The first time I came across Marko Saric was on his blog, HowToMakeMyBlog.com. The post I’d seen revealed some of his secrets for getting over 200,000 visitors in his blog’s first year. I started reading more of his stuff and, not only does he produce some great articles on his blog, he’s also very ‘community spirited’. He attends the monthly London Bloggers meeting, and has recently been featured in a list on Problogger naming bloggers to follow in 2010.
I believe that this is as much of an introduction to basically say that Marko is a great blogger with a lot going for him, so when he accepted the interview invitation I was thrilled!
The Interview
Firstly, please could you tell the readers a bit about yourself and your blog? When and why did you start blogging?
My name is Marko Saric, I live in London, UK and I blog about all things blogging at HowToMakeMyBlog.com. I started creating and marketing websites in late 1990’s but it was somewhere around 2006 that I noticed the web 2.0 trend and started transferring my static HTML sites to blogging platforms. That is how I got into WordPress and blogging and that is why I started howtomakemyblog.com in late 2008.
I’ve seen some videos of you speaking at blogging events, so you obviously attend them. Would you recommend other bloggers to attend blogging conferences?
Definitely. Any kind of event thta you can attend around your city where you can meet people relevant to your blog is a great way to spread the word but also to make connections and build relationships with people you can later do more advanced business with. A site like meetup.com is a perfect start to find free to attend events around your area. See more tips on how you can use offline events to improve your blog.
You’ve also released a Twitter ebook. Care to tell the Teenius readers a bit about this ebook?
My book is about all things marketing on Twitter. Twitter is a top source of my traffic alongside Google and it is a platform that all bloggers should try out to see if it is possible to drive traffic and build relationships there even in your field. So I have collected all my tips about how to do everything from day one until you start getting lots of traffic from Twitter. I have just released edition 2.0 of the book, it is $19.95 and can be found here.
Your blog, HowToMakeMyBlog.com has a fair bit of authority as well as you being listed in several ‘ones to watch in 2010’ lists. Briefly, how do you think you’ve managed to get that much success?
Hmm there are many things to it. One is writing great articles that help your audience. Two is being consistent and consistently producing great articles. Three is getting out there and actively promoting your articles instead of waiting for people to passively stop by your blog. Those are the 3 steps that can make anyone in any field a very succesfull blogger.
What three tips would you give a blogger who runs a blog with low traffic and wants to start making their blog bigger and better?
Kind of similar to the answer above. Start writing great content. Make sure to present it great also. Have a nice design, have a great header image, use pictures in article, make articles ver yscannable with paragraphs and subheadings and make it easy to share. Write great content consistently, let us say 3 times a week. Do this, without missing a week, and do it for some 6 months as minimum. And every time you post something, go to other releavnt blogs, go to Twitter, go to StumbleUpon, go to Facebook or whatever else place your audience hangs out on and help them out and showcase your value.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for helping you get to where you are now? Or any worthwhile links that you’d like to share?
I have actually just written a post on all those blog articles that have inspired me to grow my blog, so I think that is the place to look. 90 articles from a variety of great blogs from al laround the world and many different niches. See here for the link.
 HowToMakeYOURBlog? I’d like to thank Marko for the interview and I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it. You can follow Marko on Twitter @HowToMakeMyBlog, get to know more about him on his ‘About‘ page, or visit his blog at HowToMakeMyBlog.com |
Great interview, Simon. Marko is a great guy and I follow him on Twitter. He’s got great articles
.
Shirley´s last blog ..Claim Your Twitter Account On Technorati
i enjoy the blog and this interview too.. lucky for blogger from country that have many conference about blogging.. since my country almost have none.
izzat aziz´s last blog ..What comedian teach me about blogging
Yeah, I think that’s a big problem for many bloggers. I know that for me, and indeed a lot of young bloggers, we still can’t attend even if they are in our country. Taking myself for example, all the conferences are in London (a 3 hour commute away), my parents wouldn’t be happy about me going that far on my own (they have no interest in blogging!), and they all seem to cost hundreds of dollars!
Interested in the Twitter ebook, so I ask, what makes it different from all the others?
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Time Has Come. The Deal Is Done. It’s Time To Move!!
There is a review over at Twitip and a special discount this week that might help you decide… http://www.twitip.com/review-of-the-twitter-marketing-ebook/
Marko Saric´s last blog ..How to get mainstream media interest in your blog
Nice interview, Simon! I’ve used Marko’s site numerous times to adjust my site. It’s a brilliant concept.
Nick Tart´s last blog ..Interview: Philip Hartman, 2008 Young Inventor of the Year
Yeah; I think the diversity of the articles and the quality of them. They not only provide great tips for Thesis users, but also for bloggers in general. Like you say, it’s a great concept.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nick Tart, Jordan Cooper. Jordan Cooper said: Marko of @HowToMakeMyBlog shares some tips in an interview with @teenius http://bit.ly/9hBymi [...]
Marko’s post about 90 articles from around the web rocks ! I just read it completely and am going to read all the articles from it
sharninder´s last blog ..Grooveshark: Listen to unlimited music online for Free
It’s a great list for sure. I did one with just 47 articles and that took me hours and hours, so Marco’s must have taken forever… true dedication!
Thanks for the comment!
Cool Interview. I love the point ‘actively promoting your articles instead of waiting for people to passively stop by your blog’</em.
Really enjoyed reading!
Enk.´s last blog ..Show Popular Posts in Wordpress Sidebar
I have been following Marko for a while now, and it is the quality of his content that always keeps drawing me back.
Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..Do I Need My Own Product Before I Start List Building?
Exactly. There don’t seem to be many ‘filler’ posts, just quality after quality post!
[...] Teenius.com – 47 Visitors [...]
I’d love to read his Twitter e-book but for $20? I think you can probably get most of what hes offering for free.
chester´s last blog ..Calling All Migraine Sufferers
Hmm, maybe, but on the other hand Marco is an incredible guy with some great tips. I can’t comment too much as I haven’t read the ebook, but I bet it’s unique as well as extremely helpful.
Great interview simon. I love marko’s articles and his blog. He made a huge difference for budding bloggers with his tutorials. Thanks man!
I have never seen his website before but hes got some fantastic content! Keep up the good work Simon, interviews are always exciting to read.
Very interesting interview and useful info too. Howtomakeblog is also in my favorite blog list too
Tinh´s last blog ..Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 FREE for One Year
Marko has been blogging for quite long . Your tips were a real eye opener. Your blog is now added in my blog list .
Sourish | Start A Blog´s last blog ..Importance of Social Media