these things will help.
Joshua Moore
February 11th, 2009 8:50 am
Very good post here. I have personally just started a blog in the last few months and am now looking for ways to improve it. This post is an eye opener, particularly in relation to finding your own voice and ensuring your blog is visually appealing! Great work!
Gene
February 11th, 2009 5:06 pm
Finding unique material to talk about seems to be the hardest. There are so many blogs out there that it seems almost impossible to find something new and unique that hasn’t been talked about. I guess this is where voice really matters and people who have a strong opinion on a subject are bound to get someone to respond to their articles. Thanks for all of the tips.
Lena
February 11th, 2009 9:25 pm
This is the best blog post I’ve read for ages. After feeling down about no found adviced to be original for ages, along comes this!
THANK YOU.
Vincent
February 11th, 2009 10:09 pm
Hi everyone,
I wonder do you guys comment on lots of blog or focus on a few and type quality comments over those blogs. What is your take?
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Glen
February 11th, 2009 10:30 pm
Darren,
You rock dude! Dang, I am trying to find something I disagree with but how do you argue with a pro? lol.. great job as always. I am starting to lean on problogger all the time now.
Glen
http://twitter.com/glencumbie
BloggerGo
February 12th, 2009 1:09 am
Great tips! 100 % agree :)
Noreena Pugh
February 12th, 2009 2:34 am
This is such a true statement. The image really says it all. For success, you must appeal to your readers and differentiate yourself from your competitors. Great work as usual. Thanks for the information.
Justin Levy
February 12th, 2009 1:25 pm
I think your comment about worrying about treating your 10 readers like gold instead of complaining that you only have 10 readers is probably the best part of this post. It doesn’t matter if you have 10,000 readers if there is no level of interaction and they never reader your blog. I would take 10 readers who read and comment every day versus that 10k. Also, you never know *who* is reading your blog…those 10 people represent the 10 major brands, magazines, editors, etc in your niche area.
Joe sanchez
February 12th, 2009 1:39 pm
Hello, I’m learning to express my opinion (#8) on my blog, but it’s not easy because what I think is objective somehow ends up sounding critical.
Lionel Edwards
February 12th, 2009 3:53 pm
I like to create comparable analysis responses because it helps people to make up their own minds.
Basically, everyday is an analysis of what we want to do and what it is that is best for us.
Thank you for sharing your advice with us on how to be successful.
dev
February 12th, 2009 4:18 pm
Great Tips, thank you very much
Charles Bohannan
February 12th, 2009 5:31 pm
Good, necessary, blogging mechanics fundamentals.
Tumblemoose you have a good point, but Darren I appreciate your explanation. I should have realized Problogger.net has such a huge newbie blogger audience.
It’s a blessing to have someone like you Darren holding the door open for others as they enter the world of blogging. Thanks so much for your generosity.
clickktdotcom
February 12th, 2009 7:22 pm
Nice tip. Thanks for share !
dandellion
February 12th, 2009 10:05 pm
Thanks for the great advices. One that caught my attention, and that I’d really like to see elaborated is 12th, building the momentum. That’s a tricky thing to do with blogging. Unlike any media that has its natural ending, blog can go ad infinitum. Whether one posts daily or weekly or with any other frequency, there will always be the next episode. Likewise, it can stop almost any time.
How to make oneself thinking differently, i.e. to lead the story in some direction? And then, how to communicate that to the readers? Though, I guess when the first is solved later will come more or less naturally.
After two years of blogging, I see that my blog has a story that develops. Questions and the approach to them is changing. But I see that now, after it happened. I could not predict it, and even if I could hardly that I could write it in that way.
It would be great if you write a bit about this issue.
Linda
February 12th, 2009 11:11 pm
I agree design is important. It’s part of your brand. All the top companies in the world have a unique look to their websites.
I’ve spent many hours changing my standard template to get just the right look for my news site.
I like the “love your readers” tip. I’m only just beginning to realise the importance of being interactive with them. It does keep them coming back.
