So maybe you’ve been blogging for less than a year and you are wanting to increase your blog’s readership or blog circle. A lot of bloggers might find themselves at some daunting plateau where their traffic doesn’t seem to be growing, but at least stays the same. It might be frustrating to try to grow your blog. This article will go over on how to take your blogging to the next level.
How To Take Your Blogging To the Next Level
Increase the frequency or the number of posts you write.
You’ve got the blogging part down. You might be writing 2 or 3 times in a week. How about trying once a day? You can still have a quality article at 300 words. It could be a blog post written in response to another website’s article. However, increase frequency and maybe even invite a guest writer once in a while.
This would be an ideal time to learn to write and schedule posts ahead of time.
Introduce a special blog series from time to time.
A series of posts that are focused around a specific topic are great for conversion. It could be a series of interviews, an in-depth tutorial, a gallery, or a broad topic. This keeps your visitors coming back if they are interested in finding out more.
However, don’t just create any old series and slop a whole bunch of things together. Make this series something that you can feature for weeks until your next series.
Vary the type of posts you write with using different mediums.
When I say mediums, I mean the forms of media you can syndicate your work. Examles of those mediums can be:
- Post
- e-book
- Podcast
- Video
- Presentation
- Memes
- Infographics
- Pictures
You should try to use a variation and balance your content using a little bit of each. You might even want to try optimizing your content so it can be accessed on any of those mediums. Some people connect more visually, than reading. Others may be on the go, and downloading a podcast might be convenient.
Make sure your articles are thorough.
You might know your topics, but sometimes including those detailed pieces of information make you stand out from others in your niche. Be aware of what others in your niche are writing and make sure your article is better than theirs.
Oh, and its okay to go back to older posts to add or edit them in order to improve their quality.
Offer small or medium incentives from time to time.
Your readers are practically the life blood of your site. Sometimes an incentive for being a loyal reader is a great idea. Here are some incentive ideas:
- Contests
- Freebies (both tangible and digital)
- Use the plugin CommentLuv and return comments to those who have blogs
- Significant discounts on quality products or services
Contests are great and can bring in some traffic if you have a decent and active following. However, you might want to start with small freebies and discounts that are for products and services relevant to your niche.
The other suggestions mentioned above are to have CommentLuv installed on your site and to return comments to those who are bloggers. CommentLuv inserts a simple link to the commentators most recent post. This means that they would like you to read their blog post. A lot of people have forgotten that this was the original intention for creating such a plugin.
Offer a means for your readers to keep coming back.
With all these opportunities, and new posts, you want your readers to subscribe to your newsletter in order to receive site news, special offers, and more freebies. This is a way to get them to come back to your website. If you don’t have a newsletter, you should have one set up.
These are just some core tips that you can take your blogging to the next level.
You might enjoy Sadie Lankford’s post on 99 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic too! (opens in a new window)
Are you stuck in a rut with your blog? Have you tried all of the suggestions listed above? If you’ve been blogging for year, what other tips do you have?
hello nile
thnx for this article really enjoyed the read will share it wid my frnds too
Nile, You have shared a nice piece of advice. Even I also suggest readers to increase post frequency. Not only because readers get fresh content each time they visit your blog but Google love blogs who update their content on a daily basis.
Thank you for sharing such a nice stuff.
Regards,
Amrik Virdi
Hi Amrik! I really do believe increasing the times you post do well. It would also be a time to experiment when to publish those posts. I write all of my articles, an I am thinking of increasing my posts from 1 a day to 2 times a day.
Hey Nile
Nice Article…really great tips to follow…your content is clearly depicting your knowledge and experience in blogging….liked the thoughts and points mentioned….
Thanks for Sharing
Keep Posting
Great tips for taking your blog to the next level 🙂
It seemed that my blog traffic was on a plateau. No matter how much you write it keeps the same, but as the summer is passing I keep beating some of my traffic records, the hard work starts to slowly pay off hopefully.
It can be a tedious job, but it will pay off.
I love your design. Coming to this post made me realize I haven’t been here in a while! Great tips. You are always full of awesomeness.
Thanks Sadie! Always something new in every nook here…lol
Hi Nile!
I’m already using some of your technics, but thx I’ll try the others
Regards 🙂
Cat
Which ones haven’t you tried?
Holding contests on a blog is a good idea as it gives more exposure to a blog thus increasing the traffic/subscriber counts .Thanks for sharing the information .
-Pramod
Great read!
I keep trying to run a contest, and just do not have the time. I need to make the time because it seems like it might be the thing to help bring me over the next plateau. Bookmarked your site and coming back for more!
Chris
Nice Idea I think blogger should think on it… I like that nice way to seek the attentions..
Hello Nile,
Really nice piece of content on blogging. What’s your view on using an editorial calendar to schedule blog post. Should it be more beneficial or not?
