Everybody has a story to tell and the internet has created a platform for them to do so. Sharing your life with the world can be an emboldening act that grants you all sorts of personal and emotional freedom. Connecting with your readers and discussing concepts important to you can be as fulfilling as you’d imagine. With that being said, if you don’t have a steady following, it can feel like you are shouting into the wind.
Today, we are going to introduce you to a collection of best practices that will lead to improved traffic and rewarding growth for your personal blog.
1) Catchy Headlines Are Important – If you surf social media-based news platforms like Reddit or Facebook, you’ll understand that the majority of users will click on a link based upon the title. What does this mean? Practically speaking, if you want to enhance your click-through statistics, you are going to have to come up with catchy and unique headlines. Take a look at this personal blog for a great example. If you want your audience to race to read your blog, take some time to come up with an inviting title for each post.
2) Prepare For Criticism – Posting anything to a public space will open you up to less-than-savory responses. Whether you are a seasoned writer or a first-time blogger, prepare yourself mentally for all criticism. Anonymity makes it easy for users to be far crueler and critical than they would in real life. Understand that these critiques can be of value if you can separate any vitriol from practical advice.
3) Craft a Content Plan – One of the easiest ways to grow your blog is by crafting your content plan. Whether this plan is formed by the week or by the month, simply knowing what type of posts to write will make a huge difference in your schedule. If you are feeling extremely motivated, consider writing and saving posts ahead of time. With most personal blog platforms, you can schedule your blog to automatically upload these finished drafts on your schedule.
4) Be Authentic With Your Content – You won’t get far with your blog if you don’t believe in the content that you are curating. Many bloggers will try to adapt their content to the newest fads or trends to pull in visitors. While this may be effective, writing about something that doesn’t matter to you can be a real drag. When you write about what you know and love, your words will ring authentic and your readers will respect your content.
5) Add Visual Aids – While the text will make up the most important part of your blog, don’t forget to include much-needed visual aids. From videos to uploading images, you will want to approach your visitors from multiple mediums. Pictures can add another dimension to your story while videos can change the journey for your visitors entirely.
Creating a personal blog has never been easier than ever. We’ve only scratched the surface of your personal writing journey. Take our advice and use it in conjunction with your own instincts. Write on!