1. Produce consistent, quality content.
People visit a blog more often if they know they can count on it being updated regularly. Consistently commit to post at least three times each week and you’ll be well on your way to building your readership.
2. Make it very simple for people to subscribe.
If someone subscribes to your blog’s feed or email newsletter, they are much more likely to remember about your blog on a regular basis. Plus, they are less likely to unsubscribe once they’ve taken the effort to sign up.
Make it very obvious where and how to subscribe on your blog’s sidebar and occasionally remind your readers of the ease and benefits of subscribing (giving a little something away as a reward for subscribing doesn’t hurt, either!)
3. Comment on other blogs.
A great way to encourage people to check out your own blog is to leave interesting comments on other blogs. If people like your comment, they are very likely to click on your name and wander over to your blog.
Please do make sure your comment adds value to the discussion, though. Don’t just say “great post!” and then leave your link. Comments that sound like an infomercial for your blog or that serve no purpose other than to try and get people to click over to your blog are not something bloggers or blog readers appreciate.
Amy has some great tips on how to effectively make use of your time when commenting on other blogs.
4. Write guest posts.
Many, many blogs (including this one!) readily accept well-written, relevant guest posts and it’s one of the most effective ways to introduce your blog and your writing style to a new audience. As an added benefit, if the blog you guest post for has a lot of traffic and ranks high in search engines, having a link or two to your blog on that blog will increase your search engine rankings, too.
When submitting a guest post, make sure that it follows that blog’s guest post guidelines and carefully proof-read it before you send it (you wouldn’t believe how many guest posts submissions we receive that are riddled with glaring typos!). If it gets rejected, don’t take it personally (I’ve rejected many fabulous guest posts over the years, usually because I felt they were better suited for a different audience than mine.), submit it to another blog for consideration instead.
5. Participate in weekly memes.
Blog memes are the weekly link-up opportunities many blogs host, such as Works-For-Me Wednesday. There are thousands of different memes out there and this provides a great opportunity to get new visitors to your blog.
I recommend that you try participating in one to two different memes each week when you’re first starting out. Track your traffic after you participate to see which ones are most successful and bring the most visitors.
And just my personal opinion here: don’t link up to 25 different memes in one post. It looks tacky and I believe it waters down your post’s effectiveness.
Next week I’ll share five more ways to build and increase your readership.
If you’re a blogger, what have been your most effective methods of building your readership? Tell us in the comments.
I am totally late to the party on this post, but had to leave a comment about great this series is, as well as how helpful. I am trying to figure out how to increase traffic and readers, and these ideas are some that I had not thought of doing. Thank you for excellent and well written information that puts things into perspective! I appreciate your help through your blog!
Awesome! I just clicked over from Facebook and I’m loving this series. I’m just now working on getting my blog off the ground and this is great advice.
Off to read part 2 and 3!! And lots more if my battery doesnt die before then lol!
Crystal, thanks so much for linking to our big list of mom blog memes! You sent us many much appreciated visitors 🙂
Thanks too for the link to Blogging with Amy – I subscribed to her RSS. She looks like someone I’d like to follow.
This is so helpful! AND a great reminder! I believe it’s in part 2 that you discuss Facebook. I’ve had a page for awhile, but it’s great to be reminded to interact daily. Once a day – I can handle that! It’s at least a great jumping off point. Thanks for this!
Also I love your guest post guidelines. I need to create a page discussing that. I get so annoyed when I get guest posts just wanting to advertise their debt-relief business or what not, simply because it is post designed as a sales pitch, not to benefit my readers. So thank you!
Thanks for this series! I started my blog about 5 months ago and took a little break recently because I just had a baby. But now I am ready to get back into it and really need to work on increasing my readership. Thanks for you all your great tips!
Is there a site that you recommend to start a blog on? WordPress?
