Jeffrey Munro

1. Keep Your Old Blog
Start another blog if you must but don’t kill your old one. There must be a million people out there planning to migrate from Blogger to a better platform. Wordpress is probably the best. I use Typepad for this blog and have no complaints. There are others out there also. But I think you should probably keep your current blog and start another to cover a different area of your life or interests. Nothing wrong with having a few blogs. And if you have built up some links and ranking authority through having some history, it would be a shame to lose it all when you start over. I know this because I deserted my original blogspot blog in favor of Typepad and lost everything. I wouldn’t make the same mistake today.2. Buy a Blog Editor
If you buy a blog editor, you could put up with your lame and pedestrian platform for much longer. Maybe forever. I use Ecto and I love it. I can write and manage my blog posts offline and I dont have to mess with the interfaces. And yes, I could easily blog straight from my browser (Flock is cool for this) or other programs but I just like my Ecto and am not changing. Not yet.

3. Your Long Domain Name is OK.
No one remembers URLs anyway. Having a “wordpress” or “inknoise” or “vox” or “blogspot” is perfectly ok and is not a sign of immaturity or cheapness. Aslo, domain mapping is great if you do it when you start your blog. Otherwise it is not worth losing your existing links and authority. If you are tempted to map your existing blog to your particular domain name, then read my drama before you do anything stupid.

Now the other thing . .

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging

GOOGLE RANKING or “search engine optimization” to use the correct term and to acknowledge the many non-google search engines [God bless them all and deliver us from the monolithic power that Google is coming to exert in this new Cyber-Babylon of ours]

Don’t believe anyone who tells you the world is flat. There are new kinds of hierarchies that must be understood. The dynamic aggregation of our blogs in the search engines determines much of our daily traffic [one third of mine] and even more in the long tail of our blog posts.

Before I say anything, a quick story. Two months ago I spent a morning at a Benedictine monastery called Burford Priory. We had lunch with the brothers and sisters in total silence while we listened to a lecture read by one of the brothers. This apparently is their tradition. The lecture [they probably call it something more spiritual but i cant remember] was from another Benedictine monastery and it dealt with the taking of monastic vows by the next generation. It discussed the new forms of internet community (bebo and myspace were mentioned) but my ears really pricked up when it mentioned search engines and ranking. Apparently the particular Benedictine monastery had managed to tweak their web site enough to get a high ranking for key searches made by those enquiring after taking vows. They did not say exactly WHAT they did to their site to get such favor from Google, just the fact they they did [bad monk . . no mead!] but the fact that they had figured it out and were using it to their advantage was interesting. And if monks are tinkering with their sites to boost their search engine authority, you can bet that there are thousands and thousands of pastors, theologians [and theoBlogians], missionaries and denominational executives who are also praying heartfelt prayers for the success of their posts and experimenting with ways to get their sites found.

Actually, I can guess what these Benedictines probably did and could suggest a few more tweaks to pump up their ranking. If, indeed, they were interested in such worldly pursuits. I hope that all spiritual people, not just monks, would see blogging as a godly, prophetic ministry and not as mere journalism or ego-boosting. For a quick primer, see what i taught on The Spirituality of Blogging. And recognize that if God is showing you favor, it is probably not to help you make a name for yourself in a new Babylon, but rather because He trusts you to speak out for Him and His purposes. OK . . sorry for preaching .. now to the SEO stuff . .

Behold, I show you a mystery . . ahem . ..

Now in all honesty, no one really knows for sure what goes into the criteria for selection and aggregation. Some say there are up to 200 factors relating to your site, and your page and your actual post. And these factors change regularly which makes it hard for people to know exactly what the eye of Google sees when it goes to and fro, throughout the whole earth, seeking out those blogs to support and recommend. On top of that, there are actual people who hand-code some of the results and there is no fooling them. Well, not for long, anyway.

And I am guessing that you have discovered a few things also and like Achan’s gold, you are keeping those secrets well hidden. Fair enough. But here is the stuff I have figured out, after noticing that dozens of my posts are ranked Number One, and watching them ascend and descend on Google’s ladder. Of course I might be wrong on some of them and much of this advice may only be good for 2007. But here goes.

