Guest Post by Hugh Roberts – How to Become a Successful Blogger!

Please welcome blogger extraordinaire, Hugh Roberts, to Jemsbooks Guest Post. Thank you, Hugh, for coming today! It is a pleasure to see you. If anyone wants to learn about how to be successful at blogging, Hugh Roberts is the one to listen to and learn from.

Hugh Roberts

How To Become A Successful Blogger – Part 1. The ‘About Me’ page

Success comes in many forms and in the blogging world we all look at what makes a blog successful differently.

I can’t pretend to give you all the answers into making you a successful blogger, but what I can tell you is why I think my own blog is successful. Over the coming year I’ll be writing and publishing articles about what I have learned during my time here on WordPress and how it has made me into a successful blogger. Many of the things I will talk about are what many of you already do and practice, whereas some may also disagree with me.

I get really excited when I’m informed that my blog has a new follower, I mean don’t we all? However, that feeling can sometimes come crashing down when I visit the blog of the blogger who has just followed me and I cannot find an ‘About Me’ page. It doesn’t stop there either because sometimes when I have found an “About Me’ page and find a one line statement on it like “Does it matter?” or “coming soon”, it’s just as bad as not having an ‘About Me’ page at all.

Yes, having an “About Me’ page does matter and so does giving it the love and attention it deserves. For starters it’s going to be the one, if not the first page on your blog that a new follower will go to. Start off by introducing yourself and, most importantly, give at least your first name. If you don’t want to use your real first name then give a name you’d like to be known by. People like to know who you are and one of the most important things we all do when we introduce ourselves to new people is to give our name.

Not only does giving a first name help in letting people know who you are, but it also promotes you as a friendly person. That in itself promotes your blog as being friendly and all of us want to visit and become part of blogging communities where the host is a friendly person.

That leads me on to what you should include on your ‘About Me’ page. People are usually very interested in the person behind the blog they follow and I for one have built up some wonderful new friendships through it. Tell your visitors at the very least where in the world you live. I go as far as to also give the name of the city I live in. That way I’ve got to know some local bloggers who I can sometimes meet up with for a coffee so we chat about the wonderful world of blogging. Tell people what they can expect to find on your blog, what interests you, what ambitions you have (e.g publishing a book) and most importantly of all try and include a photo of yourself. Okay, some of us may be camera shy, but I think it’s always a wonderful thing to be able to put a face to a name, more so when we become part of all the blogging communities out there.

Once you’ve published your ‘About Me’ page you’ll soon start to get comments left on it. Whatever you do, always, always respond to those comments. I’ve come across quite a few blogs in my time that have an excellent ‘About Me’ page, but the author has not responded to any of the comments left on it. For me, that’s like inviting somebody for a coffee and choosing to ignore them. When you reply to those comments (and any other comments on your blog) try and use the person’s first name somewhere in your comment. That promotes you as being friendly. I also always sign off the comments on my ‘About Me’ page by leaving my first name.

The other important thing about your “About Me’ page is not to ignore it. Once it’s published ensure you revisit it every once in a while and update it. If, like me, you also include links to other blogs or posts then ensure they are working. If you come across a broken link on any blog inform the owner of the problem. Bloggers are usually very thankful when you do this and it can sometimes lead to a new follower and maybe even them reblogging one of your posts as a thank you. I’m not saying to go out and spend all your time looking for these broken links just so you get a reblog, but to just inform the owner of the problem should you ever find a problem with a link on their blog.

Your “About Me’ page should always look attractive. Try and keep it brief yet also remember to ensure it is broken up into neat paragraphs. As with any post, try and steer clear of huge blocks of words. Spilt them up with some images or photos and always preview it before you push that publish button. I’ve often been so surprised how some of my posts seem to have large gaps in them when I preview what I have just written.

Last but by no means least, always ensure your ‘About Me’ page is easy to find. Don’t go and play hide and seek by placing it somewhere where visitors will have to hunt it down. Believe me when I say that if somebody cannot find your ‘About Me’ page within 30 seconds of arriving on your blog then they will probably close the page, move on, and probably never come back to visit. On my own blog you’ll find the link to my ‘About Me’ page on my menu bar. That way, it’s easy to see and, therefore, easy to find.

What about you? Do you have an ‘About Me’ page? Is there anything you would like to add about the ‘About Me’ page? Perhaps I missed something or maybe you’ve a question about what to put on your ‘About Me’ page. Let me know by leaving a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Check out Hugh’s blog at http://www.hughsviewsandnews.wordpress.com

Hugh Roberts
http://about.me/hugh_roberts

Thank you, Hugh, for these insightful points of blogging! I agree with you on the importance of using your name or a nickname to identify yourself. This makes you more human and approachable. Also, having an About Page is essential to pique interest in one’s blog and encourage more followers. I will have to visit mine again to make sure it is updated.

Thank you, readers, for stopping by!

Remember: Reading Gives You Wings to Fly!

Blessings!

-Janice-