Yes, I’d recommend WordPress. See this post for more:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2011/05/how-to-make-money-blogging-5-ways-to-set-your-blog-up-for-success.html
I’ve been blogging for almost three years and I’m so embarrassed to admit that I had no idea what a “meme” was! We had even sort-of made up our own without knowing (Free Fun Friday). Thanks so much for enlightening me to bloggy jargon 🙂
A friend and I recently started a new blog and in trying to figure out how to increase our readership, came across this post. Thanks for the information! I have been blogging about my family’s life for awhile now and content with not much traffic, but this new blog, we’d like to get going. One of your suggestions included a meme. What is it? I googled it, but still not sure. How do we find one that fits our blogging topic? Thanks for the info just when we needed it!
Thank you for this information! It really is helpful. I started knowing my focus, but nothing about blogging itself.
I started my blog about two months ago and am focusing on finding quality products and activities for families. I post twice a week.
I’ve been wanting to add an email subscription area to it, however I can’t seem to figure this out. Anything I’m missing? I’d appreciate any help given.
I am relatively new at blogging (http://everydaynutrition-thelast5pounds.blogspot.com/) and take inpiration from other blogs I visit. I have found two additional ways to bring people to my blog.
1.) I use gmail and gchat. When I have gmail open gchat is open as well. Gchat has a little box where you can put an “away message” or a comment for all of your contacts to see. Each day that I update my blog I add the topic and a link to the post in this area. I guess it is kind of like twitter, only without having a separate account. If my contacts think the topic looks interesting then they can click on the link.
2.) I use Linked In, kind of like facebook but more business oriented. I do the same thing with Linked In that I do with gchat, each day I update with a new topic and get a lot of referals.
Hope that helps!
Happy blogging 🙂
This article was sooo timely for me! I just started a blog last month and am already considering a second.
Thank you so much! I recommend you to all my friends.
Thanks for doing this series. I ‘ve had a blog for over a year now and I not only struggle with building readership, but I struggle with finding a unique focus. With so many mom blogs out there, it’s hard to write about something that is unique from everyone else. How did you find your focus?
I am still working on generating a lot of traffic (my blog is ALMOST a year old). I like to host giveaways to get people to discover my site and work really hard to get them to become involved on my Facebook page. Facebook is definitely a bigger generator of than Twitter. I also like to email bloggers I love and give them compliments on their site. Also, like some other people have mentioned I like to feature some bloggers that I like on my site to highlight how great their sites are. Also like to do some guest posts or ad-match ups for other bloggers to generate traffic as well. I have also been getting a lot more traffic from Google as well. I think I have been working harder on SEO (and they also updated how they do searches).
I definitely get a lot more traffic from Facebook than Twitter, so I put more time there as people seem to want to be more involved there.
Thank you so much for posting this series! It has been so helpful to me as I start entering into the blogging world. I would love for my blog to grow and this is just what I have been looking for! A article on growing readership! I love your site, not just for the deals but also for your great inspirational posts!
Crystal,
Thanks so much for the tips! I love reading your blog every day.
My question is how a “young” blog does giveaways. Should I start by paying for things to giveaway or solicit them from companies in exchange for sponsorship links on my blog. I would like to do one or two a month but not really sure how to start.
Looking forward to reading the next set of tips.
I think the number one way to get your blog out to new readers is to to a guest post (thanks for posting my very first guest post!). That only gets people to view a site though, not get real readers. Here’s what I’ve seen on my two blogs that help get real readers:
1. Keep it real. I’ve heard you say this before, and it is so true. I write as if I am talking to a person right in front of me. It helps me keep it real. I wouldn’t post something that I wouldn’t actually say.
2. Keep posts relevent. Since my blogs are so new, I don’t do off topic posts. I write posts that could easily fall under my blog titles.
Also, I agree with you on the subject of comments. I only leave comments when I really have something to say, not just a “Good job, here’s my link”.
Thank you so much for all the tips. I’ve been blogging for 2 years and haven’t been able to build up a big audience, but… actually, the blogging started as a way for me to express my day-to-day activities… like a journal? I post my thoughts and some pictures, as a way of remember what the blessings in my life are. I DO enjoy reading other people’s blogs too, but never really thought of posting comments as a way of increasing my blog readership, too. Hmmm, I might have to give my 2 cents for every blog post I read. Thanks again for the good tips!!
Hi Crystal!
I started blogging about 2 years ago and I have been posting regularly (usually 2-3 times a week). I still feel like I am very “blogging dumb”.
