Directory of Best Indian Blogs in 2022 released

The 12th edition of the Directory of Best Indian Blogs has been released today, the 1st of June 2022. The list of top Indian blogs in English has about two hundred entries. These blogs excel in content quality, regularity and overall blog resources, and meet a minimum design standard. They also show the blogger's commitment to blogging. 

While we call the blogs listed in the Directory as the best blogs in India, there are many more that go under our radar or we have to exclude them. It is partly due to their content-quality or regularity not meeting our standards. Partly it is due their becoming too business-like or maintaining the blog like a stand-alone website (a static home page, no archives, etc.). Yes, it is also partly because we have not been able to discover them. We look into blogrolls, other lists of good blogs, recommendations... We also receive hundreds of submissions on email. But we have to be discreet in choosing 'the best blogs in India'. 

Till mid 2021, the Directory of Best Indian Blogs contained only blogs maintained by individuals and their groups, NGOs and other not-for-profit organizations, and newspapers. However, since then, on suggestion from a few firms, we have started including blogs maintained by commercial firms if they meet our selection criteria. 

Thus the Directory now includes a wide variety of blogs: Some blogs are maintained on free platforms such as Blogger, Tumblr and Wordpress. Some are independently hosted but are like small web-diaries of their personal experiences. Some are big blogs maintained painstakingly by individuals or their small firms. Some are organization blogs. And, some blogs are standalone blogs or part of portals maintained by big firms. One thing that binds them all is their contribution to the web in the form of information, experiences, expertise, insights, and cultural inputs. 

Let me use this occasion to celebrate the blogging spirit of some small blogs. Look how they enrich the blogosphere and are able to achieve something of significance with their tiny blogs: 

• Amitabh Bachchan, the Bollywood hero who does not need an introduction, marvels by writing his heart out day after day on his blog (Bachan Bol [srbachchan]) on Tumblr.
• Give India effectively use their blog (Give India [giveindia]) to spread the message of giving and caring. 
• Some small blogs on the free Blogger platform have been blogging with an untiring zeal, even on topics that look mundane, boring or too niche. Look at these: RWABhagidari [rwabhagidari] on resident welfare issues of one's residential colony, Radioactivity [alokeshgupta] on radio technology, Rapid Uplift [suvratk] on geology.

About the big blogs maintained by firms and organizations as standalone blogs or part of their portals, it is worth mentioning that some international and national organizations (e.g. UNDP India Blog [undp]) and technology companies (e.g. Google India Blog [google]) and even government bodies (e.g. NIC Blogs [nic]) are using their blogs effectively for spreading their messages, sharing expertise and experiences, and community building. 

Though visual blogs are now mostly found on image and video sharing platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, a number of photo blogs, food blogs, and beauty and fashion blogs too find a place in this listing. 

If you are an Indian blogger interested in submitting your blog for the blog listing and in knowing the criteria for selection of blogs. do visit this page: Directory submission: Guidelines and Selection Criteria. If your blog deserves to be in the top Indian blogs list but does not find a place, you can write to us at kp.nd.2008@gmail.com. If you do not display the archive of blog posts on the blog, please also submit a list of posts, date wise, that were published in the last 12 months ending May 2022.

If your blog finds a place in the blog list and you wish to put an ITB badge on your blog, the code is given at the end of the Directory of Best Indian Blogs page.

If you are an Indian blogger in English, you deserve to be in the Directory. If you maintain an excellent blog but it is not there, submit it to us.

7 Blogging Trends to Watch in 2022

It is essential to pay attention to the newest developments in the world of blogging if you want to stay relevant and keep your blog profitable. However, it can be challenging to do a lot of research on the subject. Plus, you have to deal with the day-to-day challenges of running your blog. So, to help out, we’ve prepared a guide on the seven blogging trends to watch in 2022! 

Daily posting 

If you are looking to learn more about blogging and trends to improve yourself, the following might seem very daunting: post daily! Numbers have spoken, and it is evident that blogs that post more frequently do much better than those that do not. This probably has a lot to do with the modern audience’s constant desire to be on top of things. If a blog does not post for a while, it may seem like its content is less relevant and up to date, no matter what the subject is. Of course, if you are just one person running a blog alone, then do not run yourself ragged. It is still better to post every two or three days than to compromise the quality of your blog posts and risk your health by overworking. 

Longer and more informative posts 

Another blogging trend that demands attention in 2022 is the preference for longer and more informative posts. This can seem like it is in direct opposition to the previous trend. But it is still true, and as such, you need to dedicate some time and increase the length of your blog posts. 

