Hey, Guys.
Hope you are all well. Happy New Year :).
I know it has been ages since my last post. I am sorry. I will try to be regular from now onwards.
In this post, I share some of my blogging tips and tricks that I learnt after 100 days of serious blogging. Trust me they are worth your time.
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Let’s face this:
Blogging not all that easy? We are in 2017 now, and things are only getting tougher.
Are you somebody who is failing to meet goals despite putting in honest efforts and money too?
I have been into blogging for roughly four years now, and I know exactly the problems you might be facing. Before BlogRags I created more than seven websites and only one of them is live now.
You might be thinking: 7 websites?? Are you kidding me?
I know where most people give up blogging after their first attempt, seven would be difficult to digest.
More...
Why care to read these Blogging Tips?
There are bloggers with more than ten years of experience, so why care to read my post, my tips.
I may not be the popular one in the town, but I learnt from my mistakes. I might not be earning a 1000$ a month but trust me there is a lot in blogging than just earning money.
Back in 2015, I was making a handsome amount of money from a blog that shared crack tools and hacks. I used to put in some fake comments to spike up the conversion rate. But something did not feel right.
Income under few months
Thankfully for some reasons I had to sell the website out cheaply. Then I started BlogRags. All I wanted to share all the experience I gained from starting and failing websites.
Robert Kennedy
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly"
Trust me these are goldmines. They won’t disappoint you.
1. Longer Form of Content Works Best
I know you must have read this before. I don’t know how much I should stress on this, but please write good long content.
I know backlinks are important but without good content they are useless. I see people still right writing 400 and 500 words content.
You might argue I’m on a different niche and what not. But until and unless you are big brand already like StoryPick or Buzzfeed you won’t be successful.
Especially for those who are starting new. Be it a long term blog or a niche site, longer form content will always work.
Being a freelance writer, I know content writing is a pain in the ass and how difficult it is sometimes to write a piece of content.
Especially if you don’t have an experienced writer. You need to go through the torture of writing long articles.
I make sure most articles that go up on this blog are more than 3k words.
You might ask- Well Himanshu, this might be good for your niche but what about other niches. How much long should we write?
Sadly, there is no fixed word limit for any niche. But you can follow the skyscraper technique.
What is SkyScraper Technique?
The method involves going through top ranking content for your keyword and creating content that is way longer and better than them.
Learn more - How I Increased My Search Traffic by 110% in 14 Days
Easy right.
So if the number one article is around 3000 words make sure your’s is 4000 words. Not just words but you would want to make it much more interesting and stunning.
Lot’s images, tables or infographics might help.
Google wants to show the best content at the top. So if you are dreaming to rank in the top results, you need to provide the best.
Key Takeaway
“Content is the King”. Better Content can automatically attract backlinks. So if you are someone who is starting a new blog, make sure to provide the best to your users.
Moreover, readers will consider you an authority when they read longer articles even when you have just started. So it is a win-win situation.
Trouble in content writing? I know the pain - Hire me as your content writer.
2. Content Formatting is Important
You must have gone to a restaurant. Right?
Have you noticed the presentation of the food given there? Tasty food is as good as ordinary ones if not presented well. Most chefs might be knowing the importance of presentation.
Same is the case with a piece of content. If you are not presenting it well it you are better off not writing it.
It is difficult for people to read longer content. But you can help them by formatting it smartly.
I won’t be able to explain everything about copywriting but I will share some tips.
- Write your content in smaller paragraphs. Try to include not more than three to four lines in a paragraph.
- People hate scrolling. Don’t leave white spaces on your blog post.
- Use simple words in your blog post. Don’t worry much about grammar mistakes etc. You are no media publication. Do check using Grammarly.
- Use a lot of sub headings. This makes complicated stuff look easy. Moreover if someone is looking for something specific he can easily find it.
- Use a Table of Contents. Not only will it make navigation simpler. Some links are shown in Google Search results( spikes up the conversion rate)
- Title your images. Refrain yourself from using very big images.
