Blogging can appear to be very simple, since it seems like everyone today has one. There are many people from different walks of life that are starting to blog. However, there are important decisions involved with a successful blog, and having a plan is a crucial part of this. Use the tips in this piece to create a blog that works for your needs.

A great way to increase traffic to your own blog is to leave comments on other blogs. Google Reader is a great way to organize and manage other interesting but related blogs. Comment on those blogs whenever you have something interesting to say about the topic.

Use link building to increase the amount of visitors to your blog. Doing so is a powerful way to bring in more traffic to your blog.

Keep a top ten list so people have a quick view of your blog’s topics. This will allow your visitors to decide if reading your blog will be worth their time. It will also help your blog rank higher on search engine listings.

Blog often. Don’t be like other beginning bloggers who don’t update their blog frequently after starting it. This mistake will cost you readers. Readers’ interest may be piqued at first, but they will become annoyed if they have to wait for new posts all the time. Something you can try that works is to post in your blog at least once a week and provide email updates.

Make sure your posts are brief yet to the point. Although you should give readers the details they are looking for, too much information can bore them. People who read blogs look for clear and concise information rather than complicated details. They want you to get to the point.

Stay on top of the blogging practices of others in your niche, and try to keep yourself a step ahead at all times. Remember that the other bloggers writing about the same topic are competing with you for readers. You need to know what they’re doing, so that you can stay ahead of them. Your competition will probably be scoping you out with the same ideas in mind.

When you post videos to your blog, ensure you only embed videos that can play on any Internet connection or browser. Many people are still surfing on slower connections. If your blog contains slow loading videos or videos that fail to play properly, people will probably leave your blog pretty quickly.

Set up your recommended article list in a series of tabbed zones. You can also highlight your key articles above your sidebars. You can create a custom tabbed zone that contains the most important articles for your most relevant categories. Tabs increase your page’s usability and increase the probability of your reader clicking on the tabbed material.

Focusing on your content ensures that you gain traffic through well written blog posts. When you have honest, personal, quality content, readers are more likely to return.

Attract more traffic by using social networking to promote your blog. Create a Facebook page centered around your blog, and invite your followers to like it. Tweet some of your blog posts to Twitter as well. Choose the most interesting posts to tweet. Don’t use this too much because you may look like a spammer. When done well, however, this can have positive benefits for the amount of traffic your website receives and increase the amount of readers you get.

Be honest about what you do and don’t know. Don’t look like someone who is a “know-it-all”. Demonstrate honesty and transparency at all times. This must be done consistently. Your blog should be an expression of your individuality. Do not waste any time attempting to reach perfection. Instead, do your best and make improvements consistently. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you make one, it’s not the end of the world. No two people are exactly alike, so be happy you are you.

Try to be there for your readers constantly. Be consistent in the frequency of your blog and your responses to comments. If your readers feel like they can rely on you, then they will be more consistent in their own commitment to your blog. If you feel like ending your blog, think of your regular readers and followers.

Regularly post new content to your blog. In order to keep your current subscribers visiting your blog, you need to keep giving them new content to read. Regular new content will also help you to attract new visitors. Without new content, your visitors will not be compelled to visit your blog, or even return! Post at least daily to keep your readers coming back for more.

Include images in your blog posts. Everyone knows that a picture can represent more than mere words. That is definitely true in the area of blogging. Pictures you post can show more than your words can portray. As a result, it makes sense to incorporate pictures wherever possible.

The content of your blog should not be so formal. Blogs are social formats. It’s important you treat it like this. Keep your content fun and interesting and connect to your readers in an informal way that will leave them wanting more.

It’s best to use bullet lists as whenever you can. It can also be helpful to bold and italicize your keywords. Your site will become more accessible to search engines, and that will increase your traffic. This tip can help get more readers to your blog.

Add a brief snippet of relevant content close to your link bar. The link bar is often very popular. In this area, show your total number of subscribers. Use it as a subscription aid, since this area lacks the same popularity as the head or foot of a post.

Blogging appears to be easy at first glance. Everybody is interested in imparting his or her thoughts and information. Soon, though, you see that you need to make some decisions and develop a real plan. Using the information above, you should be better prepared to take on the challenge of building a blog.