I use my draft mode, and not an editorial calendar. I don’t think it would hurt to have one… it just depends on how you like to organize your work. Me, I have so much to write that it doesn’t matter what I publish next as everything is eventually tackled.
i realized that videos make a lot of difference in blogging. sharing on youtube may go viral.
thanks for sharing.
Some great pointers for me Nile.. Although I have been casually around for more than1 year, I can sure use your advice!!
Nile,
Once again, great advice for bloggers! You hit all the right notes here! CommentLuv is a great plugin to use, of course. And your suggestion of varying the medium of the posts is also a great idea! I vary between video tutorials, text posts and infographics once in a while just to change things up. I think the visitors like the variety. I will have to try some other mediums as well.
Giving visitors discounts and incentives sounds like a good idea, as well. Can’t wait to check out the article by Sadie Lankford that you linked to.
Hope you have a Great Labor Day Weekend! You deserve it!
~ Jupiter Jim
Great Read…I have blogging since 1 year but struggling to get decent amount of visitors.Can you help on this..thanks in advance
my blog is akshatblog[dot].com
nice article but i want to ask you something for offering contests to my readers i have to start partnership with some companies ,that means i will have to invest money there ,then it’s must be costly na???or please tell me solution of this problem.
Hey Nile,
Found this post to be very helpful for ideas. Sometimes I get stuck, but this post got the brain working LOL! Thanks!
content is king but writing only is not just enough. if you want to get success in your blogging journey then it’s important to add values in your articles. readers as well as search engines like valuable articles and one more thing i would like to tell you that your articles must be at least 500 words to get attraction of search engines.
Hi Gaurav!
Your articles don’t have to be 500 words to be crawled by search engines, including Google.
Hey Nile..
you always write something unique that helps a lot to new bloggers. once i start reading your post i just read it till end. that clearly show how effective your writting skills are..
the depth you cover in the post is really appreciable
Thanks..
I really liked the tips, and advises you have mentioned above. However, I believe there are certain ways to take blogging to the next level. It totally depends on the niche. If it is about the blogging, and services type. One can do better with keywords targeting, and on the other hand the publishing frequency can also do wonders.
I went the thorough route a few weeks back and I am not complaining 😉
This is really an awesome post. You’ve shared very useful advises. Thank you for this very informative post.
Thanks Nile,
When I have been blogging for at least a year, I will take note of your suggestions. Right now I am still trying to get some regular readers. It’s really a blessing to have your website as a resource for me to learn all that I need as I proceed on this journey!
hello Nile
Really thanks for this article. And i think that it’s time to take my blog to the next level and i am taking your tips seriously and i m gonna work on my blog more and more and fro this post again.. 🙂
Hi Nile,
Well written. Personally, I would say taking the blogs to the next level is all about marketing. You could write tons of excellent write ups but without enough marketing, you are going waste a lot of time. Can’t agree more with those tips above especially with rechecking the articles.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Nile great post, I am trying to follow your steps it really sound the right way to do it, I have problem writing content but It may be a good idea to start working on my writing skills to generate more content to my blog.. thanks
You know, I’m thinking about creating a guest post contest. Probably to be closed on 2014 or next summer. I just need to gather some money to it, or maybe is it better a gift? or a software….
Some good info her Nile, thank you. I feel like I have done most of these but perhaps not consistently enough. I’ve been blogging for more than a year but don’t feel like I have advice to offer… so far growth has been slow. I hope to change that this year by joining groups like B3 and Triberr to learn from others!
I’m going to take your advice and see what works to take my blog a step further. I already do many of these, but I could probably post more frequently, and I have been thinking of installing CommentLuv. Do you know if this can only be used on WordPress sites, or would it work on other blogging platforms? I’ve recently switched to OverBlog.
I’d recommend sticking to WordPress rather than switching. Most of the techniques can be applied to most sites. Plugin… well that depends if there is an equivalent on that platform.
Still good content marketing is another way of saying that you’re convincing your viewers/customers to purchase your products. That is an awesome post. You have really layed out your points in great detail.
Loved the 99 ways to increase your blog traffic – thanks for sharing that post.
Interesting that you’d be moving towards 2 blogs per day, I know that HubSpot has done some work on whether that increased their traffic – and the answer was that yes it did.
I have clients that are selling membership sites and/or online classes – where the material is all ready to go – they’re just looking for sales – and they’re doing multiple blogs in a day plus a lot of other social media promotion – and it works really well for them..
I love the medium tips and I realize there is so much to learn to take our blogs to the next level.
Is there any tutorial on how to use the medium to develop visibility?
Thanks Nile!
Nile,
What a valuable article here. You have made so many suggestions and I realize I have done very few. How do you find the time to do all that is needed to make your blog stand out?
Question – What is a “meme” ?
