A couple of months ago, Darren Rowse of Problogger wrote something on Google+ about blogging that caught my attention.

It was from a G+ post titled “Traits of Successful Bloggers #6 – Communicators.”

It caught my attention because it contradicted a belief I had about blogging.

Here’s the quote:

“Some might think that this point is all about bloggers having the ability to write well – but that is only part of being a good communicator.

Successful bloggers have a knack of knowing and connecting with readers that goes beyond the way they use words.”

So what’s the big deal? Why did this quote catch my attention?

It caught my attention because, to some degree at least, I still consider blogging to be a genre of writing that needs to be done “well.” And by well, I mean conforming to rules of writing that have been taught in schools for decades and decades. If it doesn’t perfectly conform to these rules, then it’s a complete waste of time.

But that’s just not the case. Blogging is much more than merely writing well, in that sense. It’s about communicating. It’s about conveying your idea to a larger audience.

These ideas may be communicated in well thought out sentences that match every known grammar rule, but they also may not. In the end, if the idea gets communicated that’s what matters.

I’m not arguing for sloth to be rewarded and for every writer to become a blogger that no longer worries about grammar and rules. What I’m trying to say, and what Mr. Rowse said very well, is that blogging is about more than that. It’s about communicating ideas well, and not as much about writing well, per se.

If bloggers are able to do both, that’s awesome. And that also should be the goal. Any improvement in writing benefits the delivery of ideas and influences how people perceive you and what you’ve written. If you leave typos in your prose and you don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” then you’ll lose some credibility with your audience.

But on the other hand, people are willing to overlook these mistakes. They realize that every blogger doesn’t have an editor looking over their shoulder catching every error. And they realize that not every blogger studied rhetoric at an Ivy League Institution.

What they don’t overlook are good ideas that are well thought and out and that connect with readers. They don’t overlook writing that serves the reader and gives him something that he wants.

So remember this: Blogging is about more than writing well. If you do write perfect prose, that’s a plus, but if you don’t, as long as you connect with your audience and communicate ideas that are worth listening to, you can be a blogger.

Don’t let perfectionism scare you from getting started with blog writing. It’s ok if you’re not perfect. Nobody else is anyway.

Just start writing.

Eventually, you’ll become a better writer simply due to the fact that you’re writing more. Focus on communicating the best ideas that you have at your disposal and learn more about writing as you go. In the end, you’ll become a better writer and communicator, and that’s what it’s all about.

Note: For those who are interested in becoming better blog writers, here are two posts that will help:

• 5 High School Grammar Rules Great Writers Learn to Break
•  5 Tips for Writing Significantly Better Blog Posts

A design that stands out from the crowd.

But custom designs are super expensive.

They cost at least a few thousand dollars.

That’s great for the guys (and gals) who can afford it, but for everyone else, what’s the easiest and cheapest way to get a beautiful blog design?

Let’s find out.

The Easiest (and Cheapest) Way to Get a Beautiful Blog

Buying a premium theme is the easiest and cheapest way to get a beautiful blog design.

Instead of paying a designer for a custom theme, you pay a theme company for a beautifully designed premium theme.

It’s that easy.

You buy a theme for between $40 and $100, you install the theme, and then instantly, you have a beautiful blog design.

A design that stands out.

A design that would cost thousands of dollars if you paid to have it custom made.

What’s not to like about that?

Why Premium Themes Are Better Than Free

The problem with free themes is that they never look good enough.

They look cheap (unless customized), and it’s impossible to get every feature you want on a single theme.

I’ve been there, scouring the free themes for hours trying to find the perfect one, installing it, and then scouring for hours more one week later because the first one doesn’t look right.

Forget about wasting valuable time looking for the perfect free theme. It doesn’t exist! I’m convinced!

Instead, drop a little cash for a premium design you like and that looks great.

You’ll save time which is money, and you’ll have a beautifully designed site that looks awesome.

Which themes are the best?

So which premium themes should you consider?

I’m convinced that Studiopress themes are the best of the best.

They’re built on the Genesis framework that has built in SEO controls (awesome!) and the code is super easy to work with (in case you ever need a developer to customize the theme).

Other premium themes can have code that’s difficult to work with. I’m not going to name which one, but I’ve had problems with customizing certain premium themes.

That’s a hassle.

With a Studiopress theme on the Genesis framework, you get a beautifully designed theme on a premium framework that makes it easy to optimize for search engines and has clean code for customizing.

Awesome.

Just in case you’d like more options (let’s face it, their designs won’t fit everyone’s need), here are some other great premium themes:

• Woothemes: Beautifully designed themes from a popular theme developer
• Photocrati: Awesome themes for photographers
• Pagelines: Elegant designs with easy drag and drop customization (you can view an example at Jeff Goins’ blog)

In Case You Need a Little Help

In case you need a little help installing and tweaking your theme, we can do that for you. (That happens to be why we’re named Blogtweaks, just in case you didn’t know…)

We can install any of these themes and tweak them to look exactly like you want them to look. We offer:

• Guided blog transfers to switch your site to self hosting so you can take advantage of beautiful premium themes.
• A WordPress starter kit for anyone looking to start a blog off on the right foot.
• Beautiful blog design in case you’d like to customize a Studipress theme to look exactly like you want.

So what do you think? Are you ready to get a beautifully designed professional blog?

Great. Get out there and buy your theme today!

If you have any questions about these premium themes or the tweaking options, leave a comment below. Thanks!

Between working a full-time job, spending time with family, and taking a little time to relax, there aren’t many hours left over for sitting down to write.

Does this sound familiar?