- Bold the important words.(Not every other word 😛 LOL)
I think these are more than enough to start. If you are looking to streamline your social media promotion, you can look at social media aggregator app like Sprouter.
3. Headlines are important
Yes they matter.
I noticed this while sharing my post on the social media sites. I noticed that if your title is nice, the click through rate increases.
It has also helps to get higher SERP rankings. So let’s say you are ranking for the fifth position on Google. And because your headlines are so catchy and smartly crafted people are forced to click on your site and not the first article.
Due to this Google will move your article up because at the end its aim is to show the best to its users.
Some quick tips-
- Make sure your headline is long. Longer headline not only looks good but converts better.
- Make sure you are solving someone’s problem.
- Use mixture of emotional and strong words.
- Use numbers in your headline if possible.
I use CoSchedule’s headline analyser to check my headline. You can also use them. It is free to use.
I explained everything you need to craft a headline here. Go check it out.
4. Featured Image is important
Yes you should know this if you are following my blog but I write it again because how important it is.
We all know an image can speak a thousand words. So does a featured image.
You know the importance of social media has on blogs. So if you are looking to get the extra attention you always wanted, go spend some minutes on creating stunning featured images.
A great example
One of the few things people get attracted to on social media or while scrolling through your homepage aside from the headline is the featured images.
I like to create my featured images in Photoshop, but you can also use an online tool such as Canva.
I created a whole dedicated post on creating good images for your site. Read it here.
5. Meta Description matters
One of the few things people read while going through search results is the meta description. I know you might think it to be that important but it matters.
A good meta description with a great title can do wonders in the serp rankings. Not only will it increase your CTR but your rankings too.
Few Tips for writing a good meta description-
- Make sure you add your keyword ( just the main one not all 😛 )
- Make sure you write it short and sweet
- Make sure you tell what problem will be solved and how if possible
- Use Yoast SEO to edit your meta description
I know it is a lot to include in 160 words but try your best to fulfill these points.
6. Quality over Quantity any day
I know you might have read things on the web something like this -
“If you are a new blogger, you should post content every day or every other day to be successful.”
No…………………. That’s bullshit.
No, you need not publish 100 pieces of content to be successful. I know I am not the right example of a successful blogger but if you love my content then you should now that I have only 16 articles published including this one.
That averages around 2 per month. Yes you read that correct.
Why I am better than thousand other bloggers?
Because each of my blog post are well researched, detailed and fun to read than compared to mediocre content new bloggers half heartedly write as a task.
BlogRags has changed my life.
- People approached me to write for their blog.
- I received hundreds of comments which is just incredible.
- People paid me to learn stuff.
- Messages like this and I quote -
“Yaa u won't believe, this is the first article in my life which i read complete from beginning to end. It bounds me to read. Your writing skill is really awesome bro”
Comment like these -
There is no better feeling when you see people interacting with your post (especially influencers)
No not bragging LOL 😛
7. Engage with your readers
Be it on social media or through blog comments you must interact with your readers.
Your one minute can make you a reader that will stick to your blog for eternity. I make sure that reply to each blog comment I receive not because it will make some money or something but I know the importance of a reader and I value his question.
Do the same if someone mails you. This will really help your blog’s success over the years.
If something is more important than money, it is your readers.
8. Connect with your influencers
It is very important to connect with your influencers. No not because of links but because you will learn a lot.
If you want to be best at something then the best you can do is to connect with someone who is already sitting there.
A small "Thank You" mail is more than enough to connect with the influencers. You can connect them in other ways too.
Few useful tips -
- You can connect them on social media. Don’t forget to share their articles before. This will differentiate you from the ordinary.
- Comment regularly on their blog post. Make sure the comment is big.
- Mention them in your article.
Not only links but the knowledge you will gain from connecting with them will be huge.
They might share your post too, who knows. A win-win situation.
9. Don’t hesitate in trying something new
Don’t reject something just because nobody has tried it before.
You will say- What if you fail?
What if you will succeed? Failure is a part of success.
If you aiming to do something big you have to take risks. There is no other way out.
Trust your heart, not your friends or your mind. You don’t want to see someone making millions out from your idea later.