Jeff
February 13th, 2009 4:02 am
Very good post. I’ve been struggling for over a year now to get a following. I’m looking forward to reading all your post in the hopes it helps me.
Jeff
Brian
February 13th, 2009 4:48 am
Love # 6 Love your readers many bloggers miss on this point.
EasternWind
February 13th, 2009 8:39 am
This is a very useful post. Thanks for the advices. I’m a new blogger and these tips will help me out :)
Jack Keifer
February 13th, 2009 11:12 am
Thanks for the solid info. Sometimes when I find myself in a slump for keeping my content fresh & the blog interesting, it’s because I’ve started to ignore the basics.
Following tips like these 13 can quickly get your game back into focus again.
-Jack
Ryan
February 13th, 2009 3:09 pm
The only one I haven’t thought about much was building momentum. My posts often jump around; I really need to do more series. I love when the blogs I read do series… so why wouldn’t my readers like it too?
K
February 13th, 2009 3:11 pm
I am a new reader of your blog. I loved this post [also the older posts that I read], especially, point #13. People often forget to introduce new readers to older posts in the blog which might be of interest to the new readers.
Small Business Marketing
February 13th, 2009 4:52 pm
These tips just gave me some new ideas for repositioning my blog. Thanks for the great post.
Ribbon
February 13th, 2009 11:57 pm
Wow you’re good :-)
when do you sleep?
best wishes……. great blog
MLIC
February 14th, 2009 5:07 am
Great reading again…but how do you market your blog when its a niche that is hard to advertize through digg or places like that? My blog is a little like LolCats or Failblog, in that it’s not an article that people can find through key words…my blog http://mylifeiscrap.com is about everyday anecdotes that people send in and get published. People don’t really come to my blog through search engines…I need to advertise through facebook, twitter and leaving my URL everywhere…I do get decent traffic…16000 visits last month and 60000 page views but it’s slow, very slow to build…how do you make people talk about your blog, word of mouth and all??? I’ve got all the sharethispost links and all…help???
Manan
February 14th, 2009 6:28 am
Hi Darren,
Great article. I really think that the second point you mentioned is the critical one. I mean in today’s times, it’s important to develop your unique voice – especially when the meat of the news travels faster than light.
It’s difficult to get a unique topic for sure, but if you can present it in a new light – it’s invaluable.
Thanks for the great article once again!
Cheers!
Donovan
February 14th, 2009 10:40 am
Thanks you for the great tips. I’m always looking for way to make my blog stand out. I will definitely all this to the arsenal.
I’m also about to add a new feature to my Hutto Women’s Fitness Boot Camp site that will allow me to feature specials that I have and other featured content…so this article helped to reaffirm that that is a very important mark on a site.
Thanks you,
Donovan
Christian Lin
February 14th, 2009 5:20 pm
Great stuff, mate!
Thank you for the tips. I know some are obvious, but others are very insightful!
Christian Lin
February 14th, 2009 5:20 pm
Great stuff, mate!
Thank you for the tips. I know some are obvious, but others are very insightful! I will certainly implement the tips to my blog.
Mike
February 14th, 2009 8:48 pm
Great tips – I think some of the more important ones have to do with constancy of the posts both on subject and frequency.
yulius
February 14th, 2009 11:54 pm
i think useful content is number one
simon
February 15th, 2009 12:18 am
Someone told me about your blog, so I’m now a subscriber, look forward to more tips and advice.
private
February 15th, 2009 11:48 pm
a prosperous, I hope you will be able to receive visits me, this blog useful for me as a beginner
Gran Canaria
February 16th, 2009 9:11 pm
Hi there,
I just started a blog and would like to make some money from it.
http://grancanarias.wordpress.com/
I want to sell advertising space and use affiliate programs
Im using wordpress but dont know if I can incorporate affiliate programs
all help appreciated THANKS
أطياف مصر
February 16th, 2009 10:56 pm
great stips .. but when i validate my html design I found too many mistakes ..does that effect on my site at search engine results??
and thanks again
Sarah
February 17th, 2009 6:40 am
#1 is so right. Picking an unique niche 10 years ago would be much easier than now itself but people have crazy ideas. Perhaps someone can come up with a totally new niche no one has ever done.
