For years now, an efficient and engaging blog has been a great marketing tool for small businesses. Not only can a good blog help improve your SEO and increase web traffic via inbound links, it can also help cement your brand identity.
But many SMEs find that their carefully crafted articles get little to no attention. With competition for readership stronger than ever, how can you ensure your blog doesn’t get ignored? Here are some of the main reasons why nobody’s reading your blog and how you can make sure they do.
Your Headlines Are Skippable
It’s no secret that the quality of a headline or title can make or break a piece of content – this affects everything from articles in established newspapers to your blog post. No matter how good your content may be, if you’re unable to engage your reader in the first few seconds or catch their eye when they are scrolling through online content, you may lose them for good. So here are a few things to consider.
Solve a problem. Your audience wants relevant information that’s useful to them. So try using phrases like ‘How to…’ or ‘Things everyone should know about…’ in your headline to answer specific questions and concerns.
Adhere to the 5 Ws. Who, what, when, where and why. Focusing on one of these key terms in your headline will give your blog a sense of authority.
And finally, focus on your niche. What does your business know or do that nobody else does? Use your headline to show that you hold unique expertise that your reader simply can’t skip over.
Your Posts Are Inconsistent
A good blog will have your readers coming back again and again for your latest content. But in order to foster that kind of loyal readership, your posts must be consistent both in regularity, quality, and tone of voice. If you’re posting sporadically and on a vague selection of topics, you risk confusing and frustrating your readers.
So make it clear how often you’re expecting to post. Is it daily? Twice a week? Or less often? There’s no specific requirement for a successful blog so make a realistic publishing schedule and stick to it.
Finding a consistent tone of voice is harder. But, as mentioned before, focus on what your audience wants and what you’re able to offer them. If your post doesn’t feel relevant for your customers, it won’t get read.
Your Blog Isn’t Mobile Friendly
When creating any kind of content, you must consider mobile readers. If your blog only reads well in desktop format, you risk losing a huge chunk of your potential audience. Here are a few ways to keep your content mobile friendly.
Keep it brief. With smaller screens, there’s no space for rambling copy. Keeping sentences succinct drastically improves your blog’s usability and also generalises your blog’s readability – hitting two birds with one stone as reducing the reading level of your content will automatically widen your readership.
Focus on structure. For mobile users, your call to action must be as clear as possible. So whether it’s a link or a video, make your end goal highly visible. Also, try to avoid unnecessary visual content that may break up the flow of your page.
Make it scannable. Keep paragraphs short and sentences shorter. Try using bullet points to improve readability and put your key information at the top of the page. That way, your readers will see it even if they don’t reach the end.
Follow these three simple rules and you’ll soon see your readership grow.
Ed Jones writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships. To browse our graduate jobs London listings, visit our website.