How To Get More Blog Subscribers
Image credit: Annie Mole
A reader of this blog recently wrote the following entry in their own blog:
I’ve always thought my posts were okay… but since I started this blog I’ve had a conversion rate of only about 0.24% when it comes to the number of unique visitors I get vs. the number of people who actually subscribe. 60% of visitors leave before even 5 seconds have passed. Maybe I need something more eye-catching… or maybe my blog is just a lot more boring than I think it is. It seems like typically, successful blogs became successful within the first two months, so perhaps this is just a waste of my time. I’m going to set a goal: I want to have 20 subscribers by the end of 2008. And if I don’t, I will stop blogging.
Since they closed comments to that post, I emailed them with my unasked-for advice, then decided to publish my thoughts here since it occurred to me that many new bloggers will find it useful.
The technical advice:
1. Change your WordPress theme. Your current theme is not very appealing. If you can, pay for customization.Customizing a theme is cheaper than building a new website.
2. For easier tracking of your subscribers, burn a feed with feedburner.com. Place the “subscribe” button at the top of the sidebar. Add a “subscribe by email” link as well.
3. Add images to your posts. Flickr.com has a great selection of free images – just search for “creative commons license” images in the search form and credit the photographer. Edited to add: using images has its risks. See Andre’s comment below and my response.
4. Create a community. Find 10-20 small and mid-size blogs in your niche (more on niches later). Start reading them and commenting regularly. This is a good way to build a community around your blog and get comments.
5. Join social media sites such as stumbleupon.com and twitter.com.
6. Consider blogging non-anonymously. Anonymity and a lack of a photo make it harder to connect with you.
7. Learn some basic SEO techniques and install the Wordpres SEO plugin. Yes, I said a few weeks ago that SEO is a waste of time. I’m an idiot. Of course it’s not a waste of time. While SEO shouldn’t take over your writing, it’s very important to optimize your posts for search engines. Search engine traffic is important, and you want the right kind of search engine traffic – the kind that sticks around and reads your material rather than the kind that immediately bounces off your site.
The stuff they should REALLY give some serious thought to:
8. Decide on a general direction for your blog. What is it about? You don’t have to limit yourself to a very tight niche, but if you can have a general niche, that would help. One of my own challenges with this blog is that I refuse to limit myself to a niche. I have no doubt that if I were a “real” mommy blogger, or if I wrote exclusively on, say, feminism, I would have more subscribers. In my case it’s worth it, because limiting myself to a niche would result in boredom and then I would stop blogging altogether. But anyone who can be happy blogging within a niche should do so, in my opinion. Once you know what your niche is, add a tagline to reflect it.
9. Be patient. It’s not true that blogs succeed after a couple of months. Darren Rowse of Problogger recently said in his interview for Blogging Without A Blog “For a blog to reach its potential though, you need to give it considerable time. It takes a couple of years to get to its potential.”
10. Ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve with my blog? Remember: most of us will never become famous (how DO you define interent-famous anyway?) or make serious money from our blogs. So we should have other motives. For some it’s showcasing their work as writers and possibly landing writing gigs or book deals. For others it’s an outlet for their creativity and a way to connect with other people. A blog can also help you attract new customers to your online or offline business.
For me, blogging is about expressing myself in ways, and having a reach and an audience, that would not be available to me without this blog. Making a few extra bucks doing something that I love is a nice bonus. I’m also thinking about this blog in terms of showcasing my work. While I have absolutely no desire to ever write a book, I do love to blog. I currently work part-time writing the UpToUs corporate blog and would like to do more paid writing. My personal blog is a great way to let people know what I’m capable of. One of the items on my to-do list is adding a “hire me” page to this blog.
11. Finally, remember that human nature will cause you to always want more. So when you’ll have 20 subscribers, you’ll want 50 and when you get to 50 you’ll want 100. Think you’ll be satisfied with 500? With 1000? No you won’t. It never ends, which is why setting these goals can lead to perpetual dissatisfaction.
What are YOU trying to achieve with your blog?
Can you add anything to this list?
Filed under Blogging & Social Media —
Email This Post,
Subscribe To Comments, Trackback,
Subscribe Via 
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 8:55 pm →
“I have no doubt that if I were a “real” mommy blogger, or if I wrote exclusively on, say, feminism, I would have more subscribers. In my case it’s worth it, because limiting myself to a niche would result in boredom and then I would stop blogging altogether.”
Would you necessarily have more subscribers? Limiting yourself to a niche would result in boredom for you – but it wouldn’t stop there. It would probably result in boredom for others too. I, for one, enjoy very much the variety. It attracts me to your blog, not the opposite.
Is it really true that readers of blogs desire the author to be very narrow in their niche? And if they do, why? Doesn’t make sense to me. Writing about the same subject day in and day out can get boring.
As far as doing writing jobs, I think you should go for it. I am very impressed by your writing ability. Its clear and compelling. A winning combination.
Squawkfox responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 8:57 pm →
I’ll add: Write to help people!
Write creative, interesting, and insightful articles that help people.
Any post titled with “How To” is generally a good idea.
RC responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 8:59 pm →
I think you offer great advice, for anyone looking to increase subscribers and make some money.
