1. Shorter is Better
The general rule of thumb when it comes to writing for the web is that shorter is almost always better.
2. Formatting
Over time your largest group of visitors will find your blog via searching. Generally someone finding you through a search is looking for specific information. You can assist them by doing the following:
- Use appropriate and descriptive titles
- Use headlines, lists, and blockquotes where appropriate
- Break up loosely related content into multiple sections or multiple posts
- Provide links to related and useful information
- Use bold, italics and other formatting as needed
The internet provides literally 1000′s of choices for your user on any given search topic, so do them a favor help them find what they are looking for immediately, or else they will be gone in a matter of seconds.
Here are a few other resources to guide your writing for the web:
- Writing for the Web
- A List Apart: 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web
- A List Apart: How to Write a Better Weblog
- Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?
- 9 + 1 Things Every Reader Wants from a Writer
3. Create an About Page
Creating an About page should be one of the first things you do. Your readers want to know about you and about your blog. So, in addition to writing about the blog be sure to add a little about yourself. Make sure you include a photograph – it will make a real connection with your readers and dramatically increase the chances of you making a lasting relationship with them.
Post at least 15-20 entries before you begin to promote your site. If you’re new to blogging, use the visual editor which lets you edit and style your posts like you would in a word document, without knowing any HTML. Wordpress.org has a good set of step by step instructions to follow while posting.
4. Focus on a Niche
Focusing on a niche increases your chances of ranking well in the search engines for your chosen topic, and makes it easier to target an audience. There are lots of bloggers that post anything that catches their interest,but having a clearly defined style, or theme increases the chances of holding your readers attention.
5. Post Consistently and Regularly
This is one of the more difficult tasks, but is very important. Whether you plan on posting every day or a couple of times a week, determine what you can feasibly accomplish, and stick with it. It is much better to start out slow, and build momentum, once blogging becomes second nature, than to bite off more than you can chew.
It is more important to post consistently, than it is to post more often. Followers will know when to expect a new post, and you will notice a slow but steady increase in your traffic and subscriptions.
6. Write Captivating Titles
The more interesting your title, the more likely you are to catch the interest of your reader, and the more traffic you will come flooding your way. Here are a few good posts on writing effective titles:
- How to Write Headlines
- How to Get 53% More Readers for Every Blog Post You Write
- Using Titles Effectively on Blogs
Stay tuned for the next post in the Quick Start Series Quick Start Guide to Building Huge Ammounts of Traffic where we will cover marketing and promoting your photoblog. We will discuss using Inbound marketing strategies such as SEO, social media, and link building to rocket your viewership, and keep them coming back for more.
Related posts:
- Quick Start Guide to Launching Your Photography Blog The "Quick Start" series to starting your photography blog provides...
- Quick Start Guide to Building Huge Amounts of Traffic Follow the guidelines from this chapter of the "Quick Start"...