If it does, here are seven easy ways to free up more time to write the posts you’ve been wanting to write:

#1: Keep track of every idea

When you have time to write, don’t waste it deciding what to write about; instead, before you ever sit down, keep track of every potential post idea that pops into your head.

Write them on a napkin, keep a notebook in your pocket, or maintain a blog post idea file on your computer. Do whatever it takes to log every post idea before it disappears.

Once you log every idea, you’ll never waste time thinking about what to write when you should be writing instead. Even if you find yourself with only an extra 15 minutes, you can write instead of thinking about writing.

#2: Write only the best ideas

You only have so much time to write new posts, so you don’t waste it by writing average post ideas.

Traditional publications know that mediocre articles lose subscribers, so they only publish the most valuable ideas for their readers.

You should do the same.

Since you only have a limited amount of time to write posts, use that valuable time to write only the best post ideas. This will give a greater return for the time you invest in writing.

#3: Forget about your stats

It’s tempting to follow blog stats too closely. Stats are important, but they can also be a waste of time.

You can spend time analyzing stats and celebrating when 20 visitors come to your site instead of 15, or you can spend that time writing more content that will attract new readers.

Writing new content is a much better way to spend your time. The less you pay attention to stats and the more you pay attention to writing new posts, the more your stats will go up.

So remember this: studying stats won’t increase traffic; writing new content will.

#4: Unsubscribe from RSS subscriptions

RSS subscriptions are another time waster. If you follow too many blogs, you’ll spend more time reading posts than writing them.

Publishing new content attracts more readers to your site; reading content does not.

So instead of spending your time reading what other people have written, unsubscribe from all but the most important blogs, and spend more time writing posts. Blogging is all about creating new content, so make sure you have time to do so.

#5: Write shorter posts

If you need more time for writing, consider writing shorter posts.

Shorter posts take less time to write and less time to edit. Not only does a 1500 word post take more time to write than one with 500, but it also takes three times as much time to edit.

In case you’re wondering if shorter posts will negatively affect your audience, readers appreciate short, concise posts that succinctly get ideas across. If the article is written well, they can spend less time to get just as much value. In other words, readers will appreciate your brevity.

#6: Learn to write zero drafts

A zero draft is a rough draft written with the intention of recording an idea without getting bogged down by writer’s block. The goal is to quickly draft a complete post that can be polished later.

Zero drafts can be written by hand when a new idea pops up, or they can be written as a first draft in Word or in Google docs.

Either way, zero drafts a great way to record an idea while creative juices are flowing and help to fight against writer’s block.

#7: Read less and write more

Reading is very important for writing, but it can also get in the way. At some point, you have to make the decision that you don’t want to just consume reading material, you also want to produce it.

Creating content is enjoyable, rewarding, and challenging; it’s also much more exciting than only reading.

As a writer, you should read voraciously, but on the other hand, you need to reserve enough time for writing. It’s important to purposefully read magazines, newspapers, and books less in order to free up more time to write.

You’ve already read tons of content over the course of your lifetime; now that you’re blogging, it’s time to create it.

Conclusion

What are your thoughts? Do you have any secrets for freeing up more time for blog post writing?

Please share them by leaving a comment. Thanks!

Since such a large part of blogging success comes from quality writing that stands out in the crowd of mediocre articles, it behooves blog writers to become better at writing. That’s why the first two books on this list are about writing.

But blogging isn’t only about written content. It’s also about promoting the great posts that get written. No matter how awesome an article is, if no one knows it exists, it won’t get read. That’s where marketing comes in, and that’s why book number three is about marketing.

All three of these books should be at the top of any blogger’s reading list, because all three will help blog writers become better at their craft.

So without further introduction, here are three books that every blog writer should read right now:

Book #1: Writing with Style

Writing with Style is written by John R. Trimble, a professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin. When he taught at Texas, his class was so rigorous, students were required to apply to take it. Do you know any other writing classes where students have to apply to get in? His class was that good.

Not only was his class that good, but his book on writing may be even better. Most people never had the opportunity to benefit from the John R. Trimble writing course, but anyone can benefit from reading Writing with Style. And if you want to become a better writer, you should.

Here’s a sample quote from chapter one that exemplifies what kind of writing help you will receive:

“Most of the novice’s difficulties start with the simple fact that the paper he writes on is mute. Because it never talks back to him, and because he’s concentrating so hard on generating ideas, he readily forgets—unlike the veteran—that another human being will eventually be trying to make sense of what he’s saying. The result? His natural tendency as a writer is to think primarily of himself—hence to write primarily for himself. Here, in a nutshell, lies the ultimate reason for most bad writing.” (p. 4)

By reading this book, not only will you learn that the biggest writing mistake is being self-centered, but you’ll also learn that the secret to good writing is re-writing, the best kind of writing is a conversation between the author and the reader, conversational language is better than pretentious, and the best writers connect every sentence and paragraph to the one before and behind. That’s enough for one book, and those are only a few of the many lessons to be learned in this one.

If your goal is to get better as a blogger, and you can do that by becoming a better writer, there’s no better book than Writing with Style by John R. Trimble. It’s short, it’s helpful, it’s fun, and it’s easy to read. If you want to become a better blog writer, you simply can’t go wrong by reading this book. It’s a definite must read.

For more writing tips from John R. Trimble, watch this short video form LawProse.org. You can also buy a copy of Writing with Style here.

Book #2: On Writing Well

On Writing Well is written by William Zinsser, a journalist and non-fiction writer who also taught writing at Yale University where he was the fifth master of Branford College. This book is considered his classic guide for non-fiction writing, and it’s a well-thought-out exposition that is guaranteed to improve any writer’s prose.

