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So you wrote great content, added relevant photos, videos, linked to to the correct sources, but.. no one is engaging with your content.
no comments are being posted, no one like it or share it on Facebook.
you get zero engagement and that sucks.
specially sense the engagement levels to your blog is an important SEO factor this days and send signals to google that your content is important.
So how can you increase your blog engagement rates and create a sense of community around your site?
Marieke van de Rakt from Yoast.com gives some great tips in this department:
Make sure your blog posts are awesome
Your content should be awesome. Your content should be so informative, funny or relevant, that people want to share it with the world.
If your content isn't great, if you using too much fluff text, or if it seems you writing for google and not for your audience , then people will simply not going to share it and will bounce off to the other thousands of websites fighting for their attention.
Learn how to write great blog posts and then be consistent about it! which brings out to the second point:
Be consistent
In order to get people to engage with your blog, you should blog on a regular basis. Let people know what to expect.
You don’t have to blog every day to create engagement, but make sure the intervals are predictable.
If people know that you always publish posts on Thursdays, people might just swing by your website on these Thursdays.
If you create a blog post one day and then suddenly disappear for a few weeks, providing no content for your readers.
you going to have a hard time creating a loyal audience.
having some sort of consistent blog posting schedule is important factor in getting people coming back to your site – knowing that will be some fresh content waiting for them.
Be original
Make sure your content is worth sharing. The most effective way to make sure that people want to share your content is to write original stuff.
If your story is one of a kind, people will be more prone to sharing. Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge.
Yes I know – its all have been done already pretty much, but that doesn't mean you can't bring your own unique view on things.
Being original is key in writing a share worthy content .
if you are not original and your viewers will feel like they “read it , done that” already – they will be gone faster then you think.
Sean Patrick Si from Moz.com gives an important tip in that area:
Include something in your content that others don't
Let's say you want to write about a topic that has been written about many times before, like creating Facebook pages.
Before you begin writing, you need to look at the top posts on creating a Facebook page to see what is missing.
There has to be something that you know about this topic that others have not already shared.
Maybe you notice that no one has included a screenshot (as shown above) of the helpful charts Facebook provides to help you choose which page category to choose or what administrator role to give to your employees.
Or maybe you notice that no one tells people that they can have local business pages without turning on reviews.
Once you've figured out some unique tidbits, include them in your post.
This tactic will ensure that you get comments, social shares, and links because people will be impressed that you were able to shed new light on a familiar topic.
That's a great tactic to give your content a unique view point that other blogs haven't so far. by looking at what is missing from similar blog posts you can provide real value to your readers and not just rewrite the same old stuff.
Yes it require some research and extra work but spending those few extra minutes will be a smart investment on your part.
Ask for engagement
Another important thing to do (and its very simple but many bloggers simply not doing that) is asking for others to share/engage with your content!
yes – talk to your audience, ask them to comment on your post , ask them question and start a debate.
People love to share their opinions but they won't do it if you present your blog post as a close subject that there is nothing to add to.
Do just the opposite – ask questions and get your viewers to share their thoughts and ideas about things.
Vashishtha Kapoor from bloggingtips.com is writing just about that:
Ending up your articles with a question
Have you ever tried hitting your readers with a question in the end? This not only encourages your readers to comment but also compel a reader to think and act.
You can use like minded question at the end of a post with Over to you heading right after the conclusion. By asking a question you easily
Reply to comments
When people actually take the time and comment on your blog posts – don't leave them hanging!
This is the time you need to discuss with your audience – reply to their comments, ask them more questions and start a debate.
Your audience love to know their voice is being heard and once you take the time to reply to their comments they will feel appreciated and this will simply encourage them to keep on commenting and engaging with your content on future blog posts.
In Conclusion
Its not so hard to increase your blog engagement rates, the tactics listed above are simple and easy ways to go about it. it will require some time and afford but if you want your blog to be something people share and discuss about – this things are key.
Here some great additional read from resources used in this post:
https://moz.com/ugc/8-ways-to-significantly-increase-blog-engagement
https://yoast.com/blog-engagement/
http://www.bloggingtips.com/2017/03/22/4-surefire-ways-boost-blog-engagements/
And now we going to use own advice and ask you: How do you increase engagement for your blog posts?