As for me, I toyed with the idea of starting a niche blog, specifically for driving subscribers and earning money, after I realized I had people dropping by to read what I had written. (My blog was started for friends and family only at first.) And I had several people advising me I have a talent in telling stories. (I think all of us do, at times…)
Let’s face it. Readers, and readers who comment, are nice and a bit addicting. Compliments on writing are addicting. It is easy to become addicted to blogging for these reasons.
But then I realized, like you, that I would get bored with a niche blog, and I don’t need the added pressure to crank out regular articles. I had to take a blogcation, just because my personal blog was starting to feel that way.
In the end, I’m not out for money (no advertising to be found on my blog). I pay for a few bells and whistles, just because I wanted to (my own domain, etc.), but beyond that, I do what I am able to on my own. If people find my stuff interesting and drop by – yay! If I gain a regular reader – yay! At the end of the day, though, this is still my toddler’s baby book, my scrapbook and a little fun for friends and family, combined. It is my voice, and for now, I just want the freedom to just be me (which means I’ve banned myself from looking at my stats too much).
Lance responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 9:13 pm →
Vered, I think you’ve hit on many key points about blogging, and taking it to that next level (whatever that next level is). The thing is – it does take a lot of effort to do this – subscribers don’t just magically appear overnight. I remember the days when I had 3 subscribers – and thought 20 would seem like shooting for the moon. But like you said, once I got there – I wanted more. And more.
Images have been a big thing for me too. I started without images, but quickly decided that pictures just can add so much to a story (maybe part of that comes from having kids – and all the picture books I’ve read over the last several years!).
And visiting others – this takes time and effort – to read others works and then reply with a comment. But it is so worth it in my book – because that’s what build community (which I’ve discovered is very important to me).
Awesome article, once again, Vered!
Friar responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 9:29 pm →
Heh.
I’m so clued out I don’t even know how many subscribers I have. I don’t even know how to look it up, and I haven’t bothered to learn how. I dont’ subscribe to other blogs, I just hop around and visit. I haven’t even bothered with SEO.
I have a small following, that’s slowly growing, and that’s good enough for me, for now.
This blog is primarily a creative outlet for me. I love to write and cartoon and make people laugh. That’s what I’m meant to do, I think.
I dont’ expect to make any serious money as a blogger. But ultiimately, my blogging is part of a long-term plan to eventually publish childrens’ books and humor books.
Right now, I’ll just continue to write, and gain material. Plus I”m collecting a network of friends in the writing and publishing industry who are helping point me in the right direction.
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 9:38 pm →
Hi Vered – Subscribers and wanting more and more is something I still “don’t get”. Granted it’s a boost to our ego when our subscriber numbers climb, but just because someone is subscribed to our blog does not mean they are reading our work. For me, it’s when I write something and I make a reader think or maybe learn something new that I know I have made a contribution to blogosphere.
All the points you highlighted are great. There are many ways to grow our blogs and attract readers, but like you said, we certainly don’t want to get so caught up in wanting more that we forget why we started our blog in the first place.
BTW: Thank you for the mention.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 9:50 pm →
@ Bamboo Forest: My assumption is that people tend to look for a specific topic online. So the variety that you enjoy is a turnoff for others. Say someone enjoys a post that I wrote about feminism and subscribes, expecting to find similar material next time I publish. But the next day I publish something silly about bubble gum. I can totally see how that would be a turnoff, but I’m not sure I care.
Thank you for what you said about my writing. I think I can write well for the internet.
@ Squawkfox: Thanks.
@ RC: I didn’t realize you started your blog as something for family and friends. I can totally relate to not being able to write a niche site.
@ Lance: “I remember the days when I had 3 subscribers – and thought 20 would seem like shooting for the moon. But like you said, once I got there – I wanted more. And more.” Exactly. I really try not to set this type of goals now.
@ Friar: Your approach to blogging is very intelligent. Your blog is actually a great example of a blog that is a preparation for a writing career.
@ Barbara: I do get it. Chasing numbers and stats. Totally get it. But you’re right – it’s a mistake to make it the main focus. Especially since there’s never “enough.”
Shalee responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 10:26 pm →
I like the idea of just having an online personal journal that I share with my close friends both online and in real life. It would be nice to have more people read it my blog. But there is nothing interesting for anyone else specially for people that don’t know me or Travis. I don’t want to change my whole process of writing what I want to try to appeal to the masses.
No matter how much I would love to have people pay attention to what I write, I am not to compromise what I want to write for subscribers.
Christina responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 10:26 pm →
Great tips to implement Vered! Thanks for always being willing to share.
Changing the wordpress theme will do wonders!! (I AGREE)
Robin responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 11:01 pm →
Hi Vered – great stuff. Blogging is like anything in life isn’t it – if you are looking for external feedback, you are looking for trouble. I know this because it is entirely how I lived my life when I was younger.
On a note about subscribers – I am actually hoping to increase mine, but I feel clear this is part of the process of building my blog, and I am not looking for personal validation through it (and on a technical note, my understanding is that the subscriber number is indicating how many people have accessed a blog in the last day or so through their reader, so is actually indicating something useful).
