What Features Do You Needed On A Blog Site?
With the incredible popularity of ‘blogging’ over the past few years it is becoming easier and easier to enter the world of social networking. If you haven’t already entered this space on the Internet you need to consider what essential features are needed for a successful blog. Here are just a few:
- Flexible Layout. It seems if you’ve been to one Blogger blog you’ve been to them all. Having the capability to make your blog look different to the other estimated 27+ million blogs out there is a good thing. Take the time to investigate the many free templates that are available with so many different blog solutions. It will help you stand out!
- Browser Based Editing. This makes getting content online easy as well as makes any edits, changes or additions a simple task.
- Automated Publishing. FTP Who? You shouldn’t have to mess with complicated file transfers; you want to simply click a button and your posts appear. Having text formatting and spell checking is a real must have feature!
- Categories. This feature makes it easy for you to split your entries into categories that will make it easier for your site visitor to find them.
- Search Engine Optimized URLs. If your written a post, you don’t want your URL to be something like www.myblog.com/4586972.html?myleftfoot. You need to be able to squeeze every ounce of search engine optimization (SEO) out of your post. So having a URL that includes keywords about a post is a useful tool in getting your posts ranked.
- Comment Systems. A critical feature. The comment system is the number one way your blog site becomes sticky (how likely a visitor will return). The free for all commenting is something bloggers have embraced and has contributed to the explosion in its popularity. Many corporate sites that have blogs are afraid to go down this path. In some ways it makes sense but in others if you make a great product let your customers comments spread the word about how great you are.
- Syndication Feeds. When you go to a site you see the RSS icon. This is an application that pushes your posts onto other RSS readers. Some email clients such as Thunderbird come with RSS readers, as do personal sites like Yahoo. The interesting aspect of this RSS feed is that a website can read a RSS feed. Which means your posts can appear on other websites automatically. It’s a great way to syndicate your blog in real-time the will get you even more readership. Best part, its automatic!
- Email Notification. When you make a post, wouldn’t it be great if you had an email list that got notified every time you made a post? Granted this is another subject beyond blogging involving SPAM.
- Search. The more you opine, the more your archive of content will grow. Having a robust search tool helps your website visitors find your post related to the topics they are interested in. Face it, on the web you are either a searcher or a browser when you land on a page. Some visitors will automatically look for a search as the first thing they do when they go to a blog or website.
- Trackback. This is where it can get complicated. Simply put, you read a post, and you comment about it on your blog. You place the URL to the post in yours and the blog picks up your post and leaves it as a comment in the other’s post.
Just remember that your blog isn’t about widgets and gizmos; it’s really all about the quality of the content. You need to make sure you have a tools that can help you organize and present your blog posts as easily as possible. If you have any questions or need any additional information how a blog and super charge your business give us a call. There’s nothing we love more than sitting down with our clients and
collaborating on innovative strategies that produce the results you’re
looking for.