Thursday, January 7, 2010
Group Blog Thursday: Growing Your Readership
And today's topic is a really good one. Today, we're talking about how to attract readers to your blog.
Now, Stephanie already did a great job of writing about the Number 1 way to get people to visit you. Go visit them. Seek out blogs and comment on them and, quite often, those bloggers will stop by and visit you.
But how do you convert a Visitor into a Reader?
For me, it's about content.
There are a lot of things I mean when I talk about content, but I'll just break it down into my top 5 tips for turning your blog into a must-read.
1. Create an interesting page that is organized and not too busy.
You do not have to pay to have a personal design made. It's fun and I still smile every time I click onto my blog. But it's not necessary. I don't know much about WordPress, because I'm a die-hard Blogger girl, but I know there are dozens of sites out there which offer free blog layouts. In addition, Blogger offers 15 or so basic layouts, all of which can be edited by going into the Layout tab and changing colors, fonts, etc. One of the great things about blogging is that you can keep it totally and completely free.
And pay attention to those sidebars. Make sure things are kept up-to-date. When Eclipse is out in theaters and your Countdown Clock is just sitting on 000:000:00:00, it's time to take it down. I know you like it, but it's gotta go. Try to avoid having too many Blinkies and Slide Shows and all of those other fun things you can add. Too much of a good thing is just distracting and makes me not want to come back and visit again.
2. If you want to attract readers, be a good writer.
Okay, I know writing isn't everyone's strong point, and that's just fine. You don't have to be working on a novel or have a degree in English to be a good blog writer. But there are still some basic things you can do to help make your posts more readable. For one, use spell check. It's there for a reason. That little box is lonely. Click it. Read through your post before you publish it. Make sure it makes sense. Check to see how many times you used the same word in a single sentence and maybe swap out a different word.
(Although I'm still looking for a substitute for "Blog.")
Keep up with the basics. Try to avoid run-on sentences except in the rare occasion that they work for what you're writing.
Generally, keep paragraphs short. Big blocks of text are often daunting. Even if it's the most fascinating and brilliant piece ever written about the History of Why Karen is Awesome, eyes will glaze over and your visitor will click right off the page rather than taking the time to read it.
Blog writing is different from novel writing. Remember that.
3. You don't have to sugar coat your life, but don't be overly whiny either.
If you make your life seem too perfect, people are going to stop reading. For one, it doesn't sound real and we already saw a big SCANDAL! last year over a "fake blog" involving plagiarism and a lot of hurt feelings. Tell us how cute your kids are and how perfect your husband is. That's fine. But it's okay to also admit that you have a black thumb and kill every plant within a ten-mile radius and that you recently burned down your kitchen boiling a pot of water.
On the other hand, though, don't whine about everything. If your life was that totally and completely horrible, you probably wouldn't have time for blogging. Or, at least, you wouldn't have any sort of access to a computer or the internet.
Mix up the good and the bad.
4. Keep your posting regular, but under control.
You don't have to write every day, but it should be more frequent than 2 days here and three days next month and then you take the summer off.
Also, I recently stopped following someone who started posting 5, 6, 10 different things every day. Links, pictures, jokes. It was too much. If you feel like you have that much to say, sign up for Twitter.
(Which is another good way to find followers.)
5. Add the Follower Widget to your sidebar.
I know this sounds obvious, but the other day I visited a blog where the writer mentioned that she didn't feel like anyone was out there reading. She didn't have that little Follow button enabled.
It's true, there are other ways to follow blogs, but why add extra steps for your potential readers? Not everyone that regularly reads is going to become a Follower, but you certainly increase your chances of getting them to join in. It also lets your readers get an idea of who else is reading your blog. You might start to see some familiar names and, the next thing you know, you've got a community.
Okay, so there is my overly wordy collection of tips for converting Visitors to Readers. It's not 100% effective. Unless you are a celebrity or have some kind of niche, you're not likely to develop a readership in the thousands. But it is really fun to cross into the 100s and these are some of the ways I did it.
Have some tips of your own? Want to see what others suggest? Click on over to Steph in the City and see what the rest of the group is talking about.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You make a great point about content, Karen, and great tips on writing for the web, which is a bit different than other sorts of writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You did a great job. You're right...like anything else, no matter what you do to get people over here, to keep them here you have to provide something good. And you definitely do!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen!
ReplyDeleteI think you addressed some good points!
I'm all about eliminating clutter, even on my blog! ;)
I see you are an aspiring novelist! How exciting. My moms best friend is a published author (several times over) and hosts a blog dedicated to encouraging writers. Let me know if you're interested and I'll look up her site for you!
Thanks for the tips, plus I went to Stephs site and liked it and now I am following her too.
ReplyDeleteI HATE the blogs that post 3+ times a day! Really?
I agree!! Here here! Clutter - it's not good at home - a la Hoarders, so why would it be good on your virtual home - blog?
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Karen...off to visit Steph. It's been a minute.
xx
Cristina
Phew... what a relief...I follow all of these points except for maybe the good content part and the run on sentences....
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of people that post links, pictures or videos for their blogs, several times a day. That isn't blogging...that is sharing. *sharing can be good but honestly...atleast give a sentence from your own brain explaining something!
I agree 100% with everything you said. I will not read a post that's one ginormous paragraph. Just too hard to keep up with where you are. And it's just bad writing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd add, under the whole layout/design category, make it easy on the eyes in terms of colors. I actually just stopped following a blogger I kind of liked because her background is neon yellow, and her text is red, and it was impossible to read! In general, the background should be light and the text dark, or it's just too hard on the eyes people!
