7 Practical Tips on How to Be a Successful Blogger in 2020

Ever wished you could earn at home?

You can with a successful blog. However, there are so many blogs flooding the Internet today. It’s estimated there are well over 600 million blogs live and active right now.

Unfortunately, so many of them go unnoticed. Avoid this by learning how to be a successful blogger, one that grabs people’s attention. Become the authority that people visit regularly.

Not sure where to start? It’s easy!

Check out these 7 tips showcasing how to start a successful blog:

1. Pick a Platform

Before you ever write your first blog post, you’ll need to first pick a platform. Keep in mind that your choice will forever affect how you manage your blog site.

WordPress, for example, has a high learning curve but it offers the most flexibility thanks to all its plugins and themes. Wix, on the other hand, offers fewer plugins or customization features but it has a unique AI-centered website builder.

List down the important features or plugins you’ll need, especially those for SEO purposes, chatbots, and design. Weigh which platform gives you more bang for your buck and which one you’re comfortable working in.

2. Know Your Niche

One of the reasons many blogs go unnoticed is the fact they don’t focus on a specific niche. Avoid this problem early on by identifying your niche and your target audience. Refine this even further later on by studying your visitor metrics — check the age, location, and other important demographics that make up your readers.

Don’t simply write about anything in your niche either. Yes, your blog might be about video game news but this doesn’t mean you should post every bit of gaming news out there. Go to Reddit or Twitter and check which topics people want to discuss and read about.

3. Diversify Content

Yes, your blog will focus primarily on written posts but it shouldn’t stop there.

Break up your paragraphs with images. This prevents monotony and raises the entertainment value of your post. Images can also help educate people more, especially those who rely on visuals to understand the content.

If you can, use videos too.

Videos will account for over 82% of all Internet traffic by 2021, which makes sense since videos are quicker and easier to consume compared to written blog posts. Some companies like Wired feature both a video review and a more in-depth written review of tech gadgets.

Why not step into experimental technology too? Diversify your content by adding VR or AR content? Use polls and fillable forms to encourage interaction from your visitors and readers.

At the end of the day, your blog should have more than walls of text.

4. Invest in SEO

You could have the prettiest site and the most entertaining content in the world but it won’t matter if people can’t find you. Your site will gather dust if it can’t increase traffic and this requires boosting expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

Achieve this through proper SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Trusted and reliable web platforms recommend using tools like Yoast SEO to audit your blog posts, meta descriptions, alt tags, and titles. Use Google Keyword Planner to identify which keywords to prioritize and create content around. Approach other blog sites for guest posting opportunities and backlinking options.

If you’re on social media, encourage people to share your content. Use proper lead generation tactics and forms on your site to boost your email marketing strategy.

5. Educate and Entertain

Always prioritize two goals: educate your readers and keep them entertained. Reading your blog shouldn’t feel like reading a wall of text from a school textbook. However, as easy and fluid as it is, your post should still pack a punch in terms of content and useful information.

One of the best examples is affiliate marketing. It’s a system where you can earn by educating people about products.

This is all about reviewing products and giving the average reader a good idea of whether or not they should buy. If they click the affiliate link on your review, you’ll earn a commission.

You can check here to learn affiliate marketing basics and tactics.

6. Encourage Interaction

Don’t let your blog be a one-sided platform. Encourage interaction because this can help in terms of SEO, brand awareness, and reader loyalty.

Not sure which one of the five topics you have is interesting? Put up a poll and ask your readers! Now you know for sure which topic is going to get more readers.

Did you post an epic 2,000-word review of the latest hit movie? Ask people to share it with their movie-buff friends and always encourage them to leave comments — keywords in the comment section helps!

7. Market Your Blog

If SEO is the backbone, proper marketing is the rocket that’s going to propel your blog forward.

Get busy sharing your blog posts on social media, forums, and on Reddit. Leave links to your blog site on your social media profiles. If you’re on platforms like Facebook, boost your posts so that people outside your usual followers will discover your content.

Again, encourage people to share your content. Get in touch with other bloggers and ask if you can guest post on their site or if they can mention or link back to your blog the next time they post something.

If you have the budget, invest in a PPC campaign. Paid ads can go a long way to spread awareness and build traffic.

However, keep in mind that getting traffic is only the beginning. Keeping people interested in your blog is the more important factor to work on.

Now You Know How to Be a Successful Blogger!

Learning how to be a successful blogger isn’t easy but these 7 tips can give you a good head start. Don’t hesitate to experiment. It’s okay to stumble around a bit since most platforms like WordPress and Wix offer free options to start with.

Of course, there are more advanced tips to follow if you want to get the most out of your blogging career. If you want to learn more, feel free to read all our other guides right here, today!