How to Ensure Your Website Stands out from the Crowd

4.4 million blogs are started every day, so how do you have a chance at getting readers?

Where ever you host your articles and blog, you need to make this stand out from the hundreds of other blogs in your niche. You might decide that Medium is for you or Substack. You might decide to create a website. 

All these options come with huge competition. So you have to do something that helps you reach above all the identical offerings. Something that shouts, 'hey, look at me.' Once you have achieved this, you can start thinking of making money; first, you must gain a following.  

Here are some ways you could start the process to be unique. 

Make Unique Pictures

If you are an avid reader of blogs, you will see the same images appear repeatedly. To ease this problem, original images are a must. For me, this helps combine three of my hobbies, art and photography, as well as writing. 

Whether this is for your blog heading, your Twitter heading, or as a post photo, use an original image. Several sites offer free stock photos. However, this is not where you should stop. Take a free image, whether from a stock site or Bing images, and alter it. 

You have several options for this; you might copy the photo into Canva and change it to be original; for example, you might want to add text or some of the elements they have, and the free version is fine for this. 

Canva allows you to use pre-existing templates to produce media. In addition, if no template suits your requirements, you can easily design your own. The comprehensive list of photo editing tools makes this a straightforward process.

Your other option if you are artistic is downloading Procreate, a brilliant free art package. You might even go as far as painting your own image. If you believe this is too much trouble, you could use a photograph you have taken yourself. 

Create a Niche for your blog

When they start, many bloggers tend to create a blog that caters to all subjects. I know I made this mistake when I started. The range of subjects that were included was extensive.

It didn't take me long to realise that I needed niche blogs to attract the correct reader. This is not to say that I stopped writing on various subjects; instead, I put different niches on different platforms. 

When picking a niche, try being as specific as possible with it. For example, you might want to write about cat care; you could narrow this down to cat care for senior cats, making your blog attractive for a specific type of reader. 

You might say this will reduce your followers, and that is true. But here is the secret, you don't need followers to succeed. Followers are a vanity measure. It would be best to have dedicated readers who read everything you produce; that is where the gold lies.

If your ultimate aim is to monetise your blog, starting with a set niche is best to grow a loyal band of readers. You can also be approached by companies within your niche to review their products. This is another brilliant way of making money.

Have a Professional Biography

Once readers have found your blog, you must introduce yourself to them.

All established authors need a biography. This will introduce you to new followers and potential work opportunities.

It is best to write your author biography in the third person. Write all the facts about yourself without overselling or stretching the truth. 

Writing about yourself is a task that all of us find difficult. Here are a few tips to help with this.

• Have an introduction on why you are an authority on your niche subject. What are you offering the readers?

•  Include things that build your credibility and what publications you have written for. For example, how many books have you published?

•  Keep it short, concise and exciting.

•  Have a biography that inspires and informs without being boring and overly arrogant.

When you have completed your website biography, allow others to read it. Let it sit for a couple of days, and then revisit.

Once this is completed, it is time to shorten this biography to use on other social media. I keep two copies of my biography, one for potential freelance opportunities; a shorter one for Twitter and Instagram.

A strong writer's voice

Finding your writer's voice is the main thing that makes you stand out as a professional. Readers will follow you because they like the way you write. Write as if you are talking to someone across a table in a coffee shop.

You may have heard the quote; write for one person. This is where the idea was established. You write your blog as if you are conversing with your best friend.

A writer's voice is challenging to establish and may take months to master. When bloggers start, it is common for them to adopt many different voices. People either like how I write and read, or move on to the next blog.

In addition to having a strong writer's voice, I also have a set style that I try to adapt in all my posts. I change this to experiment, but generally, my posts follow a similar format.

Consistency Across Social Media

Social Media is not essential to have a professional writing career. Unfortunately, many writers get so caught up in their social media presence they forget about writing. The most significant advantage to your writing is quality and consistency, not social media followers. 

Many writers, myself included, use social media to promote posts. For this, social media is valuable and can increase post views considerably, especially if you have an eye-catching unique photo.

If you wish to maintain a presence on social media, you must have a consistent brand image. Therefore, I use a similar header banner and an identical profile picture throughout.

Remember, your social media presence is also advertising your writing. Maintain a professional persona at all times. Many experts say they resist discussions on football, religion and politics. Nothing is more certain to turn readers away than a discussion on this trilogy.

Whichever social media you decide, ensure that you post regularly. It is also essential to interact with other followers. Genuine responses to posts and comments help build followers.

Start Just Start

In Austin Kleon's book, Steal Like an Artist, he mentions the most significant factor that stops people from creating is a reluctance to start. You, as a writer, think you should read more before you write. You don't understand web development enough or should improve your grammar. 

None of these is true; starting is the best way to learn. Find anyone who has been writing on the internet for a while, and they will shudder when they read their old article. But, at least they started, which is worth more than any course or reading. 

Learn as you make your way through your writing career. If you never pick up specific skills such as web design, hire someone to do it for you. That is why you must start by creating a blog on whichever site you feel more comfortable on. 

The tips above will help you take a step forward and help your blog stand out from the crowd.