Blogs that are hugely popular become so for a reason. Bloggers have to take the time to research and understand what it takes to become a successful blog. If you want to turn your blog into a top resource in your industry, follow these seven tips.

1. Consider your audience

Nothing is more important for your blog than your audience. If you write a post that discusses retirement funds, it won’t work for a blog directed at teens.

Writing about a niche means considering its audience and writing specifically to them. The language and graphics you use to speak to a woman in her 70s differ greatly from what you’d use for a teenage boy.

2. Make popular topics last

Again, the topic of conversation in your blog doesn’t matter so much as how you phrase it. When you have a particularly hot topic to discuss, break it up into several different blog posts. This will whet the appetite of your readers, and encourage them to return and read more.

It also promotes sharing. If your readers are pleased by what you say, they’re more likely to link your blog posts on their social media sites, send them to friends and family, and become your own personal marketing tool.

There are several ways to land an exciting writing job but one of the most popular now is by having a blog. Blogs of writers serve as a live resume of sorts for employers and other people who may need a writer. The ability and the capability of the writer can be gauged by the contents found in his or her blog.

Even without purposely applying for a writing job, writers who are able to establish a good name and reputation will eventually catch the attention of individuals and companies who have use for such skills. While some would be contented in hiring the writer to produce materials for their use, many will prefer to also cash in on the good name of the writer. This will of course be equivalent to better pay.

Here are some ways writers can make sure that their blogs catch the right online attention:

Get the Best Web Hosting

When we talk about the best web hosting option, it does not necessarily mean the most expensive or the most popular. The best web hosting service will come from the company that will be able to serve the needs of the site. However, blog owners must be aware of the importance of reliability and consistency in online presence. This means the very least downtime, if any and the fastest speed when loading the blog pages.

Put Quality and Excellent Content

Writers for blogs will have to remember this always. The blog and its contents will reflect their capability to produce quality and excellent content for employers. There must be great care in form and structure so as to come out a master of the language being used. It has to be noted that potential employers can look at the blog contents even without informing the writer. If they like what they see, they will find a way to contact the writer. If they don't, the writer may not even know that there were people who visited the blog for such purpose. A good advice here is to always consider the structure, spelling, grammar, and other technicalities of writing before publishing anything.

Widen Writing Horizons

Bloggers should learn to bring their writing and their blog before a wider audience. Guest posting in related blogs will create awareness and appreciation from a different audience. There is always the possibility that a potential employer is within such audience.

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Arianna Huffington, Pete Cashmore of Mashable, and Perez Hilton are but a few writers who have found fame and fortune in the world of blogging. That said, a July 2013 article in U.S. News & World Report takes a more sobering look at the picture: while the potential for big bucks is there, most bloggers aren't going to make a living writing for the Web. But whether a blogger wants to reach an audience of millions or just a specialized group, the skills needed are much the same. One of the most important skills? Understanding the many hosting options out there, what they mean, and which ones are right for the job.

A print and web design company based in Downriver needs a freelance content writer to help in writing articles for print publications and websites. Topics to be covered are business profiles, dining guides and reviews, community profiles and local arts scene. Although a freelance position, the writer needs to go to the office once a week to get his list of article topics. Articles should have a word count of 330 to 550. More details here.

Alloy Group is looking for a researcher and writer with a background in legal research. The part-time job requires researching legal articles and writing blog posts and articles. Qualified to apply are those with superior writing skills and can work independently at home. To apply, submit your resume, cover letter and short writing sample at this website www.rustconsulting.com/careers.aspx.

Online jobs abound on the internet today. There are hundreds or even thousands of them waiting to be filled out. They may be offered by companies that want to outsource specific tasks, by agencies that cater to various clients or by individuals working on major projects. Some are for full-time basis while there are also others that are part-time positions or per project basis only.

One of the most in demand these days are online teachers specifically those with excellent English skills. Online English teachers are needed by companies offering tutorial services for Asian students. Young kids in Korea or Japan, for instance, often prefer to work with online tutors who can teach them right after school in their own homes via Skype.

How to Get Started

Getting a job as an online English teacher or tutor is possible without having an education or English degree. Depending on the requirements of a company, you may apply if you are proficient in the English language, a call center agent wanting to have a more relaxed work schedule, a stay-at-home parent or 18 years old and older.

Many active internet users today think that LinkedIn is the only social networking site they can turn to for job hunting purposes. While it's true that LinkedIn was designed to connect employers and people looking for jobs, Twitter is another social media platform that can be tapped by job hunters.

