Currently, I’m in the process of building my own brand, which includes this blog site. Just saying I have my own blog makes me feel proud. I imagine it does for others, too. But at one point, I hit a wall. Despite my consistency, my blog was not growing the way I wanted it to. People were not engaging the way I wanted them to, and I felt like my site was losing traction. So I had to take a step back and determine what else could be preventing my blog site from growing. I soon realized that some of the smallest things can make a huge difference.

Disclaimer: I will be using the terms “blog” and “website” interchangeably. This is because some people own blogs, and others own websites that include a blog page. 

Give people a way to follow your content.
It is so frustrating for me when I find a great website with great content and a great upload schedule without a way of receiving updates. Let’s get real. We live in a “microwave” society, where people want information quickly, and they want it now. There’s an abundant amount of content out there, and people can’t remember whether they should turn left or turn right. In that case, people will not remember to type in your website URL every Sunday night. They will simply forget and move on. With that being said, make sure you include a visible Follow or Subscribe button; that way, your readers will get updates directly to their email inboxes.

Do not make it difficult for people to leave feedback.
If your readers have to sign in anywhere or make an account just to leave a comment on your page, then you’ve already lost them. Believe it or not, this extra step tells your readers, “Why bother? My comment isn’t that important anyway.”Many people don’t want to take the time to create an account with an unknown third-party hosting service (e.g. Disquis) just to say “Wow, great post!” I know I don’t.

Make sure your content is shareable.
And of course, make sure you make it easy for others to share your content on various social networking sites. Much of the traffic I get on my blog comes from people sharing my content. The more options you have available, the better chance you have of getting more views.

Give the people what they want.
In order to get your content shared, you have to first make sure your content is valuable. Make it interesting, ya know? Give your readers something that they’ll want to talk about among their peers. Give them a reason to keep coming back for more. And most of all, try to make your content different from everyone else’s. Boring and repetitive content does not get shared.

Stick to your brand.
Most importantly, remain true to your brand. I’ve seen so many people grow away from their brand as they receive more viewership. Yes, it’s good to keep your readers interested with new content ideas, but don’t lose sight of why you started your blog in the first place. You have a brand to maintain, and your readers will instantly know once you start to deviate away from that. Stay true to yourself, and don’t let outside influences dictate how you leave your mark. YOU are in control.

What else do you think is important for growing your blog? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading! 🙂