Here is a sample quote from chapter two:

“Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon…But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what–these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to education and rank.” (p. 6)

As you can see, carving out unnecessary phrasing is one of the many lessons to be learned from this book. Others include: the essence of writing being re-writing, readers wanting writers to sound genuine and to not put on airs, writers being most natural when writing in first person, and that writing is the only way to learn how to write. These are but a few of the many lessons to be learned.

If you only have time for a single writing book, Writing with Style is the one. It’s short, fun, extremely helpful, and easy to read. But if you’d like a second book that offers a more in-depth exposition on writing from one of the best non-fiction authors and teachers of all time, you should also pick up a copy of On Writing Well. You’ll be happy you did.

To read more by William Zinsser, check out his weekly blog column—Zinsser on Friday. You can also buy a copy of On Writing Well here.

Book #3: Buzz Marketing

As mentioned previously, blogging is about two things—writing and marketing. Bloggers need to be good at both. With the first two books covering the writing side, Buzz Marketing takes care of the other.

It’s written by Mark Hughes who has an MBA from the Columbia business school, is the son of a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and has worked in marketing at PepsiCo’s Pizza Hut division, Pep Boys, and America Mobile Satellite. He also grew Half.com from zero to 8 million users in three years as VP of marketing.

Mr. Hughes has a substantial resume. So what has made him so successful? A lot of it has to do with his belief that traditional advertising isn’t the best way to increase awareness and generate revenue for companies. Instead, he believes in buzz marketing tactics that cost less and are much more effective.

By reading this book, you’ll learn that you should push the six buttons of buzz marketing, which are: 1) the taboo 2) the unusual 3) the outrageous 4) the hilarious 5) the remarkable 6) the secrets (both kept and revealed) (p.29).

You’ll also learn how to increase word-of-mouth marketing:

“The entire crux of word-of-mouth marketing is giving people a great story to tell. Why? Because most of us love to be the center of attention; we love to have something interesting, amusing, or novel to talk about, something others will find entertaining, fun to hear . . . and will remember us for having brightened their day a little.” (pp. 26-27)

“You’ve got to give ‘em something to talk about because most of our products and services are simply boring. Law firm—boring. Exterminator—boring. Green beans—boring. Office supplies—boring. Computers—boring…If you want people to talk about your product, you’ve got to give them a reason to talk about your product. Give them a story, and not just any story.” (p. 27)

As you can see, one of the goals of the book is to help readers learn how to increase word-of-mouth marketing, which experts consider the most effective form of marketing. One of the biggest takeaways from the book is this: buying traditional advertising such as television, print, and online ads is ineffective if it doesn’t also create buzz. Not only so, but there are other ways to create buzz besides traditional advertising that can be much more effective.

You’ll also learn that creating buzz around your product (or blog) doesn’t come down to luck but can be cultivated by learning the fundamental principles of buzz marketing.

As a blogger who doesn’t have money to spend on advertising and promotion (are there any that do?), reading Buzz Marketing is a must to get the most out of your promotional efforts. Even if all you do for promotion is write posts and guest posts, this book will teach you how to get the most out of the time you spend on both and provide ideas for other promotional tactics that can attract more readers for your blog.

If you haven’t read it yet, don’t wait any longer get a copy Buzz Marketing by Mark Hughes. It might be the best marketing investment you’ll ever make in your blog.

To learn more about Mark Hughes, read his profile at the Buzz Marketing online advertising agency. You can also purchase the book here.

Conclusion

So there you have it: three books that every blog writer should read right now to become a better blogger.

What are your thoughts? Are you ready to pick up a copy of these three books? Would you add any other titles to this list?

Leave a comment to add to this list or to join the discussion.

And don’t forget to tweet, share, or plus this post to share it with your friends.

Disclaimer: The book links in this post are affiliate links, but that’s not the reason these books have been recommended. They’re recommended because they’re extremely helpful to bloggers. If you happen to buy one of them through an affiliate links, that’s a bonus.

Photo: Flickr – brewbooks

Note: This is a guest post written by Cat Alford from The Budget Blonde.

What is guest blogging anyway?

Guest blogging is when you spend time and effort crafting a well thought out post, but, instead of publishing it on your own blog, you give it to a friend to publish for free (just like I’m doing right now for Joseph).

But why would you do such a preposterous thing? Is it just because you like Joseph and his blog? That may be true, but shouldn’t you be working on your own website? Shouldn’t you spend the time it’s taking to write the post and use it on your own site?

The answer may surprise you because it’s a 100% “no.”

The Benefits of Guest Blogging

Gurus like Jon Morrow have long been singing the praises of guest blogging and what it can do for website traffic. Jon recommends new bloggers (under 1,000 subscribers) spend 20% of their time writing and 80% of their time promoting their site.

As you probably know, you can promote your site in many ways from Facebook to Twitter to offering free samples of your products, but guest blogging takes it a step further because the blog you are writing for typically allows a byline about you at the bottom of your post.

Depending on the blogger, you could be allowed a variable number of links. These links can go to your blog, your Twitter, and your Facebook page for example. Now, it may not seem like much if you guest post on your best friend’s blog about her dog. But if you write for some of the most popular bloggers in your niche, a simple link like that could send thousands of visitors to your site.

Now, think about that type of traffic and envision guest posting 2-3 times a week.Sounds grand right? Like an overnight sensation? There’s just one problem. Why should the popular blogger take a guest post from you?

Why You First Need to Make Friends

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t let just anyone babysit your kid. You probably would get to know the babysitter, check their references, and maybe Google around a bit to make sure they weren’t in jail last week.

