Blogging is a great way to keep your friends and family updated about what's going on in your life, as well as share your thoughts with the world. The conversational nature of blogs make them an ideal communication platform. A blog is essentially like an online diary. Of course, since it is public and online, it may not have the intimacy of a real diary. Nevertheless, blogs tend to be more personal and informal than an article in a magazine or news website.
But what good is a blog without its audience? Unless you can attract new visitors and keep the existing ones coming back again and again, you will find your audience number dwindling until you're blogging just for yourself.
So how can you keep visitors interested in your blog? A few simple tweaks can go a long way:
1. Regular Updates
Nothing kills a visitor's interest faster than seeing the same old posts over and over again. If you want a visitor to come back again, you should offer him new content every week or so. A regularly updated blog is loved not only by readers, but by Google as well, which will reward your efforts by ranking you higher in its search engine.
2. Respond to Comments, and Comment on Other Blogs
One reason why people blog is to initiate dialogs with other bloggers. Once your blog starts becoming popular, you will find people commenting on your posts pretty frequently. Always respond to these comments, even if its a simple "thanks for commenting". Moreover, if someone leaves behind a link to their personal blog (not spam), you should check it out and comment on their posts to return the favor. This is common "blogger courtesy".
3. Make Your Blog Reader Friendly
I've often come across blogs where it is next to impossible to find new posts or go through old ones. The navigational elements are so obscured that you can't even move from a month's posts to another. Make sure that the design you are using lists your archives, posts by months, categories, tags, etc. prominently. You should also try using plugins that display related posts at the bottom of the current one - these are great ways to introduce the reader to additional content and increase pageviews.
But what good is a blog without its audience? Unless you can attract new visitors and keep the existing ones coming back again and again, you will find your audience number dwindling until you're blogging just for yourself.
So how can you keep visitors interested in your blog? A few simple tweaks can go a long way:
1. Regular Updates
Nothing kills a visitor's interest faster than seeing the same old posts over and over again. If you want a visitor to come back again, you should offer him new content every week or so. A regularly updated blog is loved not only by readers, but by Google as well, which will reward your efforts by ranking you higher in its search engine.
2. Respond to Comments, and Comment on Other Blogs
One reason why people blog is to initiate dialogs with other bloggers. Once your blog starts becoming popular, you will find people commenting on your posts pretty frequently. Always respond to these comments, even if its a simple "thanks for commenting". Moreover, if someone leaves behind a link to their personal blog (not spam), you should check it out and comment on their posts to return the favor. This is common "blogger courtesy".
3. Make Your Blog Reader Friendly
I've often come across blogs where it is next to impossible to find new posts or go through old ones. The navigational elements are so obscured that you can't even move from a month's posts to another. Make sure that the design you are using lists your archives, posts by months, categories, tags, etc. prominently. You should also try using plugins that display related posts at the bottom of the current one - these are great ways to introduce the reader to additional content and increase pageviews.
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