Developing Your Blogging Identity

By Sté Kerwer 1 day ago to Blogging

Believe it or not, thousands of new blogs are started every day. People have literally hundreds of blogs to choose from in any given niche. We all know that a lot of these blogs are pure garbage but that still leaves millions of great quality blogs out there for you to compete with. In order for your blog to stand out from the crowd it’s important to focus on developping your blogging identity.

Before you even buy your domain name you need to decide what direction you’re going to take with your blog. What audience will you be trying to attract? What type of information will you be providing? And what voice will you be using to convey that information. Your blog is your online identity and you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Your niche: Finding a niche with zero competition and millions of searches is every bloggers dream, but in this day and age you need to be creative. If you want to blog about cats that’s great but narrow it down a bit and look for a unique approach.

Your domain name: Choosing a keyword rich domain name isn’t as important as it used to be, and in many cases it’s not even possible anymore. Choose a short, easy-to-remember name that reflects the personality of your blog.

Your theme: Don’t just download that free WordPress theme that everybody else is using. When people arrive at your blog you want them to notice that yours is different. Make sure though, that your theme is relevant to your content so new visitors aren’t confused when they arrive at your blog.

Your logo: Having a logo might not seem important when you’re first starting your blog but that logo will become your signature all over the Web. You’ll use it in forums, social networks, your emails, everywhere you go. Where would Pepsi be without a logo?

Your content: Your content is what ties everything together. There are millions of pretty blogs with cool logos all over the Web however, it’s the content that keeps the readers coming back for more. Being consistent in your frequency of posting is important but it’s even more important to be consistent in your tone.

Before you start setting up your blog, think about how you plan to present your information. Will you be using an authoritative tone of voice, like a professor or CEO? Or will you be using a light, airy tone, as if you’re talking to a friend? Either way you go remember, you’re going to have to maintain this style of address for a very long time so the best thing to do is just be yourself.

Each of these elements are important but it’s more important that they all work together. If you’ll be blogging as a CEO then you’ll want to choose a clean, professional looking theme and a domain name that reflects the seriousness of your content. You may even want a professionally designed logo for you business. On the other hand, if you’re starting a mommy blog, you’ll want to choose something a little more light-hearted for your theme and domain.

The key is to look at the overall picture you’re presenting to make sure it projects the blogging identity you want to establish – and remember, this is how your readers are going to see you, too.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!