I have often wondered what makes blog readers to keep returning back to a blog after their first visit. Most of the time, I have discovered that some of my blog readers never come back to my blog after the initial visit. I noticed this from my google analytic account because my returning visitors keep going down. After my findings, I was able to come out with some facts which I will be sharing with you on this post.
We all know that blogging has become a very popular as more people turn to writing online journals to express their thoughts and interest. Most blog writers have some sort of following by readers, unless they choose to keep their blogs private. Even if the blog is designed just for your family or a group of friends, it is very essential to evaluate your readers and know what they really want from you.
A blog is an online diary where people of all ages and from all over the world can express their thoughts, opinions and interests. Businesses also use blogs to communicate with their customers and it has proving to be an effective form of communication. Whether you write a blog for your company or just for other readers, your audience relies on you for updating your blog on a regular basis.
What do your blog readers really want?
When you have finally made up your mind to create a blog, think about what your readers are expecting. An important part of keeping readers interested in blogs is to update frequently. If blogs are not updated on a regular basis, they will most likely look for another blog to read. It is therefore of utmost important to keep your blog current and to provide updates to your readers.
You must also think about including a subscription or email option to your blog. When a reader subscribes to your blog, they will automatically receive updates when you add a new entry to your blog. This helps them know when you have new material on your blog.
You can use free tool like Feedburner for this or register for an Autoresponder, I personally use Getresponse (Aff link) for my email marketing campaign. They offer the best cheap service you can think of ranging from $15 per month for up to 1000 subscribers. They also have a very friendly user interface and customer support. Click here now to try them for one month free of charge.
Another great way of keeping your readers coming back to your blog is to target your audience. For instance, if you are an automobile lover and write about your most preferred cars, then you need to find others that share the same interest. Some groups will not be interested in your story. You need to find your audience by visiting web groups or forums that have to do with your main subject.
Tell people you know about what you blog about and provide a link to your writing. If your blog readers are interested in the subject you are writing about, it is more likely that they will come back and visit often. It is important to remember that there are literally thousands of blogs on the Internet on almost any topic. You want to grab your reader and keep them coming back or you will lose them to your competitors.
You can also entice your blog readers to coming back for more if you use your blog wisely. If you want to write private thoughts, then do not share your writing with others. If you do want to share, be careful about what you write about. If you embarrass people you know through your writing, then you are not using your blog wisely. Protect the people around you and do not try to get even with people through your blog. Readers that do not know you are not interested in reading your nasty posts, so you must keep your blogs fun and entertaining for anyone who wants to read them.
Also, when you blog, keep your blog readers interested by having an easy to use blog, provide enough white space for easy reading. Sometimes large pictures or downloads can take up a lot of time and your reader may not want to open large files. If you want to include pictures, links, or downloads make sure they work and will not slow a computer down. You can also make your blog easy to use by using a blog-hosting site that cuts down on advertising and pop-ups.
Most of the time, those types of advertising will annoy your reader. When you choose a blog site, check into the types of features that the site can offer. Some of these sites that avoid ads and pop ups may cost, but are worth it if you want your readers to have a good blog experience on your site. You can also use a plugin like W3 total Cache to enhance the loading speed of your blog. Remember that majority of your readers surfs the net with their mobile phone, a very handy tool that I use to optimize my blog for mobile phones is a plugin called Wp Touch.
Follow any of the links below to read more on this topic
How To Anticipate What Your Blog Readers Want From You Next: Kristy Hines.
8 Things Your Blog Readers Want More Than Good Content: Neil Petal.
A final Thought.
You really need to treat your readers with avid respect that way, you can be rest assured that your they will be coming back to your blog. They may not like something you write about and if they leave a negative comment, simply reply it in a polite manner. Also, your blog readers will appreciate your writings more if you reply their comments or even send them a quick email thanking them for visiting your blog. This is a great way to build communication with your readers and will keep them a lifetime customers. You need to ask yourself now…..Where are my getting it wrong? Find out where you need to work on and get to it immediately; don’t wait for tomorrow because today was yesterdays tomorrow.
What strategies have you applied before that made your visitors to keep coming back to your blog? Please share with us in the comment section; let’s learn from your own experience.
Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed what you just read, please share and tweet it with your friends and followers.
Photo Credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’s photostream
Tim Bonner says
HI Theodore
I changed my WordPress theme a few weeks back as a couple of people had mentioned it was too “busy”. Certainly it’s much easier to find things since I did that.
I’ve slowed down a little as to how often I post, only once a week currently out of necessity. Because I do lots of commenting though I’ve not seen too much of a drop in traffic though.
Some great points in your post and thanks for sharing.