I'm gonna go check out the other tips on Steph's page now. :-)
Being relatively new to blogging I appreciate any and all advice.
ReplyDeleteAnd you made me pop over to make sure my follow widget is activated... I thought it was, and I was right.
But you made me take a look at the little things and they really do matter.
Thanks!
This was great. I didn't think my follow widget was enabled, but it was! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI also recommend posting nude pictures of yourself, whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteThere's this whole discussion on Mormon Mommy Blogs about the Follower Widget. I really don't like it. For a while, I would receive emails asking how to follow me.
I did feel sort of bad about that.
Karen -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips. It's always good to try to make your blog better. I'm glad I found your blog!
-Kara
Incredible Women
My Story Moments
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteVery good advice and easily written to understand too. I love lists when explaining something. Enjoy your blog!
I like to think that if someone comes to my blog once, they'll come back again... But that's not true! I hate that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas!
Good points! I'm sure I'm an offender of a couple of them..oops
ReplyDeleteI love your profile pic by the way
Great advice.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add: Just be true to yourself. Write for YOU and then somehow....people follow. :)
By the way, I almost didn't know who you were when you left a comment earlier :) Love the new profile pic!
Good points all! I especially like your advice to "mix up the good and the bad."
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. One I would like to add is that to keep your readers, you have to continue to keep in contact with them. You can't just visit them once and when they follow you, stop visiting them.
ReplyDeleteyou made me pop over to make sure my follow widget is activated.
ReplyDeletedebt settlement software
Well, with this one post, you made a follower out of me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou made excellent points, and I'm pretty sure I follow everything except maybe run-on sentences. LOL
Awesome post!
~Mires
I should've checked her blog out today because I'm in the process of writing a post about this very topic!!! You touched on a lot of what I've been writing...content is key!!!! Which is obviously why you're a successful blogger!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteAnd more importantly, fabulous new picture of yourself!
I know there are a few things that I really need to work on when it comes to my blog. Thank goodness I'm starting with a clean slate. Should be easier from here.
The thing that bothers me is when people sign up to be followers, and then you never, ever hear from them again. Even when you visit their blog and comment.
I started out blogging within a community, a South African community... and I was quite the popular blogger. I did not have to do anything but writing. I did not have to worry about getting readers.
ReplyDeleteBut I wanted my own place, so I moved to blogger. Suddenly I had to find readers myself. I came face to face with the real blogging politics,... SEO and all that other blah rules. Did not like it then, am still not liking it.
I like to write, that is why I am blogging.
Writing excellent posts are not the only way to attract readers. Some crappy writing and very bland topics out there in bloggyland. And those blogs are amongs tthe most popular blogs. Why? Because it is a popularity thing,.. right back to high school. Most wanna be cool bloggers want to hang with the popular cool bloggers,.. SEO actually demands it; get a popular blogger with a high number of followers to link up with your blog and automitically you get some google juice.
I am not going to waste my energy on that ish anymore.
2010 is a year for change. I am only going to read and follow the blogs of peeps who actually follow and read mine,.. and only if their have darn fabulous hot blogs, with kick ass writing styles and equally hot topics.
Here is 2010 and bitch fab blogging!
great post and why so many of us follow you!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips, Karen! Thanks for sharing them. Hope you're having a good week.
ReplyDeleteI guess if you want readers you'll also have to go public. I had my blog private for a few months to get rid of a particular stalker.*sigh* I think/hope it worked.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your new pix!
Thanks for the helpful tips, Karen. As a new blogger, I need all the help I can get! I will have to check out the sight you recommended.
ReplyDeletewow you did a great, thorough job!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed is that I get spikes in my readership when something happens in my life. I gained about 30 followers when I lost Adam, I gained another 20 when I got Keaton. More needs to happen to me so I can get more readers!
ReplyDeleteKaren, great tips! I am going to try and remember these when posting. I am trying to remember the reasons I started my blog and post for myself and family...the rest is just gravy. Stopping in from SITS...have a great day!
ReplyDeleteWell those are some darn good tips Karen : ) I am stopping over from SITS tonight and I just want to congratulate you on a well thought out post : ) Hopefully it will help lots of people. I agree that people need to be sort of good writers. I don't like seeing too many grammatical errors or spelling errors. Let's be a little professional : )
ReplyDeleteThank you for some really great tips! I always enjoy what you write.
ReplyDeleteHave I told you lately that you Rock?
ReplyDeleteAwesome tips for those that aren't quite sure what to do when it comes to blogging P's & Q's. I still stink at it.
LMAO @ your comment on Stephanie's blog about this type of post attracting hits. I actually mentioned it in my post,.. saw your comment while I was add my post!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a great dat!!!
good advice!
ReplyDeletei'm new at the blog world, but i love it when blogs have photos... otherwise the huge expanse of text looks like too much.
i'm a visual gal.
i love your blog design btw!
Those are all very good tips! (and hopefully I do most of them. :) )
ReplyDelete(stopping by from SITS)
Such good tips THANKS!
ReplyDeleteIi designed my own blog however i want to move it to wordpress but am afraid to do it on my own any tips?
stoppping by from SITS
Great tips. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteHi from SITS!
ReplyDeleteCall me crazy, but I hate the Google follower widget. I don't care who is following that person. I check my own followers via feedburner. I do have a link for following me on various platforms, though.
Everything else was right on iMO ;-)
My friend Karen, blog superstar. Well said, Kar. You make me laugh!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great post filled with wonderful infromation....happy sits saturday sharefest!!
ReplyDelete