Linking Etiquette
Asking more established bloggers to link to your posts is a great way to network and increase readership—if it's done respectfully. Follow this advice:
Get to know them first.
Your initial conversation with another blogger should never be a link request email.
Be human.
The more automated the email request feels, the more likely it is to be deleted.
Be truthful.
Don't say you've loved a site for a long time if you've only just discovered it. If you do actually like it, tell them why.
Be specific.
The more vague you are about what you cover, the less likely people will take you seriously.
Be polite.
Other bloggers do not owe you anything. You are sending a humble request—make it read that way.
Be interesting.
People won't link to you just because you ask. It is likely that your email will not be read past the first few lines, so make them count.
Be deserving.
Would you write about something nobody will ever find useful, just because someone begged you to? Highlight what is helpful or entertaining about your article.
Improve Your Blog
July 2009
Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
Authors
Whether you're starting a blog to build your business or you're just doing it for fun, you can expand your following by using these tips:
Give readers more of what they want.
Survey your readers and ask for feedback. Check the referral statistics of your site to see what words people are typing into search engines to find you. Follow discussion forums and the comment sections of other blogs on your topic—what are those readers asking for?
Create reader-friendly posts.
Web users are known for skimming content. Provide bulleted or numbered lists, and use varying text sizes, colors, or fonts to draw your readers' eyes to the main points.
Use titles effectively.
Keep them short—under forty characters or so—to ensure that they will appear in their entirety in Google search results. Provide shocking info, make a claim, hint at controversy, or meet a need with a title that answers, "How to...." Of course, don't promise something you can't deliver. Include keywords you want your blog to be associated with. Hint: Words at the start of titles are thought to be more powerful than ones at the end when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).
Find your rhythm.
When it comes to post frequency, consistency is key. What's most important is that you're adequately covering the overall subject while keeping content strong and allowing readers time to comment. Generally, the broader the topic, the more posts you should have. If you are just starting your blog, attempt to post four or five times a week, and adjust as needed.
Keep posts tightly targeted.
Don't try to stuff everything in one entry. If possible, break down your blog into categories. (For example, if your topic is "blogs," your categories might be "design," "content," and "tools.") Not only will precise posts please readers with short attention spans, but they will help search engines to rank you more accurately for the subject you're writing about. Furthermore, contextual ad systems like AdSense can more easily serve relevant ads.
Vary writing style. Mixing up the type of posts you write can add character to your blog and help keep readers interested. Here are a bunch of ideas to get you going: interviews, case studies, profiles, reactions to another blog, comparisons, rants, inspiring stories, predictions, reviews, dialogue between two people, critiques, and satirical posts.
Adapted from ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett, John Wiley and Sons.