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As an entrepreneur, you should pay attention to what Seth Godin says. He’s the bestselling author of thirteen business books (most focus on marketing). His advice is practical, provocative, and WILL make a difference in your business.

If you’re looking to improve the impact of your website, you should listen to what Seth has to say. But don’t just listen to what he says; watch what he does.

According to Technorati.com, Seth’s blog is one of the top 100 blogs in the world. And according to Quantcast.com his blog gets about 18,000 visitors a day. It would appear that he is doing something right.

What is it that Seth does to make his blog so popular and what lessons can other entrepreneurs learn from him? Well, there are 6 hidden secrets I discovered by watching what Seth does. And the great news is you can easily implement all six on your website/blog with little or no expense.

Rule #1 – Content is King

No fluff, no thrills, just really good content. You won’t find a really cool blog design. Seth’s blog looks like it was designed (if you would call it that) about 10 years ago (sorry Seth, no offense intended). But you will find really great content geared towards entrepreneurs and others who want to make a difference in the world.

He focuses his content on his audience. He doesn’t try to write and appeal to the “masses.”  His content is focused and is the center point of his blog.

Rule #2 – Dynamic NOT Static

Seth’s blog doesn’t stay the same. The “prime” real estate, the information above the fold, changes every day. This gives visitors a reason to come back again and again.

Rule #3 – Set Expectations, Then Over-Deliver

Seth blogs daily… you can bet on it. He NEVER misses a day. Occasionally, when there’s something his audience could benefit from, he blogs more than once a day.

“The first step in exceeding your customer’s expectations is to know those expectations.” Roy H. Williams – founder of the Wizard Academy

Rule #4 – Break the Rules But Give the Reason

It’s okay to break the rules. Against all conventional wisdom Seth doesn’t allow comments on his blog. But Seth has a reason… and he shared the reason with his audience (and they respect him for it). Here’s Seth’s reason for not allowing comments.

Feel free to break the rules. It’s what makes you unique. But if you break the rules, let your audience know why.

Rule #5 – Serve First, Then Sell

Seth doesn’t promote himself, his projects, or his books first. Nope, he first serves his audience by sharing tools and content that may benefit them and enhance their experience on his website. You’ll notice on the left-hand column of Seth’s blog that he provides a place to subscribe via email, followed by a way for people to share, then a search box, then websites, archives, links, and finally his products (books) for sale.

“Don’t try to ‘beat’ your competition – try to serve your customers something better.”
Paul Hawken – co-founder of Smith & Hawken

Rule #6 – Serve More Than You Sell

I did a very unscientific study (and I mean VERY) of Seth’s blog and discovered there are about 23 days of pure content for every one day of self or project promotion. And even on the days of self or project promotion, the promotional message was cleverly messaged into relevant and useful content.

“A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition.” James Cash Penney – founder of JC Penney’s

Rest assured that following these six steps won’t get your website or blog a creative design award. Not that there’s anything wrong with having a creative or “cool” website if that’s what you’re after. But if you are interested in building an audience who respects and looks forward to hearing from you, then I’d recommend watching what Seth Godin does.

P.S. – Seth, if you read this, comments are allowed here…so feel free to leave one!