The Foolproof Method for Great Blogging
A note on blog content
I like to compare blogs to mattresses. Every mattress needs to have the right softness to support ratio. I imagine top ten posts, weekly roundups, and opinion pieces as the padding that makes mattresses soft. Meaty posts, research-based pieces and posts announcing new important information are like mattress springs. The key to a successful blog is maintaining the right ratio. Just like different people prefer different mattress ratios, audiences prefer different blog content ratios. Both kinds of posts are a subtle art form and equally important, but the second type of posts are much harder to write on a consistent basis. The following method mostly applies to writing these more in-depth (spring-like) blog posts.
Prepare yourself
Don’t become an expert by acting like one - This might sound counter-intuitive, but it really does make sense. Many inexperienced bloggers try to make their work sound important and reputable even when it is not. This is an easy mistake to make because emulating the industry leaders is a logical path to success. Don’t be fooled. Real success comes from distinguishing oneself in a useful way, not by pretending to be something one is not.
Avoid the temptation to brainstorm - Brainstorming is the gateway to poor posts. If you have to scrape the bottom of the pan to come up with a blog post idea, chances are the resulting blog post won’t be your finest. Great bloggers write what they feel they need to write. The resulting posts are the ones other people feel they need to read.
Know your audience - The best possible circumstance in blogging is when writing for your audience is no different than writing for yourself. A great blogger should ask themselves if they would pick their own blog post to read out of the hundreds of options presented to them daily. If they wouldn't, they need to figure out why not.
Bring something new to the table - Great bloggers know how to find or create information that no one else knows about. You should ask yourself if your intended post is simply restating something someone has already covered.
Many bloggers writing about the same public announcement
Research, research, research - You don’t need secret sources to get new information. Instead, create new information yourself. It may be time consuming, but combining and analyzing public data in a unique and interesting way is always a surefire blogging hit.
Think like a magazine editor - Readers might pick up a magazine to read the top 10 "blah blah," but they subscribe for the great articles. The same is true for blogs. Write content to grab people’s attention and write deeper content to keep it.
Surround yourself with people who challenge you - Blogging is time consuming, difficult, and sometimes disheartening. The best way to keep your motivation up is to surround yourself with people who will keep you going. Initially, this can either be people you interact with online or in real life. Eventually this influence should be your audience.
Time to write
Write your first draft in a word processor, not in your web editor - If you want your work to be taken seriously, write it seriously. Not only do most word processors provide spelling and grammar check, but the very act of writing blog posts in the same environment as your professional documents pressures you to write quality posts.
This post in draft form while I wrote it in a word processor
Write down your main ideas first - Writing your main ideas out gives you the opportunity to organize your thoughts and assures that you have covered all of your bases. After you have the ideas, expand on them and fill in all the blanks.
Research, research, research - I do almost 100 Google searches every time I write a post. Each time I blog, I try to become an expert in what I am writing about. You should learn to backup all of your written words with producable facts. Remember, unlike other forms of writing, blog posts remain publicly accessible for a long time.
My Google activity while writing past blog posts
Read your post aloud - The human brain is able to process text very fast because it utilizes learned patterns. This is a bad thing when you are trying to edit a blog post. Just think of the reading “riddles” you have undoubtedly received many times in e-mails from your parents. It is remarkably easy to miss blatant typos.
It is much easier to read these misspelled words internally than it is to read them aloud. Use this knowledge to your advantage and avoid publishing typos.
There are four 'F's in this sentence, right?
Wrong, there are actually seven. Even moderately skilled readers commonly skip prepositions (in this case, the word "of") when processing text. Reading your post aloud helps you avoid the common mistakes that lead to typos. Be sure to do this at least once before publishing your blog posts.
Lose some weight, fatty! - Remember that internet users have about as much attention span as a five-year old child on speed. (What? I grew up in a rough neighborhood) As a rule of thumb, the user should never have an entire screen of text while scrolling through your post. Separate large text blocks with relevant pictures or uniquely formatted titles.
Go do something else for an hour - Save and exit the word processor you are writing your post in. Minimizing it will make returning to the post too tempting. Go outside, read a book, or simply go walk your dog. Or if you are like me when given this advice, go on YouTube or Facebook and let your mind wander elsewhere.
