7 features every successful blog should have

It’s funny how clients’ needs evolve over time. For example, I’ve noticed that most clients who come to Outspoken Media for blog consulting services don’t ask whether they should take the plunge and create a corporate blog. It’s 2012—they’ve already done that.

What they want is to get more from their blog. They want to increase engagement, usability and the overall function of the blog. I’m lucky that many of these audits and strategy documents fall on my plate, because I get to look at awesome blogs and make them even more awesome. Who wouldn’t love that?

When I create recommendations for blogs, I look for the features listed below. There are obviously many more factors that go into a great blog, but the ones below have a high bang-for-the-buck ratio.

1. A prominent subscribe button

It makes sense to start here, right? If you invest time to create a blog, you do so because you want people to find, share and love your content. For that to happen, people need to know that new context exists.