Often when you’re trying to keep up with writing enough content, it’s hard to find the time to do anything extra.

But that definitely doesn’t mean you should give up. If you split your tasks into small chunks, you will be surprised what you can accomplish.

In this article, I’ll show you 10 two-minute tweaks that can help you improve your blog.

1. Make a Title More Compelling

Even if you’re great at coming up with attention-grabbing titles these days, you most likely have some great posts gathering dust in your archives that could use a better title.

Most readers judge your posts by the title. A few small tweaks like adding an adjective, number, or even rephrasing the title to make the benefits of reading the post clearer could give you a huge boost to your traffic.

Here’s an example:

Old Title: Using Twitter Effectively

New Title: Six Clever Twitter Tricks to Save You Time

It’s easy to see which of those is going to get more attention … yet they could easily describe the exact same post.

2. Link to Another Post

Backlinks are good for SEO Here’s a great one for this Post: 4 Reasons Why Blogging Is Important For Marketing and SEO

One great way to decrease bounce rate is to give your users ample amount of opportunities to check out other related content.

You probably have posts languishing in your archives that hardly anyone sees. Take two minutes to find an appropriate place to link them from an existing post.

You can also link to your new posts from your older articles. Perhaps you’ve gone into a topic in much more depth since you first wrote about it, so you should point your readers to your best material.

3. Update Your About Page

When did you last update your About page? If you’re like most bloggers, you’ve not touched it since you created it … and that might have been years ago.

Take a quick peek right now. Is there anything out of date? Look out for:

Biographical details, new updates, press and mentions, etc.
Information about your services and products – you may have ditched old ones or added new ones.

4. Add a Photo of Yourself

Photos can be a great way to help readers connect because it shows them the person behind the words. If you’ve got a good recent shot (it doesn’t have to be a professional one) add it to your About page.

You could even use it in your header or in your sidebar.

Alternatively, you can add images to your older posts. A photo helps to break up the page and makes it easy to read your content.

5. Remove a Widget from Your Sidebar

Most blog sidebars are hopelessly cluttered. Readers often struggle to find the options they actually want (like subscribing to your blog or following you on Twitter) in the middle of all the clutter.

Take a look at your sidebar and find one widget that you could do without – then remove it. Hint: tag clouds and little calendars aren’t usually adding much to your readers’ experience.

6. Deal With Any Comments

Even if you’re not inundated with comments, it’s easy to get behind with dealing with them. Have a two-minute check for any that need a quick reply … or for any spam that’s snuck in past your filter.

Unanswered questions don’t create a great impression for readers.

They make it look like you don’t care about your blog or that you’re an absent blogger. If you find it hard to keep up, you might want to close comments on posts older than a month.

It’s also a good idea to turn off comments on pages (such as your About page) so that these don’t get cluttered over time.

7. Put More Information on Your Contact Page

Some bloggers put a contact form on their contact page and nothing else. While that’s not a disaster, it does create barriers for readers who may want to contact you in other ways.

Depending on your business, you may not want or need to include a phone number or address on your contact page, but it’s often a good idea to add:

Your email address (not all readers trust that contact forms will work, and they may prefer to create their message to you through their email client).

8. Add “As Featured In”

If you’ve been blogging for a while and have guest posted on other blogs, or been interviewed in a blog or podcast, then make sure your new readers know … especially if those blogs or podcasts are well-known names in your field.

My header includes logos of some of the key sites where I’ve been featured.

OptinMonster also does the same on their front page.

You should use your header or your sidebar for this. That way, every visitor on your site can instantly see that you’re an authority on your topic.

9. Fix a Typo

Typos happen to every blogger … but they can create a poor impression. If your posts and pages are riddled with spelling mistakes, you’ll look less professional and potential clients will – understandably – question whether you’re much good at paying attention to small but important details.

Read carefully through your blog articles starting with the ones that get a lot of traffic. If you spot a typo, fix it.