Early this year, the human resource team of Twitter together with NPR organized a chat event on Twitter to provide information on how job seekers can use the platform to look for possible work. Being an open network, experts believe the site can be useful in connecting people with the industry they're most fitted in and potential employers.

There are various ways in maximizing the potential of Twitter to enable people looking for jobs get the most suitable work for them based on their skills and talents.

Establish Your Expertise

While Twitter limits the number of characters for every tweet you send out, you can still share valuable content and include links to relevant posts. Retweeting is fine but it would be much better to send a tweet in your own words and do it regularly.

Follow the Industry You Like to Be In

Following the industry you want to belong to is also a must. This will make you aware of the latest happenings and the trends in employment.

Follow Companies in Your Industry

Numerous companies today, including the global ones, have a Twitter account which they use to share updates on their activities and even job openings. As such, you can follow those that you like and want to be part of so you get first hand information on their recruitment activity. Following them on Twitter would be much easier on your part instead of constantly visiting their main website for updates.

Build Your Network

Establishing friendly relations with people and even companies you follow on Twitter is another important thing you can do. Engaging with them is a must and one that can easily be achieved unlike when you're using other social networking sites. Connecting with the right people and companies on this platform can be both productive and meaningful.

Use Twitter as a Jump-off Point

On Twitter, users are allowed to create their profile with photo. But although the information you can include is limited, you can still use it as a jump-off point for your more comprehensive online profiles. Be sure to post a link to your profile on other sites such as LinkedIn or your personal blog, if any.

Image via hipvine

About the guest author:

Gracie is an active social media user who has received offers for writing projects via Twitter. She values a fast internet access such as one provided by Clear Internet Service.

Google launched a new Adsense feature called the publisher scorecard a couple of weeks back. While the tool is a welcome addition for Adsense publishers who need a quick way to check on their site's performance, it does not provide the most insightful analysis and lacks in terms of giving you a real understanding of where your site stands relative to your competition. This is really ironic considering the fact that they made the publisher scorecard specifically to address the need for “benchmarking information on how your site is performing relative to the sites of other AdSense publishers.”

I have written on the issue of the Adsense scorecard not being able to deliver as a benchmarking tool, but acts as a mere checklist for industry best practices – and I stand by that. In fact, the more you use (or do not use) the publisher scorecard, the more you'll realize how crippled it is as a benchmarking tool.

Freelance workers today face challenging situations. They can have their hands full managing several projects at the same time and meeting tight deadlines.

In addition to their work, they also need to do some invoicing tasks on their own at least before or at the end of the month. This is to ensure prompt payment of their services.

Bloggers are some of the freelance workers facing this work setting. While some, particularly the newbies, may still be struggling in the area of invoicing, the others have found the right tools to make their work faster and easier.

Some employers may provide their remote or freelance staff a standard document to use. The others may require their workers to download a specific invoicing software to use.

The great thing about the Internet is that it eliminates the problems that geographical boundaries pose, making it possible for a writer to land professional blogging jobs for online publications and all kinds of clients anywhere in the world. But just like any job, professional blogging comes with its own set of challenges, and for those who are not financially savvy that includes figuring out what to do come tax declaration time.

If you earn money through blogging, whether that be compensation income for professional blogging services or income generated by your own blog, you need to declare that income and pay corresponding taxes.

How much you need to pay, whether you can file for tax relief, and where you need to pay can get confusing though, especially if you are working for businesses and private individuals located in another country. With each country having its own set of tax laws, which law do you follow? You have to figure out which one applies in your particular circumstance.

The internet technology has provided people in need of work with so much convenience for years now. Job hunting and getting employed have been made easier as people can apply for jobs online or even work online in the comforts of their home.

Various government agencies and private organizations have developed job search and job matching portals to assist the public looking for a source of livelihood. These sites have been most helpful as they provided an option from the traditional job hunting process.

Availability of Online Jobs

Today, numerous online jobs are widely available in various sectors. They cover information technology, administrative, finance, journalism, healthcare, marketing and advertising. Some jobs are offered on a full time basis while the others are part-time and on a freelance basis. There are also companies that allow telecommuting to employees which means they can work at home on certain agreed terms.

Some of these online work-at-home professions actually pay well. These high-paying professions include that of software engineers, computer programmers, medical transcriptionists, systems administrators, graphic designers, writers, authors and public relations specialists.