Developing a website or blog in the modern online climate can be difficult. We all have our reasons for doing this, and these motivations can be very different from person to person. One website owner might simply do it for the love of writing, while another is looking to engage with a like minded audience and build a community. Some people simply do it because they feel monetization is more of a distinct possibility, and some believe they might have the true formula of insight which needs unveiling to the world.
All of these people have one thing in common however. We’re confident enough to make this assumption. Everyone who opens a blog or a website, invests in the domain name and maybe even places their real name in the ‘about’ section, often wants to feel proud of their online presence.
This is their main little corner of the internet, and just like a home, it’s nicer to live in a polished place than one in dire need of improvement.
But how can you run a blog you’re proud of, not only now but five, ten and maybe more years in the future? We’re here to explore that, and help you achieve it yourself:
Content
If you’re unable to publish content you truly desire, then you’ll lose interest in your website pretty quickly. It’s important to continually be in love with the things you do, and that applies to anything outside of the blogging world also. In terms of blogging, it’s always important to never limit yourself. For example, if you’re in love with both fitness and analyzing films from the 1940’s, then why limit yourself to one category? Grouping these together could help differentiate your website in a world of many fitness-dedicated websites and movie review blogs.
When you find content you like, you will treat it with more gravity. For example, if you’re positively in love with fitness, you are much more likely to read studies and the cutting edge information regarding it, and will publish this insightful information as you understand it for your audience.
A blog will also serve as a great journal of sorts. As you look back over your published content in the past, you’ll find a natural progression and history of your tastes, and you’ll have your own thoughts cased in time, showing you how you used to think and how you developed from that. This work-in-progress attitude to your website or blog can help you feel pride in your achievements and growth. It all starts with finding content you like, and never being ashamed to explore it.
Community
The best blogs have some form of community engagement. A blog likely doesn’t exist for its own sake, or else you’d write your thoughts down in a personal diary, or lock the webpage to the internet. The reason you write a blog in the first place, such as the reasoning for the article you’re reading here, is that the author hopes someone will read it, hopefully more people than less.
Okay, so your article was notable, and you can see on your dashboard it’s been read three thousand times. Excellent. What next? If you have no form of engagement with your audience you are simply talking to them as opposed to with them, and the whole exchange is fairly one-sided. If the audience wanted that, they’d simply read a book, watch a television show or listen to a podcast on the specialist subject your blog is concerned with.
People are attracted to blogs because there is a real, reactive person on the other side.This lends you an immense possibility of building a community, either through your forums, a blog post or a social media comment thread or group. As you meet people online, you become involved in a conversation and make friends. We all know that this is the best way to feel satisfied on a day to day basis, so your blog can become a place of supreme joy if you are able to cultivate a network of awesome people.
We’d be so bold as to suggest you’ll look back with pride on this achievement.
Aesthetic
Have you ever looked at an old picture of yourself and thought ‘damn, I dressed well back then!’ We’ve all thought this, especially as we age and become less fashion-conscious, we become more interested in wearing slacks and jogging trousers in the pursuit of daily comfort. However, that doesn’t take away the pride you feel in your old fashion choices.
Websites are like this, and so the aesthetic matters greatly. Having a positive UI and great design allows you to express your thoughts in the most well-packaged form, and this page can help you with that. We are all enraptured by aesthetics, as it’s the first impression we receive when meeting new people, seeing a new product or of course, visiting a website. If you’re proud of the way your online content looks, the more content you are inclined to post, and the more you’ll parade around your content with a head held high.
Social media
Social media allows you to connect your content with audiences across various communicative platforms. With a great website to back you up, your social media profile will skyrocket. If you’re looking for more authority or backing for your opinions, having this body of work behind you can serve as proof of your daily ability to curate your thoughts, or introduce people to your product line.
Using this as a personal platform (which is what it was all along,) can help you become more adept in your ability to connect with people of note, and generally enjoy a more expansive and able online network. It’s a prideful feeling to know that your online presence is one of positivity and utility. Writing a post which helps people out with a tricky issue genuinely feels good, past any consideration of monetisation you may or may not be concerned with.
With this blog at your side and the tips explored here, you can be sure your blog is something to always be proud of.