My first question is about what is the difference between “followers” and “subscribers” or is there a difference?
My second question is regarding my blog – it has evolved into a coupon blog. I have recently had several bloggers contact me about sharing my match-ups on their sites. (I am already one of you local store deals contributors. Thanks for working with me.) These are sites that I am not familiar with or that I visit. I understand that sharing on these sites will increase my traffic, but I am hesitant about joining forces with a site that I may not agree with everything they post. Do you have any suggestions or guidelines for entering into this type of agreement?
Thanks for this series – it really is helpful!
There are no “dumb” questions around here. I’m constantly making mistakes and learning new things!
Followers and subscribers could be different things — or the same. There are Facebook followers, Twitter followers, email and RSS subscribers + Google Friend followers (and probably some others that I don’t know about or am forgetting!). Some people view each of these as separate numbers and some people lump them altogether for one total. There will be some overlap, so it’s hard to get a figure that is 100% accurate.
As far as sharing match-ups and partnering with other bloggers, I think you have to decide what you feel comfortable with. If you don’t feel comfortable closely aligning with another blogger due to things they post, then I think you should totally not feel like you need to partner with them. If you don’t feel comfortable with something, don’t do it — even if it means walking away from a golden opportunity. A clear conscience and integrity is much more important than a lot of traffic or making a lot of money.
Although I’m trying to build my readership now more than make money, one of the things I’m curious about is if I can make money with a traditional wordpress (http://readgreatfiction.wordpress.com) blog, or what I would need to change to be able make money without breaking their rules. I got approved by Google adsense, but then noticed it seems wordpress doesn’t allow for it. Any ideas?
From what I understand, you have to have a self-hosted WordPress blog in order to earn money from it.
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome post! It has great information that really has got me thinking of what I can do better. I appreciate you taking the time to share this on you blog Crystal!
You are so welcome!
I read an article by the founder of the Type A Mom conference about advertising on other blogs. She suggested you pick a blog outside your niche and pay for advertising. This helps to support bloggers and is a win/win situation for everyone. I generate a little income from my blog so I decided to reinvest in my blog by paying for advertising. So far it’s worked. My traffic has steadily increased. I decided to target bloggers who are outside of my niche for advertising. The rates that have been quoted to me are very reasonable. Its truly been a wonderful experience working with these bloggers.
I also think you should build a network. Working with other bloggers is important. It helps to have others to bounce ideas off of.
I’ve gotten to a point with my blog where I feel that I have a balance and a good readership. I would like to figure out how to make a part-time income though. I just can’t seem to get my head wrapped around monetization.
Thanks so much for the suggestions!
Thanks Crystal! I really enjoy this series on blogging.
I have had my blog for a little over a year and my daily hits seem to fluctuate over time. I would call myself a “part time” blogger- I’m so busy with the kiddos, teaching part time, homeschool preschooling, church volunteering, and just everything in life that keeps a mom busy– I know I could grow my blog if I just had the time. I don’t have a FB page or Twitter page for the blog b/c I just haven’t taken the time to learn about how to and get around to doing it! I agree that giveaways and especially giveaways that you host with a group of bloggers helps, as well as the guest posting or sharing a deal and getting a link.
I’ve been featured in our local newspaper and teach coupon classes in my area, but even those things haven’t seemed to help long-term.
Looking forward to your next 5 tips! 🙂
I find replying to comments left on the blog and answering emails in a timely manner keeps the readers you have coming back. Being a friend to your readers. Having contact information on the blog is helpful.
I’ve been blogging since before it was called “blogging,” and remember you in your pre-MoneySavingMom days, Crystal! (I was “Keeping the Home” back then). I don’t think my goal has ever been to increase readership, but was instead, to just get down my thoughts or photos and/or screen. Any readers God sent by was a nice thing. But since I did enjoy the interaction, I would comment on other blogs and did find that to be a good traffic source (and I’ve made some life-long friends that way!).