If you’re sure your work is typo-free, look out for sentences that you can improve or images / videos that you can add.

10. Add a Call to Action

When you get to the end of a blog post, it’s easy to just stop … but that’s a huge wasted opportunity. Instead, you may want to include a “call to action” – a prompt for your reader to do something.

You might want them to:

Leave a comment.
Share your post on social media.
Comment on your post on social media.
Take action in their business or life.
Read a related post on your blog.
Check out one of your product or services that’s related to the post.
… or any other action that would benefit you (and hopefully them too).

Each of these tweaks could take you just two minutes – but it could reap you huge benefits.

Wisdom of Syed Balkhi

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I ask myself this every day. Today, my answer is “I was able to help 2 clients.” I love helping others. It’s not just about making money…

WordPress: August 6 – August 27

Blogging: August 8 – August 22

SEO: August 9

Social Media: August 29

We also offer individual and small group classes in your office or home.

In recent years, blogging has become a staple when building your brand. Blogs provide a platform to connect with others through a direct line of communication. Not only is blogging a great way to expand your reach, but blogs also help keep your audience engaged in your business. In a world where humans are busier than ever before, and have the attention span of a goldfish, it’s important to stay prevalent in the forefront of their minds.

• Businesses that maintain a blog acquire more customers! This should be enough to get working on that blog!
• Your blog is communication directly from you. Clients love this personal connection. They also like having accessibility to you.
• Your blog is a forum to share all your social media outlets. The more followers you get, the more your business will grow. Tip: Be sure your social media URL’s are tagged in each post so readers are able to share the content easily
• When you plug in key words to your blog posts to make them SEO friendly, search engines then share this valuable content to those who are searching using these key words. This means more traffic for you!
• Blogging gives your company a voice. It creates a forum where you can discuss products, expertise, services, market trends and company initiatives. It’s a great place to build a stellar reputation and trust for your brand.
• Blogging opens up communication with your audience. Always try to promote two-way communication. When people take the time to comment on your page, be sure to reply. This proves there is someone on the other end who is truly listening.
• Blogging creates free PR. Once your posts start to get noticed, people come to you as the expert and often times start promoting you and your business. It’s a win-win!
• Blogging builds relationships and sales. Customers start to look at you as a reliable resource for information. This trust leads to sales and referrals, which, you guessed it, leads to more sales.
• Blogging allows you to tell the story of your brand. It’s a great place to offer insight into the company, showcase your employees and share your ideas. Emotional connections foster loyalty from customers.
• Blogging is an inexpensive way to build brand awareness, promote your products and services, and gain loyal customers.

Blogging can be very time-consuming, but is absolutely worth it, especially if you’re a small business or a service related business. Positioning yourself in the marketplace is key to growing your brand. Set a stage for your brand to be seen and the followers will come. By Holly Rust

I was initially thinking of this for a business – but of course it could be personal as well. We’re ALL BUSY but I’ve found it benefits all to take time out to ask yourself this.

You Need to write down a few ideas each day to keep the creativity flowing and the idea muscle exercised. You Need to be physically healthy. And You Need to keep the gratitude muscle exercised EVERY DAY. Wisdom from James Altucher

When I work hard at something and fail, I have a choice.

Be in despair, cry, and give up.

Change the word “failure” to “experiment”. Study the experiment from every angle. Learn from it.

Learning equals improvement.

1% improvement a day means you improve 38 times in a year.

1% more despair a day means in a year you become 1/30 of the person you once were.

That’s your choice.

Thanks for Your Wisdom James Altucher

I get asked this often! Lots of reasons really but the most important one is I’ve always LOVED my ‘WORK’. First I  was a Mom then I started a Job Referral Service (People Power). Next a Montessori Teacher, then a Web Designer and Trainer: Sara Ohara.com and now ALSO a Bike Tour Guide: Scenic Cycle Tours.com. There were times in between but mostly if I wasn’t happy I just moved on. Try it, you’ll love it! And Steve Jobs agrees with me!