If you’re anything like me, your blog is kind of like your baby. You love it and spend time with it and try to help it grow. So you can’t have just anyone write for you for fear they could mess it up! So what you have to do is make blogger friends.

One of the lessons I’ve learned in the short year I’ve been blogging is that you make blog friends just like you make real life friends. First, you act like yourself. You don’t try to one up people. You might make friendly suggestions or point out an embarrassing typo. You keep up with them, reply to their tweets, and eventually one day, they could ask you to guest post, like Joseph did for me.

If that doesn’t happen, another way to secure a guest post is by making a pitch. Once again, you wouldn’t like it if a random stranger came up to you and asked if they could babysit your child. So, when you do make a suggestion or ask if you can guest post, you want to make sure the blogger knows who you are.

Popular bloggers receive hundreds of e-mails a day. If they know you, they will open your e-mail. If they recognize you because you comment on their blog three times a week, they just might consider your idea.

If these techniques do not work the first time, try again. The blogging world is a competitive community, and it often takes a bit of good old-fashioned hard work to get your name out there.

Writing the Post and Publication Day!

Speaking of hard work, let’s talk about the post itself: Make sure it’s the best post you’ve ever written. Scour it time and time again for typos. Think critically about what you want your tagline to say at the bottom of the post, as the words you choose often contribute to your search engine optimization.

Now for the good stuff: Publication Day! It’s pretty fun seeing your work on someone else’s site. At least for me as a freelance writer, the more people that read my words, the happier I am. On the guest post day, be a great online presence. Tweet and retweet the post. Put it on facebook. Respond to any comments or questions left on the post. Remember to thank the blogger who let you write for them, and don’t let your association with them end there. Remain friends, keep networking, and recommend their services to others.

Ultimately, just remember that guest posting for as many bloggers as possible not only enhances your writing but it can also lead to other great opportunities.

Cat Alford is an American freelance writer currently living on the Caribbean island of Grenada. She blogs about island life, southern hospitality, crafts, and living on a budget. Cat accepts guest posts every Friday so pitch her your idea by visiting her blog, www.BudgetBlonde.com, tweeting her @BudgetBlonde or saying hi on Facebook.

Shouldn’t there be a list of the top posts so that you don’t have to wade through them all to find the good stuff?

To help with that, I’ve compiled a list of five of the most valuable posts for bloggers from the month of August. Each article has a lot to teach about writing, marketing, and blogging.

I’ve also included links to two posts that I wrote for major blogs this month. They’re listed below the five excellent posts from August.

Enjoy!

1. 5 Sure-fire Ways to Boost Your E-mail Subscribers by Martyn Chamberlin of TwoHourBlogger.com. Martyn happens to be my business partner, and he also happens to be a big fan of Derek Halpern. Derek knows his stuff when it comes to marketing, web design, and blogging, and he especially knows how to increase conversion rates for e-mail subscriptions. What are his secrets? Martyn covers five of them in this post, and you won’t want to miss out on these easy ways to boost e-mail subscribers.
2. Small is the New Big: How Small Conversions Equal More Sales by Danny Iny from FirePoleMarketing.com. Danny is a co-founder of Firepole Marketing. He’s also been blazing a trail through the guest posting circuit during the month of August by appearing on KISSmetrics (for the post referenced here), Copyblogger, Make a Living Writing, and Jeff Goins Blog. He probably wrote more posts that I’m not even aware of. One thing I can say is this: His advice in this KISSmetrics post is solid. Everyone focuses on closing sales, but Danny points out why it’s worthwhile to pay attention to softer conversions that eventually lead to subscribers and sales. You’ll need to read the post to find out more.
3. The Number One Conversion Killer in Your Website Design (Are You at Risk?) by Derek Halpern from SocialTriggers.com Like I said earlier, Derek knows his stuff. He’s one of the internet marketing guys at DIY themes, and he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to conversions and internet marketing. In case you don’t want to take my word for it, head over to Social Triggers and check this post out. Derek discusses the number one conversion killer which happens to also be one of my pet peeves: clutter. There’s no excuse for it, and you’ll need to read this article to find out why Derek says it’s the number one conversion killer.
4. 3 Basic Reasons Many Freelance Writers are Broke by Carol Tice of MakeaLivingWriting.com. When it comes to making money from writing Carol has great advice. She started Make a Living Writing to help writers become successful freelancers and support themselves by writing. I’m suscribed to her blog and I’ve done a 30 minute mentoring session with her. Based on that, I can attest that she’s doing a great job of helping writers make more money. In case you’re interested in her three basic reasons that many freelance writers aren’t making money, head over to her site and read this post. If you’re a writer, you’ll be happy that you did.
5. The 7 Essential Elements of Social Media Marketing by Sonia Simone of Copyblogger.com. This article snuck onto the list at the list minute by getting published on the 31st. The good news is that it’s well worth it. Sonia presents 7 basics of social media marketing that are fundamental for any business. In the article, she helps to make sure you don’t waste time on social media and, instead, get a return  on the time that you do spend. It’s definitely worth the three minutes it will take to read.

In case this list doesn’t include enough goodness for you, I also wrote two posts this month for major blogs. The first is an article titled “Don’t Let Your Blog Get Caught with Its Pants DownWritten” written for ProBlogger.net.

It begins with an unusual story set in the grasslands of West Africa and goes on to apply lessons from the story to blogging. It’s also a really personal story for me, so I hope you enjoy it.

The other post is titled “Are You Losing Sales by Giving Customers Too Many Choices?“. It was written for the KISSmetrics blog, and the article discusses the paradox of too many choices for customers that can also be applied to blogging. It includes a jam study about choice by a professor from Columbia University that exposes the paradox of too many choices. You’ll have to read it to find out more.

