Blog readers are very important for a blog, you are still not done yet even though you drive massive traffic to your blog. Yes, you may getting massive traffic in short period, but there is little or no interaction at all at your blog, or most of the traffic are one time visit and do not come back anymore.
Therefore, you should know how to make your blog sticky and get your readers to return for second time, third time and more. There are many factors that make readers not come back, you have to find out the reason and try to improve it.
5 Ways How To Make your Blog Sticky and Keep Your Readers?
1. Awesome blog design
Blog design is what your visitors see when they first land on your blog, so you shall try to give your first time visitors a “WOW” effect when they see your blog. Frankly speaking, I won’t visit the blog for second time if the blog has a poor design especially when I find difficulty in navigating the blog. In opposite, I like to visit blog with awesome design, even though the blog doesn’t has great content, but I will still visit the blog from time to time.
2. Posting regularly
The frequency of posting on your blog is very important, it may affect your regular readers as well. A regular reader who used to visit your blog and craving for your writing, but he can’t even see a single update after visiting several times in a week, he may stop visiting your blog for the rest of the days. You shall try to keep posting regularly and consistently, says 3 posts a week is good enough.
3. Stick to your blog niche
When you visit a blog, I believe that you will be more likely to read more relevant articles in the blog. We should always stick to the blog niche, if your blog niche is about blogging, then you should concentrate on blogging tips topic. If you blend the blog post topic in your niche blog, says you write about food or travel related blog post, your readers who prefer to read your regular blogging tips may quit after seeing you post irrelevant blog post topic.
4. Close interaction
In order to keep your readers in your blog, a close interaction with them is very important. Whenever your readers write comment on your blog post, reply all of them. You should keep communicating with them, sharing experience and opinion. If your readers send you email asking question, reply all of them and give your opinion or solution. Close interaction is important as it gives your readers a feeling that you’re a real blogger and open for discussion. I might be wrong, most of the bloggers do not reply to comment or communicate with readers, their intention might be just posting content, driving traffic and make money, that’s it.
5. Use DoFollow and Top Commentator plugin
If you tend to make your bloggers keep coming to your blog and leaving a comment, use Dofollow and Top Commentator plugin on your blog. There are many bloggers who urge for natural backlinks especially with dofollow attribute, many blogs out there do not use Dofollow anymore because afraid of leaking of backlink juice, so if your blog is Dofollow with Commentator plugin, you may be getting more comments and returning visitors. If they keep returning to your blog and leaving comments, you shall interact with them and build relationship.
Wrap Up
Everything is linked, so you must do everything in the right way to make your blog sticky and keep your readers on your blog. However, interacting and communicating with readers is the way that I find it very powerful to get your readers coming back for times to leave comment on your blog post.
How do you make your blog sticky and keep your readers?
About Lee Ka Hoong
Twitter: storage_racks
says:
Interesting tips but Writing on a regular basis is a MUST DO for bloggers.keep close interaction also helpful.
Twitter: jafardhada
says:
A smart writing style is more important here.
We should make our blog’s design simple and awesome.
Also posting regularly works only if you content is expensive then GOLD.
Nice tips.
Jafar Dhada recently posted..How to Use Blogger
Twitter: kidsPartyRentl
says:
Just smart writing important >……….
I think, the most important step to building a loyal readership is to keep your topics focused. In the past, I was writing about all kinds of subjects around internet marketing on my blog and I had almost no return visitors. Since I started to focus my blog on more specific subjects, I’m realizing that people are coming back to my blog and they are also commenting on my posts, which wasn’t the case before.
Twitter: payable
says:
Hi Lee I agree with your points, especially sticking to the blog niche really it helps us to build more number of valuable readers
caroline recently posted..dns server setup
Twitter: Ajayudayagiri
says:
Great tips!
Do-follow really attracts most of the readers to earn backlinks for their site. And writing quality content also attracts blog readers and make the a loyal visitor.
Ajay recently posted..Increase Organic Search Traffic From Google|Get Organic Traffic Instantly
Twitter: sriharshachowd
says:
This info is useful. Another good tip would be to place social connecting buttons in a site at spots that are likely to get more attention and install one-time pop up boxes that have the social connecting options. They won’t be annoying as they pop up just once.
Harsha recently posted..How to watch or download English, Hindi and any other movies from Youtube
Twitter: sriharshachowd
says:
This info is useful. Another good tip would be to place social connecting buttons in a site at spots that are likely to get more attention and install one-time pop up boxes that have the social connecting options. They won’t be annoying as they pop up just once.
Harsha recently posted..How to watch or download English, Hindi and any other movies from Youtube
Twitter: musicjaan
says:
These are great tips to keep readers coming back to a blog. The design of a blog is very important to attract readers
akku recently posted..Maula Guitar chords from jism-2
Twitter: KontegoNetworks
says:
Yes but is the ”leaking of backlin” juice a bad thing or a neutral thing?