Carla responds:
Posted: November 4th, 2008 at 11:42 pm →
Great advice! I’m in the process of having someone redo my blog (and website) theme to make it a bit more appealing. I honestly don’t know how many subscribers I have a this point because I haven’t checked yet since I added the feed to the blog.
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 1:09 am →
Hi Vered – This is great advice. I also went the customization route. It’s much cheaper than having a new theme made.
20,000 new blogs a day is a lot. Mind you, I see it’s a British paper, so they probably made up the figure.
For me, I’m using my blog to start a business. I’m doing much the same as I did with my first website and trying to find out what readers want first. A blog makes it easier because of the comments section.
Also, I plan to write books and I’m hoping a blog will help me to get published, as I’ll be able to promote them on there.
As you said though – you need to give it at least two years. I think Darren did 2.5 years before he was able to switch to having a part-time job.
Davina responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 1:21 am →
Hi Vered. I can’t add anything to this list at the moment. My favourite item is adding pics. I LOVE sourcing photos.
I am working towards promoting my life coaching business with my blog. The name and theme will soon be changing to reflect that. In addition, I too am looking for freelance writing work. And lastly, it is a valuable opportunity to connect with like minds, be curious and to be creative.
Avital responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 3:51 am →
I am trying to provide useful and inspiring content. I am always thinking, will that post add value to my readers? It takes time, but your effort are going to be worthwhile.
Dave Fowler responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 4:10 am →
Hi Vered,
I agree with everything you’ve written here. It’s good advice.
I think that bloggers should be honest with themselves before they start. If they’re in it to make money, they should acknowledge that to themselves.
Motivations may change as bloggers progress and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it should be accepted first by the blogger before the readers will be able to buy into the blogger and invest in them.
It’s quite an honour to have people invest their time in you. It’s a valuable commodity after all. And for that reason I feel compelled to be honest.
Dave
Scott McIntyre responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 4:16 am →
You’ve described very useful tips, Vered- thank you.
I was interested to learn of your inspiration behind momgrind. Can I ask if you had your aims/ goals in mind when you first launched?
For me, my soon-to-be launched blog will give a ‘voice’ to my thoughts and ideas about life. I’ve always had a great interest in exploring life through writing… and I hope any readers will be inspired by what I write about.
I hope to have a vibrant blog community who express their views too. I’d be very happy to have a lively, 2 way interaction with my readers.
I’m definitely patient… I’ve done my homework over quite a few months, but I’d rather do that than give my future readers a poor quality read
Betsy Wuebker responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 5:50 am →
Hi Vered – You’re on it. Research in sales (and we’re really selling ourselves with our blogs whether we realize it or not) has found that salespeople who focus on the money they’ll be making with each sale do more poorly than those who focus on providing a solution to the customer. The number of subscribers one has is irrelevant in the beginning. While it’s exciting to see the number grow, it seems to me the fickle feedburner finger of fate is something we an only affect with good content and interaction. Write what you know and what you’re interested in. It’s easier, more fun, and chances are someone is interested in what you have to say, as well.
Chris responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 6:14 am →
I already know all of these things but it’s nice to read it and hear it again specially if it’s coming from a person that I respect…I’m glad that you write about anything and everything.
Tara responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 6:39 am →
Wow Vered. I’ll bet that blogger you emailed wanted to kiss your feet after all this fabulous advice!
I’m with Friar though, I have no idea how many visitors come, how long they stay or what they do once they are here. For me, that way madness lies. I would SO be that person wanting more and more and more. For me, ignorance is bliss!
I think it’s really sad that someone is threatening to quit if they don’t get their required number of subscribers.
Maybe they do need to think long and hard on their reasons for blogging.
Mia responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 6:46 am →
Vered~
Great points with this post. Since I’ve started blogging, exactly 2 months ago today, I’ve tried to put into play all the things you talk about in this post. My readership fluctuates each day with who requests a feed, but at it’s highest, it’s 8. You’re right about human nature, I was happy, actually elated to have 1 reader. Now I want 10…okay, really, I want 1000+, but we all have to start somewhere, right? I try to remember that there’s 8 people out there that find my blog interesting, though I have no idea why, and I am grateful that I have 8 more people to share my thoughts with.
The hardest part for me is the direction of my blog and what I want to accomplish with it. I have 2 conflicting directions: overall woman/motherhood blog full of humor, inspiration and perspective vs. a serious blog on the issues facing special needs families. At this point, it’s a combination and I’m just not sure what to do with this. For accomplishments, well, I want it all (of course). I want to showcase my writing and show it’s variety, gain readership and make money from my blog AND reach out to people and hopefully touch their lives in some way.
I wonder, is it possible to have it all in the blog world?
MommyNamedApril responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 7:25 am →
I am curious to know how many of those blogs are begun and ended within the first month. I suspect very few blogalong for any length of time. Also, I wonder how many are secondary pages. For example, I have six (?) blogs, but one is a blogroll, one is an index… etc etc.
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 7:33 am →
I’d say publish unique content. Usually uniqueness comes from adding your own perspective, personal stories and experience. Some controversial content may also help, as you already well know….LOL!!
BloggerNewbie responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 8:22 am →
Hi Vered!