That covers some of the most important posts from the month of August. Leave a comment to let me know what you think about the posts on this list.

Photo credit: Flickr.com – Luc Legay

And why not?

The design is pretty cool, the logo is great, and you even have an awesome headline for your latest article.

Yet no one is sticking around and no one is subscribing. Your last article had an amazing 0 comments, and you earned exactly five cents from Adsense. You haven’t had a new subscriber in over a month.

I’ve got some advice for you. Make some changes to your site, and I guarantee you’ll start to see some growth on your blog.

It’s not enough to make you a ton of money, but by implementing these simple changes, you’ll begin to grow your blog in the direction that you want.

On my blog, I call these areas the “Three Hot Spots.” They’re the most important spots on any blog to get important offers in front of readers. Keep reading to learn how to use these hot spots to maximize your blog.

Above the Fold

Let’s step back for a second and consider the evolution of “the fold.”

The fold, as the word suggests, is the place in a newspaper where the paper is folded to make it easier to deliver. Now consider how a person views a folded newspaper. When someone picks up a copy of the New York Times, for example, what do they read first? Whatever is above the fold. So where do you think the most important stories are located? Exactly, above the fold.

This is the same on a website. People first see whatever is above the bottom of the screen. For websites, anything above where the screen breaks is “above the fold.”

Therefore, when designing your site, you want to put the most important information anywhere before readers will need to scroll. It’s hard to know what that exact space is since everyone has different sized monitors, but the best way to check is on a 21” monitor since that’s the most common screen size. The fold may be bigger on larger monitors, but for now, stick to a 21” monitor as a guideline.

An important item to include above the fold is a “featured post” section that links to your best content. It’s always a good idea to show off your best work which is your most popular posts.

You can also include an awesome logo above the fold in order to build your brand, and don’t forget to include a custom e-mail opt-in form if you’d like people to subscribe.

Regardless of what you decide to use, it’s best to put the most important content above the fold. Whatever that is for your site, make sure people will see it as soon as they land on the home page and won’t need to scroll down to find it (which they may never do).

Right Sidebar

Other than Hebrew readers (myself included) who read right to left, the majority of people read left to right. So what happens when readers finish reading the first line? One of two things.

Either the reader will automatically go on to the next line, or else they’ll pause because something caught their attention.

This is an ideal time to grab the reader’s attention and potentially nab them as a newsletter subscriber. That’s why the e-mail opt-in form should be at the top of the right sidebar. This is a really important space on any blog.

Many bloggers throw an ad here because they’re excited about getting nickel clicks. And in some cases, this is a great place to for those ads.

But if you’re really serious about making money, I’d advise against this. Instead, collect people’s e-mail addresses as a lead. It never hurts to have more e-mails, especially to bring people back to your blog to read future posts, and it’s critical for building a community around your site.

Below the Article

Below the article is another area that many bloggers don’t optimize. The space is left blank hoping that readers will leave comments.

But why?

Below the article is a space where readers are left looking, almost begging for something to do next.

They read the entire article! They were so interested that they made it all the way to the bottom of the post, but they don’t have anything to say except “great post,” so they don’t comment.

If you add something here, people might be more inclined to take an action. This is a good spot for a “related articles” plugin or another lead collection form.

Since they are already interested in what you had to say, this is the time to hook them. Get them to subscribe. Encourage them to read another article. Ask them to retweet. Tell them a little more about yourself. Whatever it is that you want the reader do, this is the place to do it.

If people want to comment, they will. But if there is an option for action like one of the suggestions listed above, there’s a good chance they’ll take the bait.

What will you put below the article to get more results?

Do You Use Any of These?

As a blogger, do you utilize any of these spots? Do you have any suggestions about how to maximize these areas? I intend on replying to every comment on this guest post, so please feel free to chime in below. I’ll be chiming right back!

You can also ask Blog Tweaks to implement any of these suggestions. As this site demonstrates, they design great looking opt-in forms for the About page, right sidebar, and underneath posts. Learn more about that here.

About the guest author: Jacob is the owner of BlogRevolter.com where he talks about topics such as his social empire and WordPress SEO. Be sure to check him out on Twitter and Facebook.

This article is written by a guest author. If you’d like to write a guest post, send your idea or the completed post through this form.

“Never use first or second person.”

“Never start a sentence with but or and.”

“Never end a sentence with a preposition.”

“And never, ever write a paragraph that’s only one sentence long.”

What’s the problem with these rules?

The problem is that they aren’t practiced by the best writers. Instead, experts break these rules to improve their writing.

I learned this by reading Writing with Style by John R. Trimble, a book that was included in my recent list of 3 books every blog writer should read right now. If you’d like to become a better writer but haven’t read it yet, you should pick up a copy today.

Chapter 8 from Writing with Style is titled “Superstitions” and covers grammar rules that are taught in high school but that every good writer should learn to break.

Below is a collection of five of these rules that bloggers should learn to break in order to become better writers. (Note: Each rule includes a quote from Writing with Style and the accompanying page number in the second edition.)

Rule #1: Never use first person

“…Let us allow some of our personality, which means some of our ‘I,’ to come through in our style. Let us, in short, be ourselves.” p. 89

The point of writing in first person is to introduce ourselves to readers, but this rule is tricky because it’s taught for a reason. Without it, most adolescent writers overuse personal opinions and don’t learn to back up assertions with fact. That’s a problem, and that’s not the route to take for a professional writing style.

But avoiding the pronoun “I” is also a problem. Never using first person results in impersonal writing where readers feel disconnected from the author and don’t have the opportunity to connect.

