The best strategies rules and protocols to have a successful BLOG

The Ultimate Rules, Policies and Guidelines for Your Blog

In order to have a great blog, you need more than just good content. You need to have a strategy, you need to be authentic, you need to care about your readers and you need to maintain a certain level of quality. These are the things that will make your blog appealing to readers, that will make people come back for more and that will help you grow in the long run. Here's how you can achieve all of that.

Chapter 1. Before You Start Writing

Know your purpose If you don't know what you're doing, you're going to waste a lot of time. Before you create your blog, before you write even a single article, you need to ask yourself a few questions: What is the purpose of my blog? (to make money, to promote my business, to help people, etc.) How will I monetize it? (directly or indirectly) How will I know if I'm successful in 6 months? In 2 years? Having a clear purpose will help you avoid a lot of mistakes along the way.

Choose your niche When you're starting out as a blogger, you need to find your niche, the one thing that you want to write about. If you want to attract and maintain an audience, you need to deliver on a promise and the best way to do that is to choose a niche and commit to it. The deeper you go into a niche, the better. This is how you build authority and authority is what builds an audience.

Design with your readers in mind First of all, you need to make sure that your blog is mobile friendly. We live in a mobile-first world and this is where your readers are. Also, make sure to avoid clutter. You don't need a lot of ads, pop-ups or widgets on your blog. Clean and simple is always the best solution.

Chapter 2. Authenticity

What differentiates you from all the other blogs out there? There are millions of blogs online so you need to make sure you offer something different to your audience. The answer, in most cases, is your voice. Write your opinions, back them up with arguments and use your own examples. There's nothing better than a personal example to illustrate a point. Don’t be afraid to show your personality, to speak your mind, to show your vulnerable side. This is what your readers will respond to.

Honesty You need to be honest with your readers. This is how you build trust and trust is what builds a successful blog. If you lied about something, own up to it. If you have an affiliate relationship with a product you promoted, be transparent about it. It's always better to be honest than to lose your credibility.

Quality Make sure you proofread your articles before you hit that publish button. In fact, read your articles out loud before you publish them. If it doesn't sound right, it's probably wrong.

Chapter 3. Reader engagement

1. Answer every comment If someone took the time to read your article and then comment on it, the least you can do is respond. Actually engage with that person, continue the conversation, ask for their opinion. This is how you build a community around your blog.
2. End your articles with a question A good way to encourage people to comment on your article is to ask for their opinion. End your articles with an open-ended question.
3. Start a debate Take a stand on an issue, encourage your readers to share their thoughts. If your opinions are controversial, so much the better. A good debate is always a good way to attract readers to your blog.
4. Create an email list An email list is a great way to connect with your readers. Use it to let them know when you have a new article up or to promote your articles. But don't abuse it. Email your list only when you have something of value to share with it.
5. Thank the people who share your articles When someone shares your article, thank them. When someone links to your articles, thank them. A thank you goes a long way in encouraging people to promote your content.

Chapter 4. Networking and collaboration

Don’t be an island If you want to succeed as a blogger, you need to engage with others. Read other people's blogs, comment on their articles, share their content, promote their products. This is how you build relationships with other bloggers and relationships are what will help you grow your audience.

Write guest posts One of the best ways to grow your audience is to write for other people's blogs. In fact, if you write a guest post for a popular blog in your niche, you can get instant access to thousands of targeted readers.

Chapter 5. Copyright

Don’t steal This should go without saying, but unfortunately, it doesn't. Don’t use other people's images or content without their permission. If you need images for your articles, use stock photo websites or websites which provide free images that you can use for commercial purposes.

Give credit Always credit your sources. If you use someone's ideas or someone's content, give them credit. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it can also help you avoid a potential lawsuit.

The bottom line If you want to have a successful blog, you need to have a clear purpose, you need to be authentic, you need to engage with your audience and you need to maintain a certain level of quality. This is how you build trust with your readers and this is what will set you up for success. Don’t expect overnight success. Don’t expect to get rich quick. What you should expect is that if you work hard and you work smart, you will get there eventually. So start with a strategy, write with honesty, promote with generosity and the money will follow.