All New CommentMILK Version 1.0The Five Characteristics of Good Blog Content
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You hear a lot of talk about having “good content” on a blog. You hear about how having good content increases your credibility with your reader, and how it helps your blog be successful. However, we don’t often talk about what exactly good content is. That’s exactly what I want to look at today.
Good blog content is purposeful
Every post you put up on your blog had better have a reason behind it. If you want people to take you seriously, you can’t just throw out a bunch of fluff and hope that some of it sticks. No, each and every post you write needs to have a purpose. That purpose might be to educate, inspire, assist, entertain, or inform, but you need to know the purpose going in.
Good content is well-written
Poor grammar and incorrect spellings detract from your overall message. A good blog post follows the rules of the language, and is easy to read because of it.
Good blog content is relevant
A good blog post meets a felt need. If you can’t provide something your readers can relate to, no one will want to read it. Make sure every post has something to say to your target audience about your chosen topic.
Good blog content is timely
While there certainly is value in covering the big picture and talking about general principles, fresh information is always better than stale information. Even when you’re blogging about a timeless topic, you can find ways to make it new and exciting.
Good blog content encourages thought and discussion
While you don’t want a post to lead to an all-out flame war in the comments section, you do want your readers to engage your topic. A provocative title or a controversial theory every now and again can really push your readers, and in the end they will thank you for it.
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Content is definitely the core that brings people back to your blog over and over again. What are your thoughts on content that brings in search engine traffic? Will it be a good blog content?
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Why is the word ‘traffic‘ hyperlinked? This is unnessicary and doesn’t really add to the comment at all…just trying to get some link love I see….
Seriously just comment quality comments and people will view your blog/site
It is a plugin called “WP Affiliate Pro” and you indicate the words and it will hyperlink them automatically.
That’s what I wanted to know! I can see the use of it, and was thinking it was a great idea.
Jason do you indicate the page it hyperlinks to or is it a kind of dumb smart plugin?
Kevin
In the settings you indicate the keywords you want the link to show up for.
If someone is searching for good blog itself i will say it’s this one ;)…thanx for sharing great info John :)….I will certainly implement it in future.
Not exactly ground breaking tips but they are always useful, particularly for those who are new to the world of SEO. I myself use them regularly in my work, and it is always good to remember them from time to time. I like how you presented the information so concisely and clearly also.
The majority of times it is not anything groundbreaking… and in fact I think the mindset that people have that there must be some groundbreaking strategy out there is what holds them back. They feel that using these solid principals, cant be enough… there must be more to this.. when in fact there is not.
I like how you said that good content encourages thought and discussion. I think this is one of the greatest things about blogs with good content. The readers interact and you can learn just as much (if not more) from the readers who leave comments than from the blog post itself.
I try to encourage comments and interaction both through my good content and through running a ‘top commentator’ competition where people can win $50!
When are you running your next competition? I want to win something
Allow me to turn your attention to a post of mine Cow: http://www.thenetfool.com/this-is-a-generic-blog-post/
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Smartass
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@ Keep it SEO Simple - There are really no groundbreaking tips unless you’re a nobel prize winner scientist. I think the fact that people are looking for some “groundbreaking” tip is sad. To be successful, you’ll need more like an accumulation of regular tips.
@ Cow - As usual, awesome content though a little brief. But hey, this is a blog post and not a course right?
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Thanks for the post. “Good blog content is purposeful” reminds me again about “don’t just blog because of blogging”. I have forgotten it for sometime. It is really important to know the purpose of each blog post. Sometimes I set the purpose to monetize the traffic, sometimes I want to get more SE traffic and sometimes I want to create word of mouth effect.
The article is great and I think I’ll write it down to remind myself in the future! Thanks!
Good points Cow, and Jim is the man too lol, I love that guy. But, things like this never get old, it’s so true…and so often you see fluff or no content.
What I really think is key, is that you write something useful to YOUR audience and readers. Too many write for other bloggers audience. I can’t write a post targeted at Jim’s audience, because they come to expect a certain style, a flow, and a level of content that only comes through him.
That’s one of the reasons I loved his post on guest posting. Same here, no one can write like the cow, that’s what people come here for. I honestly find myself skipping guests posts on my favorite blogs lol, it’s not even an actual decision, I just notice when I see a guest post…I usually am not as quick to take a look, if at all.
Sorry, went off on a rant! Bottom line, good post and timeless info.
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Well, yes.
What is missing is the detail on how to do these things.
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Listen to what your readers are interested in, look back to see which posts got the most attention, look at current siutuations and what lessons could be learned from them and ask your readers for input.
Sometimes we forget to talk about the obvious and go for the ‘new and trendy’ idea. It is good to be reminded of the basics, content is king. I like to personalise the comments on my blog while, hopefully, providing useful advice.
We also forget that some people will just be starting out while others will be seasoned business owners. One of the key tasks is to decide whether to cater for just one of these groups. That is the simpler option in some respects. To try to meet the needs of both groups is difficult, but then we all love a challenge, don’t we?
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I like the issue you brought up about presenting timeless issues in a timely way. That topic alone in itself could be its own post. I think that is one of the great things about blogs because it allows old topics to be resurrected with minimal effort and sparks interest in minds that may have forgotten about a certain topic until the read it in a new post. Great article.
thankyou!
Does anyone know of a good site that just lists all the really good blog contest going on?
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May I add something? I believe that good blog content makes your readers think critically.
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