Analyse a Top Blog in Your Niche: Day 4 #31DBBBDay4 with @problogger

There’s always plenty to learn from other people’s blogs, and in all workshops, I always advise that if you’re thinking of setting up a blog, etc.. go and look at what others are doing – look at what you like/don’t like, and think what lessons you can learn from the site.

Spending time on other blogs allow you to pick up ideas, strategies & tips, but also see where any gaps are that you can then work with.

Today’s Task

• Find a successful blog in your niche.
  • Technorati Top 100 Blogs
  • Google Blog Search

Take 15 minutes to analyze the blog

• content
  • What topics are they covering?
  • What topics are they ignoring?
  • What voice or style do they post in?
  • How often are they posting?
  • What level are they pitching their posts at (for example, beginners, advanced, etc.)?
• reader engagement
  • What topics generate the most conversation?
  • What styles of post seem to connect with readers best?
  • What questions are readers asking in the comments?
  • What complaints do you see readers making in the comments?
  • What tools or media is the site using (for example, are they using Twitter, forums, etc.)?
• design
  • What’s your first impression from their design?
  • What have they done well? What have they done poorly?
  • What options do they give readers to subscribe?
• Monetization
  This will give you hints as to how you might make money from your blog.
  • What advertisers are targeting this blog?
  • What type of affiliate programs are they promoting?
  • These sites can give an idea of traffic, keywords that link into a site, etc. – but the information is not always accurate.
• Traffic
  • Alexa.com
  • Compete.com

Further Thoughts

• Who’s linking to their/your blog?
• If you can read code, what can you learn from their source code?
• What are all the blogs in your niche doing – which if you’re not doing them, you’re missing out – and what can you do differently?
• Don’t spend so much time looking at others blogs that you don’t spend enough time on your own blog.
• Be unique – don’t just copy what others are doing – otherwise why would people bother reading it?

Further Actions

• Make a list of blogs that are in your niche, and put aside time to read/comment on them. See patterns emerging, and identify the voices of authority in a sector.
• Read why other blogs are not  your competition.

I’m having so much problem with the internet connection in this hotel in Prague that I will come back to actions, but I’m allowing the thinking to circulate.

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