Straight to the point advice. I love blogging! I like writing, I like helping people and sometimes making them laugh. I would like to make a little money but if that were the main drive I would have been gone long ago. I have my own thoughts of success as does everyone else and I set my goals to achieve “my success”. I certainly do challenge myself (yeah even after 5 months!) but that is what creates success to me!
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 8:27 am →
Patience is the key here. We climb stairs, not a ladder. If we obsess every time there’s a drop in our subscriber count, then we are missing the point entirely. You’re right, it’s human nature to want more, but if we’re not treating what we have with respect, than we don’t deserve another drop.
Suzie responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 8:39 am →
I want to write and find a communtiy and make some friends …and of course get a book deal
Dot responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 8:58 am →
These are great suggestions, and some that haven’t been emphasized elsewhere, but are really important. With my blog, I’m trying to express myself in different ways and to test the waters to see whether my writing appeals to others. If I were trying to make a living from my blog, I think I might choose a different type of blog — one that offered information and/or help, rather than eclectic writing, because I’m not sure I could attract enough users just doing what I feel like doing. Or I would just write a book and try to sell it.
veena responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 9:19 am →
What are YOU trying to achieve with your blog?
well, nothing really! i just have a lot to say and I love the idea of a blog. I hope people are reading what i’m writing and if not… no big deal….i don’t have an agenda or a purpose… my blogging is purely a selfish execise
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 10:01 am →
@ Shalee: I think it’s great that your first priority is to stay true to yourself.
@ Christina: Glad you liked the article.
@ Robin: I agree that the numbers should never affect your self-worth.
@ Carla: Looking forward to the new look!
@ Cath: “Mind you, I see it’s a British paper, so they probably made up the figure.” Haha probably.
Darren Rowse is a good example of someone who didn’t make 6 figures within the first months.
@ Davina: I can’t wait to see your site’s new look!
@ Avital: Your blog always inspires me, so it’s working!
@ Dave Fowler: “It’s quite an honour to have people invest their time in you.” I feel the same way.
@ Scott: To answer your question, no, not at all. I started reading blogs as part of my work for UpToUs and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to start my own blog. Seriously. I just HAD TO HAVE A BLOG. So I went ahead, bought a domain, paid for a hosting plan, found a theme, customized it and started publishing. I think it took about a week from the moment I got the idea into my head until my first post was published. I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it, and it definitely showed.
I can’t wait for your blog. I’m sure it will be very high quality.
@ Betsy Wuebker: “the fickle feedburner finger of fate.” Ha. I love that. I agree that the content must be the main focus.
@ Chris: I’m glad you like this article.
@ Tara: Ignorance IS bliss. I sometimes miss the early days, when I didn’t know what I was doing.
I also agree that focusing on the numbers too much is a mistake.
@ Mia: I don’t know if it’s possible to have it all. As you can see from the image that accompanies this article, the competition is FIERCE.
@ MommyNamedApril: I think statistics say that most blogs are shut down within the first month or so?
@ Evelyn Lim: I agree that content should be the main focus.
@ BloggerNewbie: “I would like to make a little money but if that were the main drive I would have been gone long ago.” I think this is true for many bloggers.
@ Writer Dad: OK, I edited your comment to add your link.
I completely agree that patience, and a long-term view of our progress rather than panicking over short-term fluctuations, are crucial.
@ Suzie: Of course!
@ Dot: “I’m not sure I could attract enough users just doing what I feel like doing.” I agree. I am making the same choice.
@ veena: I think it’s great. It means you are doing it purely as a hobby, which is how it started for me. I sometimes miss those days.
Nurit responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 10:19 am →
I especially love your posts with tips to bloggers
Mrs. Micah responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am →
Excellent advice. When I had more time for it, I was an extensive commenter and it really helped my subscriber numbers. It’s not just the people whose sites you comment on either, it’s the other commenters whom you engage in discussion who make a big difference.
For example, Trent at The Simple Dollar added me to his blogroll when I mentioned that I was getting 7% of my traffic from him just from people clicking through from my comments. However I think you’re right in suggesting people comment more on smaller blogs. It’s like your earlier post about commenting in general…small to mid-size blogs often have much more discussion, community, and click-through than the huge ones.
I think best way to promote your blog is to write about what excites you. Not everyone will care, but if you’re excited then you’re more likely to attract readers than if you’re not. And if a bunch of people don’t care about what excites you, that’s fine…it’s the internet. (And you’re doing quite well for someone who doesn’t have a limiting theme, because you’re interested in what you write.)
Scott McIntyre responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 10:42 am →
Thank you for your kind words, Vered.
Can I ask you where the name ‘momgrind’ came from?
veena responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 10:56 am →
totally unrelated question…
were you excited about the American elections?? did you vote for Obama as well?? was the atmosphere that electric?????
Jannie responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:00 am →
Vered, that WordPress SEO Plug-in is news to me and no doubt a gem of a tidbit. thanks.
I’m kind of like you, I blog to express myself and connect. I don’t even know if I actually have any subscribers, I figure that if people are interested in reading my blog they will anyway. My stats show my regular readership growing a lot and I did just break 300,000 in my Alexa rank! (294, 560, Baby!) Will be super-happy if I reach 200,000 and will feel (I hope) I’ve “made it” if I ever break 100,000.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:05 am →
@ Nurit: Glad you enjoyed this post.
