Every blogging niche is different and each individual blogger has his or her own approach, but in the vast majority of cases there are a few factors that are absolutely critical to the long-term health of a blog. Some of these are obvious, but it can be a good starting point for new bloggers, or a refresher for those of us who have been blogging for a while. Getting back to basics and focusing on the critical success factors can lead to more productive use of our time and a more effective, streamlined approach to blogging.
1. High Quality, Unique Content
The no-brainer number one factor is the content itself. Blogs are all about content, and that’s what readers want more than anything. Regardless of what topic you cover or what angle you take, provide your readers with original, interesting content that they can’t get just anywhere, and you’ll be well ahead of most bloggers in your niche.
Without quality content you can only go so far. Even if you do an excellent job with all of the other critical success factors, your success will still be limited. Whatever you are doing to build and promote your blog, be sure that you’re always focused on providing the best content possible.
2. A Network
Relationships with other bloggers are invaluable. When I first started blogging I had no understanding of how personal it is, and how much your network will have a hand in your success. From the time you start blogging (if not before) you should make a strong effort to interact with other bloggers, especially those in your niche.
A network can help you in so many different ways, including link building, promotion, exposure with guest posts, social media, and more. Networking is so critical that I challenge you to find one truly successful blogger that does not have a strong network of contacts.
3. Consistent Effort
Simply having great content isn’t enough. For a blog to succeed long-term you need to produce it on a consistent basis. That doesn’t mean you need daily posts or you have to constantly be writing. However, you do need to show some consistency to readers and avoid long breaks with no posts.
I have seen a number of blogs over the past year that have put out some really nice content, but they have struggled with consistency. In most cases these bloggers lost interest and moved on to something else (which is fine). But if you want to be successful in the longrun, consistency is a must.
4. Conversion of Visitors into Subscribers
A lot of us bloggers (me included) tend to check our stats on a regular basis. Personally, I set goals for myself each month and I use stats as one of my measuring sticks. However, visitors really mean very little aside from maybe earning you some advertising revenue. Ultimately, you’ll need to find ways to convert those visitors into subscribers.
Subscribers become repeat visitors and loyal readers. They are the lifeblood of blogs. Without subscribers, what would blogs be? Getting traffic is great, but don’t forget about finding ways to convert those visitors into subscribers.
5. Community Atmosphere
One of the reasons readers enjoy blogs so much more than static websites is because of the interaction and engagement that is possible. Successful blogs will effectively build a strong community around the blog. When readers feel like they know the blogger and fellow readers personally, they’ll be much more likely to come back on a regular basis.
Long-term traffic and repeat visitors are key to blogging success, and building a community is one of the best ways to encourage repeat visits. It’s what sets you apart.
6. Diversity In Traffic
Regardless of which sources send you the most visitors, you need to make an effort to diversify. Putting all you eggs in one basket is not safe. Rely too heavily on Google and you’ll see your income drop when your rankings fall unexpectedly. Are you getting a high percentage of visitors from social media? Make an effort to also build up some other significant sources of traffic for stability.
7. Inbound Links
Gaining diversity in traffic is much easier when you have a lot of inbound links coming your way. Links will bring click-through traffic (especially links from major websites and blogs), and they’ll also serve to improve your search engine rankings.
As a new blogger you may need to spend a good deal of time building links to your blogger. Although it can take some time, there are substantial long-term benefits. Any blog that’s generating buzz and drawing attention will be getting some links.
What Factors Do You Think Are Most Important?
Do you agree that these 7 factors are all critical? What would you add or take away from the list?
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译文:
博客成功的7个关键因素
虽然每个博客都不相同，每个博主都有自己（写博客）的方式，但在绝大多数情况下，一些关键因素对长期发展的博客来说至关重要。有一些因素是显而易见的，但对一些博客新手来说却是个很好的起点，或对我们这些一直在写博客的人也是个复习。回顾并且关注关键的成功因素可以让我们使用时间更有效率，写作博客更加高效和流畅。
1. 质量上乘、内容独特
毫无疑问内容本身就是一个关键因素。博客内容就是读者最想要看的。无论你采用什么标题或角度，只要能提供给读者在别的地方看不到的、原创的、有趣的内容，你就可以走在大多数博客的前面。
没有高质量的内容你就只能走这么远了。无论你把其他的关键因素用的多好，你的成功都是有限的。无论你做什么来推广你的博客，确保你总是专注于尽可能提供给读者最好的内容。
2. 网络联系
和其他博主的联系是很有价值的。当我开始写博客的时，我完全不知道自己有多封闭，不知道网络对自己的成功有多大的帮助。从你写博客开始（如果以前没写过），就应该努力和其他博客加强联系，尤其是和你同一类的。
网络联系可以在很多方面帮你，包括创建友情链接，互相推广，客户文章曝光，社会媒体等。网络如此重要以至我敢说让你找不出一个真正成功的，但却没有强壮网络联系的博客。
3. 持续努力
只有好的内容是不够的。你需要持续性的努力才能使博客长期成功。这不是说你需要每天更新或不断写作。然而，你需要给读者显现出一些持续性并且避免长时间不更新。
I这几年我看到了一些确实有很好内容的博客，但他们都因持续性不好而陷入泥潭。大多数情况下是这些博主失去兴趣转移到别的上面去了（有意思的）。但是如果你关注博客的长期成功，则持续性是必须的。
4. 变访问者为订阅者
很多博主（包括我）倾向于定期检查我们的统计数据。就我来说，我每月都会设定目标，然后用统计数据来度量。然而，访客真有可能给你带来一点广告收益。所以，你需要想办法把它们变成订阅者。
订阅者会变成常客和忠实读者。他们是博客的鲜血。没有订阅者，博客会变成什么？有流量是很好，但别忘了想办法把访客变成订阅者。
5. 社区氛围
读者非常喜欢博客而不是静态网页的原因之一是因为博客使互动和参与变得可能。成功博客会有效的创建一个围绕博客的稳定社区。当读者感觉他们了解博主和其他读者时，他们就更愿意不时的回来看看。
长期流量和常客是博客成功的关键，创建社区是鼓励常客最好的办法之一。他们让你的博客变得特别。
6. 多样性流量
不管是什么来源给你带来大多数的访客，你都需要在多样性上不断努力。把鸡蛋都放在一个篮子中是不安全的。太依赖于Google你就会发现，如果你的评价突然下降，你的收入就会减少。你的多数访客都来自于社会媒体吗？努力建立一些其他重要来源的流量来提高稳定性。
7. 站内链接
如果你有很多指向自己内容的站内链接，则获得多样性的流量就比较容易。链接会带来点击流量（特别是从门户网站和博客来的链接），还可以提升你在搜索引擎中的等级。
做为一个新手，你可能还需要花一定时间来创建指向其他博主的友情链接。虽然花了一些时间，但他们却可以带来长期价值。任何更新和吸引注意到博客都会带来一些链接。
你认为哪个因素最重要？
你认同这7个因素都是最关键的吗？你觉得可以再添加哪些或拿掉哪些？
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