How to Find Secret Tips from the Web Pros
Whether they realize it or not, pro bloggers frequently share their secrets and knowledge of the Web with everybody – including you and me.
We just have to know where to look. We also have to know what to look for.
Now, if you’re looking for information on how to blog, the best places to start are ProBlogger.net and Copyblogger.com. The editors (Darren Rowse and Brian Clark) and contributors to these sites are very knowledgeable about blogging and share tons of valuable information.
But this post is about how to find valuable knowledge where you might not recognize it…at first.
Questions
It may sound simple, but think back on the questions you’ve had about blogging and creating a Web presence for you and your business.
Some obvious ones may include:
How do I get traffic to my company’s new Website?
How much should I pay for traffic?
Is paid traffic more efficient than natural traffic?
Where do I find people to connect with on the Web?
Or simply:
How do I write a blog post that people want to read and interact with?
These are questions every person asks themselves when they want to increase their Web presence.
Where to look
Go to successful blogs. It doesn’t matter what the blogs focus on. It could be hunting, fishing, photography, etc. (Kickball?)
Go to the popular sites in any niche and look at their posts.
Use a site like Alltop to find the most popular blogs. The blogs near the top of each niche are usually the most valuable by Alltop’s standards.
These top bloggers are probably answering your questions without even realizing it.
What to look for
So as a blogger I’m always looking for an answer to the question “What makes a blog post successful?”
For fun, I’ve gone to DIY.Alltop.com (Do-It-Yourself).
I’ve chosen the blog OldHouseWeb.com.
Here is what I look for:
Comments
The first things I always look for when I’m searching for tips on what makes a successful blogger are comments.
Successful posts will have the most comments. These posts are successful in the eyes of many readers. When posts have this type of social proof they have strong contact that successfully connected with readers.
These are the types of posts that make for a successful blog.
After just a quick search through the archives, I saw that most of the posts had 2 or 3 comments. This isn’t bad at all. Having interaction on nearly every post is the sign of a successful blog.
One of the first posts that stuck out at me due to the number of comments was Beyond Fossil Fuels: Using Biomass to Heart Your Home.
This post currently has 10 comments.
What made this post successful?
Timeliness
A lot of people are struggling to save money these days. When site editors hit on timely matters like the economy and saving money, people will pay attention. Visitors are looking for answers for the questions they have right now.
Provides options
This post provides some insight into an option for an alternative energy source for your home. Most people probably aren’t aware of all of the alternatives to heating their home or which alternatives would actually work for their situation.
By providing insight, even simply stating an alternative, you can open the door for people to do more research on a topic. You can give them a nudge and they’ll still see you as a valuable resource even after they follow up on the topic.
Some pros and cons
In the case of this post, the writer provides some simple pros and cons to the post topic. This is great because even simple cons can deter a person from wasting their time researching the topic. Your readers will appreciate a little effort on your part to point out some possible cons.
Conversation encourager
The topic of this post is controversial.
Controversial and new topics encourage conversation. People will question that which they don’t fully understand.
Look at the second comment on the post.
The commenter expands on what people should think about before they switch to biomass heating for their home.
Writing posts that cover topics that naturally encourage conversations is on of the best ways to gain quality traffic.
A new post idea
I can use these three things to format posts of my own on the topic of Hunting Business Marketing on the Web.
I could think of timely events taking place right now that affect hunting businesses. The economy is obviously affecting the hunting industry.
I could write a post on how hunting businesses can save money by increasing their Web spending. (That sounds backwards, but maybe I’m onto something).
I’d have to include some options for different ways for hunting businesses to approach their Web presence. I have written on increasing your Web presence before, but doing it effectively and for little money is becoming more and more crucial as the economy worsens and businesses are looking to continue making money.
I think pros and cons are good to have. It’s difficult to be objective when blogs are meant to be very subjective, but I think I could learn to include resources to other viewpoints.
The point is, by looking at this blog and one of its successful posts, I was able to think of a great idea for a new blog post that has a good chance of becoming a successful post for my blog.
Bonus: One more example of not-so-secret Web knowledge
You Don’t Need A Social Media Expert, You Need A Good Marketer by Adam Singer at The Future Buzz
It’s difficult to find Adam’s best and most successful posts simply because there are SO many to choose from.
In the recent archives I found this post to have (at this time) 20 comments. I figured this was pretty good so I chose it for this example.
Adam discusses that you don’t need to be a social media expert to have success on the Web and in business. You do, however, need to be a successful marketer and communicator.
Having the basic understanding of how people communicate will allow to you to position your business to become part of the conversations your customers are having.
This topic is another item I could touch on here on this blog. I could write The Conversations Hunters are having on the Web (And How You Can Connect).
I could focus on a few of the specific ways hunters are connecting on the Web and how hunting businesses can join the conversation by adding value. I could go further by explaining how hunting businesses could create additional streams of revenue by enhancing the conversations and connections their potential customers are having on the Web.
Again, follow the visitors of a site. What are the areas they visit the most? What content inspired them enough to leave a comment?
Follow the people to find what makes Websites and blogs successful and build on those successes in your own unique way.
You’ll find your own success with this formula.
Summary
To find secret tips on how to become a better blogger or how to increase your business’s Web presence, find successful blogs and sites both in and out of the hunting niche.
Look for social proof on site pages and posts.
Where are visitors to the site spending their time?
Look for things like comments, ratings, Most Popular sections, Visitor Favorite sections, etc.
Follow the traffic and you’ll find the type of content that make for successful Websites and blogs.
Related posts on the Web
11 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Being Linked to By a Blogger
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Ultra-Simple 3-Step Productivity System for Getting Amazing Things Done
Related posts on Hunting Business Marketing
Fear of Failure: Your Hunting Website Strategies vs. Your Hunting Strategies
A Hunting Business’s Most Valuable Resource on the Web
Inspirational Hunting Blogger Insights, Quotes, and Musings Part 1
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