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hello Nile…..You have some great tips here….I will try your techniques…….starting with posting more often….Thanks Nile……Smokey
There’s lots of ideas here that I haven’t tried yet. I guess my main thing is about blogging more often. I’ll try to blog at least once a week for now and when I get that down, I’ll target for more often posting, but for now, I’d like to see myself posting articles on a weekly basis – consistently.
you have shared a great info related to taking blogging a next level good tips NILE, keep it up thanks.
🙂
Hi Nile. Timely suggestions for me. I’ll hopefully have the music studio all closed up by the end of the month and then really be able to focus on my blogging and marketing. You have provided some ideas that are easy to implement and I appreciate it very much. You are truly a blog rock star 🙂
All the best,
Leslie
People blog for many different reasons. Engaging readers and building a following is usually at the top of the list.
You’ve given some great ideas for accomplishing that, Nile.
For the serious blogger, the quantity and consistency is critical. Your suggestion to increase the amount of blogging is a good one. But it’s equally (or more) important to make sure, as you point out in this article, that regardless of how often you blog… nothing is more important than good, sound, and thorough content.
In fact, that’s why I always enjoy visiting your blog.
Hi Nile,
great suggestions!
Using different media sounds like a good tip!
Thanks for the 99 ways link!
So much that can be done!!
I appreciate that you share your knowledge!
Cheers,
Yorinda
Hi Nile,
Taking my blog to the next level is something that has been tugging at my mind. Videos….I used to do so many of them, but then shied away. Good reminder for me!
I also have been toying with the idea of contests but I really don’t know where to begin. Have to do more research on that one!
Thanks for the push!
-Donna
Nile,
thanks so much for sharing such a great advice.
I head about the post frequency thing but I seem to get involved in other things and so sometime I am not as consistent.
I head about Google loving all this and for a while I was doing pretty good.. but lately I slagged off.. Thanks for your article and reminder… better get going again if I want to stay on top of the blogging game haha 🙂
Thanks for sharing this great knowledge..
_nickc
Great idea Nile! I have been contemplating a series of posts and this confirms that I should definitely do it. Thank you for the link to Sadie Lankford’s awesome article!
Hi Nile,
Thanks for the handy tips! I have a new blog and I am thinking of adding some variety to my posts like you suggested! I am thinking of a webinar.. Do you have any suggestions? I hope to follow the webinars with a youtube channel! The webinars are to force me to produce the content.. I believe once I have a date up on my site it will force me to prepare and produce a good quality video!
Hi Nile,
Video Blogging seems to be the order of the day, especially for a few niche specific blogs such as Technology, Education, e.t.c. Thanks for sharing the other platform and techniques to take blogging to the next level.
Hello Nile.
This is the first time i have visited your blog,
Very nice article.Those tips are not only useful for new bloggers but also for someone who’s “not-yet” successful.
Thanks for your sharing.
Stephan Wu
I think it’s high time I follow all these tips! I’ve been reading a lot of essential ways to improve blog traffic, and so far I’ve been lazy. Hehe I also like this comment plugins you’re using. Where’d you get them?
Great Tips,
I’ve been blogging for quite a while with building a list or attracting readers.
Would really love to learn how.
This will help.
Sw
Hi Nile, amazing post I too think that by increasing the frequency of the number of post we write can take our blog to the next level.
Hi Nile, you have definitely shared some great tips on how we can improve our blog. I guess it’s a great idea to increase posting frequency and at the same time try to post something more interesting, such as a uniquely designed infographic! Of course, it will delight my readers to offer them something for free… maybe a copy of Thunder Mailer for free?
I know every body is busy in this world because every one want to beat his competitor. Now a days we have no time for ourself. we are just running after the money. More more. So Now it is easy way to spend little time and earn more. I am talking about bloging. Googles Adsense, Afiliation marketing and adchoice are best way to get more earning.
I often go blank after 350 words. I have been slowing increasing though! I also make sure I add pictures. The picture I think improve the quality overall. That might just be me though. Thanks for the article.
thanx for the tips… i personally like to write about my everyday experience with a little touch of sarcasm.
Nile,
Now that I’m back to blogging regularly I certainly want to build a readership. So this article is timely for me and a great list to begin with. Thanks!
RICK
Great set of tips on taking your blog to the next level. I am trying to do different things all the time. For example, I decided to do a set of interviews of various travellers. So far have done a few, lets see they do.
99 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic – very interesting and informative. thanks
Hi Nile,
Increase the frequency or the number of posts? This is what I do these days. It seems increasing the number of posts works.
Using different mediums is great but difficult. I don’t think it is a good idea to “translate” every piece of content on all possible mediums.
Include details that will make your post stand above competition? Yes. One of the things that I’ve noticed almost everywhere is that people avoid getting into details. The blogosphere is full of generic content that makes me puke: write stellar content, use beautiful pictures, guest post like a pro, create a social media presence etc. It is incredible how many people enjoy this type of content. Unfortunately, at the end of the day it doesn’t help you much.