Thanks for the tips!
Twitter: bloggerspassion
says:
I think content formatting also has lot to do with what you ultimately serve to your blog readers. You should use images, videos and add links to relevant stories. You should use headings and lists etc to make your blog posts more attractive and more search engine friendly.
Anil Agarwal recently posted..Hostgator Coupon August 2012: 25% Discount on All Hostgator Hosting Plans
Followers are important to have a successful blogging so it is necessary to have connections to your followers and visitors in our blog. This is the only way to increase the visibility of our blog site which is having a lot of followers.
Trisha Mckee recently posted..Sex is better with Thicker and Stronger Penis
Twitter: IGBALAYEOLAYEMI
says:
Interact with your reader is very important to prove to them that they are very important. and also regular posting can help keep your readers close to you more.
IGBALAYE OLAYEMI recently posted..7 Unique Ways to Make Money Blogging
These are great tips to keep readers coming back to a blog. The design of a blog is very important to attract readers. Posting quality content on a regular basis really helps a lot. With so many blogs available for readers, it easy for them to switch to another blog, if something interesting is not offered to them.
@Richa,
In this case, close interaction and giving something to reward readers would be good to keep them on your blog such as dofollow backlink. :)
Thanks for reading Richa!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..5 Ways Defeating the Deadline and Tips to Keep the Creative Juices Flowing Under Pressure
Twitter: SoCalMobileAuto
says:
I guess i would have to get some “None Spam” comments first. But I think this is very helpful as I just started my blog about 3 weeks ago. So far so good, but the amount of spam I get is crazy. Still learning about all of the plugins and all that but posts like this help me to decide which direction I want to go.
Thanks!
Joe Seals recently posted..La Jolla Mobile Auto Detailing… No better place in the World to clean a car!
Beside posting quality articles regularly, it’s important to give our readers incentives to involve. Therefore, a comment plugin that offers do-follow backlink is a good strategy.
Julian King recently posted..Tool Shed Plans Free
@Julian King,
Giving something to them as a reward for their contribution and support, it’s a win-win situation! I use Dofollow backlinks and Top Commentator to reward my readers, it works!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
Blog design is a very important factor so is making consistent posts with some great content to keep the readers hooked. If the content is not informative and engaging, it very easy for the readers to loose interest and move away from the blog
@Abhishek,
Blog design, close interaction and useful content are the most powerful combination if you can achieve them, readers will stick to your blog no matter what. :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
Writing on a regular basis is a MUST DO for bloggers, since nobody wants to read a “dead” blog. Also, Knowledge sharing needs to be mutually beneficial. When you’re left with a question, opinion and other forms of comments, make it a habit to respond back as it is expected of you.
Twitter: antonrsa
says:
Hi Lee,
I do concur – Close interaction with users along with quality, and viable information and content (like images and graphics etc) is key to making your blog stand out amongst others. And when your blog stands out – it’s going to be sticking with users and most likely to convert a new visitor to a returning one and even better – subscribe to your RSS feed.
Anton Koekemoer recently posted..Are you a local business? Try blogging to get targeted visitors
@Anton Koekemoer,
These are important to keep your readers, close interaction with readers to show that they are important to you, show that you appreciate their support. I agree with you, images and graphics do make a big different for the blog theme, that’s what I love to do for my blog. :)
Thanks for reading and thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed. Appreciate and keep in touch! :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
writing regularly can help you to keep your readers coming to your blog.
@Puneet,
It’s one of the essential thing that you need to do, and also interact with readers. :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
consistency in making the posts and interacting with the readers is of utmost importance. In addition the blog design also plays a very important role….if the blog is dofollow, its like icing on the cake…
I think its always important to have a combination of site features. It creates a uniqueness of the site above over current sites on the web.
@Matt,
You’re right Matt! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment Matt!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
Twitter: issuesEthical
says:
Great ideas, i really like the blog design. There are many reasons why readers will return, but I like posting frequently myself. If you are too lazy to post then I think your topics are not interesting enough for you, so why waste my time.
Michael Belk recently posted..Olympic athlete accused of “racist” tweet.
@Michael Belk,
We have to combine all of them to keep the readers return. We have awesome content and post frequently but we have a lousy blog design, I believe that most of the readers wouldn’t return too frequent. Anyway, writing useful content and post frequently is the basic requirement. :)
Thanks for reading Michael!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..10 Ways How I Really Make Money Blogging
Twitter: SoCalMobileAuto
says:
Lol… I am good on four of these. The first is where I need the most improvement. I just started out and I am trying to get the hand of it. So far I am having fun but I hate the design of my Blog.
Thanks for the read.
Joe Seals recently posted..Poway Auto Detailing is ALWAYS fun!