Theodore Nwangene says
Hey Tim,
Yea, the look of the theme also matters, i also changed mine as well. Don’t you think you should slow down on commenting and focus more on updating your blog?
Thanks for coming and do have a lovely weekend.
Adrienne says
Hey Theodore,
I believe that of course the quality content is what will attract the reader in the first place. What will keep them coming back is you sharing part of you in each post so that those readers can relate to you as a person.
Not only are you sharing valuable information that they will find beneficial but they are making that connection. Building relationships with your readers is crucial and that will start with a loyal fan base that will come back time and time again, even if you miss a beat from time to time.
That’s my take on why people continue to come back time and time again. Just like Tim mentioned in his comment, his theme was busy but he put himself into the posts and that’s why I keep visiting his blog.
~Adrienne
Theodore Nwangene says
Well said Adrienne,
Good Content is and will always be the best even is every other thing fades.
I also agree with you that sharing some things about yourself with your readers will also earn you some trust and will also keep them coming back to your blog.
I also like Tim for that and i have equally started doing it too.
Thanks for coming.
Atish says
As a blog reader I love to read quality content only. Design is secondary for me. I just need great articles to read :).
Thanks for the nice post.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thank and welcome to my blog Atish,
I’m really glad you like the post. In as much as blog design may not really matter that much, it is also advisable that you give your blog a nice look because the eye will definitely eat before the mouth.
Thanks for commenting.
Felicia says
Hi Theodore,
Great article here on pointing out the reasons why you get visitors and how to understand the source of your readership. I agree that targeting your audience according to niche or topic is a great and effective way to get readers that will be interested to read your posts and become a returning visitor (and also become your potential customer).
I also agree with your last point that every reader likes to have a good experience on your site, especially if it is their first time to visit there. I tend to leave and not return to certain blogs if they tend to load so slowly and one blog even caused my browser to crash! Additionally, mobile-friendly blogs are my favorite to visit whenever I am out and I’m just using my smartphone.
Edhunter says
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks for coming to my blog Edhunter,
I’m also happy you like what you saw.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thank you Felicia,
I’m glad you like the post.
Do have a great weekend.
Ehsan Ullah says
Hey Theodore,
This is my favorite topic really! I have been writing about it on my blog and on other blogs as guest posts. If you want to make your readers love your blog, than there are a lot of things that you need to take care of like blog design, content and everything else. Try to find out the needs of your readers and serve them which will make them love your blog.
Thanks for writing on this 🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
You’ve said it all Ehsan,
Its very vital to discover what they really want from you else, you will be serving yourself instead of your readers. Thanks for coming Ehsan and do have a blissful week.
Offikebreence says
I’m very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something relating to this.
ghouse says
nice post ,this is going to help a lot for a newbie like me.
Chadrack says
Hi Theodore,
Good topic. What do readers want from you?
Actually much depends on what they are looking for in the first place. If it is a visitor who has a pain that needs healing, what he wants is the right solution. And so if you can provide that solution he will be ready to sign up for your future posts. This could a particular information or resource which you could provide in your content.
On the other hand, if it is a visitor who just wants to connect with other bloggers, then he wants some personal touch, good content and a little bit of fun!
From your own side, in deciding on what will make your readers to keep coming back, you first need to know why you are blogging and then brand yourself on that level. position yourself and with time the right time of visitors who will not only connect but also help you achieve what you are aiming at will find you and then there will be gain on both sides – he gets what he wants and you get what you want! Joy on all sides 🙂
This is just my take.
Theodore Nwangene says
And your own take is certainly the main thing man,
I can’t agree more.Just as you said, every visitor that arrives at a blog the first time has a purpose and his coming back to your blog depends on if you were able to serve that his purpose.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful point as always man. You rock 🙂
Have an awesome weekend.
Jennifer Cunningham says
Hi Theodore,
Enjoyed the post and you make a good point about unique visitors and google analytic. I guess because I’m new I get several hundred new visitors a day. But bringing them back does need some help. With a bigger blog like yours there are probably already a large core of return visitors. I would think once you have a lot of visitors you would work more on conversions. But what do I know. I know thati will get email list started in 30 days.
Theodore Nwangene says
Hi Jenni,
You also have a nice blog but, I’ll advice you first of all change your theme. Starting an email list it also very important. Thanks for coming. Do you have a premium theme? I can give you one if you don’t have.
sundaydriver says
“Blog readers will appreciate your writings more if you reply their comments or even send them a quick email thanking them for visiting your blog.” It is true Mr. Nwangene, as a blogreader i really appreciate if the blogger replies on my comment. Nice post again brother. I’ll visit here again next time through bizsugar.com.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks for the visit Sunday,
I really appreciate it. I’m also happy you like the post, can’t wait to see you here again brother