@ Mrs. Micah: “I think best way to promote your blog is to write about what excites you.” I couldn’t agree more, and in fact, it’s the only option for me, because otherwise I would just stop writing.
@ Scott: I wanted to write an advice blog for moms so was looking for a free domain that would reflect that. MomGrind was available and seemed perfect: the daily grind of motherhood. Of course, I soon got tired of giving advice and now I just write whatever I feel like writing.
@ veena: I try to keep my blog free of politics, mostly because political discussions often get really ugly on the internet. I’ll just say that regardless of the election outcome, we still have a long way to go as a nation to get to a better place. So I am, at best, cautiously optimistic. I do worry about paying higher taxes. We already pay a lot here in California.
@ Jannie: Congrats! Reaching these milestones does feel good.
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:10 am →
Gosh – I was convinced that I commented today. I’m so tired I bet I hit the Home Button rather than the Post Button
That’s great advice, Vered. You have a lot more guts than I do – I don’t think I would have emailed the individual if they hadn’t already asked for help. Very cool.
Avital responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:20 am →
Thanks! By the way, I am joining the praise on your writing – you’re a natural
(I’m not even a mommy yet, and I’m hooked on your blog. Reading each post – even if I’m not commenting).
NYCWD responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:25 am →
Excellent post… especially your last point about worrying about subscribers serving as a distraction.
So very very true.
Backpacking Dad responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am →
This is a great list. But you forgot “Go to blogging and tech conferences.” Face-to-face networking helps a lot too. Even if you are a brand-spanking new blogger if you go to a conference and can interact with people in the outside world you will be more memorable to them. BlogHer exploded my blog.
Natural responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am →
You did a good job with the list, can’t think of much more to add other than instead of focusing on numbers and subscribers, just be yourself. Blog like no one is watching or reading. I sometimes I feel like I’m having a conversation with myself on my blog, I could be crazy too, but I try not to play to an audience…but I know people are there. I’m only me. When we are our natural selves the best comes out of us, IMHO (in my humble opinion). A little patience and you get out of it what you put into it, just like everything else in life. Go out comment on a few blogs that you can keep up with, make yourself known to them. When people see regulars, they will want to know more about you. Twitter your blog posts too. This is good because sometimes I don’t open my reader and need reminders to pay a visit.
What am I trying to achieve? I want the book deal. Blogging is my practice. I’m writing a book now, I want someone to publish it so I can stay home and blog in my pajamas.
Maya responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 11:40 am →
I am the perfect audience for this post!
Your title captures it all. I am always trying to balance what it takes to get more subscribers with what it takes to be authentic. Sometimes the two will clash head on and so far being authentic has been winning…i *think*. My little ones and the resulting lack of time help me keep it real – blessings in disguise i guess. I am a big believer in the fact that whatever builds over time stands stronger and longer.
big hair envy responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm →
I started my blog as a creative outlet. Wish I had done it years ago. The virtual friendships were an unexpected bonus! If I don’t hear from someone for a while, I try to go by and “check” on them. When I get to the point that I feel obligated to post comments or read other blogs, I will know it is time to stop.
Kmommy @ The Poopie Patrol responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 1:10 pm →
This is all really great advice! I love your advice and really use a lot of what you have to offer! Thanks
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 1:55 pm →
As you know Vered, I agree with you about the niche. I also feel that if SHE-POWER had a definite niche it would be more easily identifiable as to why people should subscribe. I like to say SHE-POWER is a LIFE blog because that’s the simplest topic I can pinpoint, and while I do write articles that would appeal to moms, I have only a couple of commenters who are mommy bloggers. This is one of the reasons I think it helps to be clear about who your readers are (mine are diverse and both male and female) and then make sure they can quickly see you are “one of them”.
I also don’t think successful blogs are necessarily quick to grow. Some are and others take time. Cath Lawson does well but she’s been blogging for a good while now. And what is popularity anyway? I always tell people work out why you blog and then remember it. I blog to showcase my writing and to build an audience for fiction that I hope to publish. I am still throwing around ideas as to what extent I might monetize my blogging activities and many people have told me e-books are a logical choice for me to make some income and capitalize on my blog/reputation. I need time to sit down and work this out for myself, but what keeps me posting is not any of these reasons. Mostly I blog to share my thoughts, to get all sorts of stuff out of my head, to connect with my amazing community of bloggers and to add depth and insight to my life. Sometimes blogging does take its toll and I get burned out, but I always come back because I love to bounce around ideas with a group of like minded cyber friends and I feel like I have a whole life online that is very important to me.
And subscribers are not the only determiner of how well a blog is doing. SHE-POWER gets lots of traffic outside of a slightly growing, but loyal subscriber base, and I haven’t even looked at SEO specifically. I am going to do that in the next couple of weeks though because I can see that it might make a big difference to my blog with the kinds of articles I write.
Great post and so much useful advice for new bloggers. Thank you Vered.
Kelly
Tricia responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 2:45 pm →
Whatever we do, we have to do it with authenticity. I think that’s the biggest piece of advice I ever received, and one that really resonated with me. Be real, be you, there’s nobody else out there with the same voice.
