Do you wonder why we come back to your blog or not? What makes someone read your blog? I’ve been reading many blogs lately as to why bloggers don’t like your blog.
I wanted to focus on the positive and the reasons we kept returning to read a blog today. Isn’t that what YOU want?
Bloggers love when their readers read their latest posts. Many bloggers work hard to research, write and find or create images and videos for their blogs.
Of course, it’s ever nice when they leave a comment on your blog as well.
Here are some tips on how to have your readers continue reading your blog!
Table of Contents
Why Revisit A Blog?
Content Is King
People love reading about new things. Therefore, provide new angles on various topics of interest and sometimes topics out of their interest so they can take a break. Write in your own voice and make it unique. Today content is more long-form than ever before.
Even using the Yoast plugin suggests that your content is now 900 words. In the old days of blogging it was just 300 words. That’s 3x more content you must produce! Of course, many experts now recommend that 2,500+ words per blog post is optimal.
Recently the team over at Designhill put 15 questions to four blogging pros.
One of the tips was to “go with your passion, try to find an underserved area, then find a few partners you can drive sales for.”
The Layout of Your Blog Today
Pleasing to the eyes is a must for your blog layout. Folks don’t have to search through endless ads to find the content. A layout should be organized and internal links should make sense. Readers should not have to hunt around your blog to find your contact info or how to purchase your latest product or service.
A clean sidebar is a must if you want others to read your blog!
Of course, you can go with no sidebar today too. Minimal design is the latest craze for blogs. Many of the new themes are made with minimal design in mind. They are much easier on the eye to read too.
Gone as the days of ads all down a sidebar or links to other bloggers. The old blogroll is dead! Remember how everyone used to list their favorite bloggers down the sidebar? Some had 20 plus of these links along the side.
Instead of mentioning others on the sidebar, consider guest posting on other blogs in your niche. This will help you network with others in your niche online.
Type Size and Text Length May Matter
People don’t want to squint to read the text! Use nice large text in short paragraphs. Short paragraphs with no more than 300 words are best for SEO. Yoast SEO Premium will guide you along the way for this one.
Therefore try to write short sentences. I get many contributor posts today with extra-long sentences that need editing. Try to keep it short and sweet!
The Freshness of Your Blog Makes a Difference
People don’t want to read on topics of social media or SEO tips that are old. These topics change constantly and folks want to read the most up-to-date info they can find.
Therefore update your blog content from time to time. This post is being updated 10 years later in 2022. It was first written back in 2012.
Google will also love your blog when you update your content. When you update old posts you can be sure to not have any orphan content on your site.
By doing those updates and freshening your blog posts you will increase your blog’s SEO juice.
Responsiveness of Your Blog for Others to Visit Again
Responsiveness means 2 things today. The first is for mobile-ready. Is your website mobile-friendly? This is so important as most of the web traffic today is done via mobile. Folks are not reading blogs from their desktop as they once did.
Secondly, responsiveness means responding to your readers. Are you answering your comments within 24-48 hours? Do you respond to emails from your readers?
Being responsive to your readers is key to keeping them around. People today want answers and information fast. There is no time to waste today.
Graphics Make A Difference
Readers love to see a visual and they need to see a visual. It doesn’t have to be a Picasso either! When I come upon a blog without a visual I tend not to want to read it.
In fact, I love using Canva for making images today. It is so easy to create different sizes and types of images with this image service. Many of their images are FREE and some are just $1.
However, having graphics on your blog makes it easier for readers to scan your blog posts. Not only that but when they share the blog on social media, it looks so much nicer with a fabulous graphic or photograph.
Links – How Many on Your Blog?
Finally, if a blog post has just been linked out everywhere, why bother reading that blog? You can just read the ones that they link out to.
A few links out are fine and sometimes necessary for citations. It shows where you generated your info from. It gives you the authority to show what you know!
Be sure to use internal links too on your posts. Not only are these important for orphaned content but they are very important for your blog’s structure. It can help readers to learn more.
Blogging is NOT easy and it takes a lot of time.
Sharing Your Blog Today
I do like to be able to share great content that I find on blogs through various social networks so the posts should have ways in which to share it. Sharing is caring!
Bonus Tip: Have your share buttons where others can share easily from your posts. Include your Twitter handle on them. I see so many today that still DO NOT have their Twitter handle. It makes it hard to share and give them credit!
It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Furthermore, it takes me and others much longer to share your content if we do at all. On days I’m short I’m time I pass on it. Don’t let that happen to you!
Conclusion: Reading Blogs
People read blogs for a bunch of reasons, but mostly, it’s about connection and learning. They want to find real voices and experiences that resonate with them.
Blogs break down complex topics into bite-sized, relatable pieces, making it easier to digest information you actually care about. Sometimes it’s just about feeling part of a community or finding advice from someone who’s been there and done that.
Whether it’s finding a new recipe, understanding a tech gadget, or simply enjoying a personal story, blogs offer that personal touch that other media often miss. They invite readers to pause, think, and maybe even engage with the writer or other readers.
