7 Critical Success Factors for Blogs
Every blogging niche is different and each individual blogger has his or her own approach, but in the vast majority of cases there are a few factors that are absolutely critical to the long-term health of a blog. Some of these are obvious, but it can be a good starting point for new bloggers, or a refresher for those of us who have been blogging for a while. Getting back to basics and focusing on the critical success factors can lead to more productive use of our time and a more effective, streamlined approach to blogging.
1. High Quality, Unique Content
The no-brainer number one factor is the content itself. Blogs are all about content, and that’s what readers want more than anything. Regardless of what topic you cover or what angle you take, provide your readers with original, interesting content that they can’t get just anywhere, and you’ll be well ahead of most bloggers in your niche.
Without quality content you can only go so far. Even if you do an excellent job with all of the other critical success factors, your success will still be limited. Whatever you are doing to build and promote your blog, be sure that you’re always focused on providing the best content possible.
2. A Network
Relationships with other bloggers are invaluable. When I first started blogging I had no understanding of how personal it is, and how much your network will have a hand in your success. From the time you start blogging (if not before) you should make a strong effort to interact with other bloggers, especially those in your niche.
A network can help you in so many different ways, including link building, promotion, exposure with guest posts, social media, and more. Networking is so critical that I challenge you to find one truly successful blogger that does not have a strong network of contacts.
3. Consistent Effort
Simply having great content isn’t enough. For a blog to succeed long-term you need to produce it on a consistent basis. That doesn’t mean you need daily posts or you have to constantly be writing. However, you do need to show some consistency to readers and avoid long breaks with no posts.
I have seen a number of blogs over the past year that have put out some really nice content, but they have struggled with consistency. In most cases these bloggers lost interest and moved on to something else (which is fine). But if you want to be successful in the longrun, consistency is a must.
4. Conversion of Visitors into Subscribers
A lot of us bloggers (me included) tend to check our stats on a regular basis. Personally, I set goals for myself each month and I use stats as one of my measuring sticks. However, visitors really mean very little aside from maybe earning you some advertising revenue. Ultimately, you’ll need to find ways to convert those visitors into subscribers.
Subscribers become repeat visitors and loyal readers. They are the lifeblood of blogs. Without subscribers, what would blogs be? Getting traffic is great, but don’t forget about finding ways to convert those visitors into subscribers.
5. Community Atmosphere
One of the reasons readers enjoy blogs so much more than static websites is because of the interaction and engagement that is possible. Successful blogs will effectively build a strong community around the blog. When readers feel like they know the blogger and fellow readers personally, they’ll be much more likely to come back on a regular basis.
Long-term traffic and repeat visitors are key to blogging success, and building a community is one of the best ways to encourage repeat visits. It’s what sets you apart.
6. Diversity In Traffic
Regardless of which sources send you the most visitors, you need to make an effort to diversify. Putting all you eggs in one basket is not safe. Rely too heavily on Google and you’ll see your income drop when your rankings fall unexpectedly. Are you getting a high percentage of visitors from social media? Make an effort to also build up some other significant sources of traffic for stability.
7. Inbound Links
Gaining diversity in traffic is much easier when you have a lot of inbound links coming your way. Links will bring click-through traffic (especially links from major websites and blogs), and they’ll also serve to improve your search engine rankings.
As a new blogger you may need to spend a good deal of time building links to your blogger. Although it can take some time, there are substantial long-term benefits. Any blog that’s generating buzz and drawing attention will be getting some links.
What Factors Do You Think Are Most Important?
Do you agree that these 7 factors are all critical? What would you add or take away from the list?
