Creating and running an engaging blog can often be a challenge. Not only is your website competing with the millions of others that exist in the world, you also need work that will grabs users’ attention while they are bouncing around the internet on their computers or smartphones.
Generating articles that are relevant to your audience and keep them coming back to your website might seem like an arduous – even impossible – task, but there are tricks you can use that will help you out. Building a strong and consistent reader base does not have to be out of your reach.
Here are a few tips to improve your blog’s engagement:
- Write quality content. The content you produce is the heart and soul of your blog, so you need to write about topics your audience is interested in. There are certain characteristics your writing should have, including: compelling the user to do something about what they have read, offering the best answers to questions and being accurate with all information. These factors will make your writing shareable.
- Craft interesting headlines. The headlines you create can make or break blog posts. Headlines draw the reader into what you have written, so they need to be as flashy as possible. According to Moz, 80 percent of readers never make it past the headline, which highlights their importance. Headlines should be unique, convey a sense of urgency, useful to the reader and specific to what is being discussed in the piece.
- Publish to the blog often. You need to strike the right balance in posting to your blog. If you publish too often, audiences will not have time to consume all the information being thrown at them; but if you wait too long, the audience will disappear. Boston Web Marketing recommends posting to your blog twice each month on a set schedule. Finding a good rhythm and keeping it can be tough, but it is ultimately worthwhile.
- Respond to any comments. Answering to readers directly on the blog is a great way to encourage audience engagement. When an audience knows their input is heard and valued, they are more likely to become loyal readers. Always be sure to maintain a voice that is both professional and friendly and do your best to address every comment. Even if someone is a frequent poster, they should never be overlooked or ignored.
You do not want to be in a situation where all of your hard work on a blog post is for nothing because it is not read or shared by your audience. By following the simple guidelines listed above, you can increase your blog’s online engagement and organically grow your company’s audience.