For a blog to be truly successful within a given niche, it needs to be seen as an expert in that given field. You have heard it time and time again and as you look at the blogs you read on a daily basis…you perceive them as an expert in something related to the subject at hand. Positioning yourself as the expert in your field can be a difficult thing for new bloggers and bloggers looking to increase their readership. How in the world do we…as bloggers…position ourselves as the expert in our niche to be successful online? How do we capitalize on that same asset that successful bloggers are pulling from and seeing fantastic results?
The Insider Secret To Positioning Yourself As The Expert
I am going to let you in on a little secret that is going to make your life easier and your stress level decrease. The secret to positioning yourself as the expert is an easy one to conquer with the right mindset. The key…you are positioning your blog, website and online resource as the expert…not specifically you. Unless you are blogging under your name (and sometimes even then), your goal is to make your blog the expert…not necessarily you! Now that the weight is lifted off of your shoulders, doesn’t it seem like a lot easier task to accomplish? Your goal is to make your url an expert in your niche by providing valuable resources that instill confidence in your brand.
How Can I Make My Blog The Expert?
When I started Bike198.com originally, I knew there were a lot of resources and blogs online about mountain biking. Most of these blogs were centered around specific rides, geographical areas and personal experiences. While I wanted to inject myself into my blog with those aspects, I also wanted to create a resource that other riders could go to on a consistent basis and expect to find useful information that was universal to mountain biking. So…how did I do that and position my blog as the expert in my field at the same time?
- How To Articles – One of the easiest ways to position your blog as the expert in your niche is to teach. By helping other people in your niche solve problems, you are creating a blog that becomes the “go-to” resource to get things done in your niche. You are also creating a relationship with your readers by providing solutions to their issues. Throughout all of my blogging, this is the #1 most successful way I have found to position yourself above the rest. The more you teach…the more success you will see.
- Resources – Providing valuable resources is another way to increase your expert status online. Does your niche have a lot of specific vocabulary that you could make a page on and feature on your site? How about a list of resources like I do with my Blogging Toolbox? Resources can be pages or articles that provide your readers with definition or outside information related to your niche. Much like how to articles, these resources provide an immense amount of value your readers and add points on the expert scale.
- Reviews – Every niche has a set of products or services. By providing high-quality, honest reviews, you are creating another expert resource for your blog. Your opinion means something in a review and…while not everyone will agree with your opinion…your site naturally becomes an expert on everything related to your niche. Your readers will start to look to you for information to influence their buying decisions.
- Bring In Bigger Experts Than You! – One of the biggest ways to position your blog as the expert blog in your niche is actually one of the least used methods among beginning bloggers. If you do not have the expertise to draw off of during your beginning stages, bring in people who do to help build up your street cred. By allowing guest posts or conducting interviews and podcasts, you are able to draw off of other people’s expertise in your field and make your blog the expert at the same time.
Positioning yourself as the expert in blogging is not all about your fingers unleashing the latest and greatest to the audience in your niche. It is about creating a valuable resource online through careful planning so that people will see your site as the go to site in your niche. You do not have to be the expert…your blog has to be the expert…remember that as you move forward and there is no limit to what you can accomplish.
Image by Pete Prodoehl
52 comments