If you're wondering how to boost traffic and keep readers engaged, here are some tips I've picked up along the way:

1) Writing about things no one cares about
Okay, this may be a bit harsh, but if you're trying to run a blog as part of a business, you need to be aware when you are doing this. A post here and there about how proud you are of your kids or what you did today is fine. Personal essays about either of those things are also great if you're able to hook in the reader and people find themselves relating in some way. Otherwise, unless you're writing a blog just to keep up with family and friends far away, most people aren't super interested in every little thing going on in your life. Posts that bring in the most traffic are either about products or you being helpful to others.

2) Big paragraphs 
This can be a bit tricky, especially when you're writing personal essay type stuff. However, it is a good idea to try and narrow down your paragraphs to three to five sentences and use bold headings during a long blog post. I'm definitely guilty of not doing this, and I know it has turned readers off.

3) Not using a photo 
Not using a photo is a huge mistake. A lot of traffic on blogs comes from Bloglovin' and Stumbleupon where there is a preview of your main photo. Think about it, would you be tempted to click anything on those websites without a photo? Even if it is a stock picture, there is no reason why one shouldn't be included. You can go here and here for two great compilations of pictures you can use free of charge if you don't have a personal one to go with your post. Stokpic is also fabulous and one of my favorites.

4)  Using a default blogger/wordpress theme
This just looks bad and unprofessional and makes it difficult for people to take your blog seriously. You don't need something super fancy, but even shelling out just £20 for a premade template can make all of the difference. Check out some great premade template sites:

Social and Chic
Envye
Designer Blogs
Pip Dig
and doing a search on Etsy for premade templates


5) No social media interaction
If you're not interacting with your audience, you may as well not have a blog. You need to set up a Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin' AT LEAST so that your audience can follow you and you can interact. Instagram and Pinterest, I think, are a little bit less important, but are nonetheless an important aspect of your blog.

What do you think is the most important for creating a blog people keep coming back to?



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