Key Ingredients for "Baking" a Delicious Blog

You've heard the saying, "When you know better, you do better".  I've been writing my blog posts and building my readership for quite some time.  Rules change...people change...search engines and social media change.

The beginning of my blogging days look much different than they do today.  They've evolved to a level that interests the likes of Inman News to pick them up and promote them on their blog site.  That's powerful!

Here's a list of some of the key ingredients for getting a blue ribbon for your blog:

     Ingredient #1 - Stay Focused and Post Often.  Just like a delicious chocolate cake requires the  best cocoa, quality content is imperative for a blog's success.  Know what your blog's message is, stay focused and post often.

    Ingredient #2 - Easy-to-Follow Instructions.  Have you ever tried to follow a recipe that didn't make sense?  Maybe step #3 was missing or put in the wrong order.  Maybe the recipe was calling for salt when it should have been sugar.  Focusing on quality content and posting frequently is a must.  However, don't overlook your blog's navigation.  It has to be easy-to-follow and make sense to your reader.

    Ingredient #3 - A Feast Fit for a King - Chefs seem to agree that we first eat with our eyes.  Food is especially tasty if it looks really good.  Make sure your blog site has a delicious design.  If your blog is about Reno, Nevada, make sure your site's design reflects that.  If it's the funny life of a real estate agent, make it whimsical and light.

    Ingredient #4 - Who Exactly are You Writing for? - One of the best ways to get people to run away is to make your blog posts all about you.  "I'm the best in the cook in the world."  "Buy my cookbook."  Blah, blah, blah.  Think about who your readers are and stay focused on them and information they can use.

    Ingredient #5 - Share Your Recipe - You can post the best darn chocolate cake recipe in the world.  It's pretty much useless, though, if no one can find it.  That's where search engine optimization comes in.  Every post you write needs to include a keyword-rich title and  description, keywords, tags and categories.  Post a "blog blurb" on social media with an eye-catching photo, keyword-rich description and link back to the post.  Don't forget to optimize photos as well.

    Ingredient #6 - Building Your Audience - Just like a good recipe collection takes time to build, so does a blog.  Along with search engines and social media, don't overlook people who have already shown an interest in your posts.  Utilize a good contact management system to keep track of your "chocolate cake lovers".  Let them know when you have another great recipe to share.  Update them on things they've previously shown an interest in.

You can try to recreate your own recipe for blogging success or you can pick out some of the above-mentioned ingredients to successfully bake your own cake.  Just remember to stay focused and post often, make your posts easy to read and your site easy to navigate.  Make it eye-catching with your audience in mind, utilize the search engines and social media and stay in touch with your readership with other information they're interested in.

What ingredients do you use in baking your perfect blog posts?