Whether you’re a freelancer who relies on their blog to attract with your audience group, or whether you use your blog as a business platform to connect with potential partners and inspire projects, you know that a blog exists solely to be read. So, it can be frustrating when you’ve posted your article, and the stats in Google Analytics don’t show any readers. What is going wrong?
Instead of trying to find something or someone to blame – it’s fair to say that you’ll always find a scapegoat if you’re looking for one –, you need to be honest with yourself. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers and ask yourself these 4 questions:
Are you doing what it takes to be seen?
While this might seem like an unfair question, most amateur bloggers tend to believe that the hard work is done once they’ve produced high-quality content and posted it online.
In reality, even if Google indexes your site, it doesn’t mean that online users will find it on top of the search research pages. You need to create a buzz around your articles. Start by sharing the word on your social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. You can share your articles on your personal profile and your business/blog’s profile if you’re maintaining a dual presence online.
Paid advertising campaigns can also attract readers. In short, don’t think your work is done once the post is published.
What are others doing that works for them?
Every blogger has several competitors who target a similar audience group. You can be SEO-savvy and check with this backlink finder tool who links to your competitors. You might find valuable and reputable websites that you can then contact.
Indeed, if a website refers to an old article by a blogger, you can produce an updated version on the same topic and inform the web admin. Who knows? You might get a backlink!
Does anybody care about what you’ve got to say?
When you blog, you need to consider bringing a new perspective to an old topic. Indeed, readers just don’t want to read the same old thing all the time. You can come up with new ideas by creating a mind map that helps you to identify creative thoughts, for instance.
Sometimes asking further questions about a known subject can change the debate too, and keep your content fresh. Ultimately, if you have nothing new to say, people are not going to read your articles.
Could you do an offline blog?
What is an offline blog, you ask. The answer is simple. Through Amazon, you can easily publish a book as a Kindle or even as a printed hardcover. You could group your existing articles into the different chapters of a book. While this might not bring new visitors immediately, you can establish your profile. The people who read your book might be interested in following your blog too, especially if you promote it in your bio.
At the heart of it, a blog is an online space that you’ve created to express your opinion. You need to tap outside of this space to make yourself known and noticed, through advertising, SEO research, and even creative thinking.
Otherwise, you might turn into the falling tree of the existential philosophical debate: Do you really blog if nobody reads you? Did the tree really fall if nobody heard it?
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