Blogging isn’t exactly easy. Some people try to make it out as something anyone can do well. Sure, anyone can set up a blog and update regularly, but
“Not everyone has the power to capture the attention of their audience and make them read more.”
You always hear about bounce rate, and you always hear them say that your site must have a low bounce rate. But how do you do it exactly? How will you make people click another link on your site? How will you engage them to read on and to come back for more blog posts? How will you convert them from visitors to actual readers?
There’s no shortcut here. There’s no easy tricks that you can accomplish in under five minutes. It’ll take you time and a lot of patience, but once you’ve established your site, there’s a bigger chance to grow your audience and encourage them to drop in again and again.
1. Write Informative And Compelling Content
It’s always the content that will attract the readers. It’s not in the amount of times you post in a week that makes people go to your site. It’s the quality of the content that people will actually visit your website. Though you may update regularly, people may not be interested if they didn’t like what they read the first time. So make sure that each and every article you write is made of quality.
No one expects you to be the Mark Twain of the blogging world, but at least make your posts worth their time. You wouldn’t want to read comments saying that you’ve just wasted 15 minutes of their time, do you? Just give every piece of article enough attention and care when writing. Research your content and find an angle that’s interesting, something that hasn’t been tackled repeatedly by other sites. Make sure that you provide content that they will actually read instead of just skim.
2. Proofread Thoroughly
You don’t need to have a perfect grammar. You just need ample time to re-read and proofread your work. It’s not just in the grammar, too. Oftentimes, it’s the spelling and wrong information that reduce the credibility of an article. Double-check every fact you include in the post or people will call your bluff for it. It’s not enough that you read it once. If you have to let someone else re-read it for you, then do so.
A tip on editing: Read it out loud.
It’s very easy to miss mistakes, and sometimes, the only way for you to notice them is if you re-read your work thoroughly. Writers are often blind to their own mistakes, so it won’t hurt to be too cautious. No one would want to go back to a site that posts articles peppered with too many grammatical errors.
If you’re still not confident with your writing, there are many online tools that can help you proofread your works. However, these tools only focus on the mechanical side of editing such as spelling, grammar, and syntax. Technical editing is a lot more complex, and oftentimes, you’re the only one who can do it.
3. Encourage Your Readers To Subscribe And Follow Your Social Media Accounts
Now, it won’t be easy to entice readers to directly drop in your site regularly. If you think they’ll type in your site’s URL everytime they log in, then I’m afraid I have to dash your hopes. First you have to find a way that will easily help them find you.
One way to do that is by encouraging them to subscribe to your updates. Many readers don’t like receiving too much email updates, so it’s best if you give them the chance to choose whether to receive daily or weekly updates. Place the subscribe button prominently on your website. The trick is placing it on the top of your site instead of having readers look for.
[Note from Editor: Our subscription box is located top right.]
Do it via social media. Make sure that your social media buttons are prominent in your websites. Though no one appreciates a pop-up box, during the early stages of your blog, it might be to your best interest if you do this. However, remember that to use social media effectively, you have to update it often, too. Answer queries and share useful links to your followers.
Don’t forget to share old articles to also drive traffic to old pages. Engage your readers by posting about things that interest them. Keep your social media pages alive even when you don’t have an update for that day.
4. Create An Easy-To-Navigate And Readable Website
This is often neglected by many website owners. They’re so keen to publish as many post as possible. They focus so much on SEO and how the search engine will read their site that they forgot that they also have to think of their readers. Is the text easy to read? Are there enough white spaces to let the eyes breathe? Are the buttons easy to find? Does the page load fast enough? Are the graphics loading properly?
Before web masters worry about Google, they have to think of the readers first. After all, they must write for humans, first and foremost, before they write for machines. It’s great if you can figure out how Google works, but there’s a delight to know that you’re gaining readers due to the fact that they actually your website.
It’s great to know how to drive traffic to your site. But the next step is to make the visitors stay and the harder part is to make them come back.
“Readers are very difficult to please”
so you must exert an effort to make sure that you capture their attention. Besides, it’s the frequency of their visits that make them actual readers and not just visitors of your blogs. It’s a lot better if you aim to increase your readership and not just the number of view count.
[Image: iStockphoto, SrdicPhoto]
Kylie Prescott is a fresh graduate with a degree on Comparative Literature. She’s having the jitters but hopes that the real world opens up a lot of opportunity for her. She’s currently juggling writing for Bestessays and looking for a stable job.