11 Tips on how to win more readers with your blog articles

Blogs are convenient. They bind customers, attract interested parties and help achieve better rankings with Google and co. Moreover, excellent blog articles ensure your reputation as an expert. This in turn leads to more customer trust and customer loyalty. But what can you do if your blog articles are not being read? We will explain how to draft blog articles to make sure that they are read.

1. Find out what your readers are interested in

Analyze your own blog

Check which blog articles have been clicked on most frequently. Where do the readers spend the most time? Where are the most discussions? Take the time to repeat this on a regular basis. This will give you a good idea of what your readers are interested in.

Recommended tool:
Google Analytics is ideal for analyzing the number of hits.

Organize surveys

In addition, you can use survey tools to find out what your readers are interested in. Free plugins for standard Content Management Systems are available to conduct surveys. Standard search engines will also give you the names of professional providers.

Keep an eye on trends

Google Trends can help you find out what people are currently searching. This tool can narrow the trends up to the federal state. This is very helpful, especially if you are trying to establish a blog in a specific region.

Explore social media

Many trends are initiated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. You are very likely to get ideas for your next article by keeping an eye on social media.

You will find an extensive list with free analysis tools for social media here.

Be aware of periodic events

There are also periodic events that can determine article topics. For example, holidays (Christmas, Easter,…), fairs (IFA, Cebit,…) or product launches, for instance the presentation of the new iPhone. If you host a blog that focuses on smartphones then you simply have to write an article about it.

Reader comments

Of course it is easiest when the readers tell you what their interests are. Carefully read the existing comments regarding your previous articles and examine the messages left by your blog readers.

Keep an eye on your competitors

What do your competitors write about? You will certainly find inspiration there! However, never simply copy.

If you haven’t got the time to search yourself, you can set up a Google Alert. It informs you as soon as an article regarding your chosen topic areas or keywords appears.

2. Find readers for your blog posts

Google Analytics can also reveal where your readers come from. If they mainly appear through Facebook, then that is where you should expand your activities. You can also target Facebook-related media. These are media that are popular with Facebook users, for instance Instagram or Twitter.

However, if your readers appear through forums, then you might want to increase your visibility there. Search for similar forums and communities on the Web.

At the same time, you ought to optimize your blog content for the major search engines – many readers will find you through Google and co. Find out more about search engine optimization here 6. Compilation of search engine optimized content.

3. Define your target group

You can define your targets to some extent by knowing your readers’ preferences and where they come from. Was your blog article about the drone pilot license a hit? Then you might want to do research about typical drone users to find out who your readers are.

4. Cooperate

Lone wolves have a hard time meeting their goals in the blog business. It is better to work together. Try to place guest articles on other blogs. If the blog has the same range as your blog, then you probably only have to offer to exchange article places. If you want to place an article on a successful blog you may have to offer monetary compensation to place a guest article.

5. Inspire influencers

Present your blog articles to well-known influencers. If they recommend you, you can count on a considerable increase of reach.

6. Search engine optimized content

Your blog articles obviously also have to please the search engines. This means:

• Focusing on a topic (determining keyword helps)
• Sufficient length of text (1000 to 2500 words) – if necessary more
• Optimal keyword distribution (main heading, subheading, teaser, etc.)
• NO keyword spamming
• Using alternative keywords (synonyms)
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Using catch phrases for better readability
• Well-structured (subheadings, paragraphs, etc.)
• External and internal links
• Relevant content, no “trite statements”
• Using appropriate pictures and if necessary videos
• Using charts and lists

There are tools for standard CMS for search engine optimization.

Good SEO tools
Wordpress: wpSEO (fee-based), yoast SEO (free of charge)
Drupal: Real-time SEO (free of charge)
Joomla: 7 Joomla SEO Extensions short description
TYPO3: 7 helpful tips and tools

7. Bind readers

Regular intervals

Make sure that your blog contains new articles at regular intervals. One- or two-week rhythms have proved successful. Of course, if you have enough material, there is no reason why your blog shouldn’t appear several times a week. However, your readers should never have to wait longer than one month for a new post.

Newsletter

A monthly newsletter can provide information about new topics on your blog. It raises awareness. A newsletter can also arouse curiosity about an upcoming article.

