You started it late at night as an attempt to hook even more clients into your designing web. Now you’re saddled with a design blog. You spend hours working up detailed posts filled with killer tips, blasting social networking sites with your domain name to garner traffic, and tweaking that header with everything in you. That being said, you know that most design blogs die within the first six months of their existence. It’s a shame, but don’t panic just yet! Use these great tips to keep your design blog alive and healthy.
Focus on Problem Solving
Creating massive lists of inspirational images and typography sets is great every once in a while: After all, we all need inspiration. But remember that what your readers are really after is graphic design gold. They’re coming to you with a problem, and it’s up to you to supply the how-to, tip set, or instructional sequence that solves the issue. Doing so makes you seem like more of an authority—which is always a plus for your traffic—and also keeps the reader coming back.
Solve enough problems, and your readers will start to check with your first for solutions to their design conundrums.
Know Your Audience
Think about it: Who is actually reading your blog? Are you mostly pulling in prospective clients, or those with a casual interest in the field? Or are you raking in troves of knowledge hungry veterans like yourself, or those looking to seriously converse and be learned about the craft?
A good way to know your audience is to set it yourself. Pick a target group you’re writing for, and then tailor each of your posts to match the desires of that group. Who says you can’t write what you know, and write for those you know? No matter where your target audience comes from, though, be sure to craft content to match the interests of that pool, or your return readers will be little to none.
 Stay Involved
Lastly, be sure to stay involved in the life cycles of your own blog. Leave commenting capabilities attached to your posts, and when readers ask a question, pop in with a quick and friendly response. If it looks as if you’re using the blog yourself (and we certainly hope you are) others will feel much more inclined to be involved.