Lou
February 17th, 2009 10:32 am
Great post! I will definitely put into practice! I highly agree with having a catchy blog design & logo combined with good content. Some bloggers are too lazy to tweak their blogs or invest in them and then wonder why traffic is no where near their route. I’m constantly searching for ways to improve mine and little by little it will get there. Maybe I’ll drop my whole income tax return on it! What the heck! Then have my wife smash my head into the monitor. That’s what I look for when I’m Stumbling around Blog world. If it doesn’t catch my attention the first 5 seconds, I’m GONE! Peace! See ya later!
John
February 17th, 2009 1:46 pm
13! I love that you chose to feature 13 tips and not just 12. Awesome, thanks for the great post!
Brad
February 17th, 2009 3:38 pm
#13: One thing I have done to drive readers to my other posts is to add a separate box with links to some of my better or more popular posts. I think this has helped to keep the bounce traffic down and keep readers on the site a wee bit longer.
domains
February 17th, 2009 6:47 pm
This is a great resource for beginners and a refresher for professionals.
Juegos para la mente
February 17th, 2009 11:50 pm
I think you alredy know but I have found this blog in a list of the “most succesfull blogs in internet”
So your tips are more than welcome!
Regards
Melisa
iPhone review
February 18th, 2009 9:31 pm
Always good advice to be found at this site. I think this site is a prime example of how all the above tips and advice really do help.
Mikes
February 19th, 2009 1:27 am
As a beginner in blogging this article really has helped me a lot especially that I’m at a point that i’m starting to be overwhelmed with information like sitemaps, webmasters, ad sense, hit counters and all. Thanks for this! Keep up the good work!
Felix
February 19th, 2009 2:49 am
I would like to ad the importance of combining Point “4. Useful Content” and Point “11. Longevity Counts” to “Usefull & Timeless” content. With that in mind Point 13. “Drive People to Your Archives” can easily be achieved. Good Example: Steve Pavlina’s Blog!
gizmophile
February 19th, 2009 4:56 am
These tips have been the most useful to me as I continue to build my blog. Thanks problogger. You have a new fan in gizmophile.
http://www.thegizmophile.com
Rick
February 19th, 2009 5:21 am
This is one of the best videos I have seen on blogging. I especially liked the reference to commenting on blogs goes on forever.
If people in general show interest in your blogs then you can be sure to have repeat visitors commenting on any future posts.
Tim
February 19th, 2009 10:12 am
I appreciate this post. The tips on longevity and the archives struck me.
The archives are a testament to my longevity and depth of content. I intentionally put a lot of my content on the front page.
This may sound crazy, but my strategy was to password protect my entire site for the first six months. So when I introduced it to people in the industry which cover, I already had an archive.
Original content is coming in the form of Conversations with the sector’s leaders and personalities. That starts next week.
Stay tuned…
Labrador Retriever
February 19th, 2009 11:33 am
new blog visitor here, just wanted to say that this post is an inspiration to me. I will definitely be subscribing to your blog, keep those good posts coming…
Marducey
February 24th, 2009 5:41 am
This post is fabulous. I am going to show it to my Journalism Special Issues class. Thanks for all your hard work.
Onna
March 8th, 2009 10:12 am
Thank you!! I am trying to find a rhythm with my new blog and how to approach it. I love your ideas!! Really good point on having good post titles!! I personally will click on something that has a different looking title that catches my attention!!
list my home in los angeles
April 11th, 2009 1:28 pm
Content is also good. Since the beginning of my blog I have tried to write good content that is always consistent. I think it’s paying off as I’m finding more people linking to my posts.Some cool tips here which i would certainly be making a note of.
flowers Moscow
April 11th, 2009 10:42 pm
Blogging is like a passion..more your explore more u will learn…!!I have seen people getting board of blogging but I can’t ever justify them. If you love something you will never be bored.
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