The trick is learning how to use first person properly. Many bloggers make the mistake of using it too much, and every post starts with “I” and ends with “me.” Most blog writers don’t know how to step out of the post and focus on serving the reader.

Bloggers shouldn’t be the subject of every sentence of every post, but their personality should come through in their writing. Finding the right balance will lead to blog writing that rises above the ordinary.

So how do you find the right balance? Here’s a quote from Writing with Style that will help:

“…Reserve “I” for when you truly need it–either to emphasize that such-and-such is admittedly just a conjecture or personal prejudice, or to add some humanity to an otherwise dry account. The rest of the time, try to generalize objectively and more or less impersonally, as if you’re pointing out what any intelligent person could see for himself. If your assertions are indeed intelligent and well supported, they won’t need props like “it seems to me,” “I think,” “I feel,” and “in my opinion.” pp. 89-90

Rule #2: Never use second person

“What reader wants to be addressed as “the reader”? It’s akin to saying, in conversation, “I’m glad to hear the listener has recovered from her cold.”

As this quote shows, using second person in writing helps to make prose more conversational. Without it, the author is forced to refer coldly to readers as “the reader.”

Specifically related to blog writing, common copywriting techniques are useful to make posts more engaging. This includes using second person to speak specifically to the reader. Using “you” in writing gets a person’s attention the same way as saying their name in conversation.

So second person is integral for blog posts that draw readers in and engage them in a conversation, but before you run away and overuse it, here is a parting quote from Mr. Trimble:

“Just as some speakers wear out our ears with “you know” punctuating every ` sentence, so some writers push a close relationship upon us with the reiterated you. We instinctively pull back from such chumminess, regarding it as an unwanted bear hug. Moral: If you don’t need to say you, don’t. If you do need to, say it without embarrassment exactly as you would in conversation.” p. 88

Rule #3: Never start a sentence with but or and

“…But and And are absolutely valid ways to begin a sentence. Not only valid ways, but excellent ways.” p. 85

As you can see, beginning a sentence with but or and is an excellent way to begin a sentence.

But why?

Both add energy to prose. They keep momentum moving forward between sentences.

Alternatives include “however” and “furthermore,” but neither keeps prose moving with as much energy as but or and.

This also happens the hardest of these rules to break. There’s no rule that high school English teachers drill more than to never start a sentence with but or and.

The problem is that formal writing refuses to accept them as acceptable ways to start a sentence, but informal writing doesn’t have a problem with either. The good news is that most writing, including blog post writing, is informal in nature, so you’re more than welcome to begin a sentence with but or and.

The next time you’d like to start a sentence with one, but you can’t get rid of “Mrs. Thompson’s” voice reminding you not to from the back of your head, go ahead and break the rule anyway. It’ll give your prose more verve, and you’ll look like an expert writer.

Rule #4: Never end a sentence with a preposition

“It is a cherished superstition that prepositions must, in spite of the incurable English instinct for putting them late . . . , be kept true to their name [preposition comes from a Latin word meaning “to place in front”] and placed before the word they govern . . . Those who lay down the universal principle that final prepositions are “inelegant” are unconsciously trying to deprive the English language of a valuable idiomatic resource, which has been used freely by all our greatest writers except those whose instinct for English idiom has been overpowered by notions of correctness derived from Latin standards.” a quote from H. W. Fowler included on p. 90

This lesson in Latin shows where the rule comes from, but H. W. Fowler also shows why it’s so ridiculous. Is there any reason not to end a sentence with a preposition since we do it so much in speaking besides the fact that it’s “inelegant”?

In case you don’t want to take Mr. Fowler’s word for it, here’s what Winston Churchill, a Nobel laureate in literature, had to say about this subject after an editor changed one of his sentences so it wouldn’t end with a preposition:

“This is the kind of impertinence up with which I shall not put.” p. 90

He wrote that instead of: “This is the kind of impertinence I will not put up with.”

Which do you think is more inelegant?

Rule #5: Never, ever write a paragraph that’s only one sentence long

“Three situations in essay writing can occasion a one-sentence paragraph: (a) when you want to emphasize a crucial point that might otherwise be buried; (b) when you want to dramatize a transition from one stage in your argument to the next; and (c) when instinct tells you that your reader is tiring and would appreciate a mental rest.” pp. 92-93

If one sentence paragraphs are useful in essay writing, which Mr. Trimble adeptly points out is true, they have even more use in blog writing and copywriting.

Blogging is largely about making a point. If one sentence paragraphs help with that, they should be used. If short paragraphs help (which they do in online writing), then they should be used as well.

The problem with grammar rules is that there’s always a time to break them, and when it comes to informal writing, getting a point across is more important than following rules.

So go ahead and use one sentence paragraphs.

It’s a great way to make a point and break up blocks of text, especially when writing online.

Wrap up

When it comes to writing for a blog, instead of following standard high school grammar rules which are intended to keep students from learning bad habits, it’s more important to use language and syntax that’s the most effective.

If that breaks some rules, then so be it.

It’s ok to be informal, and it’s ok to break some rules. Although, it’s good to know what the rules are so you know when you’re breaking them. Otherwise breaking rules unwittingly can make you look silly.

In the end, effective copy is more important than “proper usage” because “proper usage” is really whatever gets your point across the best.

Know what I mean?

What are your thoughts? Are there other high school grammar rules you think are ok to be broken? Do you particularly enjoy breaking any of these rules? Please leave a comment to let me know.

And as always, Tweet, Plus, or share this post if you found it interesting and think your friends might also.

