Guest post by Julia Slovich
Most people start blogs because they believe they have something to say or share and they want people to listen. But what happens when your posts and opinions fall on deaf ears?
We only have enough time and brain capacity to remember a certain amount of things every day, so how do you make your blog something that a reader remembers and ponders?
The answer is simple, but not so easily done – make your blog interactive.
Here are some tips to get you on the right track.
1. Add value
You need to give blog readers reasons to follow your blog. Why should a person read your blog instead of someone else’s? What is your goal for starting a blog? If you are really committed to getting a solid blog-following, you need to give them a reason to follow you. Some popular kinds of blogs include foodie blogs, funny pictures blogs, mommy blogs, etc.
What will make you stand out from the millions of bloggers on the internet? Take your strengths and your passions and figure out how you can spin them into a blog that will attract other like-minded or interested folks. The bottom line is that you need to produce content that adds value to the lives of your readers – whether that value is great tips and tricks or just a good hearty laugh.
2. Make it interactive
Above all, update your content frequently! Your readers need a reason to return! If you are slow to update, people will check back less often and that significantly decreases your chances of getting regular followers and visits to your site. In addition, people like to share their opinions. Give them places to do so!
Add a tab for general comments and questions and enable comments on each blog post. Ask your readers to share their opinions and ask them questions. When they start interacting with you, be sure to respond and in a timely manner! People like to know that there is an actual human being on the other end who cares about what they have to say.
3. Visuals, visuals, visuals
Visual appeal is of the utmost importance. First, if you have a blog theme (like cooking or sports) your layout should match it. For example, don’t have a layout with daisies in the background if your blog is about dogs. Secondly, less is more! Don’t clutter your site with too many advertisements, buttons, or information.
If you really want to add miscellaneous information, at least don’t put it on the homepage. Create a separate tab for your blog roll and one for your contact info. Your layout should be clean and easy to read. Third, include great images with every post. Too many paragraphs in a row can be a big turn-off for readers. Include some interesting images to keep them reading!
Now that you’ve got an idea of what makes readers come back to your blog, try these tips! If you already have a steady following and are looking to increase that number, let readers know that you want to hear from them and that you want to write about what they want to read!
If you are planning a design layout overhaul, write a note letting everyone know that your blog is getting a new look but it’s still the same you. Be human in the social space. That’s what readers want most of all – to be able to relate to you. Good luck!
Julia is a writer passionate about health, fitness & blogging. When she’s not running her dog she can sometimes be found writing about laser liposuction, cooking and a myriad of other topics. She’s also a fan of Sono Bello on Twitter and Sono Bello on Facebook.
About Guest Author
i agree with you that we can easily maintain our blog readers by respecting their interest, by informing them about the latest things and the most important thing is the response which works as a relationship between readers and you,
Verry great post. i like it.
I am visiting this site first time. This article has nice information. Excellent post.I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work.
Twitter: ServiceSeoRo
says:
This is a very helpful post since I’m just starting to make my blog .
You should maybe add.. “focus one subject instead of writing about anything what comes you in mind”.
I had a wrong start with my blog. I do post about anything what comes in my mind. But I noticed its hard then to reach a target group. Some people just come because reading about games.. others rather like to read abou anything else you write.. the negative side I notices is that people do unfollow your blog if you dont write often about ther favorite topic. In my next project I will do it better and will focus on one subject.
MisterD recently posted..Find the Keyword density in a Text
I agree with misterD focus on shubject is very important soo best way to search people’s favourite topics and write on them
Ioana Moise recently posted..Windows 7 Product Key
Very well said. Visuals is a great idea in catching the attention of blog readers and probably this is such an effective way . This is great and useful thanks!
Kristofer Dorka recently posted..Credit Card Payment
oh verry good i like it
Visuals is something I need to work on on my new blog.
I am finding creative commons images to use in posts to add interest but some of my posts will benefit from proper illustrations as they are step-by-step instructions. Need to find the extra time to get some together in Inkscape I think. It adds a lot of time per post to do though as I may need several per post.
Brian recently posted..Seeding a Lawn
yes i love it
Your tips had helped me greatly! I started out blogging my personal stuff, I don’t have a niche either. But I notice that in blogging, you have to mull over towards the content and the readers.
Amy recently posted..Negative equity could affect millions by next year
Most peoples put lots of ads in columns. That is not good.
Its okay with advertising as long as its not loaded with non-related ads and having too much of advertising.
People won’t be bothered with most of the things as long as you provide what they are looking for.
iSEOforGoogle recently posted..7 quick tips on On-page optimization
Thanks for the tips Julia ;)
James recently posted..synthetic oil vs regular oil
Visitors seeing constant content updating will most definitely keep them coming back for more. People don’t like seeing the same articles on the blog when they land over and over again and will eventually leave to find some other blog to read.
That is one of the major killers of blogs, is the authors not updating enough to satisfy the readers.
Also, abrupt changes in how much content changes take place can also affect visitors too. For example if visitors expect a new post every 1-2 days, and then start seeing those 1-2 days change into 4-5 days they will most likely leave as they don’t like that either.
Dan recently posted..Removing Nofollow from Blogspot Blogs
Thanks for the sensible tips, Julia. I can’t agree more about cluttered sites being a turn-off. Bloggers should keep in mind that the main reason people visit their site is to READ their post. I can’t recall how many times I was interested in a post but gave up reading it because the colors and lay-out was too much for my poor eyes. Posting pictures and interesting topic related images help add visual appeal to the page, as long as they are worth looking at and not just there to take up space. There really is no guaranteed formula for success in blogging, but your tips definitely help especially those hoping to increase their audience. John Cooper brought up a good point on his comment, that rewarding your readers by interacting with them can help establish reader loyalty.
