We all know how easy it is to build a WordPress website from scratch but what can you do when you start getting real blog visitors but they do not seem to stick around. Wouldn't you love to grab these visitors and stop them from leaving your blog? Of course you would.
Here are a few basic tips:
Captivating Content
This is not going to be the good old clique “content is king” but I will say that it is important! In fact, if you do not understand what great content is then this is the first thing that you should learn. How to fulfill your visitors needs. How to give them exactly what they were searching for?
If you fill your blog with GOB SMAKCING content you have a better chance of keeping your website visitor engaged and also willing to make a return visit. This way you will not have to worry about trying to keep your blog visitors hostage because they will be breaking down the doors to return to your blog.
This brings me to my next tip…
The Right Content
Having the right content for your audience is probably more important than having great content. You can have all the great content you want, but if your website visitors are not looking for that, you are relying on luck to run your website. To really keep your blog visitors hostage, you need to have the content that they are looking for.
Your website visitors will tell you which content they like the best but you need to keep your eyes open.
Some signs to watch out for are:
- Indepth, interesting comments. Definitely not general stuff.
- Popular accidental content: This is content that you haven't really promoted but seems to be popular anyway.
- Posts that are shared the most. Some posts go viral. Find out why and try to write similar posts like that.
- High traffic posts: They might not be getting shared or commented on but get traffic. The best way to see these is in your Google analytics account.
- Popular posts on other sites.
I know how to create great content but I am not an expert at reading peoples minds so I use the signs listed above to help me work out what people want.
Walk the Walk before you talk the Talk
This is essentially saying, before you start giving advice on particular topic; make sure you are experienced enough and can actually give advice. There is nothing worse than someone publishing content that they really know nothing about.
I have learnt this lesson earlier on when creating content for my computer tips website. The absolute minute I published something out of my league, a person would come and ask a technical question that I simply could not answer. It just happened that way, almost guaranteed!
Now I do not even publish content written by other people unless they are answering the comments themselves or I am knowledgeable enough to do so for them.
Internal linking merry-go-round
So you are writing great content and your website visitors love it, but why not lead them to some more great content with internal linking. Get your website visitor's heads spinning with all your fantastic content? Get them on your merry-go-round and don't let them off!
This is where internal linking comes into the plan. You need to place your links within your content to not only add further value, but other options for your visitor to read. It is better for them to click on an internal link than leave your blog altogether. Do you agree?
Get other people to brag about your blog
Sometimes it sounds stupid when people talk about how great their own website is. This is why we need other people to start talking about our blogs and websites.
One way you can do this by talking mentioning other Webmasters on your website and then some do return the favor. (No guarantees)
This does not work for Webmasters out of your league though, so choose an approachable, down to earth webmaster that is not too famous to talk about you.
Another way that costs money is to get a professional review done. But make sure you are ready to handle the truth. Onibalusi from Youngprepro.com ordered a critique of his website from Chris Garret and the results were harsh to say the least. But Onibalusi used this information and took action on every piece of advice. People fell in love with Oni because he showed courage and they could see the action in progress.
Also why not put your hand up for an interview. I know Ileane is looking for interesting bloggers to interview all the time. You do not have to be making a million in your blogging career because that’s not what it is all about. I would say it comes down to your experiences and knowledge.
Get Blog Visitors to Sign Up
Yes this seems to be the main goal for many webmasters and I do this too. There is no doubt that building a list and maintaining is a great way to keep your blog visitors hostage… BUT.. This is also the best way to burn your blog visitors and make them hate you forever. I am sure I do this sometimes even though I do not send those ugly sales emails to my list. It is a fine line between love and hate when it comes to email lists and I believe it is a very skilled avenue to study.
If you can be honest with your list and give more than you take, this method can see your blog visitors staying by your side through thick or thin.
If you are having trouble with your list you can try writing a blog post using the title “Do you really want to be on my list” and then send this to your list.. I did this and only a handful of people unsubscribe (luckily I guess) but many commented and provided me with highly valuable information.
Answer comments from your blog visitors
This is a bit obvious! We all know we should enter comments but we often forget that entering a comment can bring your visitor back to your website. For example I have the REPLYME WordPress plug-in that notifies a person that a reply has been made to their comment. I know that people often have a “subscribe to comments button”, however not many people like to tick this. Having the reply me WordPress plug-in is a way to definitely let your visitor know that there is a reply to their comment.
That's not the end of the story though; you need to give an interesting or informational answer, along with maybe another question, will to entice your visitor act to your blog to comment again. Once you do this, most people are very grateful for the personal reply and this adds to your trust factor.
Of course there are thousands of ways to make your blog visitors stick around and the good old fashioned way always win in the end. Make your blog a great place and continue to test and tweak various ways to keep your website visitors enthralled! Sometimes it can be that simple.