Starting a blog doesn’t take guesswork. However, discovering how to make your blog successful can prove mysterious. But you don’t need to magic or to be a sleuth to discover how to accomplish this goal.
The following eight strategies will help you make every blog post a hit with your readers.
1: Include High-Value Infographics
Including high-value infographics in a posts provides an effective way to boost traffic. Nothing is more appealing than content presented beautifully. Infographics feature your valuable content in a format that breaks the information down into a diagram. This makes the concepts easier to read and understand as well as more interesting.
You can provide a diagram for each part of your post or the entire post. The content of your infographics should:
- be filled with useful content
- be easy to understand
- provide instant gratification
- shows immediate value to readers
2: Tackle Controversial Topics
Nothing piques a reader’s interest more than a juicy topic. For instance, by delving into a controversy you create more traffic to your post.
To tackle controversial topics, first, make your readers curious about your post. Do this by writing a headline that creates intrigue and the possibility of seeing a different side of an argument or hearing an unpopular opinion.
Your post can offer your opinion on controversial topics among your peers or in your industry. The headline should hook readers and make them want to read on.
3: Give Personal Recommendations
Develop a more-personal relationship with your readers by providing personal recommendations. Choose something related to your field—a book, a product, a service—and review or make suggestions about it.
You can write a opinion-based post about something you’ve experienced, a book you read, or an event you attended, or a product you tried. If you have tried out several related items or experiences, write a “best of” or “top ten” list and make your recommendations.
By becoming a trusted source of referrals and resources, you create a dedicated reader base.
4: Pose Problems and Solutions
By clearly defining a problem in your headline and providing the solution in the body of the post, you gain reader interest. They know immediately the benefits provided in your post.
Readers are attracted to topics that offer solutions, whether they are about relationships, time and cost savings, or any topic under the sun that gives them insight on how to solve problems. So write a post that deals with a problem related to your field of expertise, and provide the solution.
Don’t forget to include in the title of your post the benefit your reader will gain from the content.
5. Create SEO Friendly Blog Posts
When writing your posts, make sure they are search engine optimized or SEO friendly. Strategize ways to incorporate keywords and make the post searchable and noteworthy.
Also, make sure the topic about which you are writing (your keyword or keyword phrase) is mentioned in the first sentence of the first paragraph of your post as well as in the headline and at least one subheading. This increase the chances of the keyword being picked up by search engines, which helps improve both your site’s traffic and visibility online.
Of course, when you initially build your site there are things you can do to improve its SEO. The best way to get more traffic, however, is to make sure each post has been search engine optimized.
6. Publish on a Consistent Schedule
Increased traffic to your blog starts with great content. That’s what gets readers interested. But to keep them returning to your website, you need to publish often. Additionally, you must post consistently so your readers get used to a schedule. This helps them know when to expect new material from you.
7. Turn Your Blog into an Interactive Online Community
Getting a reaction—or engagement—from your readers indicates of your blog’s success. Encourage comments by asking for them, and then be proactive about replying to your readers’ comments.
Their reactions to your posts make your blog into an online community as well. Nurture your readership to continually post their comments, feedback and suggestions; this helps keep your blog alive and interactive.
8. Use Numbered Lists
Some of the most-read posts on the Internet are structured around numbered lists. And “list posts” are easy to write.
Readers enjoy reading lists more than lengthy articles that drag on and on. Structuring your posts into numbered lists makes them more organized and easily digestible to readers, too.
It is common to see “Top Ten List,” “5 Steps To,” and “How to” titles that provide numbered items instead of narratives. Anything that can be provided in step-by-step format proves highly beneficial for your blog’s success.
Give these strategies a try. Let me know if your traffic improves—and your site succeeds.
About the Author
Vincent Hill is an expert writer who covers such topics as how to start a blog, content writing, blog design and much more. His writing is not only descriptive but also meaningful. He loves to share his ideas on different subjects. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
What do you deem most important for community building? We (at New Books Playground) want to tackle this next but are still collecting useful pointers and resources.
It all starts with the blog.