13 Ways to Better Your Blog
Guest Submission.
If you run a blog for either personal or professional reasons, then you should always be looking for ways that you can improve your content and following. Here are some easy changes that you can make to bring your blog to the next level.
1. Use Social Media Widgets
One way to get a better following on your social media websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, is through your blog. It is incredibly easy to use basic code and put widgets, or buttons, into your website. You can find instructions on how to do so with a simple internet search, which will often lead to a direct link to the best social media widgets. Be sure to place the widgets in the most strategic way possible, preferably in a place that will stand out and catch the user's eye. This way, you can fully reap the benefits of your blog by gaining more social media followers.
2. Design a Better Logo
One of the most eye-catching aspects of any website is a good logo. Your logo can either make or break a customer or follower's decision to continue supporting your business. Therefore, it is a good idea to ensure that your logo is trendy, up to date, and attracts viewers. You may want to consider using a logo maker, which can help you to find out which type of logo works best for your needs. For an intricate or complicated logo, you should also think about hiring the services of a graphic designer. From there, you can work together to find the perfect design.
3. Link Social Media Content Back to Your Blog
In reverse of placing widgets on your blog, you can also post links to your blog posts on your social media. For example, when you post a photo on Instagram with a good caption, you can include something along the lines of going to your blog for more information on the topic. Viewers who are interested will then frequent your blog, and potentially explore more posts on topics that they want to learn more about. You can even coordinate your blog posts and social media so that they directly parallel one another.
4. Produce Unique Content
There are millions of blogs that exist, so it is vital that you produce content that makes you stand out from the rest, and attracts users to your site for a good reason. Therefore, try to write copy that is engaging, informative, and will have your viewers wanting to follow or check back periodically for new posts. Make sure to write about things that are have not overly saturated the market or industry that you are in as well. This way, your blog will be one of the only sources for this type of content, and your chances for more traffic increase exponentially as a result.
5. Purchase Your Own Domain
Another huge aspect of your blog's popularity is your domain name. Many blog sites, such as WordPress and Tumblr, offer free domain names with the caveat of having their site at the tail end of your web address. However, for a more professional appearance, you should heavily consider paying a monthly or yearly fee to have your domain name customizable to your interests. This way, your followers will take you more seriously and see your site as more than just a blog. It will also look much cleaner when you are providing it or linking it to social media posts.
6. Make It Easily Accessible
Change your domain name to something that is very easy to remember, or make your blog posts simple to share. These are only two of the many ways that you can make your website much more simple for users to view and share. Another factor to think about is how your blog appears on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones. You can easily enable mobile formatting for those types of viewers so that they are able to see your posts in a more streamlined and easy to read format that is suited for a much smaller screen.
7. Mix Content From Many Genres
Users who follow blogs expect variability. In order to retain readers, it is better to vary the types of posts that you make, so that they do not grow bored and stop following your website. For instance, if you primarily post written content, then an easy way to change it up would be to try posting a video blog entry on a certain day of the week, like Friday. You can also include content that is inspirational to you, or that you specifically think your followers would like to see based on previous posts. Therefore, your viewers can see that you have a wide variety of interests.
8. Consider Users with Disabilities
Accessibility is a barrier for many people who have disabilities such as blindness or deafness. Be sure to accommodate those types of users. For example, for viewers who have major vision problems, you can ensure that your content can be increased in size for more readability, or even compatible with software that will read posts out loud. If you regularly post videos and other media content, then be sure to include subtitles for viewers that may be hard of hearing. You never know who might stumble upon your blog, so you always want to be prepared to accommodate for every type of user.
9. Add Guest Bloggers Periodically
If you are in a particular field or industry, you can benefit immensely from asking other major players to contribute to your blog. Guest blogging is when you recruit someone else to write a post or a series of pieces relating to a particular topic. This has the unique benefit of giving a new voice to your blog, and also attracting new users who may follow the guest blogger as well. You should regularly ask people who you have met at networking events, or reach out to people who are integral to your industry, to consider submitting a guest blog post for you. Make sure to let your followers know through an introductory post or a message on social media.
10. Host Contests and Giveaways
Another great way to get more followers and revive interest for loyal viewers is to have a contest or giveaway. If you own your own business, then consider giving away a product that is related to what you do, or the service that you provide. You can encourage users to invite other people to follow your blog, and count every new follower as an entry. This way, you will have much more website traffic, and you will also be able to potentially cater to a new demographic. If you host giveaways on a regular basis, then you have the potential to gain massive amounts of followers.
11. Target Your Core User Demographic
Finding your demographic can be easy or difficult, and it is dependent on a variety of different factors. For example, if you run a business that connects seniors with retirement communities, then it is fairly obvious that older citizens are the market you need to attract. However, if your product or service is more universal, you may need to tailor your posts for a wide variety of viewers. Research the types of posts that your target demographic is interested in, as well as language that they will be most receptive to. You should also look into similar blogs to yours, to see what techniques they are using to attract readers.
12. Utilize Analytics Tools
With the advent of personal websites, the skills and capability of analytics have increased exponentially over the last two decades. You can utilize analytics to see where your viewers are coming from, the time that your posts are most viewed, and a multitude of other factors. This way, you can time your blog posts or modify them so that they will be able to have more reach than ever before. You will also have a history to refer to in case you want to test out bigger changes that you may be unsure about trying. You can even utilize analytics to view how much traffic you receive immediately after a post.
13. Ask Other Bloggers For Promotions
Bloggers have a unique culture and relationship with one another. A great way to promote your blog is to exchange promotion services with your fellow bloggers. For instance, if you are in the web design business, you can request that other prominent web design bloggers reference your site in their future posts, and you can do the same for them. Cross-promotion is incredibly beneficial to receive more followers that you already know will be attracted to the type of content that you post.
You do not have to worry about your blog content becoming stagnant or losing valuable followers. With these tips, you are sure to be able to continue growing and making improvements to your space on the internet.
About the Author:
Kevin Gardner graduated with a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from UCLA. He works as a business consultant for InnovateBTS where he helps companies integrate technology to improve performance. He shares his knowledge and expertise not only with his clients but with his fellow bloggers and readers. Follow him on Twitter.