After Google started changing the search game a couple of years back, there’s been a lot of discussion about blogging “authority.” Now, plenty of people throw around the term indiscriminately. But what does being an authority within a given blogging niche look like? And, how do you get there with your business blog?
If you examine the most well-known A-list bloggers, you’ll find several traits and characteristics in common:
They communicate with authority. Just about any known authority blogger will agree that the biggest names out there are not necessarily the ones who know the most about their chosen niche. Part of what sets them apart from the rest is how they give over the knowledge and observations that they do have. Now, there is a paper-thin fine line between talking with authority and sounding like a know-it-all. To find that balance just keep this in mind: someone who is truly an authority in a particular subject won’t try so hard to get others to acknowledge it, and he or she will be open to further knowledge and understanding. Having a question, needing help, or even making a mistake won’t seem threatening.
They are connected to other authority bloggers. The top bloggers in any given niche know each other, work with each other, and promote each other’s work- even if they seem to have competing websites. Unless you are working in a hyper small niche, there is enough of an Internet traffic pie that you don’t have to worry about another site stealing your traffic. On the contrary, there is definitely strength in numbers, and you’ll frequently see top bloggers mentioning, promoting, working with, and in general supporting other top bloggers.
They have large follower numbers across channels. Take a look at the online social profiles of successful bloggers and you’ll no doubt see that they have an active presence on several different platforms and mediums and a pretty significant following in each. Now, obviously, what constitutes as “large” will really depend on your niche, so take that into consideration. Also, I suspect that many top bloggers hand over some of their social media maintenance to their hired staff or virtual assistants.
They have Klout. Put simply, it’s not just that people share your content, it’s also that those who share your content are influential in their own respects and have large followings themselves.
Their content is about relevant and timely issues. Top bloggers know their audience really well. They know what topics to discuss and how to discuss them. They also excel at content curation, using services such as Paper.li and Scoop.it.
They know where to promote their content, products, or services to get the biggest impact. The minute a successful authority blogger has a new product, service, or announcement to promote, he or she just sends out a few emails and instantly has recommendations and several links back to his or her site. This last trait is really a build up from all the points above, and it allows the blogger to instantly get targeted, quality traffic to his or her site.
In short, being an authority business blogger involves having the right mindset, realizing the importance of networking with other bloggers and being in touch with the needs and wants of your target audience. Understand this, and you’ll rise up in the ranks of blogging authority in no time flat.