How to Win In 2015 By Creating A More Engaging Blog

Blogs are essential these days for any business online, which of course means most business. Getting people on to your blog in the first place is one thing, however keeping them there and trying to get them to come back for more at regular intervals is certainly another.

Creating an engaging blog is one of those things many of us fail at, even if we have a large company. Blogs are essential in the SEO field and are also often a lucrative way of making money via an ad network, promotion or other means.

So how do we engage users with what we write – we have a few tips.

Give something away

Giving something away whether it be information, or whether it be through a competition is one of the best ways to engage people in your blog. Blog posts that offer people information or tips are very popular and the layout into numbered points can mean that the reader finds the onscreen text easier to read.

Competitions are often a great way to get visitors to your site and then keep them coming back for more as they come back check if they’ve won and also to see if there are more prizes to be won. Use competitions as a way to get marketing information, though asking a question or looking for an entry that will benefit you. This engages the reader and gives you something back even above page views.

Topical

Make sure your story is timely and topical. People don’t want poorly written comment that was the centre of attention five years ago – give the people what they want. Topical content that is of interest at the time is the way to get people to read your blog.

Headlines

Snappy headlines are also very important. Make sure your entry is informative, relevant to the post but also creates an air of intrigue. Use doing words, not passive ones and watch as people click on your post with curiosity – think more ‘Freddy Starr Ate my Hamster’ , than ‘We like Facebook, do you?’

Link

Linking your blogs to social media and also other content gives readers the chance to be engaged and means they will be far happier to link to and come to your site. Make sure your site has an easy link box at the top to ensure users can post or repost the blogs on their pages. Also, make sure to link to more articles on your site via linked words – this will keep people in site, show new comers related topics that may interest and engage them and also give you access to these people’s friends should they re-post.

Clarity

Well written and clearly labelled blogs that use a points or a numbered format are easier to read and so are more engaging. Text online takes more concentration and is harder to read than paper text and so clarity is a necessity.

When creating a blog, make sure that the page you are using is not too cluttered and is easy to read. Messy pages will make concentration harder – so get rid of all the flashing adverts as it may be hampering your readers engagement with your blog.

Comment boxes

Comment is king and comment boxes are king of blogs. Use comment boxes to engage users. People who give opinions will be checking up on them constantly to see if they go a response so use your boxes to answer their questions and also to engage them.

Should the comment be a little controversial you may even have other people respond with different opinions – this will create more engagement and if you see something of interest in it, it may also be another topical post for you. Harvest comment boxes for controversial topics as they are a truly excellent way to engage the reader.

By engaging people on your blog you create readership, which in turn can be used to make money via an ad network, promote products, create awareness and a whole host of other things too.

These tips will help you create some great blogs and also make the very most of your ad network – whichever you choose.