Making it as a blogger sounds really aspirational. After all, there are millions of blogs out there, but few of them get the kind of following we all want. What are all those obscure blogs missing? It depends on the blog, but here are five things you can take care of now to make sure your blog has a fighting chance at getting noticed. Best part? Most are totally free!
- Keep Posting
Consistent posting is perhaps the most important part of building an audience. You may prefer to adhere to a “quality over quantity” philosophy, and that is certainly true in some aspects. Your content should always be good enough to warrant a post.
But if you don’t regularly update, two things will happen. One, the audience you were in the process of hooking will stop checking so often to see what you’re sharing. Two, your site will slip in search ranking, as Google is always checking to see how fresh your page is.
- Be Functional
Your site shouldn’t be clunky, one-dimensional, or slow to load. Before you even think about getting started, look into the best website builders to determine which one will be right for your goals and skill level.
You want social media links, bios, any special offers, and links to other content to be visible and easily accessible from your landing page. And you have to do all of this in a way that is (hopefully) clear and elegant. Fortunately, that’s easy, as many site builders are economical and modern.
- Engage
The actual creation and posting of content is just one facet of being a successful blogger. Once that’s taken care of, be sure to log back on and follow up with your audience.
Respond to comments, sure, but also visit and comment on other blogs, especially if you want a piece of their audience. Connect and collaborate with other people who do what you do; don’t isolate yourself from people you view as competition.
- Don’t Box Yourself In
“A blog about everything!” sounds great to the person writing it, but no one wants to read it. The range of content isn’t going to net the amount of people it takes to keep going. You need a niche, right?
Yes, but if it’s a pretty narrow niche, don’t be afraid to ever so slightly extend beyond your usual topics. Your content should vary in presentation and topic enough to keep people reading, without moving too far away from what you want to be known for. It’s a fine balance that pays off.
- Don’t Overextend
Getting clicks and comments is exciting when you start out. But if you’re rabid about making your blog big, it can easily become an obsession, and that increases your chances of getting burnt out on running it.
Be careful to let an hour or more elapse before responding to every single comment. Do not clog your social media with multiple links to your latest content. Resist the feeling that you’re not living unless you’re online working to boost your brand.
In the end, living a well-rounded life will make you an interesting blogger, so have fun and keep it interesting.