Reader participation

Let your readers become actively involved. This can be achieved via the comment function. You can also host polls and surveys, for instance about the topic of your next blog post. This gives readers the feeling that they are actively participating in your blog.

Addressing readers

Many readers will return if your blog is personable. This means finding the right way to address your readers. This depends on your target group. If you produce high-end hifi components, your readers are probably upper middle class. This means that you will want to address them with a certain formality and respectful language. However, as a street art fashion label, you will want to be more casual and bold.
Foreign words and expert terms can be used with the relevant target groups.
As a rule, you will find that the wider the target group is, the fewer expert terms and foreign words ought to be used.

8. Topic agenda and article pool

Draft a topic agenda. This will help you determine what you want to post when. This agenda will help you deliver content at regular intervals. It will also help you produce articles in advance – for your rubric article pool.

Article pool
Since some events repeat every year, you can always write articles for them in advance. These texts are placed in the pool. Timeless topics can also be produced this way. These timeless pool articles can be used whenever nothing current is happening, but you want to post something.

Note about creating blog articles
Good blog articles are a prerequisite for a successful blog marketing. Find out more about the service “Blog Writing Service” by clickworker!

9. Find the right headline

The headline is what the reader sees first. It has to encourage them to continue reading.

The following is an example of what a good headline should look like:

1. Not longer than 70 characters
Google cuts headlines that exceed 70 characters, although it depends on the character width. If your headlines only include “I”s, you will be able to place more characters. If you use numerous “W”s, it will be fewer. However, you ought to try to place the entire headline in these 70 characters. If the most important word in the headline is at the end and is cut off, you risk losing possible readers.

Recommended tool
The Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool permits you to check whether your headline fits.

2. Keep your promise
The article must stick to what is written in the headline. There is nothing worse than disappointing a reader. If you promise a way of acquiring a free smartphone in the headline, then you have to fulfill this promise. Disappointed readers will not return!

3. Encourage them to read
Questions can arouse curiosity, because the reader wants to find out the answer. Slight provocations (don’t overdo it!) encourage readers to read an article. Humor is also a helpful way of getting readers to jump at a headline. Tests, advice and tips are very popular with readers. Keywords such as “free of charge”, “secret”, “easy”, etc. generally arouse interest.

4. Numbers please
The fact that numbers in a headline have a magical effect is now an open secret. “19 ways to lose weight” is read more often then “Ways to lose weight”.

5. Be specific
Phrase your headline as specifically as possible. Standard dull remarks seldom reach readers. They want to know what to expect.
“Everything will be fine” is certainly appropriate as a title for a self-help book. But it should not be found above a post. “How to sort out your life in 12 easy steps” would be better.

10. Check the grammar and the spelling

Correct spelling and grammar are the showcase of your text. The content might be terrific, but the reader will not take the article seriously if the spelling is bad. Do not rely on the spelling check offered by Word and co. It ignores many mistakes. Have the text read by someone else. If that is not an option, take a look at our post “Bye bye errors! How to correct your texts quickly and effectively”, and find out how to check your articles yourself. It is due to appear on: 01.11.2017.

11. Passion for the topic

The more you enjoy and are interested in the topic of the article, the more your readers will enjoy it too. Just because a topic is ranking well on Google or is being hyped on social media does not mean it has to do well in your post. Your readers will notice whether you are passionate about the topic or not!

However, you cannot always select your topics yourself. It is therefore good to develop a passion for “undesirable” issues.

Two tips to embrace “undesirable” topics

1. Take a look at the topic and select the aspects that appeal to you. If you have no inclination for “crypto currencies”, then maybe the graphic ports are of interest. They are always used to “dig up” the crypto currency.

2. Interest in an issue can be aroused by spending more time on it. Read articles about it, or look at videos. You will soon realize that an unattractive topic can become interesting. It almost always works.

One last obvious remark

Our most important tip is more an obvious statement than a tip. But it is often forgotten, which is why we are repeating it here: Be patient and keep it rolling! The most successful blogs were not created overnight. They involve several years of work.

 

Have you got any more suggestions for creating successful blog articles? Have you tried out our tips? If so, please share your feedback and ideas with us. We look forward to including them in our next posts. You can write to us directly or leave a comment here.