Whenever you need to really learn something and ask questions you get general, miserable answers, full of gaps. A lot of internet marketers sell shamelessly knowledge that is full of gaps. One small gap is enough to block a beginner for weeks or even months. When you ask for more information they tell you: “Hey, I will explain you this but only on a one on one session with me.”
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that one on one session will solve your problem. Most of the times the session will be full of gaps, too. I hate when marketers assume something is known and everybody understands what they are saying.
This is why creating complete learning sequences with no gaps is a real way to help people.
Have a wonderful day
Silviu…. yes you should be creating content on several media formats to increase your reach. Not everyone has time to read… some might be listening to podcasts while driving, or soak the message in better with a 5 to 10 minute video.
The blogosphere is a bunch of copycats… you aren’t as ticked off as I am… but you also are not laughing at the dummies scraping by on meager affiliate commissions and adsense earnings who are not making what I make. And that’s because I’ve been in this business a lot longer.
On your comment on internet marketers not giving out complete advice: This is mostly why I blog. And if someone wants to consult with me, I ask them to have questions ready so their time is well spent and I answer everything. It helps to have those questions ahead of time as I can often not just consult over the phone or webcam, but email them with links to my posts that go into the subject even further. If they don’t ask, they will need to ask in another session. I’m not really that type of person to hold back on information. All of my posts here practically give everything and the kitchen sink…lol
Take blogging to next level what a topic you raised mate.
Hats off very helpful.
Thanks.
Hello Nile, this is a really useful article! Increasing quality blog posts has to increase traffic, provided (as you say) the posts are interesting and get visitors coming back to read more. It’s obvious that it works just by looking at your blog Nile, you post frequently and get a lot of visitors.
Thanks for sharing such a useful effective ways for taking blogging to the next level. Well many of mine blogger friends have adopted the e-book strategy and its really awesome.
Hi Nile,
As you said your not going to have more people going to your site if your blog quality is low, higher quality of information brings more people and of course as said above how frequently you post on your blog, people aren’t going to check your blog to see if you’ve posted anything if you wait for weeks in between..
Thank you Nile!
Kindest Regards, Jessica.
Increasing the blog post frequency, could be really helpful because we can leverage more readership and take the blog to the next level eventually.
Love the tips on how to add additional content to the blog to make it more valuable to those who read it.
Nile, Excellent article! You are so right, we should probably all be posting a lot more. Perhaps the push should be that once you have the rhythm of 2 posts a week we should move up to 3 and so on…until we really have pushed it as far as we can.
Hey Nile! Wow you sure did get the love on this post HUH! I just visited Leslie’s blog and she was talking about a blogging challenge I did try this once and was so overwhelmed. I am not sure how you could even consider 2 a day WOWSY GIRL! You my dear are truly an inspiration. last week I set a goal to publish 3 a week I think this is agood place for me to start. Great Idea’s here for me to get stared Thanks for sharing Chery 🙂
Hi Niles,
Nice article as always. On reading this article, I realized that I have not yet activated commentluv plugin on my blog. So straight ahead I have done that. Of the ones listed, giveaways(contests) are highly powerful in attracting people to our blog. If we are able to get a nice bounce rate, then the work is less. Making the people again and again is the tough part. For that, it’s better to stick to a single niche and provide quality articles. Avoid unnecessay guest articles.
Hoping to see more good articles in this blog 🙂
Excellent post. You really dialed that in. It’s the simple principles that worked for people that have already been where we are heading and desire to be that we should pay close attention to.Thanks for keeping it real and I always look forward to your next post!
Honestly, the “freebies” works very well for me. You can also reuse your giveaways on your social networks. As a tip, People will bend over backwards for a free shirt.
hello Nile..
to take us to the next level is really a great things…. from your topic i witness you experience as you are a great bogger…. this is very nice and so interesting….. i congratulate you for this…. this is from one side…
in the other side …you make us know so many ideas that can help us to develop our skills as to become a good bloggers…
Hello Nile,
Nice post. You had mentioned many good points here. thanks for sharing.
seriously awesome article nile….
i really enjoyed when i was reading.And yes you have shared great tips.Regularly update on ours blog helps in lots of manner…
keep sharing…:)
You have mentioned some valid points on how can one take his blog to the next level. I agree with you on podcasting, videos, pdf and ebooks.
Thanks Nile!
You’ve offered some excellent and extremely practical food
for thought.
I really like your suggestion of installing the Commentluv plugin.
Currently I have to re install the premium version, I had a while back.
And also you mentioned creating various series, that revolve around certain topics,
I think that too is also an excellent marketing idea.
It’s inexpensive and could potentially be very educational and entertaining
for our readers.
Thanks for providing extremely helpful and solid tips!