Four ways to improve your boring blog

If you ask a handful of people what the purpose of a blog is, chances are you'll get a few different answers.

• For writers, a blog is a place to hone their skills and get their thoughts published easily and inexpensively.
• For readers, a blog is a place to read others' ideas, stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends or learn about a topic that interests them.
• For Internet marketing mavens, a blog is a means to boost a website or brand's SEO ranking.

There are millions of blogs floating around out there on the Interwebs, and each one was started for a particular reason. On the same note, there are blogs about every topic imaginable, and some are naturally more popular than others. Looking for a blog about cooking, technology or small business? You're in luck. Just type your desired topic into Google, and watch the results roll in. Even those who work in traditionally "boring" industries — such as insurance, construction or law — are jumping on the blogging bandwagon. So, how do writers in these niches garner enough readers to make their blogging efforts worth it? By implementing techniques that make their blogs and blog posts more interesting, which ultimately makes people want to read their blogs on a regular basis. If you want to draw more readers to your blog, follow these four simple tips.

1. Use photos in your posts.

It's no secret that a blog post comprised of both photos and words is a lot more enticing to readers than a blog post that appears to be a page of endless text. Use images to break up large chunks of text, add value to your post, illustrate your point and keep your blog visually appealing. Of course, the type of image you use matters. I'm a fan of stock photos, but not the cheesy ones (you know, models smiling right at the camera and holding some sort of inanimate object). Sure, it takes a little time to find good, quality stock photos, but it's well worth the effort. Also, don't shy away from using screen shots, graphs, charts and infographics in your blog posts as they make for a nice change of pace.

2. Tell your story.

The best way to be seen as an expert in your industry is to establish yourself on all fronts of your brand's web presence, and this includes your blog. An easy way to do this is to tell your story — or your company's story. Feature details about your education, credentials, humble beginnings and professional growth. Another way to establish yourself as an expert is to show who's behind your blog. Put a face with a name by including a short bio section that features all of your blog's contributing writers. I know from experience that many surety bond companies do this. Although some readers will pass right over the "Meet Our Team" page, others will appreciate the behind-the-scenes information and will realize the value in what you have to say.

3. Promote your blog via social media.

Today, engaging with your audience on a personal level is a large component of finding SEO success. An easy way to engage your readership is to incorporate social media on your blog. How? With social media buttons. Take a look at some of your favorite blogs. Chances are they'll have buttons for Twitter, Facebook and Google+ on each post. Some blogs even include buttons to email posts and share them on Digg, LinkedIn, Tumblr, WordPress, Pinterest and other social media platforms. Additionally, give readers a way to subscribe to your blog via email by providing an RSS feed or FeedBurner signup form on your homepage. Installing these features on your blog is easy and can be done with the insertion of simple code in your site's HTML. Altogether, putting social media links on your blog is a little-effort-high- result way for visitors to share your content.

4. Focus on timely, relevant and accurate content.

Nothing will cause a visitor to leave your blog faster than seeing a post from several months or even years ago at the top of your blog feed. As Internet marketing professionals, we know that Google rewards timely, accurate and original content, and these values should be translated to how you manage your blog. To keep readers interested in what you have to say, get to know your audience and publish information that pertains to who they are and what they know. To keep them coming back for more, publish content on a regular basis. Daily is best, but every other day or twice a week is also effective. Posting fewer and further between will give readers the chance to forget who you are and why they visited your blog in the first place. We live in a day and age where Internet marketing is always evolving, and blogging is no exception. There are a million things you can try to draw readers to your blog and keep them there, but these four tips are a good starting point for those looking to improve their reputation in the Blogosphere.