Blog Makeover: How to Attract an Active Following

If a blog posts in the “online woods” and there’s no one around to read it, does it make an impact?

Joking aside, the truth is a blog isn’t doing its job if it’s not connecting with an audience.

Because when it comes to blogging, audience is everything. Your readers and followers determine the quality and success of your blog—and whether or not your content is sharable.

Luckily, your blog’s fate is still in your hands. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll be on your way to penning the blog posts that attract an active and engaged readership.

Make Your Blog More Interactive.
If you’re just starting out, take advantage of the word of mouth approach. Ask your friends, family, and coworkers to share your blog with their friends and acquaintances over the Web. It may sound tedious at first, but the best blogs all got their start this way—and word of mouth tends to build a solid base of support for your work.

The next step is to allow users to comment on your blog. Sure, it may sound like an easy way to give trolls a bullhorn, but the drive-by commenter is more rare than you’d think. These days, blogs are more than just resources for useful information. They are bonafide communities.

And it all starts with a little interaction. So open the comments section, let the conversation begin, and watch your followers start adding up.

Offer Relevant, Timely, and Targeted Content.
One of the biggest mistakes that bloggers make is that they create content that is no longer relevant. To create blogs that lend themselves to online prominence, try writing about your own experiences and your perception of the things around you. No matter the topic of your blog—be it online marketing tips, sports, art, or politics—readers are always looking for the human element. They want to connect with people.

If you’re running an ecommerce blog, this is your opportunity to let your company’s personality shine through and to create a memorable, follow-able persona. Be sure to respond to comments so your followers know there is an actual person behind the blog. When you respond to the comments and have a one-on-one interaction, it makes the follower feel special and as though they have some value in the creation of the blog, which builds your readership.

Remember that allowing your followers the opportunity to provide feedback in the comments section is a handy way for you to gauge engagement and interest. You can even ask what your target audience is interested in reading about to get ideas for future posts.

Use Social Media Networks to Make a Splash.
Social media simplifies the process of gathering a following—simply share your blog through your SM platforms and watch new followers flock. Plus, if you stream your blog posts directly to your Facebook or Twitter feeds, you’ve made it that much easier for friends and acquaintances to click, view, and share your latest post. In turn, their friends will see, and so on.

You can always create a page specifically for your blog or website. Not only is this page another venue to raise awareness about your blog—it also gives you an additional medium to use to poll your readers and gauge their interest. Ask what they want to learn more about, and simply create a post that takes their feedback to heart.

Put Smart SEO to Work in Your Blog Posts.
Start applying SEO techniques to your posts, such as link building and keyword usage, to increase the chances of your blog showing up on an Internet search. When in doubt, you can always enlist the help of experts—ahem—like us!

Need a little inspiration? Check out our favorite blogs here.