- 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog
- #31WBGB: Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog
- #31WBGB: My Elevator Pitch
- #31WBGB: Make List Posts Work for Your Genealogy Blog
- #31WBGB: Promote a Blog Post
- #31WBGB: Analyze a Top Genealogy Blog
- #31WBGB: Contact a Reader
- #31WBGB: 27 Must-Read Tips for Genealogy Bloggers
- #31WBGB: Write a Link Post
- #31WBGB: Interlink Your Old Blog Posts
- #31WBGB: Participate in an Online Genealogy Group
- #31WBGB: Set Up Monitoring Alerts
- #31WBGB: Come Up With 10 Post Ideas
- #31WBGB: Develop an Editorial Calendar
- #31WBGB: Update a Key Page
- #31WBGB: Find a Blog Buddy
- #31WBGB: Solve a Problem
Welcome to Week 4 of 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog!
Week 4’s topic is analyzing a top genealogy blog. The purpose here is simply to observe and learn from others. You probably already read a lot of genealogy blogs (we are a pretty close community), so pick one that you admire, dig in, and think about some of the following:
Content
- What topics are they covering?
- What topics are they ignoring?
- How often do they post?
Reader Engagement
- What topics generate the most comments?
- What styles of posts seem to connect with readers the best?
- Are they using any tools to connect with their readers (i.e. forums, Twitter, newsletters, activities, etc.)
Design
- What’s your first impression of their design?
- What have they done well?
- Is there anything that could be improved?
Monetization
- Are they doing anything to make money from the blog? Affiliate programs? Google ads? Do they have sponsors?
- If yes, what kinds of advertisers are targeting this blog?
- How do they implement monetization efforts on their site? Sidebar? Footer? Within the content?
Cautions
- Don’t spend so much time analyzing other blogs that you lose focus of your own. This analysis is something to do from time to time.
- Be unique. Learn from others and be inspired by them, but don’t copy them.
Giveaway
The awesome folks at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies have given me* a gift certificate for one free Record or General Methodology Class. Their classes are normally $89.00 each, so this is a great prize. To enter the contest, leave a comment below telling us which blog you analyzed this week and/or which NIGS class you will take if you win. One winner will be selected randomly. Giveaway ends at 11:59 Eastern time on Saturday, July 30, 2011.
Action Items
- What is one thing you want to START doing based on this analysis?
- Is there anything about your blog that you want to change, now that you’ve done this analysis?
- When you’ve answered these questions, come back and leave a comment. If you’ve written a blog post about this, please be sure to leave a link.
If you are just joining us, then “welcome.” You can read the kick-off post about 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy blog here. Feel free to start with this week’s reading and action items – you are not behind!
*NIGS Librarianship and Analysis courses are not included. I received this coupon as a blogger gift at SCGS Jamboree. I have no affiliation with NIGS.
