This is a guest post by Arba on characteristics of an ideal blog post. You can check out the guidelines for guest posting on our write for us page.

Can you recollect one of those ideal blog post that you have seen in the last few days?

The blogosphere has seen tremendous growth in the last couple of years, so much that you can find a blog on just about any topic, be it the always in demand “online money making”, or the mysterious “Search Engine Optimization”, blogging, business, travel, technology, health, fashion, sports, current affairs, you just name it, and you will find a Blogger covering that topic in detail.

However, as the numbers of blogs and blog posts rise, we are witnessing a steady decline in the quality of the content coming up on the surface of web. To be frank, blogging requires a little more than reasonable writing skills, and a good writer cannot automatically become a good blogger. An ideal blog post needs to have some characteristics, and I am listing them down for those who have just ventured into the field of blogging, and those who are interested to buff up their blog posts’ quality.

Characteristics of an ideal blog post -

There could be a lengthy debate on what an ideal blog post should look like. Though people might have different opinion about the characteristics of an ideal blog post, the guidelines pretty much remain the same. The characteristics could also depend to a large extent on the objective of your blog. An ideal blog post for a “make money online” blog could be different from a personal blog which does not have to look for characteristics.

Remember that these points mentioned below are more important for those who are looking to monetize or popularize their blogs. If you are running a personal blog with your own random mutterings; you probably don’t need to worry about these characteristics or, about writing an ideal blog post.

We will look at an ideal blog post from 3 different aspects.

An ideal blog post must make a point – The Objective:

In spite of the fact that we often refer to a diary when trying to explain what really is a blog, that doesn’t mean you can write all kinds of pointless thoughts that people usually write on their diaries, and call it a blog post. Instead, all blog posts must have a purpose, a message, or a point, regardless of the type of the blog posts (e.g. lists, tutorials, opinionated, etc).

Even when you are sharing a funny or inspirational incident from your life, you have got to end it with something to take home for your readers. In short, a blog post should be a little more descriptive and soulful than a tweet. This is the primary requirement of an ideal blog post.

An ideal blog post must stay true to the title – The Content:

It’s easy to come up with a title that grabs the attention of the web surfers and make them click, but a good catchy title alone can’t make a post stand out in the crowd. You have got to do justice with the title and write a post as catchy as that title. At times, we stumble upon titles that promises big, but the post falls short when trying to fulfill the promise made in the title.

While writing, try to make your post as unique, and as catchy, as the title.

An ideal blog post must be well researched-

You should aim for a post that covers the topic from all angles, and all perspectives. The more angles you can cover, the better it will be for the reader. The better it is for the readers, the more beneficial it will be for your blog. Not to mention that search engines also prefer pages with lots and lots of quality content.

So, instead of covering a topic in several different posts, you should try to cover it expansively in a single post.  Rest assured, this single post will fetch more riches than many short posts combined. Also, a comprehensively covered topic will make it a good resource for readers who will be referring to this single post and your blog in future, instead of trying to keep a tab on many different resources.

An ideal blog post must be up to the minute -

The information in your blog posts must be up to date, especially when you are covering topics that are constantly changing and are eventful, like tech, or fashion, or Search Engine optimization, etc.

For example, it can be quite embarrassing to do a post on a mobile phone launch, which has already been canceled or, postponed by the company, same goes for the topics like Search Engine Optimization where covering a month old development might sound quite out of date.

An ideal blog post must add something new to blogosphere – The Contribution:

A requisite, we often see in the guest posting guidelines is the fact that the post must add some value for the readers. But for some reasons, we overlook this very important element when writing for our own blog.

It is true that you should update your blog on regular basis, but that doesn’t mean you start rewriting on topics which have already covered a hundred times on other blogs out there, an ideal post must add something new to the blogosphere, even if it is a new list, new opinion, tip or trick.

The topic of how an ideal blog post should look like, is one that can start an interesting debate. Tell us your opinion on the characteristics of an ideal blog post by commenting in this post and we can start a debate.

This is a guest post by Megan. You can read the guidelines to guest posting at our write for us page.

Operating an online business can be a great way to bring in money and retain the freedom of working from home. Though your business might not occupy a corporate space and onboard hundreds of employees, it will still accrue expenses that are tax deductible.

An online business owner might rarely see his/her clientele in person, especially in the case of out-of-state customers, but allowances still apply.

It is extremely important that you keep a track of all these deductible expenses because you would not want to pay extra tax when you can claim an exemption for it and thus give away your hard earned money.

Deductible expenses for online business owners

Here are five deductible expenses that online business owners might overlook.

Computer Equipment

While it’s no surprise that you can deduct the cost of a computer for an online business, keep in mind that computer accessories are also part of the deal. Whether you need monitors and desktop systems or a laptop and a spare laptop battery, it all applies.

Remember to include expenses like the purchase of memory sticks, rewritable CDs, and even batteries for a mouse. Keeping track of myriad expenses in your online business can be time consuming but you’ll be glad you did when it’s time to fill out tax forms.

Email Service

While most of your business will likely be conducted through your website or online store, especially if you’re operating a crafting business through a site like Etsy, being able to stay in touch with customers is paramount.

Online businesses that use an Internet service like EarthLink will be able to deduct its cost when it comes to tax time. The IRS defines business expenses as “ordinary and necessary” and email certainly qualifies. The permissible expense might encourage online business owners to use “plus” versions of ordinarily-free email services, like Yahoo! Mail, as well.

Online business Shopping Cart Service

Online business owners can use any number of shopping cart services, including PayPal, Google Checkout, or Americart, for their businesses. These services will come in handy for persons who are operating a business on their own – that is, independently of a site with its own cart service.

Allowable deductions will also apply to the supplies used to mail out products, including padded envelopes and postage.

Internet Ad Service

Promoting your online business will obviously help bring in more clientele, so don’t forget to deduct the cost of a pay-per-click service like Google Adwords. The cost of advertising your online business in a print publication, like your city’s daily newspaper, is also applicable, as are ads that run in conference programs or on billboards.

Software

Though you may only turn to its services when you are offline, you can still deduct the cost of administrative supplies, like bookkeeping software. Using a program like Quicken can help keep expenses in order and make tax time easier by helping you prepare and export necessary information.

Business costs might start out inexpensive – a box of pens, for example – but they can quickly add up. While you probably won’t be furnishing your office with mahogany desks and silk curtains, your online business is not that different from any other company.

Your needs as an online business owner will be a bit different than others but you will still benefit from deducting the expenses that help you keep things running smoothly.