Now, I that I “pro” blog at my homeschool freebies blog, I do make a very nice part-time income off blogging, and have thousands of readers. At this level, I’m rather busy keeping up, so I don’t usually post comments or get into memes. The readers keep the snowball effect going as long as they are happy, so I concentrate on posting frequently maintaining high quality. I make subscribing to the blog very easy. And, I interact with the readers through social media (my Facebook community page is an excellent source of traffic; Twitter not so much) and through my own blog comments. Recently, I’ve started bringing more of “me” to the blog, through personal posts. I think the readers like knowing I am a real mother, a homeschooling mom like most of them, and not just a company blog that posts deals.
Awesome artical!! Now just got to implement it!!
This is a great post. I have struggled over the past year trying to get my blog up and running and I think learning more can always help. Your blog was actually what started me to coupon. I researching one night and found a post of yours for the Target match ups and off I went to the store. I was hooked from there 🙂 Thank you for all you do!
I’m not a blogger, not even a huge blog follower, but I just wanted to say that I started following yours a few months ago and I’ve really appreciated it! I’ve definitely been spreading the word 🙂
One thing I really like about yours in particular (having browsed around to see what else is out there) is that your posts aren’t flooded with product reviews from sponsors or other things that might be a source of additional income for you. Your posts are simple, clear and helpful and I never feel like I need to wonder whether your opinion of something is biased because you’re being paid to promote a product. It’s very refreshing!
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
I am just starting out blogging as well and trying to find somewhat of a niche so that I am not just like all the other money saving blogs out there. I have been getting 10-25 views a day and have only been doing this for a couple weeks, so I feel pretty good about that! Your tips are helpful and I am going to try to put them to use 🙂
I post the link to my newest post on my facebook page with an interesting tag line (most recent was “tune into my blog to see how WALGREENS PAID ME to shop there!”). That one got 67 views (a record for my baby blog that’s barely a week old!). No comments and no followers yet, but it’s fun!
I am reading this a day past publish date and am kicking myself for not seeing it sooner! This is just the advice I have been looking for.
I started my blog as a place to encompass all things in my life instead of having it all thrown into the wind.
I can’t wait to read more thoughts on this.
Just being nice and courteous to other fellow bloggers. I love posting what I call my “featured blog posts”. This is where I take time to show others my favorite bloggers on the web!
Crystal,
Thank you your blogging posts. I am new to blogging as well and the biggest hurdle so far seems to get more visitors to my site. I will be trying to comment on other blogs so that hopefully it would draw more visitors to isavvymom.com
I also need a feedback about what I can do to improve my blog. Can anyone look at it and make any suggestions ? 🙂
For what it’s worth, I think your blog looks great! What recipe printing plug-in do you have? I’ve been looking for one…
I’ve been blogging since 2007. One thing I’ve noticed: even the “big girls” burn out sometimes. I used to be envious of their success when I compared myself to them, but now I think the price – for me, at least – might just be too high to “make it big”. So I’m much more comfortable with my small readership and being myself. Hey, maybe I’ve grown up in the past four years. 😉
I totally agree on the linking to 25 “blog parties.” One or two, maybe even three, is fine. More than that and it’s just desperation. It makes me avoid the blog parties that are later in the week (Thursday or Friday) because I know they’re going to have so many posts that were already linked up on another blog on Monday or Tuesday. Just my $0.02, of course.
Thanks, Money Saving Mom! You think of everything! 🙂 I enjoy how your blog is so varied in content, from beginner couponers to experienced bloggers. And I appreciate your kind personality and realness with your readers.
Thanks for sharing! I recently moved and I have been wanting to start a blog to keep my family and friends updated on our family adventures and some of the DIY projects my husband and I do together. These tips will definitely help me!
Thanks for the tips! I feel dense, though! I’m not sure what the memes are. I clicked on the link and tried to understand, but must admit I don’t get it. I was thinking it might be nice to link up my parenting blog to the Motherhood Lessons meme, but from what I can tell, it hasn’t been updated since 2009?