Twitter: 3mwindowfilmTO
says:
Love this post! I agree with you on all point but I have some issues I want to bring up for your last point about making comments DoFollow and using the Top Commentator plug-in. You can lose a lot “link juice” if you have a lot of comments with spammy links in them. You should be careful with the way you moderate the comments to eliminate spam
@Pavel,
I do agree with you. If you’re using Dofollow and Top Commentator plugin, you have to do a little more work to moderate every comments, otherwise you will get a lot of spam comment. :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..How I Make Money Online Selling Domain Name?
Navigation is a big one in my book. I can’t stand going to a site that is difficult to maneuver around in.
Additionally, a nice up-to-date theme is always an attraction.
One thing that I would like to add with respect to themes is how it appears in different browsers.
Definitely check how it looks and feels in Chrome, Firefox, and IE.
They don’t all read HTML the same way.
Great post, Lee :)
Mark
Mark recently posted..WPHypnoLinks Jedi Mind Clicks Affiliate Link Cloaker Review
@Mark,
I strongly agree with you Mark, site with poor navigation is a big NO for me. Yes, we have to optimize our blog theme for most of the common browser. Thanks for reading and sharing your thought Mark! :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..5 Techniques to Stir Social Media Buzz for Your Brand
“Whenever your readers write comment on your blog post, reply all of them.”
This, for me, is key. This is the personal touch – direct communication with your readers that creates a connection and keeps them coming back.
Don’t be afraid to be a little controversial too (respectfully) – everyone likes to have an opinion.
Matt Alhaarth recently posted..Early Or Late – How Can I Tell?
@Matt Alhaarth,
Yes, direct communication with readers is essential to keep your readers, giving them a feeling that you’re real person. It doesn’t matter how people leave comment, it’s all about opinion and we’re opened for discussion. :)
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment Matt!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..How To Destroy Writer’s Block And Write Quality Posts Easily
This will all pay the reader attention but what about keeping it relevant. Just good quality content.
@Alice,
Yes keep the content relevant and provide useful resources. Keep writing and communicating with readers, that’s the key to keep your readers on your blog. :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..5 Techniques to Stir Social Media Buzz for Your Brand
Twitter: davelucas
says:
Lee, Good points BUT I disagree with #3 – I’ve seen a couple of recent lists about “top 10 blogs” – one of them was a strictly wordpress blog – and most of the top read blogs (Mashable comes to mind immediately) don’t cater to a “niche” – even going outside to the Huffington Post (news) and TMZ (celebrity news) these high powered super A-list blogs do not restrict content by niche!
Blog On!
Dave Lucas recently posted..Lina Sinha sentenced for having sex with student…
@Dave,
You may be right Dave, but it’s a rare case. Most of the top blogs are managed by a group, a group which may consists of top guys, or perhaps when they first started the blog and they only write relevant topic, once they’re well known and they started writing various topics. It’s my 2 cents, but I still think that we should focus on a niche when the blog is new, to let the readers know what the new blog is writing about. Once your blog has some followers and you may try to expand your article topic as well.
What do you think Dave?
Thanks for your comment Dave!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Are You Writing a Blog Post for Google or People?
Lee,
Do you find using DoFollow plugins causes a lot of spam? A few blogs that I follow have given plugins like CommentLuv and KeywordLuv a try only to remove them a short time later because they said that spam went through the roof. How do you deal with this problem?
Thanks for the great post.
Twitter: larrywjames
says:
Commentluv is a wonderful plugin. I too experienced a lot of spam after installing the commentluv plugin. There are a lot of bloggers, and automated software searching for commentluv footprints. What I did to combat this was to get rid of the Akismet plugin and install “Antispam Bee” and the “Bad Behaviour” plugin. These two plugins virtually eliminate my spam and allow me to share the Luv ;-p
Larry James recently posted..Free Photos For Commercial Use
@Larry James,
Thanks for sharing these antispam plugin Larry, hope they would help and reduce my time on moderation. :)
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
@Justin,
Yes I do receive quite some numbers of spam after using Dofollow plugin, but I moderate all the comments myself and I’ll be more strict on moderation. Somehow it’s difficult to deal with problem like this, so never approve comment with one liner or comment without any point.
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?
Twitter: Blogging_Fever
says:
Well Lee, the things which I did on one of my blog is to have an Opt-In box at the end of every post. But of course it is not just a simple Opt-In where I give away an eBook as they subscribed to my Newsletter. I think that this is the best method which work for me so far in keeping my readers with my blog.
Alan Tay recently posted..How to super charge your WordPress blog loading speed
@Alan Tay,
Using an Opt-In in your blog would be great, and not using “Freegift” to get people subscribed, this kind of subscriber would stay longer as they truly like your blog. Nevertheless, we can’t be getting more subscriber if we’re not giving freegift. Anyway, I don’t give freegift to subscriber too, I believe that people who subscribe my blog would really like my blog, and I prefer subscriber like this.
Thanks for your comment Alan!
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..Is Google Making SEO More Difficult Or Rewarding Good SEO Practices?