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Being a successful blogger is about giving your readers the content they want. You need to give them quality content on subjects that interest them enough to read your posts on a daily basis.

But how can you know which topics your readers really care about?

It’s actually pretty easy. You just have to pay closer attention, and your readers will leave you little clues that can help you pinpoint their favorite topics.

• Look at your most popular posts—Installing the Popular Posts plugin on your blog will help you instantly see which posts your readers responded the most to. Popular Posts clearly displays the posts on your blog that have received the most comments, views, or average daily views. Once you get it installed, take a look at your most popular posts. What do they share in common? Is it a particular topic? Is it the style of writing…the way the headline is phrased?
• Monitor what people search for in your blog—Do you have a search box on your blog? If so, Search Meter can record what people are searching for. This gives you a clear idea of the topics that interest your readers, allowing you to create content that matches their interests. It also allows you to improve the categorization and tagging of your posts to make searches more successful.
• Track your search engine traffic—I’m going to assume you already have some sort of analytics plugged into your blog. You should be studying these analytics on a regular basis, monitoring where your traffic is coming from and what visitors do once they land on your site. Take note of the various keywords searchers use to find your blog. This helps you see the type of information they’re looking for, allowing you to target these phrases better in future posts.
• Read your comments closely—What are your readers talking about in the comments? Are there any topics they bring up that you can expound upon in a future posts? Be a good listener, and get in the comments and talk it up with your readers. You’ll get to know them better, and as a result, you’ll be able to write content that better matches their needs.
• Follow your readers on Twitter—Most of your readers are probably on Twitter. Find them. Follow them. Pay attention to what they talk about. Look at the links they drop in their Tweets. The more closely you pay attention, the better able you’ll be to see which subjects they find most interesting.

How do you know which topics your readers are most interested in?

By now, you’ve probably at least heard of TMZ at some point. In case you haven’t, TMZ is a blog that covers all the latest celebrity gossip and news. The blog has exploded in popularity, earning thousands of comments each day. In fact, the blog got so popular that TMZ now has a nightly TV show covering the latest news and paparazzi videos.

Now, you might be saying to yourself: What does TMZ have to do with my blog? I don’t cover celebrities or silly gossip.

That’s fine. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn anything from the way TMZ approaches blogging. Here are just some of the lessons you can gain by following TMZ.

Lesson #1: It’s all in the headline

The importance of a good headline can’t be overstated. No matter what niche you’re in, there are other blogs, podcasts, and articles pulling at your reader’s attention. You need to stand out from the crowd and hook readers to draw them in. A great headline can help you do this.

Consider TMZ. The headlines on this blog are successful for a few reasons. They’re interesting, short, and a combination of clear and clever.

Here are just some of the top headlines I see when I visit TMZ right now.

Lindsay Lohan—I don’t need prison or rehab

Kobe Bryant—Six-figure silent treatment

Michael Madsen: Little Crazy? Yes. Suicidal? No!

Daisy Fuentes: Good Genes or Good Docs?

For people who are interested in celebrity news and gossip, these headlines are like magnets. You almost can’t help but click on them to find out the details of the story.

You need to create the same sense of interest with your headlines.

Lesson #2: Be timely

One of the top reasons TMZ has gotten so popular is their propensity for being the first to break a story. The TMZ photogs seem to be everywhere, getting exclusive shots and details on stories that even the top networks don’t have yet. TMZ was the first place where most people heard about Michael Jackson being rushed to the hospital and ultimately passing away. Most mainstream media was hesitant to confirm the story, but TMZ had inside sources and scooped the competition.

TMZ was also the website to first break the story of Mel Gibson getting arrested for driving under the influence and making anti-Semitic comments during his arrest, and they were the first to break the report of actress Brittany Murphy’s death late last year.

The point is TMZ is always covering the latest topics. Even when they aren’t the first to break a story, they have a knack for going into deeper detail and offering a unique perspective that no one else sees.

Lesson #3: Humor is your friend

TMZ isn’t mean spirited, but they do poke fun at the ridiculous things celebrities say and do. People love to laugh, and it’s one of the things that attracts readers back to TMZ.com and to the TV show day in and day out.

The TMZ website has a very distinctive voice that is edgy, sarcastic, and gets people talking. It’s important for you to also create an identity as a blogger.

Lesson #4: Know your stuff

You can’t fake your way through blogging because sooner or later, you’ll slip up, and when you do, your readers will call you out and never let you forget it. The bottom line is if you want to position yourself as a trusted resource, you need to know your stuff inside and out. You need to always be learning new things so you can know more than your competition.

Here, TMZ succeeds. They seem to know every single detail about all celebrities, from the A-listers to the Z-listers. Like them or not, TMZ is one of the authorities when it comes to Hollywood and celebrities.

Lesson #5: Make your blog interactive

TMZ is known for including polls in many of their posts, hosting contests, and even having fun games visitors can play. They understand that the more interactive their blog is, the longer visitors will stay and the more connected they’ll feel to the brand.

What are some things you can do to make your blog more interactive?

As someone who has been blogging for several years, I know how easy it can be to start slacking off on my blogging duties. But I also realize that if you want to be a successful blogger, you have to keep working at it, because as soon as you get comfortable, another blog will pop up to try to take your place and steal your readers.

So, to help out myself and my fellow bloggers, I’ve come up with some of the ways we tend to slack off over time. By identifying these dangerous mistakes, hopefully we can all avoid them and continue to grow our blogs.