Marelisa responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 3:18 pm →
This is awesome advice Vered. I would just add that another good strategy is to submit guestposts to larger blogs. Maybe you could modify this article a bit and sumit it to Problogger because I think that a lot of people just starting out would benefit from this candid, straight-forward advice.
Memarie Lane responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm →
obsession about traffic and subscriptions often leads to a loss of enjoyment. if you don’t enjoy your blog that will come through in your writing.
another odd phenomenon is that when you do see some success it may intimidate rather than inspire you. the first time someone stumbled me i had heart palpitations. once i ended up with 3,000 hits in one day on a post and i was afraid to write more. how could i top -or at least meet- that?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 5:48 pm →
@ Kim: Oh, I just had to email them. Worse case, they would think I was nuts and ignore me.
@ Avital: Thank you! This means a lot coming from you, since I admire your writing as well.
@ NYCWD: Glad you liked it.
@ Backpacking Dad: I agree. I enjoyed the Blogher conference too. Virtual friendships are possible, but there’s something about meeting face to face that seals the friendship.
@ Natural: “Blog like no one is watching or reading.” I think this is excellent advice. I didn’t realize you were writing a book. Now I’m totally rooting for you.
@ Maya: “I am a big believer in the fact that whatever builds over time stands stronger and longer.” I couldn’t agree more. There ARE of course cases of overnight success, but usually you need to work hard to get places, whether online or offline, and that’s just fine.
@ big hair envy: “When I get to the point that I feel obligated to post comments or read other blogs, I will know it is time to stop.” I agree. I always worry about feeling obligated to post. I want it to be fun forever.
@ Kmommy: Glad you like it.
@ Kelly: “I love to bounce around ideas with a group of like minded cyber friends and I feel like I have a whole life online that is very important to me.” This is exactly how I feel. I can’t imagine my life without this blog.
@ Tricia: I agree that being authentic is very important. When I just started out, I tried to write numbered articles similar to Leo of Zen Habits. The result was ridiculous because it wasn’t my authentic voice.
@ Marelisa: Guest posts are a good way to get noticed quickly by a large audience. I actually thought about turning this into a guest post, then decided to publish it here. Great minds think alike.
@ Memarie Lane: “obsession about traffic and subscriptions often leads to a loss of enjoyment.” This is very, very true. Once all you focus on is the numbers, you lose your joy of writing.
Andre Kibbe responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 6:19 pm →
Great advice. His RSS chicklet is technically above the fold, but barely. Like you said, it needs to be moved up to the top of the sidebar. I’ll bet he could have 50 subscribers within a month with that one move.
Vered’s spot on with the advice about figuring out your blog’s direction. You want to be about to get search traffic, not just social traffic; so think about what keywords people would use to discover your site. I notice that your post titles don’t really have any unique keywords. Googlebot won’t know how to index your site when spidering it.
Once you’ve figured out some keywords, ask a blogger in a similar niche to a link to your blog, using one of those keywords as your anchor text (the words in between the link tags). If you can get a link from a blog that’s PageRank 4 or higher, you’ll start showing up on Google’s radar and get some search traffic.
Expanding on Vered’s tip #3: “Add images to your posts. Flickr.com has a great selection of free images – just search for “creative commons license” images in the search form and credit the photographer.” Do your Flickr search through Creative Commons’ website rather than Flick, and tick the box that says, “Search for works I can use for commercial purposes.” I naively thought that using any “Creative Commons” licensed image was fair game. I was contacted by a photographer that didn’t include the “commercial purposes” clause in his CC license, meaning that a for-profit blog like mine (since, he argued, it had AdSense ads) using his picture required compensation. I wound up sending him a few euros via PayPal.
Lastly: Don’t give up!
Patricia responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm →
Oh Vered you write so well and concisely – I just love to come and read what you write and all your comments. I started blogging because I did not want to be left behind and it just seemed so wonderful to me. My number one reason is for connection with others and my number two is to practice my writing.
I would like to for one time in my life make more than $500 a month and truly be paid what I am worth, but I don’t seem to be driven by this goal.
I love to learn new things especially about blogging and it gives me more questions to ask my techie and learn. I just appreciate your lessons and your timing so much. I now have adsense and finally made it on StumbleUpon but have not apparently mastered Twitter…oh well, it will come it time.
But oh my oh my, have I read such wonderful stories and ideas and about such lovely parenting and I seem to be taking Cath’s business class and Barbara’s lessons on Blogging Without a Blog and learning so much…
Maybe my best niche is appreciation for all the gifts blogging gives me. Thank you again
Kristi responds:
Posted: November 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm →
I subscribed to you from a link in someone elses blog. I completely forget who it was now but I added you to my RSS feeder after reading a few of your blogs and was glad I did.
I was waiting to get a quiet moment to read this post. It has some great advice, thanks! I started blogging three years ago during the PG and after the birth of my first child. I enjoy it. I haven’t done enough though because there is always something else going. Thanks for the tips though!
Robin responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 5:16 am →
Hey there – found your blog through Dawg’s comment on Twitter. Loved this post!! I have been blogging since 1998, and I used to have a blog that had mega hits each day….I did all the things that you suggested and people came. Then I started feeling like I had to censor myself from idiots, and I stopped writing for a while. Now that I have been blogging again regularly since 2003, I just don’t have the hits I used to, and while I would like more people to read me, I don’t care that much that I am not “popular”…I guess I care more about people within my blogging ‘community’ not reading me than the world at large….if that makes sense.