Your Turn
What is it that makes you read a blog over and over again? Furthermore, what makes others read your posts? What tips would you add to this? I’d love to know more in the comments below.
She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 12 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO.
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Content genuinely makes this whole process go Lisa. Return readers come back because they love good, detailed content that educates them. Publishing in-depth content frequently draws a loyal blogging community.
But we need to update blog posts to be current. Like this classic oldie but goodie, I like you have been updating old posts frequently to be relevant. Deleting outdated content and adding timely content encourages BFP followers to keep following because they know I publish helpful content that is either evergreen or changes with the times.
Fabulous post.
Thanks Ryan. Oh yes, I have deleted some as well and can’t believe I have 600 posts here still. Updating is really important to the reader and for SEO. It keeps the content fresh and updated with new information. Especially on the topics, I write about as things change fast. I wish I had a team to help update. Thanks for coming by, and make it a fabulous day Ryan.
There are many reasons why we might come back to a blog, Lisa.
Maybe we’re looking for new and interesting content to read. Maybe we’re hoping to find something that sparks our creativity or helps us learn more about a particular topic. Or maybe we simply enjoy the writing style of the author and want to see what they’ve been up to lately.
Above all, I think the most important factor is finding relevant, fresh, quality, interesting content.
Hi Erik, Yes, there are many reasons indeed. I like the one about wanting to see what’s new with the writer – that is one I do from time to time as well. Thanks Erik and have a great day ahead!
Hello Lisa,
We need to make our blog more user-friendly. Creating quality content is very important to bring users back to our blog. We also need to work on the navigation of our blog so, users can navigate the blog easily. You have shared some helpful tips here.
Regards,
Vishwajeet Kumar
Hi Vishwajeet. Yes, user friendly is very important for blogs to survive. I’ve been adding more to my navigation recently. Thanks for your input and have a great day ahead.
Nice summary and the point about not having a load out links going out is very often overlooked.
Thanks Clive – yes those outbound and internal links are something that many bloggers may overlook. Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of the day!
Hi Lisa,
I absolutely agree with your point that mentions “update your content”. Though I fully agreed with you, but this point is special as the readers want fresh content everytime and that’s why they visit your blog. If your content is updated, it’ll make you more credible. If not, they simply bounce back.
Thanks for such amazing post.
Thank you Nitin. Yes, credibility makes a difference in blogging for sure. Thanks for your input on this and for taking the time to come by and comment on it. Have a great day.
Great list, Lisa. I especially like #2, but I need to work on #7. I think I put too many links out!
Agreed. This is a great list. Actually, there’s also times that I won’t come back if the text on the whole page is centered – I’ve made an exception for some bloggers, but usually my brain just can’t handle it. #FF
Great tips!
I always think I am keeping up and good to see a handy list of tips and ideas.
-r
You are welcome Rachee, thanks for coming by Inspire to Thrive.
Hi Lisa,
I love this article. You read a lot of things about why people don’t come to your blog and it does become a little overwhelming and discouraging to say the less. Blogging is one of the hardest things to do because you put yourself out there and when people don’t visit you or don’t comment so you don’t know they are visited, you find yourself asking the question. What is wrong with me? Am I good enough, is my content that bad, or should I be the person standing in the corner not the person trying to have a voice. It is nice to see what would be helpful to get traffic to your blog. I am a few months into my new adventure and I will have to say, this article was uplifting because I can see some of the positives that might help me grow and build a strong readership.
Your site is awesome Cynthia – I have no doubts you’ll be getting more views and comments soon. They are days when you go a long time before a comment and wonder. But it’s summertime here and many people are out and about and getting the kids ready for back-to-school too.
Hi, Lisa,
I love this discussion.
The main reasons why I go back to others’ blogs are (1) excellent content and the engagement in the comment area, (2) fresh and cutting edge material that is shared in a esay-to-understand manner and (3) No annoying and ‘never go away’ pop-ups!
Viola Tam
Hi Viola, yes those pop-ups drive me crazy! Thanks for commenting here.
I love the way you put a positive spin on blogging tips. Too often it's about what "you're doing wrong." Well done!
Yes and what may look good to you may not look good to everyone too. But small type? I think everyone can tell that, no?
Mayura, Excellent point about Compatibility – I like that!
Great post Lisa. I agree with all your facts. When it comes to Freshness I think it depends on your topic or subject. Under some topics, generating old but current and valid stuff still worthy for beginners. Isn't it? Under some specific titles, bloggers can update their old posts to make use of. But they don't. It's a weak point too.If I may I'd like to add another point ~ Compatibility. I think when designing a site, screen resolution, optimizing it for mobile devices and such things are must-do things to be user friendly. If I have to scroll (left to right) all the time I read a post, it's not convenient.I come to read your blog mostly due to clarity and straightforwardness of your content, nice flow and responsiveness. I conclude that your blog depicts your personality and style. I think that's why most readers visit here or visit any other interesting blogs :)Cheers…