Make a final BS read-through - This is one of the most important steps. Before posting, reread your post and delete all of the bullsh%t. It inevitably creeps into all blog posts. The BS can take the form of unnecessary preaching, lame jokes, wordy sentences, repetitious points, unnecessary arguments, or even repetitious points. ;-) Make sure that you would feel comfortable reading your blog post out loud to a room full of your peers.
Publish it - Hit the magic button, do a spin in your computer chair, and get ready for the fun part.
Finally you can start to blog
Blogging is as much about discussion as it is about writing content.
View your post from the perspective of your readers - Go reread your post on your actual blog. Verify that all of your images and links work correctly. Be sure that your links both take you to the correct URL and open in a new window.
Respond to comments - You wouldn’t ignore someone if they talked to you face to face. Make sure to follow the same etiquette for blog posts. You don’t necessary have to respond to every single comment, but you should try to answer readers' questions and be part of the any related discussions. (I for one need improvement in this area.)
Add updates - Did you just find out half your post was incorrect after publishing? Add an update but don’t delete your original content. Make use ofstrikethrough. It is okay to change your entry after posting, just make sure you make a clear note that it changed. Admitting to a mistake is always better than simply hiding your errors. Remember, people can always see what you have written in the past by viewing cached versions.
Respond to your response - See if people elsewhere on the web are talking about your post. If they do, join the conversation. At a minimum check Delicious, Technorati, and Google Blog Search.
Reflect and learn - This should happen about a day or so after writing your awesome post. Simply reflect on how well you achieved your desired results and reflect on any mistakes you may have made. This is one of the most important parts of successful blogging.
Finally, pat yourself on the back and smile. If you did everything correctly, you should be loving what you do ;-)
If you are an experienced blogger, feel free to share your opinions and expertise in the comments. This post is very much a work in progress. As always, feel free to e-mail me or send me a private message if you have any suggestions on how I can make my posts more useful. If that's not your style, feel free to contact me on Twitter (DannyDover) and/or Linkedin (Danny Dover). Thanks!
Lose some weight, fatty! - Remember that internet users have about as much attention span as a five-year old child on speed. (What? I grew up in a rough neighborhood) As a rule of thumb, the user should never have an entire screen of text while scrolling through your post. Separate large text blocks with relevant pictures or uniquely formatted titles.
Go do something else for an hour - Save and exit the word processor you are writing your post in. Minimizing it will make returning to the post too tempting. Go outside, read a book, or simply go walk your dog. Or if you are like me when given this advice, go on YouTube or Facebook and let your mind wander elsewhere.
Make a final BS read-through - This is one of the most important steps. Before posting, reread your post and delete all of the bullsh%t. It inevitably creeps into all blog posts. The BS can take the form of unnecessary preaching, lame jokes, wordy sentences, repetitious points, unnecessary arguments, or even repetitious points. ;-) Make sure that you would feel comfortable reading your blog post out loud to a room full of your peers.
Publish it - Hit the magic button, do a spin in your computer chair, and get ready for the fun part.
Finally you can start to blog
Blogging is as much about discussion as it is about writing content.
View your post from the perspective of your readers - Go reread your post on your actual blog. Verify that all of your images and links work correctly. Be sure that your links both take you to the correct URL and open in a new window.
<a href=”https://moz.com/” title=”SEOmoz Homepage” target=”_blank”>I love SEOmoz</a>Remember, you don’t want your users leaving your blog mid-post.
Respond to comments - You wouldn’t ignore someone if they talked to you face to face. Make sure to follow the same etiquette for blog posts. You don’t necessary have to respond to every single comment, but you should try to answer readers' questions and be part of the any related discussions. (I for one need improvement in this area.)
Add updates - Did you just find out half your post was incorrect after publishing? Add an update but don’t delete your original content. Make use of
Respond to your response - See if people elsewhere on the web are talking about your post. If they do, join the conversation. At a minimum check Delicious, Technorati, and Google Blog Search.
Reflect and learn - This should happen about a day or so after writing your awesome post. Simply reflect on how well you achieved your desired results and reflect on any mistakes you may have made. This is one of the most important parts of successful blogging.
Finally, pat yourself on the back and smile. If you did everything correctly, you should be loving what you do ;-)
Stay tuned for the SEOmoz blogging guide coming out early next week!
