One of the seriously positive benefits of blogging is the credibility you can build in your chosen field. If you blog well and blog often and the topics you write about inform people, you will quickly become associated with those topics as someone who knows something of value. This is called credibility.
Credibility is a powerful force and can have many positive impacts on your life. It can make it easier for you to sell something since your credibility is a stamp of approval on any products you offer. It can make it easier for you to open doors for partnerships since people want to work with you. It can get you clients because it’s a form of reputation that stimulates word of mouth. Of course, it can also get you blog traffic, which is nice because as I mentioned, a blog builds your credibility - that a good combination and symbiotic relationship.
When I first started blogging I wrote quite a few articles about search engine optimization (SEO) - techniques you can use on your website to get better rankings in search engines. I had some experience and knowledge in this area because I researched a lot about website marketing during the late nineties as part of running hobby websites. You can find many of my SEO Articles on my blog.
After I had blogged for a while it became apparent that I was developing a reputation for being an SEO expert, which at the time quite surprised me because I didn’t start blogging with the intention of promoting myself as an SEO expert. It was an excellent benefit I never saw coming and really opened my eyes up to the potential of blogging for credibility building - all I had to do was write about what I already knew and suddenly I was an expert!
A Nice Surprise
Just this week one of my friends, Jamsi, sent me an instant message pointing out that I was featured on the front page of a very prominent online advertising company’s website - Text-Link-Ads.com.
Here is a screenshot -
Text-Link-Ads is a very popular service, which thousands of website owners use everyday, so the traffic and exposure from this link is fantastic. I don’t know how long it will stay up on the front page, but right now as I type this it is still there and has been for a few days. It’s in the prime real estate on the site and I was quite chuffed to see it there - It was a total surprise - but a good one!
I’ll put my SEO hat on for a second and point out that Text-Link-Ads has a PageRank 6 and certainly many thousands of backlinks - I’ve linked to it myself on numerous times because I use and recommend the site to other people. Having a backlink from a site like this does good things for my blog’s PageRank and PageAuthority. Now these concepts might be new to you and totally confusing at the moment - I can’t explain them in this blog post but if you are interested try my blog article - PageRank Explained.
To be honest the PageRank and the direct traffic are nice benefits but the real result from this link is the enhancement to my own credibility and awareness. My name is exposed to a lot of people and simply by featuring as a testimonial on a popular site I will further be perceived as an expert.
But how exactly does credibility get you blog traffic?
This story is a perfect example of how credibility alone can bring you traffic to your blog. The only reason I got this feature link was because the owners of Text-Link-Ads believe that having a testimonial from me on their site enhances their credibility. Having “Yaro Starak” recommend their service means they get more customers. For me, having Text-Link-Ads refer to my name with a quote and link to my site, means I get all the benefits I mentioned above.
Now you might think this is just a case of two websites/organizations patting each other on the back for mutual benefit, which it certainly is, but in no way did I seek to create this relationship overtly. As I said it was a complete surprise to me, I did not ask for it.
Why did it happen? - Because I blogged. Because I kept blogging and built up a reputation. As you can see, success builds on success.
Can You Build A Reputation?
There is no reason why you can’t have similar stories to tell about your blog if you establish yourself as an expert in your niche. If you blog about something you know a lot about it’s only a matter of pumping out pillar-level quality articles on a consistent basis. If you really do know about something your experience will shine through.
Not everyone has enough experience and knowledge to do it of course - if you have only just started out in life you may need to do some living and some learning before you get enough built up experience to be an expert at something. If you are young or just starting out in your field you should focus on study and trying things, eventually you will learn skills that other people will want to learn from you giving you the potential to become an expert in your field.
Oh and of course, if you enjoyed this topic on credibility building, there are more materials in Blog Traffic School about building your expert status and personal brand. Stay tuned, it’s coming soon!
Yaro Starak
Blog Traffic King
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