There’s more to creating a successful blog than just putting words on the page. You can spend hours researching and writing, but if your post isn’t getting read, what’s the point? Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to boost blog engagement. Page hits are just one piece of the puzzle. By implementing these five tips to increase engagement, you can ensure not only that people are seeing your blog, but reading the full post, sharing it with their peers, and elevating your business beyond the blogosphere.
1.) Create Quality Content
Never underestimate the power of good writing. Bill Gates called it back in ’96 with his essay “Content is King,” and not much has changed. There are tons of little things you can do to get a post trending (which we will dive into later), but if the quality isn’t there, you’ll only get so far. Think about your go-to site where you consume content, be it for news, entertainment, or reference. What makes it a reliable source? Was there any stand-out article that made you go back for more? If the content is well-written, targeted to fit your audience’s needs, and consistently great across the board, you’re far more likely to achieve that elusive bookmark.
2.) Build Links, Build Connections
A little linking can go a long way in the world of blogging. There are two types of links you can use to boost page engagement: inbound and outbound. Inbound links are links that lead to another part of your site, be it another blog post or a product page. Let’s say a visitor comes across a blog post that almost, but not quite, matches their search. If you’ve added an inbound link to related content, you’ve doubled your chances of keeping that visitor engaged. Outbound links lead visitors away from your page, but that’s not always a bad thing. In addition to giving your blog credibility, if a major site links to your blog in return, that’s a chance for a big spike in traffic.
3.) Visuals = Views
If people were completely satisfied reading through sites with blah visuals, we’d all just slap some text into HTML and call it a day. Having a clean, visually interesting layout is only the start to building a successful blog. By adding images to your posts, you can break up the wall of text and keep them reading. Don’t discount video either! According to Marketing Sherpa, videos generate 300% more traffic and nurture leads. Even if you keep the videos short and low budget, the return on investment makes video worth a shot.
4.) Mobile First and Foremost
More times than not, if someone is reading your blog, it’s going to be via their smartphone. The trend towards mobile is why Google started implementing mobile-first indexing last year, bringing the sites that followed their best practices to the top of search results. If you’re still unsure how to bring your blog up to standard, check out our post on optimizing your mobile site in five easy steps.
5.) Be a Socialite
When it comes to promoting your blog content, you are your own best advocate. To reach as many people as possible, utilize social media as much as you can. Share with your followers on Facebook, Instagram, et al when you’ve published a new post. Use hashtags when appropriate to be part of the bigger conversation. If you linked to another publication in your blog, don’t be shy about mentioning them. They may return the favor! And, most importantly, respond to feedback as much as you can. Good or bad, as long as they’re talking about you, you’re doing something right.