4. Getting Found is better than Getting Noticed
Ranking matters, because the world is not flat. Your blog might win all kinds of awards and make Top100 for this and that. Whoop-dy-do! Most of these are based on daily hits or permanent links or the opinion of a well known blogger who gets traffic from your site, which is all very nice and a great way to pat ourselves on the back as we watch our heads swell. But in all actuality, it doesn’t count for much. What really counts is having the right people find the stuff you publish, whether it is your theological manifesto or a photo of how your cat looks like Charlie Chaplin. Which mine does. It might be 5 people or 5 thousand. It might be the Queen or it might be your grandmother. If the right people find what you have posted for them on your blog then you are successful. Thats why your strategy must focus on post findability and authority instead of hype and self-pimping and why you shouldn’t get discouraged by the dwindling amount of daily visitors.

5. Great Posts are Better than a Great Site
Your individual blog posts may get found even though your blog site sucks. This is good news if you are a new blogger or if your blog site ranks poorly. This is why I suggested awarding the best blog POSTS in 2006 as well as the best blog sites. If you want to make a splash in 2007, then make your individual blog posts perform on the search engines. Write them with searches in mind. Use key words in the title of your blog post and use these words in the post. Link widely to people who agree and disagree with you. Open up for comments because those comments are more links. Do what you need to get those posts found.

6. Build on your Successes.
Find out what your highest ranking posts are by reading what people type into the search engine to get to your site. Typepad makes this info available in the stats area of the control panel. If you find a few posts of yours that make the Top 5 ranking, then go back and give them an upgrade. Make sure all the links work, and add a few more. The search engines are impressed when you make edits on your old post. It tells them your post is still alive and being updated. What i often do is add the word “Update” to the new section and “Original” to the old.

7. Be Clear Which Post is King.
When it comes to search engine ranking, you are often competing with yourself. Sometimes one single killer post on your site is better than ten small posts. A multitude of posts actually confuses the search engines which are looking for one decent post to put forward. And there is another problem: you may have a post in a series that ranks Number One but it is the wrong post, or worse, it is one of the lamest posts out of your selection. If this is the case, you need to educate Google and get it pointing to where it should. Internal linking will help this process. If you are doing a series, give thought to which post will be king. If Google still cant figure it out, start with the highest ranking post and flesh it out to make it king. Its a bit cumbersome to do it this way but it works. Its kinda like when the prophet Samuel selected little David and not his big brothers. Sometimes you just have to go with the one who has already been chosen.

Also, If the search engines find a number of well performing posts, they will sometimes give you two placings on the chart, one post immediately under the other. I call this a “double whammy”. It rocks when this happens. I would rather have a double whammy of Number 2 and Number 3 instead of a single Number 1. People dont always pick the top ranking post. They will often glance at the top 5 or 6 before making a decision. And if you are placed twice while everyone else only has one, then you have a good chance of getting picked. So when you find one, keep it happy.

Still reading? Great. Congratulations on your perseverance. Here we go . .

8. Blast From the Past.
We faith bloggers are called to be a new kind of scribe, teachers of God’s law who pull out treasures from our storehouse both old and new. There are times when i pull an old high-ranking post out of retirement and bring it into the present by adjusting the date. It already has the links, and the ranking, and the search engines are familiar with it so it kicks butt. I keep it honest by saying when it was first published. I am not sure if Google still treats it as an old post and awards it kudos for history or if it sees the modified date and thinks it is new. Tell me if you know.

9. Two Step.
I believe the title of your blog post is one of the key factors in search engine ranking. If you dont believe me, take a look at what blog posts rank higher than yours and look for the key words in their title. Here is a little trick that I have discovered and haven’t really told anyone. Until now . . that is. I often name my blog posts twice. I call it the “Two Step”. My first naming gives it the permanent URL in which i try to include the key words someone will use in a search. Typepad only allows me 15 characters including spaces so I will count them out carefully before publishing my post and getting my fixed URL. When that is done, I bring the post back to edit mode and give it a catchier title or something I find more fun and appealing.