She also invited me and another blogger named Brandon Yanofsky from B-list Marketing to join her for a webinar to discuss the technical aspects of WordPress for her writing inclined audience. The webinar went very well, and I was really excited to be asked to participate. If you’re interested in listening to the full webinar, you can buy a copy here.

If you’re not interested or aren’t ready to pay for it, I’ve summarized some of the highlights below. Enjoy!

1. How to set up a self-hosted WordPress blog

Brandon started the presentation by covering how easy it is to set up a self-hosted blog with Host Gator and Blue Host. Both companies have One-click WordPress Installs and cPanels that make setting up a WordPress site really easy. Brandon also walked through all of the steps it takes to set up a site in WordPress which can also be found in a recent ebook he wrote on the subject. You can get your copy here.

2. How to transfer from WordPress.com or Blogger to self-hosting

Since guided blog transfers are one of the services that Blog Tweaks offers, Carol asked me to cover this topic for the webinar. I did so by walking participants through how to transfer with six simple steps:

1. Buying a domain name
2. Purchasing a hosting plan
3. Installing WordPress with the One-click Install
4. Exporting and importing the old blog content
5. Setting up and testing the new site
6. Transferring subscribers

If you’d like to know more details about how to transfer, you can buy the recording or sign up for a guided blog transfer.

3. Why it’s worth it to buy a premium theme

Many bloggers choose a free theme hoping to get away with not needing to pay for one, but they end up never being satisfied. Instead, they spend hour searching for the perfect free theme. The problem is that it doesn’t exist. Free themes look as good as premium themes, and it’s really hard to get them looking exactly like you want.

So what’s the alternative?

The alternative is to buy a premium theme that looks great right out of the box. Instantly, your site will look professional, you’ll be satisfied with how it looks, and you can spend more time writing and making money and less time searching for the perfect free theme (which doesn’t exist).

If you need help picking out the best theme, Brandon and I both recommend Studiopress because of their great design, clean and easy to customize code, and SEO optimization. And if you do decide to buy a Studiopress theme, I have a developer’s package which allows me to install and customize their themes on as many of my client’s sites as I’d like. If interested, I can install and customize any of the many premium Studiopress themes that will immediately give you a credible internet presence. Send me an e-mail if you’re interested in getting a professional Studiopress theme installed on your site, and I’ll work on getting  a quote for you.

4. Five Great sites for blog photos

During the webinar, one of the listeners asked a question about photo attribution (which happens to be a really important question), and this led us to discuss some of the best websites to find free and cheap photos for blog posts. Here’s the list that we came up with:

1. Flickr.com - free photos available through the creative commons license and with attribution
2. Freedigitalphotos.net - loads of free photos available through attribution
3. Stock.xchng - free stock photos available through attribution
4. Istockphoto.com - high quality images that are affordable
5. Morguefile.com - great source for free images that don’t require attribution

5. Two of the best hosts for WordPress

Host Gator and Blue Host were both recommended as great hosting options for WordPress. They offer One-click installs which make setting up a Wordpess site as easy as clicking a button and following a few steps, and they both use cPanels which makes setting up and maintaining a site even easier. They’re both easy to use, provide great customer service, and offer excellent hosting packages. Host Gator is a little more cost effective, but they both have great prices. If you do decide to go with Host Gator, you can use the coupon gatorhosting25off to get 25% off.

6. Six Essential WordPress Plugins

One of the questions I get asked the most from blog readers is about what the best plugins for WordPress are. This also came up during the webinar, and I’ve listed some of the most important plugins that Carol, Brandon, and I came up with:

1. Popular posts – Every blog needs to have a popular posts plugin/widget to show off its best work. This shouldn’t be confused with recent posts which may or may not be the best work.
2. Akismet – This plugin is essential to keep spam out of any blog. Don’t mess with moderating every comment or using captchas for commenting. Instead, download this plugin.
3. Ultimate Google Analytics – If you’re going to use Google Analytics on your site, this plugin makes it super easy to add the code and get Analytics up and running.
4. Subscribe to Comments – In order to keep readers engaged, it’s really helpful to give them the option to subscribe to comments so they’ll be notified by e-mail when new comments are posted. This plugin makes that happen.
5. Commentluv – This plugin adds a link from every commenters latest blog post underneath each comment. Carol really likes it, and it’s another great way to increase engagement because people are more likely to leave a comment since they’ll get a visible link back to their latest post.
6. Google XML sitemaps – This is a plugin that Brandon recommended, and it’s essential for optimizing your website for search engines. Essentially it creates a sitemap that is easy for search bots to crawl and increases the likelihood that you’ll rank well in searches.

Wrap-Up

These are a few of the things that we covered in the webinar. If you’d like to listen to a full copy and learn more about how to get more out of WordPress, you can buy a recording here.

Now that these highlights have been listed, what recommendations would you give to maximize WordPress? Are there any plugins or photo websites that you like to use? It’s always good to know more resources that are available, so share your favorite plugins or photo websites by leaving a comment.

And as always, if you enjoyed this post, remember to share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+!

Photo credit: Flickr.com – Phil Oakley

But the key question is this: how often do you go back to a website you previously visited? Not a lot.

Every time you land on a site or blog you have never visited before, your brain naturally processes a series of tests about whether you should come back or not. The topic of those tests is called first time impressions.

For instance, after you visit a new site, the answer to the test may be, “I’m never going to visit
this site again. Not ever.” It happens all the time.

Having said that, the opposite of rejecting is accepting. So what happens if our brains
naturally pass those tests and accept a new site? That means the site exceeds your average rules of expectations. If you said it’s ok, or pretty good, it’s probably not good enough. But if it really stands out in your mind, you’ll probably come back.

