Do you want more readers?
It’s a silly question. Almost every blogger does – whether they have 5
readers, 500 or 5,000.
However, some bloggers end up making big mistakes when they focus on growing
their blog larger. These are five of the most common, though you may well have
come across others (share your thoughts in the comments below).
Mistake #1: Not Building a Good Blog First
However great your promotional skills are, you’re not going to get far if
your blog looks really amateur, contains only two posts, or has default text
(like the WordPress sample page) still in place.
Imagine coming across a new blog for the first time, perhaps through a search
or through social media. If it makes a poor impression on you, there’s a good
chance you won’t be back.
Fix it: Before you start gaining readers, make sure your blog is in
good shape. It certainly doesn’t need to be perfect – but you should have at
least five posts in place, and at least one of those should have been published
within the last month.
Mistake #2: Using Shady SEO Tactics
Some bloggers turn straight to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) when they
want new readers. And while being found in search engines is really important,
it’s not a good idea to take shortcuts.
Dodgy tactics like writing hundreds of low-quality guest posts just for
backlinks, participating in link exchanges, or stuffing your posts full of
keywords probably won’t work, and if they do work in the short term, they’ll
almost certainly see your site heavily penalized in the next Google update.
Fix it: By all means pay attention to SEO, but use “white hat” tactics
that make your blog a better reading experience too. For instance, you could
hand-craft descriptions for each post (using a plugin like
All in One SEO
Pack) and come up with keyword-rich titles that help readers know exactly
what your post is about.
Mistake #3: Asking for Links (the Wrong Way)
Some new bloggers create lists of all the top blogs in their niche and
promptly email everyone asking for a link.
While this might seem like a good idea at first glance, it’s not likely to
result in links (large blogs are inundated with requests like these) and it
may well annoy the people who you most want to impress.
Fix it: It’s OK to ask a blogger to link to you – but pick someone who
you already have a good relationship with, and try to target someone who
regularly includes links on their blog (either in a weekly roundup or in a
blogroll).
Mistake #4: Leaving Loads of Blog Comments
While leaving comments is a great way to get involved in the blogging world
and build relationships, it’s not a particularly good way to get readers –
especially if your comments are all of the “Great post!” variety.
Many bloggers will edit or delete comments which use a keyword rather than
your username, too, and some will delete comments that they feel aren't adding
to the conversation.
Fix it: Go for quality not quantity in your comments. If you have a
good point to add, by all means share it – this may encourage readers to click
on your name and check out your blog. Remember that the most important thing is
building a relationship with the person who owns the blog you’re commenting
on.
Mistake #5: Thinking Great Content is Enough
Some bloggers don’t bother promoting their blog. They ignore SEO
(maybe because they’re intimidated by it) and they rarely use social media, or
comment on other blogs. In many ways, this is the opposite mistake to the above
four.
These bloggers believe that by writing great content, they’ll eventually
attract readers who’ll share their posts across the world. (This is the “if you
build it, they will come” school of blogging.)
Fix it: Great content should absolutely be your first focus – but the
blogging world is so busy and crowded that you
need to market your
content too. Try cutting back your posting schedule so you have more time to
promote your posts.
The key thing to remember when building an audience is that while there are
no super-quick shortcuts, there are definitely methods which work well and
consistently to grow your blog.
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