BTW - I have requested Typepad to allow more characters and they are looking into it.

10. Smarten Up Your Inbound Links.
If you give out your URL, try writing out the full address of the post you want that person to read. If you comment often on other people’s blogs, which of course you should do, you might want to consider leaving a smart URL that leads to your related post, rather than another generic URL to the main page of your site. The link you leave will give your post more kudos.

12. Post it and Then Pad it.
Its often age before beauty in the rankings and history counts. When a story breaks, and you have something to say, then write something short and publish it straight away. It may take Google a day or two to find your post and by that time, you would have edited it a few times, added the necessary links and perhaps have one or two inbound links that will boost your post by the time the eye of Google arrives. The search engines look for history and who was there earliest. Might as well be you if you have something to say. Jumping in soon can often pay dividends.

13. A Scholarly Post Should Look Scholarly.
Not every post needs to be scholarly but sometimes you want to say something that is. The search engines will look at its form and shape. Its a bit like dressing up in a suit and tie for a special occasion. Dress up your blog post with bullet points, correct spelling, proper paragraphs, quotes from experts and links to other scholarly articles.

14. Avoid the Appearance of Spam.
Spam is the enemy. Spam is evil. You have to watch the company you keep. Google does not want to be embarrassed by introducing spammers to its page of recommended sites, nor the associates of spammers and not even sites that look like spam sites. Anything you do to distance yourself from spam will help you in the search engine ranking. So do not walk with spammers or sit down with spammers or lie down with spammers. Dont link to spam sites. Don’t mention them by name. Don’t allow spam-comments or spam-trackbacks to stay on your site, lest Google thinks your blog is related to them. If the spamosphere continues to threaten the blogosphere in the near future, then having a paid blogging service (like Typepad) rather than a free one will pay off because spam-blogs usually choose the free platforms and the cheap domain names (.info).

15. Don’t Love To Be First.
Coming first in the Google race can be an idol and it can also be inappropriate if someone else should be there. Sometimes its good NOT to be number one. There is a place for getting your post found and perhaps your post deserves that waterfront location on the search engine results BUT there is also a place for allowing others to be first or in control of their own story. I hope that you will find yourself on top of the hill during 2007 to say the things God has put on your heart. But I also hope you have the wisdom and constraint to bow out of the rankings and push others up above yourself. You don’t always have to be first. Don’t be like Diotrephes, who loved to be first (3 John 1:19) but rather mimic John the Baptist who decided to decrease so that Christ might increase.
Or in the words of George Whitefield, “May the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified.”

Mouse Gestures are a fast way to execute commands without using the keyboard, menus or toolbars. Instead, the userholds down a mouse button (usually the right one), moves the mouse in a certain way to form a gesture, then releases the mouse button.

In web browsers like Mozilla Firefox or the Mozilla Suite, gestures are used to go back or forward a page, switch between tabs, open multiple links at once, control text or image size, and numerous other functions.

However, gestures are in no way limited to browsers: the Mouse Gestures extension also supports Mozilla Thunderbird, Mail and News (Mozilla’s built-in email client) and Chatzilla.

From my little time using this nice add-on I was very impressed with its functionality. It allowed me to do everything the buttons at the top do without ever going to the top of the page. I would say it once you get into the routine of using this add-on it will save you ALOT of browsing time.