This is one of the most important factors in growing a popular blog that attracts new
readers—you need to create positive first time impressions.

Why are first time impressions so important?

1. It increases traffic—It causes new visitors to come back and eventually to become loyal readers.
2. It boosts reputation—It gives readers a positive image of your brand.

Let’s talk about the first reason: traffic.

Traffic is always important because without it, no matter how talented you are in a field or how great your work is, if no one knows about you, i.e. if you don’t have any traffic, there is no blog.

Let’s say, for example, that you’ve recently promoted your blog by leaving a comment or
by writing a guest post for a popular blog. The result is that people click on your link and come
to your site, a site that they have never been to before. Of course, some will leave and never return, but some are going to come back read again later.

What triggers people’s brains so that they remember your site and come back? That’s what’s called the first time impression test.

So how do you pass this test?

1. Write posts that get bookmarked

Do you ever bookmark a page or try to remember a site’s URL so you can come back
later? If so, why?

The answer is that you found a post or site that was full of valuable advice and exclusive content. You physically or mentally bookmarked the site so that you can come back to read more posts.

As you can see, writing quality content that makes people come back is really important.

The key to writing posts that get bookmarked comes down to three important factors: exclusivity, value, and length.

Exclusivity means the post is unique. It’s not a carbon copy of someone else’s post. It’s not the same old rant about a familiar topic.

Value is about having information that is useful. It’s about providing some tip or inside information that is beneficial to the reader.

But why length? Does length really matter? Yes, it does.

Length makes sure your posts provide too much information. By displaying more information than readers can consume in one sitting, people will want to remember the advice, but since they can’t in one go, they bookmark it and reference it in the future.

This may be a post that provides an insane amount of information, such as a post on “101 Ways to Use Twitter to Make More Money.” There’s no way people can keep up with all 101 ways, so the post has to be bookmarked.

Length can also be in the form of a series of posts. By writing a series of high quality posts, readers will need to come back more than once to finish the content. This is called cornerstone content, and it’s a great way to get readers to come back after landing on your site for the first time.

2. Getting personal: the About page

Did you know that most successful sales have a common trait? They come from being personal.

Customers like to buy from people they know and trust. This is why your blog needs to get personal. Based on a blog’s design or domain name, the average reader has no idea who the author of the blog is. This is why you need to introduce yourself, and this introduction takes place on the About page.

But back to sales. Why do you think being personal with customers works? Does being more relatable personally to customers lead to more sales? Yes.

Being personal makes customers feel like they know the salesperson (or blogger) better. When they feel like they know the salesperson better, there’s more trust. And if there’s more trust, there’s a better chance the sale will take place.

The moral of the story is this: by introducing themselves to readers, bloggers will gain more trust and more sales. How is this accomplished? By writing an interesting About page.

3. Having better-than-just-good design

Your blog’s design is important as the clothes you wear to a business meeting because that’s what visitors see before they click further into your site (the same as that’s what business people see before they decide to work with someone). The first impression may not be how many popular blogs you’ve written for. Instead, it’s probably how appealing your blog design is.

With this in mind, consider a paid theme. They’re totally worth the small price tag that most sites charge. This may end up being the best investment you make in your blog.

If you need help picking out a premium theme, Studiopress and Woothemes offer some great ones. You can’t go wrong with either one. For photographers who are looking for a WordPress site, Photocrati has a great looking photography theme.

Using a paid theme is a great start, but it isn’t always the best end result. After picking one out, you may need to make some tweaks to customize it exactly the way you’d like it to be. Luckily, you’re in the right place. Blog Tweaks will professionally install and tweak paid themes at a very affordable price. If you want your site to look exactly the way you want it to, get your theme tweaked today.

4. An important question: what is there to do on your blog?

This goes back to the most important question of all, what is a blog for?

A blog is for reading, but in order to read, there must be links for visitors to click on. You give options to get actions. Without options, what will people do after reading the first post? They’ll leave.

The solution to this problem is to install the following WordPress plug-ins:

1. Ranged Popular Posts Widget: Install this widget on your sidebar in a place where readers can see it with ease, preferably above the fold (this is everything that can be seen in the browser without scrolling down). This comes to a saying for blogging: “You always want to show off your best work.” It’s important to immediately show your readers why it is worth their time to follow you and your blog.
2. Clean Archives Reloaded: Install this plugin, and then create a page called “Archives.” Then all you have to do ispaste “[cleanarchivesreloaded]” onto the page and publish it (without the quotes, of course). Before doing this, make sure to configure the settings for Clean Archives Reloaded.

Action Summary

Here are the four keys to creating positive first time blog impressions:

1. Write long, exclusive and valuable posts that get bookmarked.
2. Get personal with your readers by introducing yourself on your About page.
3. Consider a paid them (and consider getting it customized by Blog Tweaks).
4. For WordPress bloggers, install “Ranged Popular Posts” widget and “Clean Archives Reloaded.”

That’s it for now, let me know your thoughts. How do you create successful first time
impressions? (As mentioned before, this is my first guest post ever so I’d really like to hear from every reader.)

p.s. Here’s a bonus tip: Write high quality posts and interlink them so you get readers to stay on your blog for a longer time. (To write high quality posts that will keep readers engaged, don’t miss this article about how to write significantly better blog posts.)

About the author: Harrison Li is a teenage blogger who writes in-depth blogging tips. His blog aims to teach readers how to blog for money. He currently also has a goal of getting 1000 subscribers to his new blog. Help him achieve this goal by subscribing today!

Photo credit: Freedigitalphotos.net – Ambro