However, I do want to re-do my blog, and since I just changed to Word Press, my HTML skills aren’t meshing that well. Can I ask who did your blog layout?
UrbanVox responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 9:05 am →
I wish I knew!!!
I am soooo random!!!!
But anyways… you are Officially invited to come and Pimp My Blog!!!
there’ll be prizes!!!
UrbanVox responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 9:07 am →
btw… yup!!
I’m back babes!
MizFit responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 9:45 am →
*sigh*
sometimes this is all a SMIDGETAD overwhelming
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am →
@ Andre Kibbe: That photographer sounds sleazy. According to this Wikipedia entry, you could have argued that your blog is in fact non-commercial, since “A non-commercial enterprise is work that values other considerations above and beyond that of making a profit. It differs from a non-profit enterprise in that seeking a profit is a part of their business, just not the main part.”
There are indeed risks when using CC material, including someone uploading copyrighted work of someone else, or someone retroactively changing the license, leaving you with no way of proving that it was marked as CC when you first uploaded it.
@ Patricia: Blogging IS a wonderful thing. I agree. It’s great that you’re enjoying it so much.
@ Kristi: Thank you for subscribing to MomGrind and for leaving a comment. My kids are older (7 and 9), which means I do have more free time now. I can totally relate to how crazy life is when kids are small.
@ Robin: I think blogging is way more competitive now than it used to be. Mike Cherim developed his theme and customized it for me.
@ UrbanVox: Random is not necessarily bad.
@ MizFit: I know. And we thought it was all about writing when we started blogging.
Eric Hamm responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pm →
I agree with every point, but I would have to second your comment about being anonymous. When I go to a new blog and find that the ‘About’ page is full of content regarding the point of the blog, but nothing about the actual blogger, I’m less likely to trust the content being shared.
Great points here, Vered.
vw bug responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 1:18 pm →
Being lazy, I didn’t read every comment carefully… but it looks like one item not mentioned to help you increase traffic to your blog is join a ‘Carnival’. Find one that fits your taste… and then submit a post to it every week… and if you have the time, offer to host it. It is amazing the amount of traffic you can get from something that simple. If you are really enthusiastic, create your own carnival. Though that is hard to do since there are so many out there already.
Otherwise, what you suggested is well stated and will problably help them the most. Good luck!
San Diego Momma responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 3:03 pm →
I love this post…BUT I find myself getting so tired of thinking how to make people like me all the time. I think if I could just “let go” on my blog and be me (which I do far too much as it is), my writing would be better. And in the end, that’s all I care about. (Most days.) (Other days I wonder why no one likes me enough to subscribe.)
p.s. I haven’t slept for like 3 days.
Dave Fowler responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 3:21 pm →
San Diego Momma, letting go can be difficult can’t it? Let go too little and you’re a closed book. Let go too much and you’re crazy mad. It’s not easy at all.
Hey you weren’t serious about the sleep thing were you?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 5:52 pm →
@ Eric Hamm: I feel the same.
@ vw bug: I agree that blog carnivals are a good way to promote your blog.
@ San Diego Momma: “I find myself getting so tired of thinking how to make people like me all the time.” Trust me, I can relate.
@ Dave Fowler: I’m wondering too. I’m off to visit her blog now and see what’s going on.
Andre Kibbe responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 9:13 pm →
@Vered: I had a few legal grounds for not caving in. For one thing, in his specific license terms he stated that the user of his photos “should” remunerate him, not “must.” But I found myself so annoyed by the email that I decided that it was more efficient to humor him (even at the expense of encouraging him) than keep thinking about it. But you’re right: it was sleazy.
Don Mills Diva responds:
Posted: November 6th, 2008 at 9:33 pm →
I love your posts on blogging – I always learn so much.
Though I do think your last point was the best one – it is VERY easy to get addicted to the numbers and to wanting them to keep going up and up. It can be difficult to remember that ultimately the writing should be the most important thing…
Tabitha (From Single to Married) responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2008 at 9:08 am →
I liked your post, especially your comment about creating a community with other bloggers. I began my blog as a way to be creative and to chronicle my experiences and stories. What I’m getting in return is friendship with others who are in similar situations and it’s been fantastic. So I definitely agree with establishing a community – it’s a real benefit to blogging!
San Diego Momma responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2008 at 3:32 pm →
@Dave Fowler
I’d like to say I wasn’t serious, but that’d be a big fat lie designed to make you like me more.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 7th, 2008 at 9:28 pm →
@ Andre: You look like the type who prefers to avoid conflict. I would have so made his life miserable.
@ Don Mills Diva: Exactly. The content should be our main focus.
@ Tabitha: I couldn’t agree more. I met amazing people through blogging.
Ricardo Bueno responds:
Posted: November 9th, 2008 at 5:02 am →
Vered: everything that you’ve said is dead on! Seriously. I say it because it’s mostly the route that I took when I started Ribeezie.