Get Mouse Gestures here

Open A New Tab

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1. Use lists.
2. Be topical… write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless… write posts that will be readable in a year.
6. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
7. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
8. Announce news.
9. Write short, pithy posts.
10. Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.
11. Don’t write about your cat, your boyfriend or your kids.
12. Write long, definitive posts.
13. Write about your kids.
14. Be snarky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, daring them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
15. Be sycophantic. Share linklove and expect some back.
16. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
17. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
18. Coin a term or two.
19. Do email interviews with the well-known.
20. Answer your email.
21. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
22. Be anonymous.
23. Encourage your readers to digg your posts. (and to use furl and reddit). Do it with every post.
24. Post your photos on flickr.
25. Encourage your readers to subscribe by RSS.
26. Start at the beginning and take your readers through a months-long education.
27. Include comments so your blog becomes a virtual water cooler that feeds itself.
28. Assume that every day is the beginning, because you always have new readers.
29. Highlight your best posts on your Squidoo lens.
30. Point to useful but little-known resources.
31. Write about stuff that appeals to the majority of current blog readers–like gadgets and web 2.0.
32. Write about Google.
33. Have relevant ads that are even better than your content.
34. Don’t include comments, people will cross post their responses.
35. Write posts that each include dozens of trackbacks to dozens of blog posts so that people will notice you.
36. Run no ads.
37. Keep tweaking your template to make it include every conceivable bell or whistle.
38. Write about blogging.
39. Digest the good ideas of other people, all day, every day.
40. Invent a whole new kind of art or interaction.
41. Post on weekdays, because there are more readers.
42. Write about a never-ending parade of different topics so you don’t bore your readers.
43. Post on weekends, because there are fewer new posts.
44. Don’t interrupt your writing with a lot of links.
45. Dress your blog (fonts and design) as well as you would dress yourself for a meeting with a stranger.
46. Edit yourself. Ruthlessly.
47. Don’t promote yourself and your business or your books or your projects at the expense of the reader’s attention.
48. Be patient.
49. Give credit to those that inspired, it makes your writing more useful.
50. Ping technorati. Or have someone smarter than me tell you how to do it automatically.
51. Write about only one thing, in ever-deepening detail, so you become definitive.
52. Write in English.
53. Better, write in Chinese.
54. Write about obscure stuff that appeals to an obsessed minority.
55. Don’t be boring.
56. Write stuff that people want to read and share.

So, you’re seeing too many of those how to and list headlines, and want to try a few different angles?

Let’s move beyond those common headline formulas you see over and over, and add some new blood to your attention-grabbing arsenal.

1. Who Else Wants [blank]?

Starting a headline with “Who Else Wants…” is a classic social proof strategy that implies an already existing consensus desire. While overused in the Internet marketing arena, it still works like gangbusters for other subject matter.

• Who Else Wants a Great Blog Template Design?
• Who Else Wants a Higher Paying Job?
• Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress When on Vacation?

2. The Secret of [blank]

This one is used quite a bit, but that’s because it works. Share insider knowledge and translate it into a benefit for the reader.

• The Secret of Successful Podcasting
• The Secret of Protecting Your Assets in Litigation
• The Secret of Getting Your Home Loan Approved

3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]

Simply identify your target audience and the benefit you can provide them, and fill in the blanks.

• Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance
• Here is a Method That is Helping Children Learn to Read Sooner
• Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles

4. Little Known Ways to [blank]

A more intriguing (and less common) way of accomplishing the same thing as “The Secret of…” headline.

• Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill
• Little Known Ways to Hack Google’s Gmail
• Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Quickly and Safely

5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

A classic formula that identifies either a painful problem or an unfulfilled desire that the reader wants to remedy.

• Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All
• Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All
• Get Rid of That Lame Mullet Hairdo Once and For All

6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

People love quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging problem.

• Here’s a Quick Way to Get Over a Cold
• Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior
• Here’s a Quick Way to Backup Your Hard Drive

7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]

The is the classic “have your cake and eat it too” headline — and who doesn’t like that?

• Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money
• Now You Can Meet Sexy Singles Online Without Spending a Dime
• Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

8. [Do something] like [world-class example]

Gatorade milked this one fully with the “Be Like Mike” campaign featuring Michael Jordan in the early 1990s.

• Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat
• Party Like Paris Hilton
• Blog Like an A-Lister

9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

Appeal to vanity, dissatisfaction, or shame. Enough said.

• Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of
• Have a Smile You Can Be Proud Of
• Build a Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of

10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]

Big curiosity draw with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.

