Blogs are notorious for their very slow buildup that can sometimes last for a couple of years. It takes a lot of willpower and determination to start a successful blog – going back every day and being consistent with the posts only to have no more than a few readers discourages a lot of beginners. The secret lies in persistence and doing everything that you can to attract potential readers. While there’s a lot of ways to do this, the following seven are guaranteed to bring you good results.
1. Promote Through Social Media
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As of January 2024, there are 3.8 billion social media users – a 10% surge compared to last year. With this number constantly on the increase, social media promotion is one of the guaranteed methods of reaching large crowds of people without much effort. It can also induce a snowball effect, where people that liked your content continue sharing it with their friends, then they do the same and the cycle continues. This will generate relevant traffic since the audience will be interested in your content and most of them will become recurring visitors. Of course, you’ll first have to make an effort to gain at least some kind of following.
The platform of choice also plays a role. For example, LinkedIn might be the best choice for business-related blogs, while websites such as Instagram and Pinterest are more relevant for blogs that can be represented by images.
2. Write Attractive Titles
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People encounter millions of titles daily from hundreds of different websites – what are the chances that they’ll click on yours? Well, if you manage to spike their interest, they’re quite high. Titles are supposed to be a concise, simplified version of what the readers can expect when they visit the article. Ideally, they should contain most of the keywords that you’re targeting, as this will help with the website’s SEO and its ranking on Google’s search results. By simply reading the title, the person should have a general understanding of what they’ll learn and how they can benefit from visiting your blog.
One research has found that the ideal title length is anywhere between 14 and 18 words, as these posts had the highest click-through ratio. However, if you have to use a few extra words to convey your message better, don’t be afraid to do so.
3. Include Photos
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A high-quality, crisp image in between larger walls of text is always a sight for sore eyes. They’re visually appealing, easy to look at and they can add enormous value to your content when they’re relevant to the overall theme of the article. Humans are visual learners, and images are effective in helping the readers retain information much more easily. They’re also able to represent a complex concept in an easy-to-understand way that essentially increases your article’s readability. Finding an ideal image for your post might take some time, but it’s well worth it.
4. Add Subtitles to Videos
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Videos are a great way to add to the engagement of your website. They break up the monotony of the articles, and attract visitors who are looking for a bit of a different approach. Unfortunately, videos have a deficiency – they rely on sound. Some people simply prefer to watch videos muted, while others might be hearing impaired. To avoid these situations, subtitles are a must, and they can be added easily with the help of one useful utility.
For any and all content containing sound, Audext can do audio to text conversion without any decrease in quality. This online tool works solely from your web browser, and it automates the whole process to the point where the only required user interaction is the file upload. The AI technology meticulously differentiates between words to provide an over 99% accurate voice to text result. The user can enter the speaker’s names, and the tool will label each sentence with the name of the person who said it.
The built-in text editor allows modifications both during and after the transcription is finished. User has full control over the output, and Audext has two different export options once everything is completed. The 30-minute free trial can give you a taste of what this website has to offer.
5. Integrate Keywords
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Tools used for keyword research are quite prevalent in the writing industry, and for a good reason. Choosing them carefully and properly inserting them throughout the article can skyrocket the ranking of your website. They’re not limited to a single word – specific phrases that exactly describe your target niche are a great selection and it’s more likely that your competitors have missed them. Ideally, keywords should be located everywhere, including the title, body of the article, headers and even in the URL.
However, their placement is an acquired talent, since it can be difficult to add them without ruining the overall flow of the writing. Google’s keyword planner is an excellent free utility that can help you discover the right keywords for your target audience.
6. Include Social Sharing Buttons
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Social sharing buttons take the form of the tiny icons which represent each specific social media platform. They’re supposed to be located either at the beginning or the end of every new article, with one sole purpose – to make sharing simple and quick. Instead of having to manually copy the link, log in and create a new post, readers can merely click on one of the icons and that’s it. Their main advantage comes from the fact that people are more likely to share when it doesn’t require much effort, thus increasing your exposure and the reach to the target market. When placed, they should be prominent, labeled and ideally located in a few different places.
7. Invest in Promotion
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Sometimes, getting a little boost from other established blogs/people is all that you need. The most common form of promotion is social media marketing, where influencers with high number of followers advertise your blog for a certain price. Even though this is one of the most effective approaches, it’s important to choose someone who has audience that’s interested in your specific niche. Depending on the popularity of the person, prices can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Start small, and if the results are there, slowly increase the invested amount – it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing your traffic increase.
