The 10 Commandments of Blogging

#1) Thou Shall Not Use Duplicate Content

While Google has said that small amounts of duplicate content won’t cause any major problems, blogs that contain mostly duplicate content may suffer from lower search rankings. There’s nothing wrong with using quotes or legal jargon that’s found elsewhere on the web, but the bulk of your blog’s content should be unique.

#2) Thou Shall Not Engage in Link Schemes

What exactly is a link scheme? Basically, it’s any link that was created outside of the boundaries of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes paid links, excessive reciprocal links, links created using automated software, and overuse of anchor text. Avoid using any of the aforementioned link schemes when promoting your blog.

#3) Thou Shall Publish New Content Regularly

One of the most common mistakes new bloggers make is failing to publish new content on a regular basis. You have to remember that the underlying concept behind blogs is that they are updated with new content regularly. Failure to create new content will result in your blog dying off, as visitors search for content elsewhere.

#4) Thou Shall Use a Mobile-Friendly Blog Design

Whether your blog runs WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or even a custom CMS, make sure it’s compatible on both desktop and mobile devices. As more and more people continue to access the Internet on smartphones and tablets, webmasters and bloggers must cater to the demographic of mobile users. If your blog isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be losing a huge chunk of traffic.

#5) Thou Shall Include Links in Blog Posts

Try to get into the habit of including links in your blog posts. Both human visitors and search engines will notice them, which in turn makes your blog more trustworthy. Links are also helpful for lowering a blog’s bounce rate, which is another reason to use them.

#6) Thou Shall Engage With Visitors

Allow your visitors to share their comments and questions by enabling the commenting feature on your blog. When a visitor leaves a comment, respond back so they know you are listening.

#7) Thou Shall Protect Against Hackers

It’s not something that most bloggers want to think about, but hacking is a very real possibility. Unless you want to lose all of your work and be forced to start back at square one, you should take preventative measures to protect against hacking. This includes the use of a strong password, limiting login attempts, and monitoring traffic for suspicious activity.

#8) Thou Shall Optimize for Faster Speeds

Optimize your blog for faster load times to promote a more positive user experience.

#9) Thou Shall Check for Broken Links

Just because you create a functional link in a blog post doesn’t necessarily mean that it will remain functional. If the site to which you are linking is shut down, the link will be broken. Check your blog for broken links regularly.

#10) Thou Shall Include Images in Blog Posts

Last but not least, include images in your posts to make your blog more appealing. Studies have shown that posts with images receive more traffic and shares than posts without images.

Which blogging commandments are you guilty of violating? Let us know in the comments section below!

Image attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbtaylor/