Since the beginning of life, people have wanted to be heard. In the past, this required an intensive and expensive education, as only the richest and noblest were allowed, or taught, to write. Now, since the widespread adoption of public school systems, more people are fully literate than at any other time in history. However, traditional analog printing (books, magazines, etc.) is expensive, time consuming, and as such, publishing companies are reluctant to print anything that crosses their doorsteps. These companies are struggling to survive, though, thanks to the rise of, and near ubiquitous access to, the Internet. No longer do the large publishing companies decide what makes it into widespread syndication. Now, anybody with access to a personal computer at home, work, school, or the library can document their thoughts and feelings, and make them available to the world at large.
There are a few major points to consider when the “blog bug” bites. First, will the blog be used as a diary, a place to write down and keep track of the ups and downs of daily life, or will it be used to post updates and news for a chosen topic? If the former is true, then the size of audience will probably not matter- as long as stuff keeps happening in the writer’s life, there will be plenty of content to post. The goal of a diary-type blog is usually to provide a hobby or calming ritual to the writer’s life, so who cares what other people think of what’s actually written there.
If the Blog is to be used for advertising, news, or other commercial venture, then website traffic is obviously a large concern. The goal in commercial blogging is to get as many unique visitors to that blog, in as little time as possible. The more people that visit a blog, the more people click on advertisements, and the more people will order the writer’s products or services. The ultimate deciding factor in website traffic is the site’s content. Bottom line: If people do not find information they desire or enjoy, they are off of that website in less than five seconds. Period. So it stands to reason that if the goal is to make money, the writer should pick a topic that lots of people are interested in. There are a multitude of websites on Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, that provide insight into what people are searching for, and how they are searching for it. After picking a high-interest topic to devote writing energy to, there are some small things that can be done to drive up traffic to the blog. Based on what the SEO sites say about the chosen topic, the writer can fill their blog with relevant “keywords”, or words that people searching for any given topic use most frequently. For instance, a blog on Ponies would probably want lots of words in its content that relate to ponies, like “stable”, “horse”, “Clydesdale”, etc. This way, when people search for anything that is related to ponies or horses, the blog will be near the top of the list of results.
So, even though the digital revolution has made writing more popular and available to the masses, it can be difficult to gain a foothold in the market. Just like with everything else, hard work, dedication, and education will pay off in the end, resulting in a new, booming blog.
