4 Ever-So-Simple Ways to Go from Newbie to Expert

Are you new to the blogging space?
Perhaps you are having a crack at building a website or blog on a topic you are passionate about but you are finding it hard to rank in the search engines because the competition is fierce in your chosen niche.

Are you wondering how to become a recognized expert online and improve your websites visibility?

Life is tough as a newbie.

Nobody recognizes your expertise. Nobody listens to you. Nobody links or references back to your website.

People only want to listen to recognized experts. You need others to acknowledge your expertise before you start to earn money from it.

“I was fed up with the lack of consistent traffic and lack of conversions that my website was receiving. I was putting in so much time and energy into my blogs but they weren’t being found in the search engines.

I decided to take action and improve my blog. Since following the tips outlined below, my traffic has improved and my website has been making money!!”

Here are my top tips and some simple techniques that you can apply in order to become a recognized expert in your niche, build a consistent online following and boost your business.

1 – Become Someone Who DOES Things

Walk the Walk. Avoid the clichés. Do things and use your own language to explain what you are doing. Conduct experiments and tell people what you find out.

Let’s take two niches as examples; rose breeding and UK travel:

  • If your niche is rose breeding then breed roses. Tell people how you do it. Include photos. Share your journal entries. Boast about your success in rose breeding circles.
  • If your niche is UK travel, then travel. Include photos of yourself in various places as well as your own landscape photos. Include a few horror stories; people want to see the whole picture.

Experts go their own way, they generate their own data and write original pieces that others will quote and link to.

Anyone can search and write an article by rewording the articles they find in search results. That is not expertise. You do not become recognised as an expert in anything by quoting the real experts.

Dare to be Different

I used to be a chemistry teacher. I was the teacher who other teachers came to when they were struggling to understand a difficult concept. I was seen as the person to ask. I was not the most highly qualified, but I could explain difficult ideas very simply.

How did I gain that recognition as an expert?

I taught and I taught well – My students raved about my lessons.

BUT in addition to all that . . .

I was crazy.

I was different.

I used to sing chemistry songs I made up on the spur of the moment in front of my classes. I would use hand-rhymes and dances to get chemistry theory across to students.

It was my uniqueness that marked me as an expert. I knew my stuff and I was confident enough to ad-lib and develop my own ideas.

If you dare to be different it makes people think more highly of you. You become an expert in their eyes because you have the confidence to be unique.

2 –  Tell Your Own Story

You are unique. Nobody else has lived your life. You have your own unique stories to tell.

Tell them – People want to hear.

  • How did you get into rose breeding? Who was your inspiration? Talk about some of your successes and failures.
  • What is it about UK travel that is so fascinating? Did you move around a lot as a child? When did you start traveling on your own? Who have you met on your travels? What strange places have you slept in?

3 – Listen and Talk to Other Experts

Listening is just as important as talking in terms of building your rep. Those who talk without listening just annoy the people they are interacting with. Start by listening to what other experts have to say; find out what they need, offer your knowledge. You won’t be paid for it, but your credibility as an expert increases. You have to play a long game, working to increase others recognition of your expertise.

  • If you are just starting a rose breeding website then check what other similar sites are covering. Talk to the webmasters by commenting on posts. Perhaps people are looking for ways to reduce greenfly. If you know how to eliminate greenfly then share your knowledge.
  • Check out other UK travel websites. Comment on posts. Offer help or insider knowledge of your own area. Recommend hotels and good places to take photos.

Help experts and they remember. They quote you. Your expert reputation grows.

We were all newbies once. Everyone knows what it’s like, so you will get lots of help once people can see you are going about things the right way.

People become interested in you. They want to help you to grow. They know that their own knowledge grows as they help others, so are happy to help newbies who make an effort.  You just have to develop relationships and get yourself noticed.

I can relate to this. As a teacher my own knowledge used to grow every time I explained something to a class. Even after 28 years and teaching the same ideas over and over again to different classes, my  own understanding increased every time I taught a difficult concept.

4 – The importance of online networking – Find an Expert Community

Yes, you could do the predictable thing and join a Facebook group. Or you could start your own community online or through organisations such as MeetUp.com. Whatever you do, you need to network: Nobody can do it all on their own.

MyBlogU.com is one different online community you might be interested in. It has a reputation-growing system that anyone can use in addition to the above ideas.

You can sign up, free. You contribute your ideas in forums. You contribute when people post Brainstorm Requests. You contribute when members post Interview Requests. If your ideas are good then your name and website are included in the member’s blog post. (Notice that it is all about giving?)

As you help others your reputation as an expert grows. People remember you. They talk about what you are saying.

I have talked with people around the world through MyBlogU. I have found inspiration, friends and employment with the people I have met there.

This post about finding an SEO Expert shows just how willing many experts are to share their expertise and to help you become an expert too.

Your Opinion?

Is there any more advice you would give to a newbie to help him become a recognised expert? Please share your thoughts using the comments box below.

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About Phil Turner

I have been writing since the dawn of the Internet from my home near Cork, Ireland. I write because I have things to say. I write to pass on my knowledge to others because what good will my learning do unless I pass it on? My writing has brought me a lot of good things in life, including happiness and a rewarding career, but most importantly, it has brought me friends. I live and work by the 5 Currency principles, which I have written about on my blog, Time Money Problem. To learn more about me, please read my personal story.