I am so excited for this series!! I started my blog about 3 months ago and having been solely focusing on building readership. That is the foundation of a successful blog. I have been building my readership by all the ways you listed. As of right now a huge amount of my traffic has been coming from commenting on other blogs. My time is limited so I usually only visit and comment on blogs that I am truly interested in and provide real authentic valuable information. Another thing I would add to your list is SEO (search engine optimization). Google is my second largest traffic source. So making sure your content is search engine friendly. One other one that I have seen proven to succeed on other blogs is giveaways. Bloggers have really built up an audience using that method. Some can argue on the quality verses quantity but they still are at the blog nonetheless.
My goal this summer is to get into guest posting. Right now I wanted to build up my own content and then branch out to other blogs.
Thanks again for a FANTASTIC post!
Your efforts are definitely working! I immediately recognized you when I saw your comment here because I’ve stumbled across your blog a few other times through other avenues. Your blog is great!
I love her blog, too! I went and checked it out after she commented here a few times and I was so impressed! Great job, Tammy!
I just hopped over to your blog and agree, I love it too! I just subscribed. Nice job, I think you will go far if you just keep doing what you are doing!!
Hi Crystal,
Great information. I just started blogging a month ago. My wife passed along this link this morning because she checks in at this site occasionally and thought there was some information I could use. I wrote a humor column for the school paper in college that did really well and won a few awards, but upon graduation there weren’t a lot of job posts for a humor columnist, or really any newspaper jobs at all. So time wore on and I took a different job and have done well, but I still had this urge to write. About a month ago I started my blog, and I’ve done well to this point with building a readership, but I’m realizing I need to do more to get to that next level.
Anyway, you may want to check out a post I have about my wife and extreme couponing: http://simplemanssurvivalguide.blogspot.com/2011/05/word-of-advice-to-paperboy-who-forgot.html
Any advice with regard to my site would also be appreciated. I look forward to next week’s article.
Thanks for your time,
travis.
Very timely for me, thank you very much. I’ve found that consistently posting comments on other well-read blogs (yours included!) is the best way to drive traffic to my blog right now.
Another place I get frequent hits is from 2 message boards I post regularly on-my blog link is in my siggie.
Bloggers should install a widget to track where their hits are coming from. There are many free ones to choose from & it’s fun to see the fruits of your blogging labor when you look at the traffic!
Thank you so much for your post! I have also found that link ups are a great way to boost my readers. Also, I have really prayed over my blog and I feel the Lord is using it despite ALL of my errors and flaws. For me I have found that a blog should have greater purpose than just to get readers. I appreciate your blog because your love for people and Christ shine through! You are a great blessing even though I have never met you. Thank you for your ministry through your blog!
http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.com
Isn’t it amazing how God uses us despite our inadequacies and short-comings? It never ceases to amaze me.
And yes, having a purpose more than just traffic makes blogging much more enjoyable — and rewarding. At the end of the day, it’s not about numbers, it’s about being faithful to what God has called you to do.
I am just a casual blogger, started as a way to document my kids and share with family and friends. I read all the time people making money on blogs. Exactly what range of money are they making? I have never seen any real numbers so it has never really interested me. I am an Amazon affiliate as well as one for a homeschool curriculum but haven’t made a cent (lol). Thanks for your help!
Bloggers make anywhere from a few dollars per month up to seven figures (Seven figures is pretty rare but I know Darren from ProBlogger makes seven figures and I’m guessing The Pioneer Woman does, too!) With time and effort and lots of work, you can expect to make at least $1-2K per month within a few years. If you stick with it and work very hard, it’s possible you can make $4-$5K per month — or even more!
Most casual bloggers aren’t going to see those numbers, but I know many, many moms who are making at least a part-time income from blogging. So it is very possible.
Although I’m trying to build my readership now more than make money, one of the things I’m curious about is if I can make money with a traditional wordpress (http://readgreatfiction.wordpress.com) blog, or what I would need to change to be able make money without breaking their rules. I got approved by Google adsense, but then noticed it seems wordpress doesn’t allow for it. Any ideas?
i often wonder this, too. i didn’t start blogging to make money. i started blogging to get back into writing and improve on my writing skills. but when i see how many bloggers are making at least a little money, i start to wonder how (not to mention, i get a bit jealous).
from what i’ve seen, a lot of the most financially successful bloggers are successful due to “offspring” from their blogs: books, sponsorships on the blog, speaking engagements, things like that. i know i’ll never get to that level but you can’t blame a girl for dreaming!
