Whether the purpose of your blog is to entertain, educate, sell or simply connect with people and share your views of the world, you have by now realized that attracting readers and keeping them interested is no easy task.
Chances are, if you don’t have a well-defined game plan, you’re missing out on many opportunities to expand your readership and turn a simple blog into a potentially lucrative business.
So, in addition to constantly ensuring you post fresh content that will inspire readers to come back to your page, here are a few marketing tips on what you can do to increase the number of your visitors and use the full potential of your otherwise awesome blog!
Search Engine Optimization
While your writing should primarily rely on the quality and originality of the content, it’s not enough to simply be passionate about something and use that as the only strategy of attracting the right audience. In fact, failing to use search engine optimization as one of the staples of your blog will prevent many equally passionate readers to find you. This is where the complex world of strategic keyword placement steps in.
After conducting research on which phrases people use to find certain content, and learning from your competitors, you can utilize those phrases in the most prominent sections of your blog, such as titles, subtitles, title tags, meta descriptions and of course, include them in a long-tailed form naturally in your writing.
Using SEO should never interfere with the coherency and meaning of your writing, so be mindful of the number of keywords (you’ll want to avoid “stuffing”) and their placement. The end result must be a well-written piece with no obvious disruptions.
Another part of doing a swell job with your SEO is inserting relevant backlinks to your previous blogs, but keep in mind the same rule you apply to keywords – don’t overdo it.
Design and User Experience
Creating a visual identity for your blog takes finesse, as you need to think outside, above and beyond the infamous box.
Once you have a reader come to your page, the “look and feel” of your page will decide whether a visitor will experience love at first sight or run away never to return.
You need well-organized pages, with simple navigation, as people don’t want to waste their time searching for something, they want it delivered in a click or two. It helps to have a navigation bar with the basic categories of your blog, while “tagging” your posts with relevant keywords can help your readers find their desired topics and articles more quickly.
For a memorable, unique appearance, it’s crucial to be up to date when it comes to latest design preferences. One of the recent emerging trends relies on using a clean, sleek design that allows for little to no distractions for your users to focus on the content.
According to this graphic design studio, some trends for 2017 include playing with colour, layout, and architecture. These folks know how to utilize design to create an amazing user experience.
However, if this tiny summary on design is giving you a headache, there’s no shame in consulting an expert (or a few), that’s why they are there.
Optimizing for Speed and Mobile
The bar has been raised as far as your readers’ expectations go, as they are used to having pages open in a split second, so their impatience kicks in if they notice that your page doesn’t offer the same speed. This is even more obvious with people who read on the go, and use their mobile devices to reach your page.
First and foremost, there are many mobile-friendly templates you can use, and having an optimized page will increase user experience and allow more people to enjoy your posts.
And to ensure a better score with search engines, the loading speed will play a key role as much as doing your SEO homework, because engines prefer pages that load quickly. To get even better results, opting for a content delivery network will further enhance your loading speed and your overall user experience.
Why Content Matters
Applying these strategies to become more visible shouldn’t hinder your ability to provide quality content, which is why you started the blog in the first place. Keep in mind that the term “content” doesn’t strictly refer to your writing, but also images, visual design, and the layout of each text.
Since your readers’ attention spans are slowly shrinking and their impatience growing, keeping your blogs organized into smaller, meaningful chunks, supported by reputable sources, will increase the value of your content.
Exploring your competition to see what type of content they offer and how it is presented will give you valuable insight into how you want to build your blog’s voice. Unique content is practically impossible in this digital world, because everyone can share their piece of mind, and yours is likely to overlap with someone else’s.
That’s why creating your distinct language and personality on your blog will be one of the most influential aspects of keeping and increasing your loyal readership.
The Power of Social Media
With so many social media platforms available, it’s no longer a matter of if you will have a presence on one of them, but where. The choice will depend mostly on the type of content you intend to share, and where your target audience is likely present in the greatest numbers.
The way you utilize your chosen platform will make a difference in whether or not you will be able to expand your fan base, and turn them into loyal readers who will be happy to spread your word, thus helping you increase your online presence.
Affiliate Marketing
A simple, but effective way to reach more people and turn a profit is to create a network of affiliate marketers that will advertise your products on their blogs, making you more visible to potential buyers and readers. Your affiliates will be able to earn a commission, your readers will find your beloved products, and you will earn as well, which makes this a win-win-win opportunity.
An added perk of creating this network is greater access to more email addresses, which you can then use to send your newsletters and let people know when you’ve published your latest blog post. Once you start applying this strategy, it practically grows itself.
To Sum Up
While there’s no single way you can become the world’s favourite blogger and reap the financial rewards of such a reputation, using these strategies will definitely help you gain more traction and you’ll be well on your way to success!