Now we have a blog. All you need to make it a succesful one is to write exceptional content. We're going to explore various ways to improve the blog's appearance, publicize the blog, search engine optimization, contextual advertising, plugins, web2.0 features, and so on…but all that really matters is the content. It doesn't matter how good our blog looks, or what kind of cool features it has, if the content is not original and interesting. The only way to make the blog succesful is to create content that stands out. There are probably around 100 million blogs out there. How are we going to stand out?

Right now my blog is as good as nonexistent on the Internet. I have had zero visitors, the search engines have not found it, and so on. It's like a god-forsaken little hut somewhere in Siberia. It exists, but nobody knows about it.

So what am I going to do about it? Start submitting my blog to the search engines? Promote my blog in forums? Engage in link exchange?

No, I'm not going to do any of that. I'm going to create content that I hope will provide value to people. If I manage to provide value, people will come and read my blog, tell their friends, and link to it from their websites. The way a website becomes popular these days is similar to the way a virus spreads. Someone catches it, and infects those around them, and so on. Sure, it's important to be visible in search engines, but that's not achievable by search engine optimization (SEO), no matter what the SEO companies will tell you. It's only achievable by creating valuable content. You don't have to take my word on it. Check out the following articles on valuable content:

How To Build A High Traffic Website by Steve Pavlina

Search Engine Watch

There are various ways to provide value. If you've got expertise in something, write in-depth articles and publish them on your blog. If your head is full of amazing business ideas, don't keep them secret - blog them for all to see. If you're a skilled photographer, publish your pictures and make them public domain - let people use them for free. The basic principle as I see it: Provide value, and provide it for free.

Content quality is vital, but content quantity is important, too. If you've only got one amazingly great post, many people will read it, but they won't return because you're not offering anything more. Most people will never find your great piece because your blog won't get much search engine traffic. You need a bunch of great articles. So get writing!