Thanks for all of the good ideas, Crystal. I’m definitely in this “build your readership stage”, but taking it very slowly so it doesn’t disrupt our family. 😉 Finding balance in blogging is definitely one of the greatest challenges!
I’ll be talking more about finding the balance soon. It’s highly important — and putting your family first is something you’ll never regret!
Thanks for sharing insights! One of the best tips I have learned is to be consistent with posting. If you have regular themed posts that people enjoy they will keep coming back. Being active online and participating on blogs like Money Saving Mom are beneficial. The giveaways are a nice “bonus” for readers too! 🙂
I also like to make a post on the weekends where I go through my inserts and let readers know where I’ll be using the coupons and where to score the best deals. It helps the readers use up their coupons, helps them decide how many newspapers they want to pick up, and it’s something different that most blogs don’t do. One thing I’ve started doing is contacting some friends that have small businesses like an etsy shop or other things they sell and asking if they would like to sponsor my blog by offering an item for a giveaway. Thanks for sharing…
I have also found that using Facebook both to promote my blog and to interact with other bloggers has been a great way to build traffic.
I love all your series! Through reading blogs like your’s I was inspired to teach a small coupon class in my community using information I gleaned from other couponing sites and even started my own “couponing and money-saving” blog focusing on the stores in our area as I often found some deals I read online weren’t what the deals were for us. I would love to have my readership grow and these ideas certainly help.
Thanks!!
Thank you so much for this post. It is very timely for me. I’m in the process of building my readership on my new blog and welcome all the tips you have!
These are wonderful tips! I’ve been blogging for a while now, but just recently started a blog on Freezer Meals, so I need all the suggestions on how to get more traffic. Thank you!
When I was active on my blog, I found that giveaways were great – I could get free stuff from publishers, etc to review and give away. Also, having a Facebook page about the blog attracted some new people, and kept non-subscribers reminded about new things on the blog.
I agree. Giveaways are an excellent way to promote both a blog and a product. They need to be balanced with excellent content, however. A blog with just giveaways will quickly fizzle out. I read somewhere a 1/10 ratio is best for giveaways: 1 giveaway per 10 content-filled posts.
Definitely! I usually posted one giveaway a month (sometimes 2) and we posted 6 articles each week (Mon-Sat). I miss blogging but just don’t have the time for it anymore :/
Crystal,
Can you have a post about giveaways?? I am not sure what to do when it comes to giveaways?
Thank you so much for writing these articles to help new bloggers. I have found them to be extremely helpful. I do use the link ups on your blog and others but I feel like I’m “using” you somehow. I like the increased traffic, but I still have a guilty feeling. 🙁 When I find a good deal that you haven’t posted yet, I don’t want to bombard you with submissions.
The best way we get traffic to our site is through our Facebook page. We also try to post our regular deals on the same day of the week so our readers know that they can expect a Kroger post every Wednesday and so on.
Thanks again!
The link-ups are there for you to encourage people to come over to your blog. So use ’em without guilt! So long as you are following the rules, you have nothing to feel badly about! I did a lot of link-ups when I was first blogging and built my readership through it.
Great post! Ha ha JUST KIDDING!!! But really – thanks for the post – I’m trying to do that with my blog lately too. One thing I’ve started doing is contacting some friends that have small businesses like an etsy shop or other things they sell and asking if they would like to sponsor my blog by offering an item for a giveaway. Almost EVERYONE I asked was truly thrilled by the idea and it helps me and my friends’ small business too!
😉
Don’t you just love the win-win opportunities that blogging provides?!
Thanks for the suggestions. I just started my Christian Fiction Book Review Blog http://readgreatfiction.wordpress.com about a month and a half ago.
I’m getting about 30 hits/day at this point and am really trying to build my readership. It’s easy to get discouraged with all the sites out there telling you that if you’re good you should be getting 500 hits/day by the end of your first month.
Just this week I had my first “way cool” experience with the blog. A national christian author who’s book I reviewed prior to it’s release date chose (or her publisher chose) to include highlights of my review under the editorial reviews on Amazon. This is where the big time reviewers (like publishers weekly) usually get highlighted.