Naturally, do not just use ‘empty’ content to fill your articles. Your readers will likely lose interest if your blog posts are just filled with nonsense inserted to inflate the word count artificially. If they need to read through three paragraphs of empty chatter before getting a crumb of helpful info, anyone will look for a better article instead. 

Posts need to be edited well 

The blog-reading audience has finally grown a bit more discerning in relation to grammar and vocabulary. Now, blog posts that have never seen an editor will have a lot more difficulties when trying to attract a wider audience. While fans and a minority will still stick by you, frequent spelling mistakes and misused words will at least invite a barrage of nasty comments. So, take the time to read up on tips for improving your writing skills and get down to editing before you hit that post button on your blog! 

Keywords that blog posts use are changing 

In the past, blogging trends dictated that short and to-the-point keywords were the mainstream. However, this is rapidly changing. This change, attributed to the shift in technology and greater reliance on Google Voice Search, has slowly made blogs cater to longer and longer keywords. 

Similarly, keywords now need to be styled as answers to questions posed to the various AI assistants. This means you need to place yourself in your readers’ shoes when coming up with keywords. For example, a fashion blogger might suppose that a reader will ask their Alexa: ‘What are the most fashionable dresses in spring of 2022?’ They would use the keywords ‘the most fashionable dresses in spring of 2022. 

Your blog posts need to be original 

One of the most important trends to watch in 2022 is the insistence on originality. If you can come up with a new and exciting topic, you will be able to quickly fight your way into the first page of Google Search Results and get a lot of attention for your blog. Of course, this does ask for some research before you delve into writing. Take the time to acquaint yourself with the most relevant topics in your blogging field. And then, try to give a new and refreshing spin on whatever they are. For example, if everyone is covering the best books published in April, then you might want to write a piece on the most anticipated works for the rest of the year on your book review blog. 

Promote your blog actively 

Many people make the mistake of not properly looking after their online presence. Thankfully, this is changing, as this particular blogging trend shows. More and more bloggers are now paying attention to their social media accounts. They try to engage with their audience and promote their blogs through them. 

This can accrue a more significant following and encourage people to comment on your blog posts more. This, in turn, would be beneficial for your site’s SEO and its ranking in Google Search Results, which will only further increase your outreach in a helpful loop. Thus, this is one cycle you want to develop since it will immensely boost the developmental speed of your blog. 

Do not be afraid to invest in your blog 

The final of the blogging trends to watch in 2022 is the upsurge in investment. Lots of people are leery of putting any money into their blogs. This is especially true for those who are just starting and do not know if they will be able to make their blog profitable. And yet, one of the best blogging tips for beginners starting a blog is to invest in their website right at the start! Only through investing in a good website design and host can you maximize the appeal of your blog. And then, once you’ve developed a little, it is a good idea to offer incentives for guest bloggers to contribute to your site. Such posts provide a new and fresh perspective and can help a lot with coming up with enough content to post daily. 

What to pursue 

Now that you’ve read up on the seven blogging trends to watch in 2022, you have some you prefer. However, remember that you cannot just pick one or two trends and discard the rest. Try and integrate all of them into your blog, at least to an extent! 

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Article by Martha Declan, an established fashion blogger. She also loves to write guest posts on the subject of running a blog since it lets her share her experience and knowledge with others who have just started out.

This article follows Top Blogs policy on guest posting.

The next (12th) edition of the Directory of Best Indian Blogs will come out on 1st June 2022. 

We are currently checking the Indian blogosphere for the health of blogs existing in the Directory of Best Indian Blogs, and also new blogs and sleeping blogs that have got up in 2022.

We are also including top blogs from submissions received on email after December 2021.

If you want to suggest a high-quality blog by an Indian or a blog on Indian subjects, do contact us as kp.nd.2008@gmail.com with the URL of the blog.

Please ensure that you maintain the blog in good shape, publish good content and keep updating it. We do not charge anything nor do we want you to reciprocate the listing in any way. In listing a blog in the Directory, we are not swayed by your 'success' or how much money you make from the blog.

If you want more about our conditions for listing, please visit this link: submitting a blog to India's best blog directories.

Best Hindi blogs in 2022

 We have updated the Directory of Best Hindi Blogs, 11th edition. It has been our tradition for the last 11 years to release a new edition of the listing of top Hindi blogs in August-September and update it again in January-February. 

The updated listing of best Hindi blogs has Hindi blogs that shine in terms of blogging endeavour, content and regularity. Some blogs have design issues but we have usually ignored them, or given advice to bloggers to improve their designs at least to the extent that the blog is readable and does not look childish.

In the present updation, the Directory has lost 10 blogs mainly due to irregular postings, while it has added 6 new blogs. It now has 103 blogs.