• What Everybody Ought to Know About ASP
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Writing Great Headlines

If you set expectations high and fail to live up to them you will lose trust and credibility. This concept applies to every endeavour in life, whether we talk about business, relationships or blogging. How should you cope with expectations? Underpromise and overdeliver, always.

Bloggers need to consider this factor both in terms of quantity and quality. Should I decide to write three times a week on this blog people would probably lose some interest, after all the name says “Daily Blog Tips”. Notice that in order to be daily all I would need to do is to write one post per day, but I try to overdeliver and write at least three posts daily.

Secondly, bloggers must also consider the expectations they create regarding the quality and usefulness of the posts. If you promise to change people’s life with your blog you better do it or else they will feel that you are not living up to your purpose. What should you expect from Daily Blog Tips? Simple and effective tips to improve your blog. Nothing more, nothing less.

Make sure you meet the expectations of your readers both in terms of quantity and quality. Better yet, underpromise and overdeliver!

If you set expectations high and fail to live up to them you will lose trust and credibility. This concept applies to every endeavour in life, whether we talk about business, relationships or blogging. How should you cope with expectations? Underpromise and overdeliver, always.

Bloggers need to consider this factor both in terms of quantity and quality. Should I decide to write three times a week on this blog people would probably lose some interest, after all the name says “Daily Blog Tips”. Notice that in order to be daily all I would need to do is to write one post per day, but I try to overdeliver and write at least three posts daily.

Secondly, bloggers must also consider the expectations they create regarding the quality and usefulness of the posts. If you promise to change people’s life with your blog you better do it or else they will feel that you are not living up to your purpose. What should you expect from Daily Blog Tips? Simple and effective tips to improve your blog. Nothing more, nothing less.

Make sure you meet the expectations of your readers both in terms of quantity and quality. Better yet, underpromise and overdeliver!

Starting a blog is no big deal, but how to prepare yourself for making it successful and popular from the beginning is one. So before you start blogging put on your spectacles(Its good if you can do without them) and do some research, on whatever you have decided to blog upon.

Your Blogging Strategies will start from where you start planning about your blog. Like its name, the domain name you’ll use for your blog, what platform you are going to use, how will it be designed and everything else. A reader of mine mentioned in his comment that Strategies change from time to time. According to Wikipedia - “A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often “winning”. Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand.”

Strategy is a plan of action resulting from the need to reach of specific goal.

If you know your goal, and plan a course of action, stick to it. Changing of routes daily will help you get nowhere. Planning a Strategy takes in a lot of research of the market and developing it accordingly will help you achieve your destination. Following Hit and Trial method is usually applied with tactics, not Strategies.

I’ll pick up an example from Hindu Mythology. I would not get into much crucial details because we are not having a history class here. There were five brothers who were being thought shooting with the help of bow and arrow. Their teacher took their test one day. Each one of them was required to shoot a parrot in the eye(I hope it was a dummy parrot, I am an animal lover). Teacher asked them one by one what they saw. Each of them described the trees and the sky except one. This was the only one who could actually shoot the parrot in the eye. When he was asked what he saw he replied he saw the eye of the parrot. His aim was clear and he knew what he wanted from his course of action. He strategically shot accordingly to accomplish his goal, and he won. So your goal and focus should be crystal clear so that your strategies do not fail.

What are Your Blogging Strategies…

Strategies depend on each individual and his business, so defining Strategies for everyone is not possible(If you are interested to ask me to plan out your strategies, you can drop by a comment) . What I can guide you here through is how you should go about deciding what’s best for you and your business.

Step 1: Decide what you want from your blog, and how it should achieve your goals regarding your business model and develop your strategy accordingly.

Step 2: Research your market and your competition.

Step 3: List the points where your competition might be missing. Your competitions weakness should be your Strength.

Step 4: Your Blog should be interactive. Initiate an honest conversation with your audience.

Step 5: Remember, Blog is an extension to your personality. So, just because a topic is popular, you start blogging about it to attract traffic will reflect in your writing. You have to be passionate about what you write, and in addition to that you should be an expert in that field.

