Recently I was looking at this particular website’s blog and I couldn’t help but notice that they were missing some standard blog features. One of the first things I noticed when viewing this site’s blog was that none of their posts had dates, so I had no idea how actively they were blogging or how recent the last blog post was. Additionally, their blog had no categories, just ‘Page 1 of 12’, so I was unsure of the topics covered by the blog.

1. New Blogging Features Are Here To Be
2. New Blogging Features Are Here Now
3. New Blogging Features Are Here Things

• Most blogging software platforms allow you to be notified as new comments are added, allowing you to moderate and reply to comments as they are added. If your blog doesn’t have these six standard features listed above then I recommend you talk to your web developer about adding them.
• It is possible to import your blog content from a variety of other blogging platforms, including Blogger, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Tumblr, Wix, Typepad, Xanga, and more. You can also import your content from a self-hosted WordPress site.

Successful Blog Features: Bottom Line. Clearly, it takes a lot more than just good grammar and some fun facts to run a successful blog. You need to implement these blog features if you want to succeed. If you’re confused on any of the features, don’t worry. We’re here to answer any questions you might have so you can nail your next blog post. Plugins allow you to add new features to your WordPress blog. Some work behind the scenes (think of Akismet, tackling spam). Some work behind the scenes (think of Akismet, tackling spam). Others change the look and feel of your site for readers – for instance, the CommentLuv plugin adds a link to each commenter’s most recent blog post.

This got me thinking, what are some of the standard blog features that users would just expect to see/find when arriving at a websites blog for the first time. If you are reading this post you are most likely already aware of the many benefits of business blogs, but you may not be aware of the standard blog features readers expect to find. Six of these features include:

1. An RSS feed. This crucial feature enables readers to add your blog to their RSS readers and be kept up-to-date as new content is published on your blog, without having to remember to visit your blog. There are numerous RSS directories that you can submit your blog’s RSS feed to. These directories not only help to widen you potential subscriber base, but also to help your blog get noticed by the Search Engines with valuable links back to your blog.
2. Email subscription. Some people prefer to receive and read emails, so it’s a good idea to add this feature. Google Feedburner provides you with the ability to add a widget to your blog that allows for users to either add your blog to their RSS reader of choice or receive your blog updates via email.
3. Noticeable link to the Blog. If you have integrated a blog into your website, this point may sound silly, but you would be surprised at the number of websites that link to their blog from the footer of the page in small print. Don’t bury the link to your blog if you want people to read it - make it easy to find by preferably keeping a link to it above the page fold. Likewise, it is a great idea to include a few of your most recent posts on the homepage, linking through to the full post via the title for that blog post. By doing so you’ll entice new and returning visitors on your site to check out the rest of your post.
4. Blog categorisation system. New readers to your blog will often want to know what else you have written if they like your writing style, point of view etc. Archiving all of your old posts into clear categories helps readers find other posts of interest easily – much more user-friendly than being presented with ‘Page 1 of 12’ results to navigate. If you’re not sure what categories to include then read this post about how to choose categories for your blog.
5. Social sharing buttons. Not having social media sharing icons on your blog posts severely limits how far and wide they can be shared. Include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and StumbleUpon to name but a few. All will help your blog posts to be seen by a larger audience if it is easily shared by readers via their social media profiles.
6. Commenting facility. Engage and connect with your readers by allowing them to leave comments on your blog posts. Most blogging software platforms allow you to be notified as new comments are added, allowing you to moderate and reply to comments as they are added.

If your blog doesn’t have these six standard features listed above then I recommend you talk to your web developer about adding them. These features not only impact usability, but they can help to increase your blog’s readership and popularity in the Search Engines. Blogging is a great content marketing strategy to complement your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) efforts.

If anyone has more standard blog features they often find missing on blogs, feel free to leave a comment below.

You’ve been putting a lot of effort into writing your blog posts. But, for some reason, your posts aren’t getting the traffic you’d hoped for.

Hardly anyone is viewing your posts. And no one ever leaves comments. You know you’ve got some valuable information, so what gives?

To be a successful blogger, you can’t just slap some words on a screen and hope people read them.

Blogging requires a great amount of strategy. Quality blog posts contain certain key features. These key features keep people reading until the end and make them want to share the post with their friends.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 blog features you need in order to succeed:

1. The Right Structure

Structure is often one of the most overlooked aspects of blogging.