9. Focus on one thing at a time
Do you know why bunch of my sites failed in the first 3 month of starting?
This is because I couldn’t focus on one thing at a time.
I would think of an idea and start a blog. I wouldn’t even think that my other blog was not even a month old.
At the end, nothing would work out for me. And all I would think - “Maybe Blogging isn’t for me”.
Venus Williams
I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.
So be it an article you are writing or a new blog you are creating, focus at a time. So if I was preparing an article for Blog A, I would write one for Blog B only when I would be finished with the other one.
I know it is hard sometimes but at least try to implement it in your workflow.
10. Blogging takes time… Be patient
Don’t cry if you are not getting results even if you are doing everything correctly.
Do you know why most blogger quit in the first three months of their journey without earning a dime.
This is because they come with a perception that “ Blogging is easy. There is a lot of money in Blogging”.
Yes you can earn a lot of money but it is not as easy as you think.
Don’t get me wrong. There is no wrong to come in something because of money but don’t keep it as your only aim.
You need to work hard. There is no shortcut.
You must seen lot of these on Facebook Groups-
“ What is the fastest way to rank a site on Google?”
Buddy if you want everything fast, quit blogging, it will save you both time and money. You can’t rank a site fast. It will take time.
According to a case study done by Ahrefs - "Only 5.7% of all newly published pages will get to Google Top 10 within a year"
Read more - How long does it take to rank in Google?
I know you must have read case studies where someone had earned a thousand bucks from a 3 months old. I don’t care, I won’t quit.
You will love to read - What are Newbie Bloggers doing Wrong? My Honest Opinion
11. Capture emails
Emails can make you lot of money.
Yes you heard that right. An email list can be a goldmine when used strategically.
I know you can connect to your fans on Facebook and Twitter but an email has its own importance.
Few Examples
Be it for a promotion of a product or about your new post, an email list can get you lots of targeted traffic. Most people who sign up for your email list are those people who are really interested in your content and doesn’t want to miss a single post.
So if you are a serious blogger, Do create an email list.
Tips-
- Make sure to put email signup boxes at multiple areas in your blog. You can either use
Sumome or Thrive Leads. - Some pages will give you a higher CTR. These can be your homepage (if you have custom designed one) or
your about me page. - Make sure you provide a freebie ( like a PDF, cheatsheet etc) or provide a free weekly course. These will help you get more leads.
- Make sure to write an interesting content inside the lead boxes. I will leave some images above so you can understand what I was referring too.
Start from here - How to get 2,239 email subscribers from scratch
11. Split Testing
No, Split Testing is not only done by professionals marketers and Neil Patel.
In simple words Split Testing is a method where you try out different things and stick with the thing that will benefit you the most.
I will explain this by an example.
Let’s say you have a an Ad on your sidebar. It was performing for you well.
But one day you try the same Ad in your content and after few days of testing you saw an increase of 10%.
That’s a lot. So from the same site you were able to earn more. Isn’t that cool.
Split testing is as simple as that. Not only ads, it can be done from lead boxes to buttons, even affiliate networks anything you can imagine of.
You will love to read - 19 A/B Testing Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Site (And How To Fix Them)
So start testing out different things and get most out from your blog.
12. On Page SEO is crucial for good rankings
On Page Seo is a big topic.
Google recently put a lot of emphasis on On page SEO.
You must have seen a lot of featured snippets and what not. Google wants to be better and if you want to be at the top spot make sure you focus on On Page Seo.
It won’t be possible to explain everything here, but I will do share some tips to help you get started.
- Make sure you include your keywords in the sub headings.
- Use a lot of outbound links. It helps Google know better about your content.
- Make sure the affiliate links are no-followed.
- All Images should contain alt tags. It helps in Image SEO.
- Focus on the loading time of your blog. The faster, the better.
- Use a Table of Contents.
- Use Schema Ratings
- Use LSI Keywords
- Use Yoast SEO to check all these
You will love to read - Popular On-Page SEO Mistakes
Want to know more about LSI - Read the post here
13. Blog Commenting
No, it is not a time waster.