When you have ever increasing cloud of blogs and everyone wanting to achieve the very best for themselves, it is getting tougher day by day to actually achieve the zenith of popularity. Blogging has become very easy and profitable exercise, and your blog a part of your existence. With an ever increasing blogosphere, you need to make your own space, so that you can get known for your work and efforts, to actually make a little fortune from it, whether in terms of income or traffic.

As an offline business owner you might like to have an advertising budget and hire a few marketing professionals to generate brand awareness for your company who would look after your public relations with the media and others. Getting online fame is not much different as being popular offline as an individual. Lets take a few offline fundas of getting known. Get more people to know you as friends or acquaintances by being socially active, do something that create news, be helpful to others so that they appreciate you(this is inbuilt not a funda, but guess still makes you known), be a leader of thoughts or initiate and manage events, become an expert of certain aspects so people come to you for your advice etc.

Although if you have struggled helplessly and came to a conclusion that its very difficult to create a large audience for your blog or that you need an advertising budget, I am going to prove you wrong, sire, very wrong. Though the first and foremost is presenting a good blog, the rest goes easy. The content of your blog is what matters most and how professionally you present it. No matter what your advertising budget is, or how much you put into creating back links, if your content is not worthwhile forget about any sort fame. Whether you blog about golf or internet marketing, people will read your say if it provides them what they need. What is there in your blog that others don’t?

Promotion of your blog isn’t what you think it is and it is not that difficult as you think it might be. You cannot promote your blog without providing anything useful and you can still get your blog to the very top even if you are a newbie.

A knack for your niche, an expert’s view and a heart to help others can easily get you started. Blogs do not exist in Vacuum and you need to be socially active in the blogosphere and an ongoing updating of your blog is the basic necessity. I know sometimes there actually isn’t enough time to write quality articles frequently but guess, you got to give something to get something. You will also have to reach other bloggers through your shout-outs, reviews and comments, linking relevant and good posts to provide must read information.

Here is a small list of what all should do to get your blog noticed:-

1. Try to get fame for others, the more you give the more you get.
2. Search engine optimize well.
3. Comment on others blogs, create a conversation.
4. Provide RSS feeds for your blog.
5. Be an expert of your field and provide quality content.
6. Get yourself listed in major directories.
7. Pick up products and provide first hand user experience.
8. People do not talk about you if you are a part of the crowd. You need to be innovative and creative.
9. Get yourself noticed by the A-list Bloggers(I’ll soon tell you how)
10. Add a viral effect to your blog, be contagious.
11. Try Linkbating.
12. Use Social Network Sites to your benefit, without depending on them(Atleast they will help in Branding).

Though promoting your blog takes constant hard work but avoiding it will actually ruin your chances to get popular. Good promotion also helps you to upgrade the quality of your work.

There are many advertising networks out there connecting content publishers (i.e. bloggers) with advertisers. The advantage of those networks is that they can tap a wide range of advertisers, something that would be very difficult for a small blogger. Secondly they also have economies of scale to deal with thousands of ads monthly and consequently a higher credibility.

That said, such networks also have a huge drawback, they usually eat half of your money. Text-Link-Ads, for instance, places simple text links on your site. You can decide the amount of links you want to put on your blog, and based on a couple of parameters (traffic, topic, pagerank, etc.) they will calculate a monthly price per link. Suppose the price is $50 monthly per link, this means that an advertiser will pay $50 dollars to put the link on your site, but you will receive only $25 and Text-Link-Ads will eat the other $25.

Subscribing with advertising networks can be an option if you don’t have time to sell advertising yourself or if just want to make a couple of bucks to pay your hosting bills. If you are serious about your blog and if the traffic is starting to grow steadily, however, I highly recommend that you create your own “Advertise” page to deal directly with potential advertisers, cutting out the middle man.

You can customize your advertise page in whatever way you prefer, but a good way to structure it is to divide the page in three main paragraphs. On the first paragraph you need to describe what topic your site deal with, who are your readers (age, geographical locations, profession, or anything else that describes them) and what kind of traffic or exposure the site is receiving. Notice that the more precise you get the better.