But, without a set structure, you’ll appear unorganized and scatter-brained. No one is going to take the time to read a post like this. The right structure makes your posts readable, skimmable, and shareable.

Plus, when you structure your posts the same, your audience will know what to expect from you and start to trust you more.

Here’s what your structure should look like:

The Intro

The intro is your chance to hook the reader right away.

Also, a good intro gives the reader a glimpse of your personality and your writing style.

Seriously- do not skimp on the intro. If anything, it deserves the most focus. A good intro grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading.

Here are some effective ways to create an attention-grabbing intro:

• Present the reader’s problem in a way that’s relatable (i.e. Ask a question like: “Are you stressed out about all of your credit card debt?”
• Start with an eye-catching statistic
• Share a personal story

Or, you can combine any of these elements.

The intro should then conclude with a smooth transition to the body that will make the reader want to learn more.

New Blogging Features Are Here To Be

The Body

You’ve probably got several points you want to make in your post.

So, first things first: break these points up into logical headings and sub-headings. Big walls of text are unappealing and nearly impossible to read. If you do this, you’re going to lose your readers.

Basically, you want to think of each heading like a miniature blog post. Each mini post should transition smoothly into the next mini post.

And don’t forget to showcase some personality. No matter how valuable your content is, no one is going to read it if it’s presented in a stale and boring manner.

Conclusion

If someone makes it to the end of your post, congratulations.

This means you said something that resonated with the reader. And likely, they’re going to want to hear more from you.

They might also be interested in buying your products or services.

Therefore, make sure you conclude your blog post with a strong call-to-action. For example, you might want to navigate them towards another blog post so they stay on your site longer. To do this, you could say something like, “Click here for more useful tips on managing your finances.”

2. Visual Content

You’ve probably heard a million times that written content is the most important aspect of boosting your search rankings.

This is undoubtedly true. But, visual content (infographics, videos, slideshows, images) is also a crucial feature that can take your blog to the next level.

Remember how we said we want to avoid huge walls of text? Images are a great way to break those up.

Also, people just love visual content: 65 percent of the population are visual learners. A few simple infographics can really go a long way.

3. A Clear Focus

Readers don’t visit their favorite blogs in hopes of finding something interesting.

They visit their favorite blogs knowing that the posts will contain specific information they’re looking for.

Maintaining a clear focus is one of the most important blog features of successful sites.

Don’t try to be a one-stop shop for your readers. Instead, niche down to ONE area of focus. When you niche down, readers know exactly what they’re getting into every time they visit your blog. They know that they won’t have to sift through any useless info to find the stuff they can relate to. And this will keep them coming back for more.

For example, let’s say you’re interested in writing about money. Think about how you can niche this down: Do you want to write about money-saving tips? Do you want to write about money investment opportunities?

You may think that narrowing your focus limits your readership. While it does to some extent, trying to talk about everything throws your credibility out the window. A blog that maintains focus establishes you as an expert and allows you to build trust with your audience.

4. Regular Content

Ok, you just wrote a killer blog post that got tons of comments and social media shares. Time to kick back and relax a bit now, right?

Wrong. Make no mistake- blogging is hard work. You need to be blogging on a consistent basis in order stay relevant with your audience.

With that being said, make sure you’re always striving for quality over quantity. One solid post per week is better than five thrown-together posts.

Everyone is competing for consumer’s attention, so make sure you stick to a disciplined schedule so your blog doesn’t get lost in the fog.

New Blogging Features Are Here Now

5. Internal Linking

One of the main goals of blogging is to keep people on your site for as long as possible.

We already talked about how you can do this with a call-to-action in your conclusion. But, you should also focus on doing this throughout your blog post.

We’re talking about internal linking. Here are the basics of how it works:

• Create a lot of quality content (so you have stuff to link to)
• Next time you blog, link to other content you’ve previously created
• Don’t link to a homepage, focus on other blog pages, contact pages, or service pages
• Make sure the link is relevant (aka don’t write “contact us today” and then link it to some random post)
• Sprinkle a few links in every article, too many makes it look like you’re desperate

Linking is one of the most important blog features and it also helps with SEO, so don’t forget to do it in every post.

New Blogging Features Are Here Things

Successful Blog Features: Bottom Line

Clearly, it takes a lot more than just good grammar and some fun facts to run a successful blog.

You need to implement these blog features if you want to succeed. If you’re confused on any of the features, don’t worry.

We’re here to answer any questions you might have so you can nail your next blog post. Check out our blog to get some ideas!