If you are an experienced blogger, feel free to share your opinions and expertise in the comments. This post is very much a work in progress. As always, feel free to e-mail me or send me a private message if you have any suggestions on how I can make my posts more useful. If that's not your style, feel free to contact me on Twitter (DannyDover) and/or Linkedin (Danny Dover). Thanks!
If you are interested, here are a few more details on my specific blogging process (slightly varies from the post to fit my needs):
My process usually talks place over two or three days.
When I have the urge to blog, I start by opening up Apple Pages and write a list of one sentence thoughts. I then make sure they are in a logical order and related.
Next, I start to fill in the gaps and shape the thoughts top to bottom.
I usually do a Google search every time I need to verify something. I use MSN Image search to find images but lately I have been creating my own images so I know I am not infringing on anyones rights. I don’t download the images right away, I simply leave a comment in the document that I need to add one. I do the same thing for links.
Once I am done writing the first version of the post, I spell/grammar check and focus on flow. I generally read through the entire post five or more times while writing it.
After that, I put the post into a my web editor and upload all the necessary images and add all of the links. I also read it again at this point.
I generally write the intro last because it is so important to hook the reader and really should set the tone for the whole post. This is difficult to do before completing the post.
Then, I publish the post.
Afterwards, I test all of the links on the blog post and reread the post yet again.
Finally, I spend any spare time I have over the next two or so days responding to comments and related post elsewhere online.
Its a big job but I find it rewarding. I felt this was better suited as a comment because while these details work great for me, they might not work for other people.
I think this post is a bit too subjective. What works for Danny won't work for everyone else. I write most of my posts directly in the blog editor, brainstorm for ideas by checking social media sites and other blogs, write a lot of editorials that contain light to no research, and do a lot of things differently than what Danny recommends. Does that mean I'm a terrible blogger? No, of course not. It just means that I have a different process that works well for me.
That's not to say that this post isn't valuable--I think a lot of the points are valid and useful. However, I wouldn't exactly call this list a "foolproof" method. It's more along the lines of "Danny's Process for Writing Good Blog Posts," and it outlines what he does and why it works well for him.
Sounds like I need to do some clarifcation. The point of this post is to outline a method I beleive is a foolproof way to write great blog content. I am not saying everyone should use this method.
I am going to change the title based on yours and Todd Mintz feedback.
Change the title form "The foolproof...." to "A foolproof...".
Thanks
I'd suggest "A Solid Method for Great Blogging" or some other word besides "foolproof," but that's just my opinion.
I think the title is accurate. After all, let's look at the data:
IF Danny = Great Blogger
AND
This Idea = Working for Danny
PLUS
Danny = Fool
THEN
Idea = Foolproof
Oh Friday, you're so awesome.
A really good post Danny. I am a new blogger and I definitely learned a lot from this post.
Just one point I would like to make,
Now, now those ‘usability experts’ will be incensed with this open in a new window part. Put this in a discussion at alt.html and see how scathing some replies can be.
But then yes, fearing scathing replies is not a valid reason for not doing things, which you believe are good for your audience and your website (and may I add your revenues!).
The problem with target=”_blank” is that it doesn’t give the user a choice to open the linked document in the same window (or tab). While for links without target=”_blank” attribute, user always has choice to right click on the link and choose “Open link in new window (or tab)”.
But I really think if we concluded matter and said that target=”_blank” is bad thing at this point; it will be injustice to usability. I think while discussing usability we should always consider target audience.
If we are writing a blogpost targeted at relatively not-technical audience then not using target=”_blank”can be a disservice to the users, since most of them don’t know about “Open link in new window (or tab)” options and clicking on the link will break their flow of reading. (I have shown how to use these options to so many girls that I have lost the count. And hopefully this last line will not be taken as sexist.)
But on the other side there is audience which is fairly advanced in their internet use, for example take SEOMoz audience. Here I think using target=”_blank” will be a bad thing because in my opinion almost 100% of the readers of this blog are advanced internet users and have been browsing for quite a long time. So they must know about “Open link in new window (or tab)” options offered by the browsers. And should they think they want a particular link in a new tab, they will almost subconsciously right click on the link and choose the desired option.
