4 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Blogging

By: | March 12, 2015 | Tags: , , , , |
Blogging Wish Flower

Do you wish your blog could grow at a faster pace?

Do you wish your blog’s readership was greater?  Do you wish you had more blog followers?

Lately, readers have been writing asking how they can grow their blogs and expressing disappointment and frustration that their blogs are not growing quicker.  Do you feel that way?

Perhaps there are factors that are causing your blog to grow at a slower pace than you would like.  This post will tell you how to fix them.

Factors That Could Affect Your Blog’s Growth

Platform

Is your platform working for you?  Have you given your goals for your blog any thought?  Many of my readers are beginning bloggers.  Have you considered what you want to do with your blog down the road?

For example, WordPress.com  is a common choice for bloggers.  However, if you want to monetize your blog down the road and sell advertising space, you will need to pick another platform.  If you do, will your readers follow you there?

Next, is the template you’ve chosen for your blog working for you?  For example, do you need sidebars?  If yes, do you have them?  Maybe you’ve noticed, my blog, Reflections, has nothing on the sides.  Your template should work with the content you are planning to share.

Niche

Do you have a theme?  You need a niche, and that becomes your brand.  I know so many bloggers who have themes like “random thoughts”.  I spent months honing my theme.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a political blogger, a pet blogger, an entertainment blogger, and…  Blogging isn’t about the writer.  It’s about the reader.  Find a theme about which you are knowledgeable, and share it with your readers.  They will be grateful that you have empowered them, and the your feeling of validation will be unsurpassed.

What if it is important for you to be able to write on a variety of themes?  I would advise you to have different blogs.

Content

You should have two goals for your blog.  One of them is to produce content for your reader.  Your goal for your blog should be to communicate that content in an informative and engaging way.

If the content is about the reader, they will be engaged and learn from

Blogging Book

If you went to blogging school, would this be the textbook?

the information.  One way to engage the reader is to use words like “you”.  They will feel like you are speaking directly to them.

Ask yourself if your content is timely.  You might love the holidays, but writing about them in May, for example, may not seem relevant.  Go ahead and write about the holidays, but keep it in draft form, so it’s ready to go at the end of the year.

My post 8 Easy Steps to Increasing Blog Traffic Using Google Adwords explains how to research your key words, so you will know if people consider your topic timely.

Your content should be friendly, if possible upbeat, and even entertaining.  Use your own voice.  Let your personality come through.

Your Audience

I explained above that many of my readers are beginning bloggers.  I know that because I know my audience.  You might ask how I know that.  Am I advising you to stalk?  No.  They told me in their comments.

I do try to write blogging tips for all levels.  What if you can’t write so you appeal to everyone?  MailChimp allows you to contact segments of your readers.  You can send your blog links to certain segments and appeal to your various populations that way.  My post How to Easily Increase Your Page Views is a MailChimp tutorial.

I understand slower growth than you anticipated can be discouraging.  I have tried to give you points to ponder.  People see you the way you are today.  If you are currently disappointed with slow growth, try some of these elements, and marvel at the improvement in your traffic.  I know I did.

Readers, if you think others can benefit from these tips, please share.

Did I miss anything?  Are there any other points to consider when making blogging choices?  On the other hand, how you tried any of these?  How did making those changes work for you?  I look forward to your views.

Related post: How to Grade Your Blog

 

 

 

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Bethany,
      I’m glad you found what I wrote helpful. I love helping people. It’s one of the reasons I became a teacher. I’m sure you know the feeling from your blog. What do you blog about?
      Janice

  1. Iris

    Very helpful tips. I have noticed a lot of these things as well through trial and error. Looking forward to reading more of your helpful posts. 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Thanks so much Iris. Thank you for the follow as well. Nice to meet you.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Iris,
      Thank you for your kind words. When I knew I wanted to start blogging, I read everything I could get my hands on that would help me. I am a very literal person, so following others’ advice came easy to me. When my page views escalated after my Google Analytics post, I realized I wanted to blog about blogging! What do you blog about?
      Janice

  2. penpen

    i’m not a new blogger. just new to trying to grow my readership, thanks for the tips and the links to more help.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      Thanks for writing. I have a post coming out in four hours that discusses how to get readers to stay on your site longer so they can read your articles and hopefully subscribe to your blog. Stay tuned! Thank you for reading what I wrote and writing me.
      Janice

  3. Naijahomecaterer.wordpress.com

    thanks for the advice, i think i will try dis and see how it works.

  4. Chelsie Carr

    Great suggestions. I’ve been working on honing down my theme/content for a few weeks now; learning that I don’t want to be a craft blogger and that I’m more into health/beauty and how they connect in my life! It’s definitely helping me create better content

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Chelsie!
      Thanks for writing! I had your experience. I started out as political blogger, pet blogger, entertainment blogger, news blogger… I honed on advice blogging for bloggers the day my first viral post occurred. It talked about Google Analytics. The feeling of validation confirmed I wanted to be an advice blogger.
      Thanks for writing.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi!
      I spend my time advising new bloggers. Do you mind elaborating for me so we can all benefit from your success? What platform were you on? What platform are you on now that’s having better success for you? I’m currently on WordPress.com. Thanks so much for writing and helping me help others.
      Janice

  5. prettywellness

    Thanks for the tips. I find it challenging sometimes because I will write for the reader who I know wants to hear tips on clean living…but then I am more informative and not as personal. So, I’m really trying to stick to my editorial calendar that has both.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      I feel that way too. In my post 8 Bloggers… I was so personal some people got offended. In the post you read, 4 Little-Known Factors… I’m afraid I came off as judgemental instead of what I intended to be, helpful.
      You are right. We walk a fine line.
      Janice
      Thanks for writing.

  6. Myfamilymealtime (

    Great points especially for people who are just starting out. I think finding a niche and your voice are an important step in the process.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      Thanks for writing. I don’t think we’ve communicated before. Don’t you feel a lot of people have “musings” or “random thoughts”? I hope I didn’t appear critical. Some of those people have successful blogs. I was trying to help, based on what’s worked for me (and others I’ve seen). I hope I didn’t come across as judgmental. Thanks for reading what I wrote and writing me. Nice “meeting” you.
      Janice

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  8. thedeb83

    Great tips – thanks for the advice. I keep meaning to work on my blog and grow my readership.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      Thank you so much for reading what I wrote and writing me. I hope this doesn’t sound too “spammy,” but, I have almost 120 blog posts about those very topics–how to work on your blog and grow your readership. I would love your follow so the tips go straight to your inbox. You even get a free, private post for signing up. Here’s the link: http://wp.me/P5jxvv-hM
      In the meantime, nice to meet you, and thanks for the kind words about my post.
      Janice

  9. Robin at Mindbomb Mom

    I think my biggest problem is content. My blog is based on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) projects that I do with my kids so it’s a bit hard for me to crank out lots of content in a short amount of time. I’m averaging about one or two posts per week, but I’ve been trying to step it up. Also, my niche is very small. There are lots of educational mommy blogs, but not many that are focused on STEM only. I’m afraid I’m missing lots of potential followers and content material by being super specific.

  10. Margaret Lynette Sharp

    Thanks for visiting my blog! I’ll check back later for the post you mentioned 🙂

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