How to Make Your Blog Popular?

10 Elements Your Blog Needs to Be Hot

Is your blog on fireLove is in the air and bloggers are looking for love just like everyone else. For bloggers, love comes in the form of more site visitors and returning readers who spend time consuming, sharing and commenting on the blog’s content on a regular basis.

So how do you make your blog hot? Here are ten factors with related questions to help you make your blog a popular, happening social media entity.

  1. Do you provide killer content? Strong stories with a beginning, middle, end and preferably a useful take-away, are critical because readers remember stories. Further, you need to continually add fresh content that’s focused on your niche. Use a variety of formats such as text, photographs, graphics, videos, charts and presentations. Corporate and group blogs have some flexibility because they can spread the workload across a team. Do you have a regular schedule so readers know when you’re publishing? Do you add sufficient substance or is your writing empty calories for your readers?
  2. Does your content address trending topics? Do you try to provide value by being the first to source information on a topic? Alternatively, do you add a fresh perspective or angle? Remember me-too content that exists everywhere else is a yawn!
  3. Are your titles attention grabbing? Do your titles reel readers in and get them curious to read on? Does your content deliver what readers expect from the titles? If not, they’ll leave without stopping to read on.  Alternatively, do readers get sufficient information from the title so it’s not necessary to read further?
  4. Does your design pull readers in? Is your blog branded so that readers remember it and return? No cookie cutter or default looks please! At the same time, the design has to aid and enhance information gathering.  Think about your use of color, type fonts and spacing. Are there too many items to distract readers? Do you know what attracts visitors to your site, what aspects they like and which they dislike?
  5. Do you use strong photographs and/or graphics to lure readers into your content? Humans are attracted to photographs and images. Use them to get your prospects’ attention. Do your graphics help support your content? Do they make sense to your readers? Are your photographs in focus?
  6. Do your landing pages deliver what your visitors seek? Does your content rank well for specific keywords? If so, are these terms aligned with your content? If not, how can you change your focus to ensure that readers get what they want. You don’t want prospects to find nothing of interest and leaving immediately.
  7. Is anyone home? Are there recent posts? Do you publish at least 2-3 times per week? If not, this is a critical element to remedy. Can people share the content via social media links? Readers trust the wisdom of the crowd. They look at the number of tweets and Facebook likes to determine what to read. Are there comments? Do you respond to the comments in a timely fashion?
  8. Do you answer “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM) for the reader? Is the content just about the writer? If so, then who (other than your mother) cares? Are you adding to the community in terms of knowledge or entertainment? Does the blog pay it forward?
  9. Does your blog have a social media tribe? If not, consider how you can build a community around your topic? Alternatively, is your blog only read by a small, closed group of regulars? If so, do new readers feel left out of the conversation? How can you change this?
  10. Do you invite readers to join your party? Do you ask readers for their input? Do you share your content on other social media platforms? Do your responses to reader comments show that you’re glad that they took the time to add to the conversation?

Assess which of these elements are missing from your blog and make a plan for incorporating them to make it more enticing. Remember growing your blog love takes hard work and time to build a following.  Don’t be afraid to ask your followers how they would like your blog improved.

Are there any other elements that you’d add to this list? If so, what are they? Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen


P.S. Since love is in the air, please join us for #BloggerLove Month. Enter our We ♥ Bloggers Contest with a chance to win Chris Brogan and Julian Smith’s Trust Agents.  Just write a blog post using one of these 125 Free Blog Titles. Also, give your favorite blogger some recognition on Twitter using #BloggerLove.

To help you build your blog, here’s some related readings.

Photo credit: Liber via Flickr

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