Successful Blog Community News

Filed Under Audience, Community, Successful Blog, ZZZ-FUN | 6 Comments

Great Discussion

If you weren’t able to join us back stage after Brian Shih’s article on sidebars, you might check out the comments section that follows it. We had a great discussion on sidebar design with several people bringing in examples of a variety of design options to use while making a point about what works or doesn’t work.

It was hands-down the best example of community discussion in action I’ve ever seen. Way cool! We’ve got something really special happening here.

Thanks to everyone who participated. It really was fun as well as enlightening.

Can we do that again soon. Huh? Can we? Can we?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

SEO–The Value of Outlinks to MY Blog

Filed Under Audience, Links, Marketing, SEO, Successful Blog, Tips | 9 Comments

It started in the most natural way, someone read a post of mine and wrote one in response. I liked the response and respected the blog that it came from. I wanted my readers to know about it. It happened more than once. So I setup a feature called Two in a Row. It looked like this:

Two in a Row
Read this
Leaving a Guy a Place to Stand (the post on my site)

Then read this
Giving a Guy a Place to Stand (the post on the other site)

I had built an outlink. Later, when my post became archived, I transferred the outlink to the post.

On the surface, a cynic might say such outlinks only serve the receiving site, but I disagree on several points. Here’s my best thinking on it.

These outlinks serve readers and serving readers is why we’re here.
Outlinks to quality sites get readers to associate us with good information, which means they’re likely to return.
If I combine quality content with quality outlinks, the receiving blogs will be inclined to link back when the occasion arises. After all, they are already reading my blog, or the outlink would never have happened.
Outlinks connect my content to other quality content which underscores the relevancy of my content and that of the receiver.

All of these values add strength to the community. In terms of community, generosity is always good.

–Me “Liz” Strauss

deep dark blue strip A

The rest of this week: More on Links and How Google Ranks Pages

The Sidebar Is How Readers Know Things

Filed Under Audience, Design, Guest Writer, Successful Blog, Survival Kit, Tips | 32 Comments

Brian Shih of Brian Shih.com offers suggestions for Improving sidebar usability in his post on blog sidebar design.

Who wants to read about sidebars?

Think of your sidebar as a reader does, and you’ll soon enough realize that it’s a critical part of a blog. It’s your readers’ grounding point. The sidebar, after all, is how our readers know things–like who we are and what we offer.

In this well-researched post, Brian discusses the use of sidebar components, quoting experts and adding his own viewpoint to bring the article back down to the ground. He also takes examples from real-life–the blogs of Steve Rubel and Paul Stamatiou.

Though I disagree with Brian’s comments on a “popular posts” section–I’ve had great success with mine–this article is a solid review of design basics and worth the time of every reader–either as a first time hit or a quick reminder. That’s why I’m adding it to the Successful Blog Survival Kit.

Brian ends the post with his own thoughts on side bar usage. (Note the great example of a collaborative link–a thank you to a colleague for looking over the article.)

When WAS the last time you thought about your sidebar?

Thanks Brian for sharing this design post with us. A community blog needs to hear from many voices. I’m glad yours was one.

It’d be great to hear a response to what Brian brought to the table. So have a read, and come back to leave a comment. We’ve hardly talked design and navigation. What are your experiences with sidebars? Tell me what has worked on your blog?

Talk to me. Let’s discuss it. I get in trouble. when I’m alone.

ME “Liz” Strauss

Think Before You Intra-link

Filed Under Audience, Links, SEO, Successful Blog | 11 Comments

You show your CD collection to a friend. She mentions that a certain CD is her favorite. You say, “If you like that, you ought to hear this. . . . ”

It’s the same when you’re writing a post, and you realize what you’re saying ties neatly with something you wrote last week, last month, or last year. You have to link to it. Your readers deserve to hear about it.

The Value of Intra-Links

Internal links or intra-links have three key values.

They offer readers more content on a subject they’re interested in.
They increase your page views when readers follow them.
When you use well-thought descriptive anchor text, they help search engines interpret the content of your blog.

Well-Thought Descriptive Anchor Text

Am I choosing for myself or for my readers? A random survey that I did shows that just about everyone could be better at anchor test. Text that says click here or this is not choosing for readers, nor is it well-thought, descriptive anchor text.

Well-thought anchor text states where the link goes so that when readers arrive, they’ll know they’re in the right place. The strongest anchor text uses keywords to show the relationship between this page and the next. The anchor text lets the reader and the search engine see the content connection–the relevancy–between the two documents.

Well-thought linking adds structure and context to how people and search engines see your blog.

Example 1: See my earlier post called “Think Before You Link,” which also talks about thinking through your link choices.

Example 2: You might also be interested in reading about using intra-links as blog promotion tools.

Intra-links draw readers further into your blog the same way they draw in search engine spiders. Readers become more involved and more a part of your blog with each link they follow. The involvement leads to a comfort-zone, a sense of belonging.

Who doesn’t want to look, when a friend says you have to see this?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

[via Aaron Matthew Wall, SEO Book]

Writing for a Diverse Readership

Filed Under Audience, Content, Successful Blog, Writing | 15 Comments

I sit down to write about a complex topic. My first thought? Here I go again.

I’m about to battle with myself about the appropriate writing level for this topic. I say for the topic not for the reader because my readership is diverse–you have many levels of experience.

I’ve been writing for diverse skill groups for almost three decades. I’ve also been training editors to do the same thing. There are some mistakes that everyone makes, and some techniques that can make what you write more more useful and engaging for at least 80% of your readers.

80-20 spectrum

These are some tips on writing for a readership that includes beginners to experts. Let’s imagine I’m one of those readers. Here’s what I want you to do.

Write for someone who’s like you, but doesn’t know what you know about this topic. Choose a voice you’d be comfortable reading. Take an approach that makes sense to you. Use a structure that follows your logic. I’ll be grateful that you made clear decisions about presenting the information, because your article will be easy to follow.
Don’t worry about insulting me. Give me information. I’m smart, but that doesn’t mean I know. If you worry about insulting me, you unconsciously omit information. Often that detail you think is obvious is the one detail that I can’t see. You’re more likely to upset me by confusing me than by telling me too much.
I like a well-written review of the basics. Hey, we all forget little things, and we all like to feel smart. As long as you don’t beat me over the head with stuff, I don’t mind hearing good information again. I learned the value of review in school. Just don’t make me feel like I’ll be tested on it.

Two points are for bloggers who might be nervous.

Do all you can not to be self-conscious. Writers who are too aware of their readers, thinking too much of what their readers might think, write in a way that makes readers uncomfortable. If you think you are worried that readers might see you as unqualified, ask someone to read your work before you post it. It’s likely that you need to add some confidence.
Don’t end your post with a sentence that says, “I hope you really liked what I wrote.” You’ve given me advice as an expert. I want to believe you are one. If I’ve made it there, I’m convinced–to say that tells me I might have been wrong.

Keep in mind that some expert readers may want to help out a beginner, and you’ll have more confidence writing the basics, especially if you’re worried that they already know them. But before you convince yourself that all of your experts know all of the basics, think of how fast things change and how many self-taught people there are. If you are thorough in your writing, there is a good chance you’ll be teaching some of your experts something they didn’t know too.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You're only a stranger once.

Great Discussion

Who wants to read about sidebars?

The Value of Intra-Links

Well-Thought Descriptive Anchor Text

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