It is important to build a strong relation between your readers and also with influencers. The simplest way is through blog commenting.
A blog comment is more than just a no-follow link back to your blog. They are the best way to get targeted traffic too.
A few tips –
1.Make sure your comments are long especially when you are commenting on other’s site. It will only take few minutes.
2.It is the best way to connect with an influencer.
3.There is no problem to drop a post link in the comment.( But make sure it is relevant)
Happy Commenting…. You start from my blog 😛 .
14. Read …. Read & Read
It is very important to be aware of the latest happening and strategies in blogging. You may know much, but that might not be enough.
You can know about new strategies and new ways people are using to make money from their blog. You can learn a lot about on page stuff too.
I personally love to hear to the Authority Hacker Podcast. These guys are doing a great job. Make sure to check them out.
You need not always read blogs. You can read books too or listen to them on audible.
You can start with Rich Dad Poor Dad. It is a great book.
If you are a beginner, then you would love FirstSiteGuide. It has some great resources and videos to help you out. Make sure to check it out. It's free too.
15. Sell your own product
You know the majority of income generated by blogs is by selling a product.
If you already have an established blog you try selling a product. It can be a ebook, a course or a service.
These are very profitable.
The best part of selling digital products is that you need not worry about shipping or printing. Most of the time after 3-4 sales you can make profit as high as 100% on each sale.
16. Do something for free? Don’t charge for everything
There is no harm in sharing your knowledge. You can contribute to the community by many ways possible.
This can be through a giveaway, a webinar, a podcast series or by helping readers on social media.
You need not think about earning from everything.
I will share two examples.
First one..
You might be knowing Kulwant Nagi. He is a popular blogger from India. He also writes about Blogging and has a few other blogs too.
Recently he organised a small seminar in Delhi. It was called the “Blogging Blueprint”.
Over 300 people came to attend the seminar from all across India. The tickets were quite cheap.(Worth the price, you can’t do a free one , people don’t value free things.)
He made no profit but had to spend quite a lot from his own pocket to make sure the seminar went as planned.
It was a nice initiative from him and I hope other bloggers come up with it too. I will try to link the post where he shared the whole thing below.
The Second One
You might know Udit Goenka from the Web 2.0 Link Building Post I wrote few months ago. This guy owns multiple hosting companies, GoPBN and PowerUp Hosting to name a few.
You will rarely see such guys interacting with his audience leave alone solving their problem.
He done a lot lately towards contributing to the blogging community. He organised a free seminar in Mumbai.
He also has a private group to help new bloggers and also hosts informative webinars. Make sure to check his blog .
You will learn a lot.
17. Invest your earnings
It is important to invest. Be it 1$ or a thousand it doesn’t matter.
It can be anything from buying a theme or investing in making the product for your blog. You can also invest money on buying a course to learn new skills or sharpen those you already have.
“How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.” – Robert G. Allen
This quote from Robert G.Allen says it all.
But do an investment which is profitable. I know this sounds like – Take the risk and don’t take the risk.
Make sure you are smart in investing your money.
18. Don’t wait until it's too late
The biggest mistake people make is by not taking a decision at the right time.
It has happened to me once so I can tell how much it hurts.
So let’s say you have a blog which is running well. You are earning a quite handsome sum from it too.
But one fine everything is gone for good. Why?
Because you forget to take a backup. Most hosting companies do offer services to recover data but still.
Don’t wait for the downfall to take actions.
Keep updating and publishing posts. I know it is passive income, but it will not be forever if you are reducing your efforts.
Invest in better hosting – Use HostGator
19. Treat your blog as a brand
Your blog is like a brand. All actions you take might affect it.
Trust me .. Money is not everything. Your readers are more valuable.
You don’t want to ruin the reputation by putting an article because someone is paying 10$ for it. Maybe you need that money but you don’t want your loose your readers either.
Don’t get me wrong here. Sponsored Posts are good only until they are niche relevant.
So don’t do something that ruins your blog’s authority. It is everything.