But then of course these things are never clear cut. It’s your blog. It’s your call.
@Pritam Barhate - Usability wise I would agree with that except for one thing, and perhaps you or someone else here can shed some light on this. On SEOmoz (and many other web sites) when you click a link that opens in the same tab/window and then return via the back button I usually am not returned to the same place in the page. On other sites I am.
Usability wise I would rather the link open in a new window than to return to the wrong spot on the original post and then have to scroll around to resume reading.
How can one code so that the back button brings the user back to the spot they were reading? Or, is it a function of the browser (I usually use FF)?
Danny sorry to go off topic on your excellent post. You may be the Mozzer who is least likely to post a fluffy article. Always useful. Thumbs up.
How about hit CTRL-N then click on the link...
(just kidding)
In business Target=_blank is a neccessity, and also many times, with a bank or other SOX encumbered type of entity, you have to put a disclaimer BEFORE the link..
so target_blank + javascript is sometimes a regulatory requirement.
And here we have the crux - most of us aren't usability experts (and I include myself in that group) and so we assume that what we prefer is the most usable option.
We had quite a lively internal discussion about this when we were thinking of redesigning our site.
*the bold in the quote is my emphasis...
Hello David,
You asked,
As far as I know it is the function of the browser and for this no extra coding is necessary. Just to be sure I checked this on my blog with Firefox 2 and IE6 and IE7. Suppose I am at the bottom of a long document and clicked on a link to navigate to another page. After loading that page, I clicked the back button; all the above browsers brought back the same portion of the screen that was visible before I moved away from the page.
And for all other sites I tried, it worked the same (Except for links that are put by users in the blog comments on SEOMoz blog. For this see the note below.). Can you point out me some other URLs where this doesn’t happen? The only reason (I can think of) for this not happening on some pages, is that the programmer is trying to do some clever things (and breaking the browser feature in the process) in the onload event of the page through JavaScirpt.
I hope that helped.
Pritam.
SEOMoz note:
(I am doing all the stuff below in Firefox 2.0.0.16 with Firebug enabled.)
Yes when we click on a link put by a user in the comments and after that when we try to return back to SEOMoz blog post, we are not returned the same visible portion of the screen which was there before clicking on the link. But this will only happen if you have tried to comment on the page and in that process opened the overlaid comment window.
If you never opened the overlaid comment window, then the feature will work properly (that is you will be returned to the same spot where you were before clicking on the link.)
Now why this is happening? I really have no idea. But I am fairly sure that JavaScript is behind this. Particularly the overlaid comment window. See for this kind of code to work you hide the form (which is already there in the HTML code) by changing its CSS styles and when the user clicks on the ‘add comment’ link, the form is absolutely positioned on the screen. In case of SEOMoz blog posts, HTML code for the form is above the user comments and just below the post. My guess is (and this is purely a guess) if the comment form code is moved to the bottom just above the end of the body tag, the above problem shouldn’t happen. But then I can’t say for sure, since I can’t really test it.
True, but I can. I will let you know what my findings are later today. Thanks for you investigating work.
That's it, it persists as long as you are logged in even in a new browser. I tried it a couple of times and I kept getting the same behavior until I logged out, and then opened a new browser window - had to be logged out first. Thanks for going to the trouble to point that out. Although, even knowing what causes it, it's still a bug. I'm guessing that I've been observing the same bug on other sites where I comment.
Danny, Thanks for a solid post. You probably keep your office all neat a tidy too.
So, how often do you post?
I am not going to go on about how your list does not apply to the way I work, because I appreciate the fact that you took the time to put it together.
I have thought long and hard about the target=_blank" because I have heard Rand remark about it. It may be wrong and I may take this back at some later date but the whole reason it ever became popular was to keep the reader anchored on your page. For a blog, I think it is an exceptable practice.
I also value the follow up comments you made.
This is the type of content that keeps me coming back to SEOmoz. It may not be the end all list for everybody... but it gets a process down. Somewhere to start. Nice Job
Thanks again
Glad to hear you appreciated the post. I am quite lucky to have such a supportive audience here.
I try to post once a week but as you may have noticed my time has been spent elsewhere the last 3 weeks. We have some great stuff coming out soon and I have been spending a lot of time preparing it.