1. Decreased posting frequency—When you’ve been writing on a daily basis for years, it can be difficult to keep up the pace. Over time, a lot of bloggers start to write less and less, because they’re burned out. I’m not saying you need to write every single day, but I am saying that decreasing your posting frequency can be a slippery slope that leads to you writing less and less until you’ve reached the point that you’re losing readers and your blog rarely gets updated.

2. Uninspired content—After writing hundreds or thousands of posts, it can be pretty hard to find fresh topics to write about. This can lead to rehashed, uninspired content that readers won’t respond to. The best way to combat this is to make sure you stay in tune with the latest news and developments in your industry, and you should push yourself to keep learning new things so you’ll have something new to write about.

3. Less blog promotion—When you first start your blog, you have to promote it like crazy just to get people to read it. Over time, your readers start helping you promote your blog by ReTweeting your content, submitting it to voting websites, emailing it to their friends, etc. However, that doesn’t mean you’re promotional duties are over. There are always more readers to be had, and you need to keep working to spread the word about your blog.

4. Forgetting to moderate comments—If your readers’ comments take days to get approved, they’re going to eventually stop commenting. Blogging is supposed to have a conversational element to it, and to capitalize on that, you need to moderate your comments on a regular basis.

5. Not taking the time to respond to comments—Speaking of comments, approving them isn’t enough. Now, as your blog starts to grow, you’ll start getting more and more comments. Responding to them all can be time-consuming, but you should do your best to be active in your comments section. This helps to build relationships with your readers, keeping them coming back.

Have you ever slacked off on blogging? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.

A few weeks ago, I was reading a sports article on the Houston Chronicle’s website. For those who don’t know, the Chronicle is Houston’s main newspaper. Anyway, the Chronicle has switched to a blog style format that allows readers to comment on stories. In this particular story, a reader respectfully disagreed with the reporter. Apparently, the reporter is having trouble accepting that readers now have power, and he responded with insults and a mini-tantrum.

It was totally unprofessional, but it highlights an important subject that often gets overlooked: blog etiquette. Here are some blogging etiquette guidelines that would make Emily Post proud.

1. Never repost someone else’s content without asking their permission.

2. If you quote a small excerpt from another post, provide a link to the original source.

3. Thank those who link to you.

4. Respond to your comments in a timely manner.

5. Let readers know when you’re posting affiliate links.

6. Don’t attack others personally; respect should always be given to those who disagree with you.

7. If you comment on other blogs, add value to the conversation. No drive-by comments like “Great post” or “I agree.”

8. Don’t use a keyword for your commenting name. It’s a cheap tactic that makes you look like a spammer.

Do you have good blogging manners? Which rules of blogging etiquette would you add to this list?

For the past few years, I’ve been blogging on a daily basis. I don’t just blog here on the SEO Hosting blog; I also contribute to many other marketing blogs. I even write for some blogs in totally other subjects (health, shipping, real estate, and more). Of course, getting paid to blog is certainly one reason I’ve been so active.

But blogging is more than a job for me. It’s something I truly love to do. I’m passionate about it, and I’m always trying to improve my blogging skills. I still have a lot of improving to do, but I think I’ve learned quite a bit over the past few years. Today, I want to share some of the blogging lessons I’ve picked up along the way.

Lesson #1: You have to write regularly if you want to get better

Michael Jordan didn’t become the world’s greatest basketball player by sitting on his butt all day long. He was famous for his work ethic. He practiced longer than everyone else, and as a result, he became better than all of his peers.

The same concept applies to blogging. You can’t expect to become a better blogger if you don’t spend time writing. I’m not saying you have to write a new post every day, but you need to blog on a regular basis. You don’t even have to post everything you write. Just write and push yourself so you can grow into a strong writer.

On a side note, you should also be reading other blogs to see what works for other people. Don’t rip off their style, but you can pick up helpful traits from others that will make you into a better-rounded blogger.

Lesson #2: It’s important to mix things up so you don’t fall in a rut

I admit it. I tend to fall back on the list style post a little too often. Hell, I’m doing it right now, but I have been making an effort to mix things up. I try to write differently formatted posts, and I try to play around with different styles of writing (e.g. straightforward vs. telling a story).

Don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s the best way to grow into the blogger you want to become.

Lesson #3: Passion is more important than knowledge

A while back, I wrote a post talking about the importance of passion in blogging. Rather than repeat everything I said in that post (I encourage you to go back and read it), let me just say that I truly believe passion trumps even knowledge in terms of blogging skills. That’s not to say you can be successful by writing about things you don’t know about, but my point is that even if you’re an expert, if you lack passion for your subject, your blog won’t last. You won’t be able to create quality, interesting content on a daily basis for years to come.

Lesson #4: Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come

Too many new bloggers think that blogging is some miracle tool that will get their company in front of millions of eager customers with just a few short posts. That’s not how it works. There are hundreds of millions of blogs out there. Whatever subject you’re blogging about, you can be sure there is plenty of competition. So, just starting your blog isn’t enough to get results.

You have to put the time and effort into truly promoting your blog. This means not only writing quality content, but also networking with social media influencers who can help you promote your posts far and wide.

Lesson #5: Readers do judge a book (blog) by its cover (design)

Your blog’s design is important. You can’t expect to draw readers in with a boring, poorly designed website. That’s not to say you need to drop thousands of dollars on a custom WordPress theme, but you do need to use a catchy, creative theme that fits the tone and personality of your blog. Check out these 5 SEO friendly WordPress themes for some ideas.

How long have you been blogging? What have you learned during this time?