Once you decide on a general theme (defining your “why”), it makes it just a tad bit easier to push content out. Find people that you share a common ground with because once things cease to be relevant between one another, that relationship will probably dissolve. Then, be patient and don’t worry about the numbers. I mean, it’s easier said than done of course; right? But when you stop worrying about it, and focus more on just being “you” and sharing *that* with others, it all just kinda falls into place.
Steve C @ MyWifeQuitHerJob.com responds:
Posted: November 9th, 2008 at 9:38 am →
Hi Vered,
I can kind of relate to this poster in that it’s extremely difficult to maintain your patience. The problem when you are new is that you have very little feedback to go on in the beginning. You would like to write articles that appeal to more people but since no one has found you yet, you can’t get any feedback. In any case, your advice is very sound. I’m glad I found your blog!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm →
@ Ricardo Bueno: I agree that the most important thing is to just be you.
@ Steve: The first few months of blogging are hard. Being patient isn’t easy, but it does help.
Dr. Cason responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2008 at 11:28 pm →
I agree with the photo and to personalize it and then to let it go. If that’s possible.
I have to say though I have a hard time reaching my niche. Your blog and then one’s that frequent BWOAB are an incredibly nice and giving community that seems to come here a lot!
BUT these incredibly nice people really aren’t in my niche and I have a hard time reaching everyone! Should I go to the people who come to me or keeping running after people who doesn’t follow me back??
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2008 at 11:35 am →
@ Dr. Cason: I tend to let people find me. Sometimes I do go on a “commenting spree” and comment on 5-10 new blogs, just to let them know I’m there. But for the most part, I allow people to find me. When someone makes a comment here I go check out their blog, and if I like what I see, I join their communities as well.
Cricket responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2008 at 11:39 am →
Another wonderful post. I am in that world right now where I have decided that community is what I enjoy. I like to get to know my readers and vice versa. I don’t like the numbers game, but I do understand to a number of bloggers that is the ultimate. I enjoy sharing a side of of my life with others that can relate to the every day grind. I find that one of my blogs might be more of a niche blog while the other is not. When I started up “A Cricket in a Garden” I had all of these hopes that it could just spill my insides. It has not happened. It will. I have gotten into a comfort level in the “A Day to Share with Tammy” …I call this my happy place. Writing is so hard when you make changes. When you decide it is time to branch down another path to see where it might take you.
You have some wonderful advice above. Find blogs that you like and get to know the writer behind them. You will eventually be part of that community that will grow. To me, that is blogging.
leslie responds:
Posted: November 14th, 2008 at 12:46 am →
hi! thanks for visiting my blog…browsing through yours gave me a lot of ideas and information. keep up the good work.
being a parent, i guess it’s just hard not to talk about your kids, so i decided to put up a blog about my eldest. a blog about my 2nd daughter is in the works, but since she’s just a year and a half old, i guess the first years will be mainly photos. do you think that’ll be a good idea?
Diana Rupert responds:
Posted: November 14th, 2008 at 1:53 am →
Great post! adding images is really a big help. And being patience is one factor to success. I can say that you always write useful and helpful tips that is why you there are lots of people have interest to enter your site. And I’m surely one of them. Keep up the good work!
Thank you
MomGrind responds:
Posted: November 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm →
@ Cricket: I think if you blog purely as business, then the numbers are obviously very important. For the rest of us, it’s a combination, so the numbers are not everything.
@ leslie: If you enjoy it as view it as fun rather than as a chore (kind of like a scrapbook that’s fun at the start but then you’re just stressed about not keeping it current), then of course it’s a good idea.
@ Diana: Thank you.
Bunny got Blog responds:
Posted: November 28th, 2008 at 5:35 pm →
I can relate. This is a very good post and I am sincerely grateful you shared your thoughts with us.
Sierra Black responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2010 at 12:42 pm →
hey – I just followed a link back to this older post from your new one on what you learned in your first two years blogging.
Like you, my personal blog has been a great way to showcase my work, and it’s won me professional gigs at other sites in my niche(s). The thing I struggle with most on ChildWild is direction. I know the most successful blogs have a “laser-like” focus, and I’m just not a laser-like focus kind of person. I have a set of overlapping interests – sustainability, parenting, personal finance, and education. I try to ask myself: will my audience be interested in this tangent? I’m interested in a lot of things – sex, history, literature, cycling – that I almost never post about because they’re just not germane to my topic. But posts about money or education or current events that I have a personal slant on, or want to write about from a parenting angle, often do show up.
I’m just now – like, this week – starting to look at what I can do beyond “writing well” to attract more readers and advertisers to my blog – ie: to make real money with it. Apparently there’s this “SEO” thing? I guess I should look into that more. Any tips on where to start would be greatly appreciated.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2010 at 1:24 pm →
Hi Sierra,
To learn about SEO, start here:
Begginers’ Guide to SEO
Good luck!
Sierra Black responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2010 at 1:31 pm →
oh – I posted that whole long comment and forgot to make my main point: which is that I think having small, manageable goals – like, I want X subscribers by X date – is a useful way to grow a blog (or any project). As you said, knowing what your aims are with a blog is key, and for me having benchmarks is a good way to stay sane. Will I be satisified when I reach my subscriber goal? No, I’ll set a new one. But little goals keep me focused and let me know how my efforts are succeeding.