Four Things Successful Bloggers Do Differently

Blogging is easy. Becoming a successful blogger? Not so much. So how do certain individuals pull it off? Check out this article for the inside scoop.

They have a gazillion readers. Their articles gain thousands of shares on social media. Everybody in the online world knows their name. You know who we’re talking about - those successful bloggers you secretly look up to. So why do they get to thrive in this highly competitive market and not you? Well, we have some ideas.

There are two key ingredients that contribute to a blogger’s success: talent and hard-work. You may be blessed with the first, but do you have the discipline to follow through with the second? To give you a head start, we’ve compiled a list of four things that successful bloggers are doing to succeed in the blogosphere.

Plan #

Posting articles chaotically, whenever you feel like it, isn’t a sound long-term strategy. A successful blog needs to be regularly updated with compelling content. Waiting for inspiration to strike is unproductive and can cause a significant decrease in traffic. So what’s there to do, an inexperienced blogger might ask. Well, you start using an editorial calendar. At the beginning of every month, you set aside one or two hours to come up with article ideas for the next four weeks. Use a plugin to keep things simple or build your own calendar (online or offline).

Once you’ve decided what subjects you’d like to write about for the next month, it’s all a matter of following the calendar. To make things less stressful you can write blog posts in advance, whenever you feel inspired or have some spare time. If sudden inspiration or a current event strikes you along the way, though, feel free to scrap or postpone articles you’ve “scheduled.” You can find more tips on the subject here.

Invest #

You have to spend money to make money. You can host your blog for free with services like WordPress or Blogger, but you likely won’t make it far in terms of popularity. You need a catchy URL, and the fastest way to get that is to buy your own domain and find a good web host.

You may also want to invest in your blog’s appearance. Hire a professional to come up with a logo and an appealing design for your website. You two can work together step-by-step, from choosing the color palette to brainstorming where ads may be placed. You can look for talented designers on freelance portals or ask around for recommendations. Further advice on the subject here.

Optimize #

Successful bloggers know the basics of search engine optimization and take full advantage of it. At the end of the day, your awesome content needs to reach people and help you grow your readership. If you’re a novice in the field, not to worry – the Internet is full of articles on the subject. You just need to know where to begin.

Spicing up your blog every once in a while is also a good idea, since readers get bored fast. Experiment with different types of content, update your blog’s appearance once a year, give video-blogging a chance. You need to keep things fresh if you want to attract new readers and keep your loyal ones engaged.

Promote #

Creating a content marketing plan not only gives you the opportunity to communicate more efficiently with your readers, but it also allows you to become more organized when it comes to sharing blog articles on various social media platforms. Keep in mind that social networking has become the number one online activity in the U.S., topping time spent on email and Google. Learning how to expertly promote your blog will definitely be worthwhile. Here’s how to get started.

Blogging success doesn’t come overnight. You’ll have to work on constantly improving your writing and marketing skills. If you can, find a mentor to guide you along the way. They can provide plenty of practical advice on how the online world works.

As a blogger, what do you think is the biggest challenge you need to overcome in order to become successful? Lack of time? Poor technical skills? Sound off in the comments!