If you’re like the hundreds of content marketers out there that have invested in blog content, you want people to read it. If you’ve been watching your metrics for visits, you might realize that many visitors don’t even bother with your blog. Sure, they might follow a social post from your media to your blog, and possibly read a single entry, but they won’t engage further than that.
So how do you get readers to come back to read about the amazing things you post?
Quick Tips on Getting More Readers to Your Blog
These 15 professionals from YEC expound on the methods that work for them to get those return visitors to visit their blogs, and further explain why those techniques are so successful at maintaining user engagement.
1. First Define Your Target Audience
First and foremost you should define your target audience. After identifying what your target audience likes to read about in regards to your business, you should develop more content around those topics and share them on your social media profiles and have an option to subscribe to your blog. If you write interesting content for your target audience, then they will subscribe and read every time.
– Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME
2. Provide Valuable, Meaningful Content
Provide valuable, meaningful content. People are visiting blogs to learn about a particular topic, and you can deliver that to them. Pair with optimized headlines to grab their attention and rank higher on Google. That way people will see you the first time and return for more because they get value from your blog.
3. Leverage Subject Matter Experts
Leverage experts. I think one of the most effective ways to build extensive, strong content isn’t by volume, but by utilizing some of the best people on any given subject. That’s how these interview podcasts get so much traction. Apply it to your blog. When there’s something you want to write about, reach out to someone who knows the most about it and roll them into your article.
4. Offer Content Upgrades
Offering content upgrades is a great way to keep readers coming back to your blog. With every blog post we publish, we add an opt-in that provides a cheatsheet or free course download that enhances the blog post content. This is also a wonderful tactic to use to build your email list for free.
– Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
5. Offer Free Tips or Products
One effective way to get website visitors to return is by offering free tips, free products or special discount codes. Only reveal a bit of information on social media so that you can lead them to your blog for the full scope.
6. Encourage Email Subscriptions
Encourage email subscriptions on other areas of your website if you want people to eventually read your blog. For example, if someone comes to your site to buy a product, encourage them to subscribe and make an account so they can get the latest content and promotions. Now, when you publish a new piece of content, you can push it out to these customers and get them to return to your blog.
7. Have a Clean Website Design
It’s important to have a clean website design so users on any device can easily navigate your content. If they face any issues while scrolling through your blog, it’s likely they won’t come back. But if you optimize your blog pages and take care of your site speed, you should have no problem building a recurring readership.
8. Create Backlinks to Specific Posts
Create backlinks to specific blog posts. If you guest post for other publications, it’s a great opportunity to link to a blog post in your author bio or within the article itself. Sure, linking to your homepage is OK, but if you want to lure readers into a specific topic to keep them engaged, then you need to pick something specific.
– Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
9. Offer Repurposed Material
Offer repurposed material as an added bonus when users are going through your blog. If you’ve written a tutorial, you could offer readers a handy checklist if they subscribe. This way, you can repurpose posts into videos, guides, e-books and more to boost conversions. Once you have a reader’s email, you can send messages with information about new posts.
10. Put Your Blog Link in Your Email Signature
Put a link to your blog in your email signature. People still use email a lot today, so it makes sense to put it there, especially if you’re talking with a lot of people outside your organization. Be sure to make it obvious that the hyperlink is to your blog, otherwise people may ignore it if they think it’s to your homepage or somewhere else.
– Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
11. Be Concise in Your Writing
People want information in a concise format where they can absorb the information quickly. Make the paragraphs short, use headers to grab the reader’s attention and make bullet points or lists to make it easier for your audience to read your blog. The simpler the better — no fluff or unnecessary filler sentences.
– Patrick Barnhill, Specialist ID, Inc.
12. Share Your Blog Content on Social Media
Using social media to share your blog content, and writing about subjects that truly add value, is key in getting exposure to your blog. Don’t forget to RSS feed your blog to the homepage of your website, as well.
– Rachel Beider, PRESS Modern Massage
13. Show the Most Popular Posts on the Sidebar
We like to show our most popular blog posts on every page of our website. On our sidebar, you will see the most clicked/shared posts currently on our blog. Not only does this educate users who come to our website for the first time, but it also gives our customers a chance to stay up to date on the latest product updates and news.
– Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
14. Write and Post Use Cases
Something that will get people to read your blog is use cases. By this, I mean creating content such as case studies, FAQs and other formats where users can see your product in action. This type of content creates interest and also showcases real-life solutions that feel more relatable. You can also direct users to your blog to find social proof, which will help you boost shares and readership.
15. Add Your Blog to the Main Navigation Bar
Building awareness of your blog is key to getting regular site visitors to read it. Try having a “Blog” or “Resources” section listed in the main navigation that sits at the top of each page of your website so that visitors can clearly see you have a blog section. Too many companies bury their blog, making it impossible for a site visitor to find.
How to Keep Site Visitors Coming Back Again and Again!
Allocating time and money to your content creation and marketing efforts is tough. With more than a billion active websites and blogs on the internet today, it’s not just about creating content and going live with it, it’s more about knowing what your audience wants and creating the best content possible. And don’t forget about the importance of content marketing and using social media to get it out to the masses.
To learn more about these best practices in content creation and user engagement, be sure to read up on our latest tips on getting users to join your mailing list.
