by Natalia Jones

Created on: December 27, 2009   Last Updated: January 09, 2012

Creating a blog is as easy as following the few basic steps set up by any one of the popular free bog hosting platforms, from Wordpress.com to Blogger.com or Typepad.com.

Maintaining a blog is an entirely different matter. Before you jump head first into the blogosphere, consider what it would take properly maintain a blog on your own.

Post Fresh Content on a Regular Basis

This is probably the most important aspect of developing a following and keeping them interested in what you have to say. A blog that has sporadic posts made after long periods of time is the equivalent of having a phone conversation punctuated by extremely long silences. After a while, you just want to hang up. To keep the audience intrigued and interested bloggers need to be committed to posting relevant content on a regular basis. It does not have to be everyday, but find a rhythm and then stick to your pattern so that readers can come to expect when your blog will be updated and check back to see what you have to say.

Test Your Keywords

Most readers find blogs by stumbling across them while searching for relevant content. It is therefore important that bloggers constantly test their keywords using popular search engines to see just how high their content is ranked. This gives them a good idea of how well they are using their SEO techniques. If their blog is on the first page of results it means that they are using words and pictures that have helped their page to rise to the surface whereas a ranking that is several pages into the search results means that there is much more work to be done.

Market it Like Crazy

A blog can be a business in and of itself and all businesses need to be marketed. Even if the blog is being used to advertise a product or service some work has to be put in to ensure that the blog is recognized by search engines. Adding the blog to search engine directories is one way of ensuring visibility, but it must also be actively pushed in front of the eyes of potential readers. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can work wonders for drawing attention to a blog, but this must be done carefully or your blog can actually be labeled as spam. The key is to be upfront about your purpose and then only update your profile with relevant and appropriate content.

Maintaining a blog is a long-term commitment, but it can be extremely rewarding if it develops a large audience and starts to generate a decent cash flow.

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