Here’s a trivia question. How many blogs are there in the world today? At the time of writing, there are at least 180 million blogs (source: http://www.blogpulse.com/. With the world population reaching almost 7 billion, that’s approximately 1 blog for every 39 people! That’s quite a stiff competition for blog traffic, isn’t it?
But hang on…
I did not take into consideration those blogs that were not tracked by BlogPulse or the number of people who do not speak your language hence not being able to read your blog or even the fact that there are nearly 100,000 new blogs created in a day, according to BlogPulse.
Seems like the competition for readers is getting tougher by the day! Chances are that if you do nothing to market your blog, it will probably not be noticed at all! So what are can you do to grow your blog readership? Well, here are a few tips.
Tip 1: Frequent Updates
This is a no brainer. The more frequent you write, the higher your chances are of being noticed by search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Technorati and etc. The higher you rank in these search engines, the more readers you get.
But do remember, frequent postings do not mean that you should compromise on quality. That would be somewhat of a disaster. Writing insightful and unique topics will help build loyalty among your readers. Give your readers information or tips that they want or need, so they are able to see the value of returning to your blog.
Take this article for example, I tried to provide value so that you will return to this blog again and again. 🙂
Tip 2: Build Relationships
People like to be acknowledged and they enjoy visiting blogs that they feel that they are being valued. But since blogs are virtual platforms with less or no face-to-face communications, it is all the more crucial that we should do more in order to connect with our readers.
Some of it includes responding quickly to comments made by readers. Comments are usually a way for readers, especially the new ones, to gauge how popular a blog is. And many a times, the more comments a blog have, the higher the tendency for other silent readers to comment too. It’s a basic need of human to be part of a network and to be seen and heard.
By responding quickly, you are sending a signal to your readers that you take an interest in their thoughts and this will in turn encourage them to leave more comments. Personal emails, though time consuming, are always welcome.
Another thing you could and should do is to visit your readers’ blogs and leave comments on their blogs. Make them feel important and the favor will be reciprocated.
Tip 3: Integrate Social Medias
If you are not one of the 800 million active Facebook members or on twitter, then you do not know what great marketing tools you have missed out. Many popular blogs that I know of, post snippets or a teaser of their latest blog post to arouse the curiosity of their social media’s friends and followers.
Be active on social media sites and ta-da, you will increase your blog readers immediately. Oh, and it’s free too!
Tip 4: Participate in forums or community websites like Squidoo
These are other ways to reach out to your target audiences. You may have great posts and valuable information but in this virtual internet ocean, it is sometimes difficult for your readers to find you.
So how do you make them notice your blog? Well, for a start, participate in forums that are relevant to what you are writing or write for community websites like Squidoo. By giving valuable advices or tips, you are marketing your expertise and also your blog. If the readers like what you write, they will drop by your blog to find out more about you and your writings.
Tip 5: Make Use Of Video Sharing sites
Most people are unaware that video sharing sites like YouTube are a great tool to increase traffic to their blog. Others are afraid to do so thinking that it’s difficult. Well, here’s the deal, you don’t need to produce professional quality videos to grab attention.
You can use your camcorders or some video making software to make a short clip about the topics that you write in your blog, be it about technology, education or cooking, and have them uploaded in YouTube. Remember to provide a link to your blog.
People generally prefer to watch a video to obtain information rather than read lines and lines of text. But if you are able to generate their interest through video, then they will hop over to your blog to read more.
These are just a few simple tips that can help your blog increase its readership. Having said that, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s always easier said than done. There’s lots of hard work involved. But then again, no pain no gain.
Like many things in life, you have to put in the effort in order to enjoy the results. It does not happen overnight so you need to constantly work at it. But let me tell you that these efforts are all worth it when you see your blog readership grow!
Image Credit: Redjar
16 comments