I don't know who needs to hear this, but nobody is reading your blog because you keep talking about yourself.
There I said it. And even as I am typing this, I needed to hear this too. Badly. I was "last week years old" when I learned this, and I'm convinced this is why after blogging for two years, I haven't seen the traffic numbers I wished for.
I bombarded my few followers with life updates on why I was gone, gave countless roundup posts on things I am doing to better MY life, and featured photos on outfits I'M loving.
Until one day last week, I watched a video on blogging tips for monetization, and the creator said something that absolutely shocked me.
She said NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU. At first, I was in complete confusion. Like how am I supposed to just stop talking about myself on my blog after doing so for all these freaking years? And also, what does she mean by this!?
But then she kept going, by saying "BLOGGING IS ABOUT THE READER" And as much as a no-brainer that statement is... I realized in almost none of my posts had I done this. In almost all of my posts, I used "I" instead of "you." I completely missed the mark, and didn't think about my reader. I gave tips, but never presented it as help for the reader in my title, pins, etc. All my content was written from the frame of my life, which can be harmful for things like SEO.
SEO and blogging go hand and hand. SEO is like the icing on top of the cake, and who wants to eat cake without icing!? SEO is how readers find and locate your blog through search, and as a blogger, you want to rank high on the search rankings to drive insane traffic back to your blog and ultimately make $$.
If all your posts are about YOU, who's going to know how to search for this!? And I know many of you will think "oh my Instagram followers will be interested..." Maybe, but honestly, Instagram brings in super low web traffic compared to Google and Pinterest.
People who head to Google and Pinterest are there with the purpose of learning something new or to find inspiration. If you are a blogger, this is the group you want because these people are ready to learn and ready to click.
By creating helpful articles for your potential audience, this will in exchange grow your audience. So, I'll say it again because I don't know if they heard me in the way back.... "NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU, BLOGGING IS ABOUT THE READER. "
And let me preface this by saying, if you are a seasoned blogger with a large audience, there's no problem in doing this, but when you are just starting out, your blog should absolutely be about the reader.
People read blogs to learn information, new ideas, and new concepts. They'll fall in love with you, the writer, after the fact.
First, you have to hook them with the value you provide, and then later down the line, you can incorporate pieces that are directly related to you. As you grow and blog more, your audience will become more interested in the person behind the blog.
SOOO GIRL, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Well, it means keep creating. But this time, create with the reader in mind, not just yourself. And I know it's so easy to create blog posts about current things you are wearing or current favorites, but you can still do this, just change up the title and the language.
Try to really did deep and understand your audience. What language do they speak? What topics are they searching for? How can you entertain, educate them, or inspire them with your knowledge? Speak directly to them. Create headlines that make them stop in their scroll, and instantly click. And whatever blog post you are interested in creating, just tailer it to serve your audience.
This is how you will gain traffic to your site and loyal readers. Help them first and foremost. Once you nail this tip, it's onwards and upwards. Let's get it!
Please let me know if you loved this post, and would like other blogging tips from me! Thanks for reading, leave your blog down below in the comments.
Great information and insight on growing an audience.
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