20. Stay Productive- Use the Pomodoro Technique
Do you waste much of your time in watching Netflix or Pogo :p ? Are you looking for ways to be become productive?
If Yes. Then this technique can be a live saver.
It is very simple and popular among bloggers too. You might have used it unintentionally but it is better to follow to the correct procedure.
It is called the Pomodoro Technique.
The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are named pomodoros.
So you want to complete as many pomodoras in a day to get more work done.
I use TomoatoTimer on my browser to track my time. You can use your phone as well.
But make sure you do serious work during a pomodora to get best out of it. I’m loving this technique … You will too.
This method where you work by taking small breaks makes the mind fresh and focused.
Start today and notice a difference.
21. Now it's your turn
You must have read a lot of tips till now but the key is to apply them in your workflow and in your daily life too if you want to see a difference.
Please share some of your blogging tips below in the comments. I would love to read them.
Share this post if you haven’t already 🙂
This is what I was waiting for.
Awesome man! Your write like a professional and I am a big fan of your blog.
from last 7-8 days, I was regularly checking your blog for new blog post.
But I am very happy today to see your latest blog post. Which encourage newbie like me.
Again I am waiting for your next awesome article.
Thanks again for this article.
Thanks, man. Really appreciate it.
Connect with me in my group.
Thanks again.
Bro, I appreciate your content writing and very much useful information that I learnt here. I’m glad to be follower of blogrags.
How many words should I write to rank for Tech niche blog?
As I already said there no “word limit” guideline out there.
Ideally, you should write more than a thousand words but still depends on the competition and the topic.
Use the SkyScraper Technique.
Hi Himanshu,
That’s another amazing post on Blogrags.com. Thanks for that dude.
All of the tips which you mentioned are very helpful while blogging. We must follow all of them while blogging.
I agree with you, if you are not able to write regularly that’s not a major problem but if you are not providing the value to the reader whenever you write then you are just wasting your efforts and time. Because people always want to learn something by reading your posts. Nobody will subscribe to your blog or share it on social media if you are not providing any advantage to them.
I think networking is also an important factor to become a successful blogger. We should consistently keep in touch with the other bloggers by doing blog comments, on social media or by meeting them personally.
In short, there is a lot to learn in this blogging world. Keep learning and keep sharing is the only rule of successful blogging.
Anyways, that’s an amazing post. Keep up the great work. All the best.
That’s another massive comment.
Thanks Shubhanshi for the wishes
Great blogging tips and tricks, Himanshu. 🙂
Blogging is not uploading and sharing contents only, there are many tips and tricks you have be familiar with. And you have written good article on it. I really enjoyed reading this and learned many interesting things.
Thanks for removing my wrong perception on longer form of content. I was think, short form of powerful content works wonder. The quote of Venus Williams is really heart touching and motivating me to do more. Learning about the Pomodoro technique was amazing and i’m so glad to know about it through your post.
Have a good day and keep sharing such informative things.
– Ravi.
Thanks, Ravi.
I really appreciate the reply.
Keep sharing 🙂
Hey Himanshu,
Nice name ;-). You are really awesome. I have now completed reading all the points and got to the conclusion of my mistakes what I am doing. Hope this will correct it.
The line which I love the most is “Focus on one thing at a time”, coz I always do multiple things at a time and get lost.
So I need to focus on that point.
Thanks and a wonderful share.
Thanks Utsav .
Love the support on the group too
Hope you rectify the mistakes
Thanks brother,
I really like the way you write.
And yes I like the group too, it gives us huge knowledge from you and other industry leaders.
Appreciate the love mate 🙂
Hi Himanshu,
I am glad to visit your blog.
Your writing skills are good enough to stick people.
I appreciate your patience even after repeated failures.
I have noted one important thing from this post:no following affiliate links which i am not doing so far.
Nice Work….
Nice stuff….
Keep rocking….
this is really an in depth knowledge,thanks for providing this.
Great information.Thanks for sharing your experience with us…..
Great Article.As someone have just starting out in the world of blogging, i
need all the tips i can get. i am so grateful for some simple, easy to implement
advice.