That’s awesome about the author including your review. I try hard not to get discouraged about my traffic. I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary and my content is pretty good, I post regularly, comment often, join memes, etc. Frankly, we are getting about the same amount of hits per day. If anybody knows what I am doing wrong. Let me know because I am baffled.
I checked out your blog. There was so much going on (so many different links to click on) that I had trouble finding the content or seeing what it was about.
I know that the “experts” will say you should go with a layout like you have, but I’ve heard many complaints from blog readers who dislike the article/magazine layout and much prefer a simple, traditional blog layout.
Also, you need to have great content right on your homepage that someone doesn’t have to click through to find.
That’s my unsolicited advice for starters. If you don’t pull people in immediately or overwhelm them from the get-go, they aren’t going to be likely to stay around.
Thanks for visiting and the advice. I have asked the question many times and this is the first time I have ever received a response other than make it more personal, which I did. I will be implementing the changes that you suggested.
I agree about the layout! A lot of blogs use an article/magazine layout and I have trouble staying focused and finding the actual content.
I do not like the magazine layout at all! I have quit reading several blogs that I really enjoyed when they switched to that type of layout.
*keeping my fingers crossed that MoneySavingMom will never switch to that magazine type layout* 🙂
You go, girl!
30 visits/day is nothing to sneeze at if your blog is just six weeks old. Keep at it, set goals, experiment and keep learning and you’ll likely see more and more traction.
Don’t get discouraged about the 500 hits a day “rule.” I think very few bloggers get 500 a day after just one month. I’ve been working on my blog for two months and also have nowhere near 500 pageviews in a day. I think the key is to keep growing your readership steadily even if it’s not a lot. You said you get about 30 hits a day. That’s 30 more than you had last month and next month it may be 60 and so on!
One thing to keep in mind too, is a large readership isn’t going to happen overnight. One of the first things I did was set up a Facebook Fan Page. Then I comment/give my 2 cents on FB pages that have similar interests as my own.
I owe most of my readership to you, Crystal, for allowing guest post submissions (and post ideas). Thank you for encouraging other bloggers!!!
I love your blog! I found it through Crystal’s awhile ago. I was even checking out some of your ideas today as a matter of fact!
I love your blog too, Jenae. I run out of things to do with the kids, and your ideas help me find something else!
Thanks Brandi!!!
…and Frugal Momma! 😉
Jenae,
I absolutely love your blog and have been recommending it to many friends. Thank you for all the effort you put into posting the fun educational activities. I grabbed your button for my blog but it’s not showing up. Any idea why?
Nisrine,
It’s been a little persnickety lately. When adding it to your blog sidebar, make sure you choose “Add HTML” and not just text. It won’t work if you just try to copy and paste it if you aren’t editing in HTML.
Thanks for this series. I have been visiting other blogs with similar interests to mine, and offering to guest post. Many bloggers ignore me, but many are interested, so it is worth it to ask. Leaving comments is one way gain readers, but having great photos, interesting topics, and a great variety of posts will help, too. These will hopefully help them stay around.
I’m trying to make my blog interactive, with polls and giveaways and real life photos from my own life. I’m having fun with it and I hope my blog shows this!
Keep up this series, I’m learning a lot!
The most effective method I’ve found is posting something that is new or different for the readers. When I find a new deal that isn’t already posted around the web, readers are more willing to come back and check what else I have.
I also like to make a post on the weekends where I go through my inserts and let readers know where I’ll be using the coupons and where to score the best deals. It helps the readers use up their coupons, helps them decide how many newspapers they want to pick up, and it’s something different that most blogs don’t do!
Great suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
All great advice! I’ve done all of those things in the past and they really did help build my blog (trying to get back into doing those things as I’m floundering on the blog currently). When I first started, I was given the advice to leave lots of comments on other blogs and that does make a difference. Always exciting to have new friends stop by!
Can u tell me…if u sign up for someone’s blog & then decide its not for u…how do u remove your name?
Thanks for your help.
On their emails there should be an unsubscribe link.