Contact Information Should Be Easy to Find

This is such a no-brainer but is so easily overlooked.  If you would like or even think you would like for people to contact you, make your contact information easy to find.  This means that it should not go at the bottom of your blog after scrolling for three minutes through old posts.  Your contact information should be a separate, prominent page at the top of your blog or in an easy-to-see area in your sidebar.

Do keep in mind that a blog is public and on the internet.  I would not recommend adding any information that would not be comfortable having the entire world know.  I usually just add my email and then go from there once people contact me.

While privacy issues are a concern, having your contact information available makes you appear approachable and friendly.  It's also a good way to stay on top of blogging opportunities such as exchanging guest blogs with those that write about similar topics.

Using Google Adwords to Find Keywords

Make Your Blog Posts Skim Friendly

Always keep in mind that when blogging you are writing for an online audience.  This is different from the curl-up-with-a-good-book audience.  Your online audience is going to have a shorter attention span as they are looking for entertainment to pass a few minutes rather than a few hours.

Your blog will eventually attract regular readers.  But you have to create posts that could appeal to the casual passerby.  Therefore, it is important that your blog is skim friendly.  A reader should be able to get the gist of your post after one quick read-through.

This means that the post should have one main point, contains smaller paragraphs and you should italicize or boldface the really important points.  Your post should also jump straight into your topic; avoid long, flowery introductions.  If your topic is interesting, people will want to keep reading. 

Blog Posts Should be Easy to Read

Part of what makes a blog easy to read is the actual writing style.  You're writing a blog, not an essay.  In terms of actual content, you should aim for one main point per post.

But another facet to this is actually how your blog post looks.  Having large paragraphs with no breaks is visually daunting for most people for two reasons:

1) It makes your blog post look more intellectually intensive.  Like reading a textbook.  Sad as it is, people don't want this in a blog.  They want fast, easy and entertaining or they are going to move on to another site.

2)  Reading large paragraphs is actually more difficult on a computer screen.  It's not the same as a book.  Computer screens have what's called a "refresh rate."  This means that it's not a still image but rather a series of super fast images that are constantly changing.  Therefore, it makes it much easier for the eyes to lose track of where they were.

So make a point of going through your post before your publish.  If you notice large paragraphs of text, add some breaks.  It's such an easy fix and it makes a huge difference for your blog readers.

Pay Attention to Your Writing

Attention to things like grammar and spelling are a crucial part to having a successful blog.  By its very nature, a blog is going to be less formal than, say, a magazine or newspaper.  The blog author is totally free to change point of view or type of content offered.

But do put effort into making sure that each piece you write looks professional.  Havi g thgs lk dis may look gr8t in a txt but are annoying in a blog post.  Don't use text abbreviations or tons of slang.  Make a point to go back and read through every post to check for spelling errors.

If you want people to take your blog content seriously, you must show that you care about your work.  Remember that your most popular posts are not always going to be the most recent ones.  Often times it will be the posts that have been around for awhile and have had time to filter into the internet.

Make Your Posts Shareable

Many free blog hosts have sharing options as a default setting.  By "sharing options" I mean quick buttons that allow readers to tweet or email or share your post on Facebook.  If your blog host doesn't have these automatically added as a default, make a point of doing so.  Usually these buttons can be added in your blog's layout settings.

Even if you don't use Twitter or Facebook, it is extremely important to make your blog shareable if you wish to generate more traffic.  Don't make your readers work more than they have to in order to share your blog with their friends.  

This type of word of mouth advertising is one of the most effective methods of spreading your blog around.  Again, we go back to how you would react to things.  Are you more likely to click on an ad link or a link your friend shared with you?

It's a Blog, Not an Essay

Believe it or not, a pitfall many bloggers succumb to is trying to write "an essay."  Paragraphs and paragraphs of well thought out content will be presented before the readers.

"Why not?" you may ask.  "Shouldn't good writing have a solid beginning, middle and end?"

Well, if you were exploring a thesis topic, yes.  But this is a blog.  On the internet.  Your readers are generally going to be people who want light reading that entertains them for a few minutes.  They are not a professor you are trying to impress for a good grade.

Most readers only want a few simple paragraphs.  They want a single point rather than a fully expressed idea.  Ideas can have many facets to them and will, therefore, lead to more content.  While it's not taboo to delve into complex ideas, break things up into multiple posts rather than trying to cram it all together in one post.

The length of your blogs will, of course, vary depending on the topic.  Just remember to think about how you would react to your blog post if you came across it on the internet.