by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: August 12, 2011

How would you define the principles of successful blogging in just a few words? Don’t think of the revenue which a blog generates, or the traffic levels which it obtains. Think instead of precisely what a successful blogger has achieved in terms of their relationship with their Internet public. May we not perhaps compare a successful blogger in this way to an engaging conversationalist? In brief, they have firstly caught the attention of their target audience and subsequently - and most importantly - held that attention with the interesting nature and value of what they have to say. It is important for any blogger to know that only by achieving this status can any they ever know the true measure of their own success.

So how do you as a beginner blogger go about catching the attention of your public? There are two ways in which this is achieved. The first is by giving your blog an eye-catching but extremely relevant title and the second is by making your blog search engine friendly. An incredibly useful tool in both these respects is the Keyword Tool from Google Adwords. This is a tool which is free to use and allows you to determine what words and phrases are most often searched in relation to your topic, as well as the level of competition each search knows online.

Begin by deciding upon the topic of your blog. It is important that this topic be extremely focused and not wide sweeping and general. If your topic is too vague, the chances of getting your blog found by those who are likely to be interested in its content are minimal. This could prove very frustrating where the most wonderfully written and structured blog knows little or no traffic. Think along the lines of practical tips for training Labrador puppies rather than dog training, capturing still life photographic images in nature rather than photography, cooking tips and serving suggestions for roast beef rather than recipes. It is only by being intensely focused in this way that you are likely to achieve your desired results. Be careful only to ensure that your topic is not so specific that you will run out of quality material to include in posts.

It may seem outdated in the modern world of Internet but when you have decided upon the topic for your blog, grab a pen and notepad and move away from your computer. The idea at this stage is to conduct a brainstorming exercise in respect of popular words and short phrases you think people may use when searching online for the precise subject of your

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