The Three Best, All- Time Tips for Increasing Your Blog’s Readership

 

Laura Christianson gives NCWA writers the benefit of  her professional experience.

Since 2004, when I started blogging, I’ve tried just about every tip imaginable to lure readers. I could regale you with a list of 100 tips to drive traffic to your blog, but I won’t.  

Three key things will pump up your blog’s readership.

1. Format your posts for skimmers

There’s no bigger turnoff than a 400-word blog post that’s one endless paragraph.

Write like a journalist. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Short words. Axe the jargon.

The white space between your paragraphs makes it easier for readers to hone in on subheads and other key words you want them to notice.

Include a graphic element in every post. Readers’ eyes are drawn to images; a visual that illustrates your point, in a consistent location in every post, will capture readers’ attention and draw them into your article.

2. Give ‘em your best stuff

Some bloggers – to sell a product or service – believe in teasing their readers with juicy tidbits.

Then, they start pitching their product.

“Sorry folks, you don’t get the rest of my earth-shattering information unless you spend $49.99 on my e-book; or $999 for my amazing, life-changing workshop.”

They’re evil, scheming marketers who only want our money.

To them, I say: I’m boycotting your blog, your e-newsletter, and blocking your e-mails.

 I feel more inclined to buy from bloggers who give useful information for free. They don’t have to give me everything – but when they give me something, I begin to trust them.  Once I trust, I’m more likely to pull out my American Express card when asked to buy.

3. Don’t check your visitor stats

Too many bloggers obsess over stats, checking them daily – or multiple times per day.  Checking your stats daily will only discourage you (most bloggers get fewer than 100 page views per day).

Channel your energy into something more productive, like… say… blogging!

If you blog because you get a kick out of sharing what you’re learning or love to entertain people, you’re on the right track. Don’t let the numbers (or lack of them) get you down. Focus on the craft of blogging, and you’ll soon discover that you have five… then 50 loyal readers. Most bloggers would rather have 50 loyal fans who anticipate every post than 5,000 ho-hum visitors who drop in every once in a while.

I challenge you to avoid looking at your visitor stats for a full month. Not even a peek!

Just have fun with blogging. Work on writing interesting, easy-to-read articles formatted for skimmers. I’ll bet that after a month, you’ll notice a bump in traffic to your blog.

Let me know how you do.

This post first appeared September 14,2009 on Laura’s blog  site.  Used by permission.

A relationship marketer for over 25 years, Laura Christianson owns Blogging Bistro , a company that helps people enhance their Internet presence through Websites, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.  She’s the author of three books and enjoys mentoring emerging writers and teaching at writers’ conferences. An active member of NCWA since 2004, Laura lives in Snohomish with her husband, their two teenage sons, and two gigantic tomato plants.