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I love this place, the blog post is really convincing and well structured. Anyway, I’m still learning.
nothing new here, pretty basic tips, but sometimes we are so busy seeking for advanced tips, that we miss the basic ones. I think everybody agrees that you have to add value to your blog in order to make readers come back and if you make it interactive, this will keep them on site a little more, but depending on what interaction you offer, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll come back. I think the first reason for which users come back to a blog is the content. Period.
Iulian Lita recently posted..Invitatii Google Plus & Primele impresii
Visuals is the great thing and I know some blogs where little is written, but all the information is give in the way of tables and graphs and it is so nice. You don’t need to read deeply the text as you study the table and see the point.
Yes i agree with you.Search engines like google always give more reference and weight to dofollow comments.
Hi there, Julia,
I like your advice on making the topics interactive and putting the effort into visual appearance (in addition to the quality of the content, of course). There is nothing so annoying like dead links and people being slow in updating. I sometimes notice good blogs and comment on the articles, but the answer is never there, and neither my coomment posted…who knows where the blogger went away…sure,that kind of attitude cannot attract readers. I am the first one never to go back to such places.
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I hate blogs which appear to want engagement but don’t give you an opportunity to reply.
I also don’t like seeing someone blog, and blog, and blog, and not haveing any sensible comments on.
So it’s great to get engaging comments, and I think Julia’s points are spot on. I’ve started putting pictures on my blog as it is a technical subject (accounts) and can be a little dry!
nick goddard recently posted..Marketing: Get Your Business Out There | A Beginner’s Guide
This is a very timely and helpful post since I’m just starting to make my blog open for all to read =)
kris10na ??? recently posted..Speckled Alfredo
Right, adding value is a must and also the interaction. Nice short article with straight forward points. Thanks
Malik recently posted..Worried About Backlink?
Nice post.I also agree with “Making interactive”.It is the only ways to bring back your readers to your blog.Anyway thanks nice information’s
sibin recently posted..New Dashbord For Blogspot Users
nice topic you chosen at the right time for me because i am in search of that topic because right now i am also writing on such topic article and your post really bring some new things into my knowledge. i agree with you that we can easily maintain our blog readers by respecting their interest, by informing them about the latest things and the most important thing is the response which works as a relationship between readers and you,
nice article Julia thanks for awesome sharing………..:)
Gagan Arora recently posted..Download X Men First Class(2011) Xvid Raip 700MB Mediafire Links
Like you say, adding value is important. If your blog is in a popular niche it can be hard not to sound like everyone else, so you have to either provide something that others are not, or provide a unique spin on what others are blogging about.
Rob McGuire recently posted..5 Critical Areas In A Blog Audit
And keepthe post short and to the point – like you just did!
Brilliant
Too often the focus is on networking, but without good content what’s the point?!
Finally someone who sees it for how it is.
Great post Julia – thanks for sharing
Alex recently posted..Backlink Friday. How to get Twice the Luv in Half the Time.
There are a lot of niches that almost require pictures in posts. There’s kinda no point to a cooking blog without the pictures, huh?
Graham Lutz recently posted..How to Plan a Blog That Will Make Money
Twitter: davelucas
says:
Julia! Nice piece! VALUE is rightfully #1 – you have to earn RESPECT to garner a “following” – and you get there by providing interesting, thought-provoking articles. NOT by posting “Info-Graphics” and NOT by selling PDFs and eBooks offered by ‘guru bloggers’.
#2 INTERACTIVE Yes, yes, yes! The most regularly interactive blog I ever saw was written by LaShawn Barber when she was blogging politics! I was constantly amazed at how much her comment section resembled a forum. I tried and tried but failed to do the same on my blog. this wasn’t just 435 comments. it was true INTERACTION, a give and take between the blogger herself, and commenters chatting and posting among themselves. A blog that was also an ‘electronic hangout”…
#3 VISUALS — Julia, I GET IT! I’ve been promising a redesign of my own blog but I just haven’t gotten around to it — yet— one thing worth mentioning while on the subject of VISUALS is — attention all bloggers — PLEASE stop with the endless ‘info-graphics’! Nobody c res! And please don;t overload your posts with youtube videos! All you really need is the LINK from you tube… and if you use a service like snapshots people can hover over the youtube link and a window will appear so they can watch the video without leaving your site!
Truth be told, i do post videos from time to time, but for the most part strictly stand-alones! Or, i will take a screenshot of the youku or youtube video, and underlay the URL. I’m not slowing my blog loading time that way, and anyone who is really interested in looking at the video can either click on the link or hover and watch it via snapshot!
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Hi,
Well it doesn’t matters how good you write and how wonderful your article is. Getting blog readers and let them continuously read does not depends on good or bad article. It depends on how much value you give to your readers and how much you interact with them. A little bit appreciation and some interaction with your readers could make them your permanent readers.
Regards.
John Cooper recently posted..IBS Herbs
its true.,. this is so simple fact but not easy to do, Be consistent its so important to my opinion. thank you Julia for very useful tips.
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I believe that creating one useful detailed post each week or even each 2 weeks is better then creating garbage articles each day. Most people don’t agree with me, but i’ve seen bloggers who post just an article or case study each month and they still have thousands of people willing to read, benefit from and share their great content (some posts may even get hundreds of honest comments). So value here is definitely the ultimate factor of blogging success.
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If that’s the case there is hope for me yet. :) I agree though I’d say once or twice a week is plenty of new content especially if you have lots of interaction on those posts. Plus it gives you time to promote those pages and interact on other blogs. I suffer from the perfection syndrome or perhaps just a deep seeded propensity for procrastination because I find it hard to get a post a week on my blogs although I may just have too many blogs.
And Julia you are dead on with the visuals – great pictures help break up all that well written content you want people to read. :)
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