Venturing into the world of blogging can be a tricky mountain to climb. In the age of social media, content is king, so getting attention on your blog is no easy feat. On WordPress alone, users create 87.6 million posts each month, spanning 24.6 billion page views. With these sorts of numbers, the process of attracting an audience to a newly created blog can be daunting.
As you upload blog posts, your primary goal should be to serve your readers. With 43% of people admitting to skimming blog posts, writing something that encourages active engagement is vital. This general philosophy will stand side-by-side with each of the points explored in this article. Focus on your audience, offer them something of value, and you will find yourself on the path to success.
To help you along this path, here are six reasons why your blog isn’t getting enough attention.
If your blog isn’t getting clicks, researching SEO techniques is where you should start – or hire an experienced copywriter to do it for you.
1. Ineffective Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is one of the greatest tools at a blog writer’s disposal. Digital marketing and SEO implementation can be difficult to wrap your head around, but the initial starting block should be to nail your keywords. Research the most commonly searched keywords related to your post, and incorporate them naturally throughout your writing.
If your blog isn’t getting the clicks you desire, researching SEO techniques is where you should start – or hire an experienced copywriter to do it for you. Find the most effective key phrase, include it in the headline, page description, and domain, and pepper it throughout your blog post. Understanding the importance of keywords will allow a greater number of readers to find your work.
2. The Quality of Your Content Doesn’t Cut It
Getting a click can be as straightforward as coming up with an intriguing headline, but this doesn’t grow an audience. Audience growth is often governed by the quality of the writing. If a reader stumbles across your blog post and is impressed by it, chances are they’ll stick around, and maybe even share it with their friends.
Present your desired readership with content you’re passionate about; if something you write provokes potent thoughts and feelings from your audience, then they’re all the more likely to subscribe to every word you write. Be consistent with a high level of quality and your audience will be consistent too.
3. Your Blog Does Not Have A Clear Purpose
Your blog numbers will grow if your audience knows what they’re getting. Start by defining your blog for yourself. What are you aiming to achieve? Are you writing product information? Are you satirizing current events? Are you providing a fresh take on trending topics?
If a reader knows what to expect when they click on your blog posts, they’re all the more likely to click each time one is uploaded. Discovering your blog’s purpose will also help instruct your voice, which is an often understated factor; people don’t just read for information, but because they relate to the writer.
Writing fewer posts with a greater word count that can provide a reader with useful or insightful information is what matters most for successful blogging.
4. Your Social Media Presence Is Low
Leverage social media to reach a larger audience. Writing a blog is a noble pursuit, but it’s to little avail if no one is going to see it. Upping your social media game will open many considerable avenues for you to freely advertise your work: Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and LinkedIn to name a few.
Another way to improve your blog’s reach is to include a “share” button on each of your blog posts. The easier it is for your readers to share your work, the more likely they are to do it. Blogs can be configured with these social media links for each post, so it means a small amount of effort for a potentially substantial gain.
5. Quantity Of Blog Posts Is Your Priority
As previously mentioned, quality is an important principle to focus on for any blog writer, and this often goes hand-in-hand with the perception of quantity. If you spread your writing too thin by publishing article after article of no real substance, audiences will not be encouraged to engage with your blog.
Offering a clickbait title for a blog post with a few hundred words won’t cut it anymore. Readers are looking for articles they can gain something from. Writing fewer posts with a greater word count that can provide a reader with useful or insightful information is what matters most. If a post is upwards of 1,500 words, it will on average receive 68.1% more tweets, and 22.6% Facebook likes.
6. No Visual Flair
All text and no images make your blog a dull read. If a reader is scrolling your blog post they are more likely to cut short before the end if there are no visual breaks. Including images is an effective way to get your audience to continue reading until the very last word.
When online blog writing first began, including images was merely a recommendation – now, it’s a necessity; blog posts with images get on average 94% more views. Images you include can also pair with a tagline which incorporates your key phrase, strengthening your SEO in the process.
These are just a few of the tips and tricks you can use to grow your audience and get more attention for your blog. Incorporate these pointers within your posts, and your numbers are guaranteed to climb.