This week we’ve been looking at the practice of guest blogging. So far we’ve covered why guest blogging is good, how to find guest bloggers for your blog and how to get guest blogging jobs. Today I want to finish this mini-series of posts by looking at one last question:

How do I be a Good Guest Blogger?

So you’ve got the guest blogging gig - perhaps its for a week while the blogger is away, perhaps it’s just a one off slot - but how should you approach it? Here are six things to keep in mind:

1. Research the Blog - do a little homework on the blog that you’ll be writing for. Your posts will be much better received both by the blogger you’re helping out as well as their readers by finding answering some of the following questions before you start writing:

• who reads it?
• what voice or style does the blogger write in?
• what is the reach of the topic that is usually covered?
• what posts get most comments?
• what level is the blog pitched at
• what are the unwritten rules of the blog?

With this information in mind you’ll be in a much better position to write something that meets the needs of the reader, blogger and yourself.

2. On Being Yourself - one of the fine lines that you need to walk as a guest blogger is that between being yourself and respecting the culture already established on the blog you’re posting on.

While I would strongly recommend that you write in your own voice and style I think it’s important not to take the blog in a completely different direction while the blogger you’re helping out is away. While some readers won’t mind a radical change some will react against it and the blogger could come back to a disgruntled readership.

3. Look for Gaps in the blog - one of the reasons that I love having a guest blogger come on at my blogs is that they bring a different skill set and knowledge base to the blog to my own. I attempt to find bloggers who will add something unique and different to the topic I’m discussion (while writing in a style that fits with mine).

As a guest blogger you can really get on the radar of your readers by fulfilling a need in readers and plugging a gap in the topic of the niche.

4. Sell Yourself - as part of the agreement that you have with the blogger that you’re helping out negotiate a byline (or by-paragraph) that will enable you to sell yourself (within reason). Include a link back to your blog and RSS feed as well as a brief biographical/descriptive sentence or two about who you are and what you do.

Link back to your site if you have something write on topic that adds something to the post - but don’t fill your posts with self referential links - this looks cheap and nasty.

Another aspect of selling yourself is sharing some of your story. While blog readers ultimately want great content on a blog - many also want to connect and relate to the person they’re reading to. This doesn’t mean writing a biographical post but it could mean sharing some of your experiences on the topic at hand.

Lastly, part of selling yourself is to consider what is happening on your own blog during your guest posting stint. If you blog on someone else’s blog for a week but let your own slip you don’t provide those who come over to check more of your work out with much incentive to stick around. If anything - the times that you guest post you should put a concerted effort into making bigger efforts onto your own blog as it’s an opportunity to find new readers.

5. Be Reliable - if you commit to post daily for a week - post daily for a week. If you promise to write a series on a certain topic - finish the series and don’t leave it hanging mid stream.

If you can’t meet your commitments you let the blogger and their readers down and could damage your own reputation. It’s better to set lower expectations and over deliver than to promise the world and not deliver to the expectations that you’ve set.

6. Add Value - don’t view guest blogging as purely an opportunity for you to get new readers and promote yourself. Remember the reason that we talked about guest blogging being a good thing was that it was a win win win situation where you as the guest blogger might raise your profile but where the blogger and their readers need to come away from the interaction better off too.

Add genuine value to the blog you are writing on and you’ll win yourself new fans with readers and the blogger and could just find yourself with a regular guest blogging spot.

Being a good guest blogger is like being a good guest in any situation. Do everything in your power to leave the place you are visiting in better shape than when you arrived and you’ll create a great impression.

When creating a link you can insert the attribute to make that link open in a new browser window. I must confess that I used to do that mistake when I started blogging. The logic was quite simple: “I will add the target attribute so that when users click on external links they will not leave my website but rather have a new window opened”.

The flaw behind this reasoning comes from the fact that opening unrequested browser windows will only upset the reader. You should leave the decision about where to open the link entirely to the end user. Also, do not worry about sending visitors to another websites, there is a reason why most browsers come with a huge “Back” button!

Update: If you are not convinced about this, read here, here, here and here.