Best of luck to the new bloggers whose blogs have been included in the Directory now, and of course to those who maintain their presence in the Directory year after year. 

What to do when link building goes wrong

Most websites use a whole array of tactics to boost their SEO. Regardless of what business you're in, you need to make your site visible to search engines and users alike. A standard search engine marketing tactic is building a strong, interconnected network of links between multiple pages and websites. Google makes those kinds of pages more visible in search results. However, keep in mind that Google is also notorious for punishing bad behavior. A common infraction that will land you some negative search engine karma is linking to bad or spammy pages. We will take a closer look at what to do when link building goes wrong, as well as what you can do to get back in Google's good graces.

What is negative SEO?

First, let's be clear on what we mean by negative karma. As we have already mentioned, SEO heavily relies on link building. Search engines reward websites that follow specific criteria by giving them a higher rank when results are delivered to users. Contrary to that, some tactics are outlined in search engines' terms of service that will cause you to lose rank.  These are called black hat practices, and your website will get penalized or blacklisted if you choose to employ them.

One of the most common infractions that you might not even be aware of is hosting bad links. Google will give some pages a bad score, and if your website links to them – you will suffer negative SEO.

Is someone out to get you?

Thankfully, building bad links on purpose isn't a widespread practice anymore. However, it still exists, and you need to be aware of it. Your competitors can launch a hostile SEO attack on your website. They usually do it by building spam links to your page. Google usually picks up and ignores those toxic links, and you can be none the wiser. Unfortunately, some bad links may still cause harm to your website.

Even if there isn't an attack directed towards your domain, you can still fall victim to harmful links. Perhaps a website you work with got hacked and is now spamming toxic links. Or they may have chosen to go down the dark path and employ black hat practices that got them penalized. Your website could suffer simply by association with a flagged page. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what caused the issue. Thus, here is what to do when link building goes wrong:

1. Identify bad links

Nowadays, buying links has become a common practice. People sometimes make mistakes and trust the wrong link-building companies in the race to get more links and boost their SEO. Purchasing links isn't the only option if you want to build a network of links. There are multiple ways to get more links for your website, from adding widgets to guest blog posting, all the way to tapping into social media.

When it comes to identifying bad links, you can rely on some of the most popular link-building resources to get the job done. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Monitor Backlinks, and many others allow you to identify them. They will flag spammy and bad links, and you will quickly know what you are dealing with and how to fix the issues.

2. Remove the bad links

When link building goes wrong, the most important thing to do is to remove all the bad links targeting your website. However, this process can sometimes be more complicated than you'd think. Try to reach out to the webmaster of the site that is housing the problematic links. However, finding out who runs the website in question can be almost impossible. People who perform black hat SEO tactics and host spam websites don't always put their names front and center. 

The chances of getting a toxic link removed just by contacting the website from which it comes are low. However, Google still recommends that as the first step in getting rid of the bad SEO karma. You can find out who is hosting the website and ask them to take down the toxic links. There are numerous free tools and websites out there to help you find who the hosting company is.

3. Let Google know

After you have exhausted the previous options, you can turn to Google's tool aptly named Disavow Links. It's a part of Google's Search Console that lets you nullify the effects of a bad inbound link. By letting Google know which links to ignore, you can avoid any penalties to your website. 

Be careful to separate good links from the bad ones, and only remove the toxic ones harming your site. Keeping valuable links is an excellent way to build a link network that will foster user engagement and help improve your search ranking.

4. Only work with trusted link builders

We've seen what to do when link building goes wrong, but does that mean that you shouldn't have any links at all? If you ask Google, the answer is a resounding No! Google believes that the links on your pages are a testament to the quality of your website and its content. Since link building is hugely important to search engines, you should improve your online rankings with quality backlinks. The link-building experts from linkdepartment.com say that they cannot overstate the importance of ordering backlinks from trusted websites. They go on to explain that good backlinks to authoritative sites will improve your website's Doman Authority and Page Authority. Both of these are important to search engines and directly influence your overall ranking.

In summary

An integral part of your website's health is checking the link network you are a part of. Inspect the links to see if any toxic ones weigh you down and negatively impact your SEO. Now that you know what to do when link building goes wrong, taking care of the bad links will be a breeze. Once you get rid of the bad links, your SEO will improve, along with traffic to your site.

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Article by June Guilmore, a freelance writer with a passion for digital marketing. She often writes articles on the topics of SEO, PPC, link building, and other practices. In her free time, she enjoys reading mystery novels and doing crossword puzzles.

This article follows Top Blogs policy on guest posting.