Photo by Anete Lūsina on Unsplash
Whether you are new to blogging or have been blogging for a while, it can be difficult to grow your blog and it does take a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, there is not a hidden secret to building a business overnight.
If you are struggling to grow your blog, there may be some things you are doing or not doing that could be hindering your success and effectiveness. I have created a list of 7 aspects for you to focus on or alter to help build your blog audience and boost your statistics.
1. You are not promoting enough
When you hit that publish button, your post although out there on the internet will not be seen by everyone. Then comes the work of the promotion. You have to do that! Post promotion whether that be in a tweet or an Instagram post, is vital to drive your blog traffic. One tweet about a new post is not enough! To boost your blog traffic you will need several promotional posts across all your social media channels as well as engaging in comment threads across Twitter. On Twitter for example I have followers from all around the world, so I will schedule promotional post tweets at different times so my blog posts are viewed by a larger audience.
2. You are sharing content that is not helpful or relatable
If you are using your blog purely for personal use, that is absolutely fine and this will not apply to you. However, I am assuming if you have clicked on this post, you are wanting to grow your blog. So sharing content that is helpful or relatable will make a person want to click on your profile. Researching keywords and trends on social media is a great way to come up with blog post ideas and help grow your audience.
3. You are not engaging with your audience
The only way your blog grows and becomes successful is because you build a loyal audience. So engaging with your followers is key to a successful business. Whether that be replying to comments, supporting other bloggers or networking on social media, all those connections will help build your blog and your brand. No one wants to support the blogger who ignores their following! Engagement is key!
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
4. Your blog is difficult to navigate and find your follow button
If you have a blog layout that is not compatible for all devices it can deter people from following your blog or reading several of your blog posts. You want to ensure you blog theme is compatible for all platforms people may be viewing your blog from. If you haven’t got a follow button visible, make sure you get one. People don’t like to go searching. Pop ups can also be incredibly annoying for readers of your blog. If they want to follow your blog, they will.
5. You haven’t listed your website links on your social media channels
On social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram have places on your profile to add your website link. This makes it easy for your followers or brands to search for your content. If you don’t have it there, your audience may find it difficult to find your promotional tweets. Get that website link on show!
6. Your blog has a sign up to comment system
I don’t know about you but I have so many accounts and emails to keep track of. Your emails get jam packed with messages that you have to regularly sort through. The last thing you need to do is sign up to another separate platform just to comment, this is a big deterrent. Your audience wants a user friendly and easy website to navigate and be able to comment.
7. You are not consistently active
Although it can take a lot of time, being consistent on social media and engaging with your followers and sharing your content helps to grow your blog. Also, posting consistently on your blog is also important, in building an engaging audience. If like me you work as well as blogging using a scheduler is your best friend, you can schedule promotional posts throughout the day without actually having to be online. Creating a blogging schedule allows you to plan content ahead of time and means you will have continuous fresh content to share.
Just changing these aspects of how you run your blog will help boost your following and engagement. Blogging is not easy, it does take a lot of hard work, but it is worth building a positive community and making some friends in the community.
Your blog is awesome! I’m bad about not replying to comments on my posts because I go to their blog to comment, which makes me look slack huh?
No, it’s good you return the comment. But it’s nice to acknowledge the comment too x
Lots of great pointers; thanks.
It’s very early days. I have been blogging for over 2 years and I am still sometimes guilty of comparison.
Great tips for successful blogging experience, I am trying at all levels but yes consistency matters… thanks
Deepti | https://perspectiveofdeepti.blogspot.com/
Consistency is definitely key!
These are such great tips. As a new blogger, it can be very overwhelming to figure out how to do it all correctly. Thanks for the help!
Hope it helps. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great post, lovely and true tips !
Thank you.
This is really informative. I definitely agree about having to sign up to comment on blogs. I rarely, if ever, do that and I feel like it’s a big deterrent for most viewers. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog.
These are some great pointers. Layout is definitely important to me, as it the font size people use. Its got to be easy to read and broken up in to sections otherwise its just not inviting.
Great tips!
I need to get better at responding to comments. I think I’ll make it apart of my evening routine.
I wish I had found this when I started my first blog. I could’ve learned a lot more faster! Lol.
Thanks for sharing. (:
I’m glad you found this helpful! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great advice on promoting at different times of the day!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I have to REALLY like a blog to sign up in order to comment! I think there is one I’ve bothered to do so out of all the weekly threads I participate in! I am probably guilty of not promoting enough. Working on it though!
Yeah if I like the content I will, but signing up too many, the emails get crazy! Promotion is key! I hope you manage it. Can you link your blog so I can read.
These are all really valid tips. Some things are SO easy to fix as well, like having a follow button and an easy to comment system. It really doesn’t take much sometimes but can have a huge impact on growth!
Definitely! Making your site user friendly is so important. Thank you for reading and commenting Jenny
Your 7 reasons hit it on the nail – I especially like no. 6 – it’s definitely a deterrent. If I have to sign up to post my comments, you’ve just lost me to someone else! While I am practicing most of your 7 reasons, the one I need to put more attention to is to engage my audience – but you need an audience to engage them 🙂 – so, I will be more active on social media, on the forums and on commenting others’ posts. Thanks for the advice!
I can’t click on your blog it says it’s private and needs me to be authorised to view your blog.
I hope being more active on social media can help build your audience
My bad – you see, for some reason, I was logged in to WordPress.com – an account I haven’t used in years! Here’s my blog https://blogandgetpaid.com – I now have changed my login info. Hope it works this time.
I actually like what “Magic Travels” wrote in the comments – except I don’t hate my current job, but I wouldn’t mind leaving it to do something else, like blogging and enjoying life!
These are all such great points. I totally agree with you. I also hate the whole log in to comment thing as well. That is such a pain to do! But thanks for sharing all this information, very valuable indeed!
I just commented on your summer essentials and I was blocked as a suspected bot ☹️
I agree on the blogs that force you to sign in to comment. You hvae to make it easy for people to engage with you.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These were pretty good! I think maybe I have to promote more.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Most of the points I follow, since I m new in blogging and it’s been just a year or so needing more time to get consistent.
I hope it helps.
Very useful tipps! Thank you for sharing them with us!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I definitely recommend scheduling content with scheduling apps. That way content goes live on your platforms even when you are busy. Keeps your engagement high without having to be active on social media. Try Hootsuite. It helps me schedule content for when I am at work or busy.
Super helpful! My traffic fluctuates and some of these might be why.
I hope it changes for you.
Yours is nice and simple as well hun.