How to Develop a Large Blog Following

Q: I recently started a blog and want to get as many readers as possible. How do I do that?

You have probably read about how some blogs have hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of readers and it’s natural to wonder how you can do that with your own blog.

Whether it is for a personal or business blog, building a following is easier than you may think. You must realize, however, that there is no quick fix. It requires a diligent, consistent strategy on your part. This post will outline some strategies you can use to increase your readership.

Linking plays a crucial role in increasing your readership. Search engine crawlers love links. It increases your popularity. This applies to both incoming and outgoing links.

Do an online search to find like-minded blogs. Ask the owner if you can exchange links. Have your link put on their site in return for putting their blog address link on your site. This technique helps target your marketplace, increasing your chances of receiving new readers.

Be sure to use pertinent keywords throughout your blog content, byline, meta-tags and title tags to help visitors find your blog. Keywords are what users type in the search engine boxes to find information. The more pertinent your keywords, the higher the likelihood of catching the eye of new readers.

Search engine computer bots categorize your blog by your keywords, to result in your Google page ranking. Incorrect keywords can leave you floundering with the other blog wannabes.

Consistent updating is crucial for increasing readership. Visitors who notice that your last post was a year ago will quickly leave your blog and find another current one. Make blog posts a regular part of your daily or weekly online activity.

When writing your blog content remember to give some personal insight that gives readers a chance to comment. Ask questions and ask for feedback. Blogs provide an excellent way to develop more personal relationships with your readers, giving readers a chance to offer their viewpoint.

Remember to reply to as many comments as possible to spark interest. It shows that you appreciate any feedback received and that you regularly visit your blog site.

You may also want to privately reply to email addresses to thank your visitors for leaving comments. This is a great way to increase your trust, confidence and reputation with readers.

With blogs being such an integral part of the social media world, you need to get involved with as many social networking sites as possible. We live in a viral world where information is shared at lightning speeds. Not joining social networking sites will play havoc on your blog’s popularity.

Increase your popularity with social networking sites by having a compelling profile. The more interesting your profile, the greater the likelihood that visitors will want to take a look at your blog. Take the time to develop an online portfolio that draws attention to your expertise, background and blog. Remember to efficiently utilize keywords throughout your profile to please those search engine bots.

Blogs are versatile social media tools that serve a variety of purposes. Utilize them fully to bring in new readers.

About the Author: Marie Buckner operates a blog with over 136,000 readers. Her expertise has resulted in over 2,000 published articles, a book series and numerous speaking engagements. She writes for Degree Jungle, a resource for college students.