Setting up a blog is a great way to express yourself as a person and as a writer. A blog can provide you with an audience for your thoughts and experiences, and can also be a great way to boost interest in a business, especially if you are a sole trader. Some people even make money from their blogs through advertisement. However, a blog can only be successful if it is engaging enough to attract and keep an audience. If you are struggling to make your blog successful, here are a few tips which might help you to improve the appeal of your site and content, and assist you in gaining a greater audience.
Appearance and Usability
If your blog site is not aesthetically appealing, then your audience is less likely to stay around for long enough to look through your content. The initial impression a user gets from your site is extremely important, mainly because the more professional and well constructed your website appears to be, the more credible your site will seem. In turn, this will also help to create the perception that your blog posts are more reliable. As well as this, if your website is difficult to navigate, then it is likely that people will leave the site before they have even read much of your content if any at all.
Therefore, you will want to make sure that you have clear and easy to use menus and archives so that every post you’ve ever made is easily accessible in a matter of moments. It is a great idea to tag your content so that you can link posts based on factors such as their themes, topics, and word length. That way, anyone can find other posts which they might be interested in without having to scroll through a lot of irrelevant information. You should also include a search bar which people can use to find articles based off of keywords. Ideally, your site should incorporate a color scheme which most appeals to your target audience. Including media such as video, pictures and infographics will also help to make the sight more appealing, as well as counterbalance any large bodies of text.
Ask for reader engagement
If you want to boost engagement, then the easiest thing to do is to make it clear to your audience what it is you want from them. When you write your content, speak to the reader directly, using the first or second person perspective. This way, the audience is already drawn in, as they feel as though they are being spoken to as an individual. You can then include rhetorical questions into your writing. This not only makes the audience consider what you have said more closely, but it also means they want to read on to find out the answers to the questions you have asked. You can also ask your audience to leave feedback, to or to give their own personal accounts of topics which you have covered in the comments section. It is also a great idea to offer some means of communication which your readers can go to if they would like to get to know you better, such as a contact email address, or an external social media platform which you are happy for them to find you on.
Post appealing content regularly
Your choice of content will vary on what the purpose of your blog is. You might decide that you want your blog to be about a specific topic or theme, such as a food blog, where you could post reviews, recipes, tips and more; or alternatively, you might want a blog which is centered around your own interests and personal experiences. Whatever the case, if you want regular readership, then your content needs to be appealing, and that means you need to make sure that you are fulfilling a purpose to your audience.
When you create your content, you need to view it objectively. If you came across this post by someone else, is it something you would read? If the honest answer is no, then you already know there is no point in posting the content on your blog. Your content should be relatable, no matter the topic, because if people can empathize with what you are saying, or are able to get some practical use out of the information you share, then they are more likely to keep on reading, and also to return for more.
You should also try to stick to a posting schedule, as if your readers can rely on you to post regularly and on time, then they will be more invested in checking back in to view new content. Consider your other commitments when creating your schedule, as you don’t want to overcommit yourself to the blog. If you feel that you don’t have time to write your own content, then you could always outsource content to other writers, some of which you can find if you click here.
Collaborate with other bloggers
If you want to increase your audience and connect with an audience which you might otherwise not have the ability to attract, then the best way to this is to collaborate with other bloggers. Build up an association with them by commenting on their work, not as a fan, but as a peer. Once you have built up a foundation with them, then you could message them privately and share your interest in collaborating with them. Make sure you make it clear to them that it would be just as much in their benefit as yours, as it will give you both an opportunity to build up your audience. One easy way you could collaborate would be by sharing each other’s content on your sites. Another way would be to pair up to write a few posts together or conduct an interview with the other person. Alternatively, you could collaborate with a lot of other bloggers by including a guest blog spot on your blog on an annual basis.
