Christian Blogging Tips for WordPress.com Users
1. Content – This is an obvious one for all blogs but should be noted. Having good, consistent and professional looking content will bring more readers. Spell-check, proofread and have a clean looking site. Stick to somewhat of a schedule so readers can know when to expect more content. It is good to watch your article length as well. To a first time reader long, extensive articles of 2000 or more words can be intimidating and may cause them to skip reading altogether. I try to keep my posts under 1000 words with the occasional exception. If your style is to write lengthy articles then consider breaking them up into series.
2. Interaction – Blogging is all about being interactive and communicating. If nobody knows your blog exists then you obviously won’t have any readers. A great way I’ve found to gain readers is by visiting other blogs and leaving comments on articles you enjoy. This goes back to what Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount: Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…(Matt 7:12)
3. Tags and Categories – It is very important to tag and use categories correctly. A great way for people to find you is by using some common tags on your blog such as: Jesus, Christ, Faith and God. This is also a great way to find other Christian blogs. If you go to your WordPress reader and type in one of these tags in the topic box you’ll get all the recent blogs posted under the tag. DO NOT use more than a total of 15 combined tags and categories for each post. If you use more than 15 you will not be listed in WordPress readers.
4. Keywords – Keywords are important if you want to get traffic from search engines. You can use a keyword tool (such as Google AdWords) to find keyword phrases that are typed in search engines often but have low competition for sites that show up as matches in the results. It can be very effective to use a popular keyword phrase with low competition as your post title.
5. Social Network Sites – Use different social network sites to promote your blog. WordPress has a publicize feature that will share each post you publish by automatically posting an update to your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Yahoo accounts. You will find these settings under: Dashboard/Settings/Sharing. I have a Twitter and Facebook account setup for this blog that have been effective in bringing in traffic.
6. Blog Listings – There are multiple blog listing sites that can bring traffic to your blog. Here are a few that you can list your blog at: bloggers.com, faithfulbloggers.com, alltop.com, stumbleupon.com, blogcatalog.com, mychristianblogs.com, conversantlife.com and popurls.com. There are also Facebook groups you can join such as: Christian Bloggers Network and Christian Writers and Bloggers.
7. Use Zemanta – Zemanta is a new tool available to wordpress.com users that will analyze your blog post you are writing and suggest to you links, keywords, related articles, graphics and tags. To activate Zemanta go to Users/Personal Settings/Additional Post Content.
**What tips have worked for you? Please post any additional tips in the comments.
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Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the helpful tips!
Blessings ~ Wendy
Thank you for the tips and hints 🙂
Great tips, thanks. Numbers 6 & 7 are a bit advanced for us less technically inclined. I visited a couple of the sites and found them a bit overwhelming for the few minutes that I was willing to devote to them.
Great stuff, though!
Thanks again.
Phil
Hey Phil,
I’m glad you found the tips useful. Here’s an article that might help you figure out Zemanta a little better:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/zemanta-for-recommended-links-photos-articles/
Thanks much.
thanks!!
Justin, thanks. 1 to 5 are either standard practice or familiar but it helps to be reminded. 7 is totally new to me; I will try it.
I tried Zemanta and found a need for great care. Never blindly accept their suggestions. A Christian blogging friend did this once and got some irrelevant links. In the month I tried it I never used one of their links in my posts but did a few times check out related posts that they suggested.
Thanks for the feedback Don. I think you’re right – definitely check the links Zemanta gives you. Since I did this post I’ve actually stopped using Zemanta altogether..haha. Seemed like a good idea at first.
Likewise, it seemed like a good idea to me at first.
Thanks for your tips. Really helpful!
http://whyibelieveingodblog.wordpress.com
Great article and I’ve pinned to pinterest. Found you via http://www.pursuitoffunctionalhome.com and am now following you all the various we can! {I feel like a stalker!} Have a wonderfully BLESSED day! ~ Carrie { http://asonguntothelord.blogspot.com/ }
Thanks so much for stopping by Carrie. I’m so glad to have you reading. Many blessings to you 🙂
Great info that I will be trying to put to use. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m always flattered when people “like or follow” something of mine.
Have a great weekend!
-Tahny
These are so helpful. I didn’t know about keywords – or about using more than 15 tags. That information alone was worth the price of admission. 😉
\o/
haha. Glad you found it useful. 🙂
Thank You for this helpful post! I will definitely put these tips into effect! I hope you are enjoying a peaceful and life-giving day!
Bless you Francis and thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Great insight brother! God bless!!
God bless you pastor John. Thanks for stopping by my blog. 🙂
Great tips, thanks!
Thanks for the post!