I really enjoy blogging so I am going to work hard to maintain my once a week goal.
Thats the best complement you can give me. I look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks,
Danny
I think that you are wrong about brainstorming.
Some of the more interesting and thought provovking things I have read are the result of someone fireing off the first thing that comes to mind because their intended topic failed.
One of my most popular posts is about why I get so much porn traffic on my professional blog. I just opened up the analytics, had a thought, closed the analytics, and wrote about how people get unintended traffic.
In many saturated markets new/original will trump a great revisiting of old material.
I say brainstorm till lightening shoots out.
Hey Carlos,
Isn't that an example of what I advocated in this post? You didn't sit down, rack your brain for an idea (brainstorming), instead you wrote about what you needed to write about (just like what I recommend in the post).
I am not arguing that all brainstorming is useless, I am merely saying that the great ideas that strike are better fodder for 'spring' style posts.
Apparently we use different definitions for brainstorming. I think of it as unplanned directions.
I think in concept we agree.
Hey Danny,
Great advice, Especially liked "Dont become an expert by acting like one."
It's easy to do when you get just a bit of knowledge and are starting out.
But I guess all the stuff is like eating a balanced diet and getting exercise. We know we have to do it but it doesnt always get done. I've been neglecting my blogging lately ...:(
Danny - Great post! One of the most challenging aspects of blogging for me is finding and sticking to a consistent method of creating material. Thanks for sharing your methods and insights. I know I'll incorporate much of this strategy to my own.
Thanks again,
Ryan
Good advice, but remember that the creation process is very different for each of us and what works well for you might not work well for others. Other than using a Word Processor for writing, I can tell you and I work almost totally differently.
Nice post ..
To add more here also try to include pictures in case your topic is not something like SEO ;)
Pictures also speak 1000 words ..
This is an excellent post! I am the owner of a very new site (www.God-Won.com) which contains a blog page. Needless to say, I'm new at this, and was looking for guidance prior to stumbling upon your post. I will definitely begin implementing the strategies discussed. Thanks for your help.
Excellent blogging information written in an easy to understand way. My blog needs lots of work and this info will surely help.
Very well said, and written Danny! I read a blog yesterday that talked about emotionally engaging reader, which applies to good blogging as well. In particular, I find the inverted pyramid format of writing to be somewhat of importance, this applies to blogging, email marketing or any kind of page content.
I always enjoy reading Dosh Dosh's stuff. The first article you linked to is similar to mine. I wrote a 'spring' post about writing 'spring' posts and Dosh Dosh wrote a 'spring' post about writing 'padding' posts. It makes for good supplemental reading.
Thanks for linking.
It's a great post, but just to point on possible mistake. It's not always possible to use the target= attribute since for xhtml 1.1 isn't valid.
BTW, thanks to have shared your knowledge.
Very nice post - lots of good steps and things to think about. I don't think beginners consider how much time and energy blogging takes - particularly when getting started. When you get momentum and experience, it may get a bit easier, but there are always challenges and walls you hit on the way (at least, that has been my experience).
Writing in a text editor or word processor is a fantastic idea - and rereading, taking a step back and rereading again are essential. I've written a few posts and made the mistake of publishing too quickly (not proofing) - and having to go back and make amends or updates as a result.
That has been my experience too. The further down the rabbit hole you go, the harder things become. They also become more enjoyable though as you meet more and more interesting people.
I feel very bad now after reading of the preparation that Danny puts into his posts. You might say that I'm from the Kerouac school of blog posts. I get an idea, I throw the words at the screen and then go in & try to re-order them, especially on my personal blog.
That said, when I cover conferences I do tend to take ridiculous amounts of notes: but at the same time, I'm also writing the post in my head as I take them - thinking of what the main points will be and, often, what the headline and/or conclusion will be as well.
Hey nice post Danny and I mean that most sincerely. I love actionable posts that make me think. Unfortunately I blog off at the mouth so my posts are usually the padding type, much like my comments. Okay I will write a post based on this advice and see what happens. Thanks!
Thanks! Don't get me wrong, "padding" posts are valuable too. A post Matt Inman did in 2006 still brings SEOmoz great traffic.
"Don't become an expert by acting like one"
Aw, but then I'll never convince anybody I know what I'm talking about. ;)