grow your blog

You start blogging because you want to do something. Be someone. Be a part of something.

It doesn?t matter what your goals are ? thought leader, business leads, brand awareness, monetization, or even just a place to post thought ? you blog because of a particular reason.

The problem is, no matter how good the reason may seem to you, the traction isn?t coming fast enough for you. Which is okay, actually ? successful blogging is a marathon, not a sprint (damn these cheesy quotes!).

But for anyone that?s looking to try and speed up the success process, stop looking too deep into why you might be lagging, and instead think about adopting these four approaches that every blogger should aim toward, if they want to be successful.

1. Read

This might seem like common sense, but read other blog posts as much as you write you own. Look at the best writers in the literary world ? do you think they just read their own books and become great because of that?

No. Instead, they?re reading other authors in their niche, as well as up-and-coming authors in other niches but who have interesting approaches to storytelling. Mimic this.

Think about the blogs and bloggers you?d like to emulate, and see what sets them apart. It could be language, tone, formatting, etc. If you want to be the best, learn from who you feel are the best.

2. Savour

So many bloggers rush to get the next post ready to go. They feel that the more frequent their content, the more search engine value they?ll receive, and the more visitors they?ll get.

The thing is, though, your readers aren?t superhero ninja reading robots. Like the rest of us, they only have a finite amount of time every day to allocate to reading a blog.

So, instead of blasting out content left, right and centre and hoping the SEO benefits will come, take the time to sit back and let your readers savour your posts.

Let the content sink in, and the comments around the post end naturally. You can usually tell when a post has reached its zenith ? don?t force the issue, let it happen and then post the next update.

You don?t have to do this, especially if you have a schedule that works for you ? but wouldn?t it be nice to treat a blog post like a vintage wine instead of a tequila shot once in a while?

3. Comment

One of the most popular questions we get asked here is, ?How do I get more comments?? ? it?s easily in the top five questions for most bloggers.

And, unfortunately, there isn?t any real right or wrong answer, because every reader is different. Oftentimes, the most amazing blog posts get a few comments, while the most inane get hundreds. And vice versa, before you think, ?A-Ha! Let?s write an inane post!?

So, instead of telling you how to get more comments ? although that is covered here ? my piece of advice here is simple: make it easy to comment.

• Use a friendly comment system. This can be your native option (the one that comes with your blog?s design), or a third-party option like Disqus, Livefyre or IntenseDebate (but allow guests to post when using third-party options).
• Have an open comment policy. Unless your business dictates you absolutely must moderate all comments (which breaks up the flow), allow anything to be posted, as long as it adheres to your comment policy.
• Encourage discussion. If someone leaves a comment, reply (where a reply makes sense). Make the reader feel welcome and they?ll come back (especially if you encourage discourse with respect and boot off comment bullies).
• Kill the captchas. Seriously. Captchas used to be used as an excuse for stopping spam, but with the amount of anti-spam filters have now, this is a lame excuse. Captchas are the birth control of blog commenting ? if you want to propogate, drop the barrier to entry.

Make it easy to comment and guess what? People will generally comment.

4. Share

You?re the greatest blogger the world has ever seen and your content is amazing ? so why the heck are you making it so difficult to share with others?

The amount of times I?ve landed on a blog post, loved it, then went to share it with my networks only to find there were no social sharing options? GAH!

This isn?t 1999, folks ? we have hundreds (if not thousands) of ways to share a blog post without just relying on optimized copy for search engines (though, please, don?t forget that either).

You want your blog to grow? Make it easy for folks to help you in that goal.

It?s pretty easy to add sharing options to your blog, no matter what platform you?re on (though if you?re on self-hosted WordPress, even better with the amount of plugins available).

So why would you write the best stuff to keep hidden from the world? Your blog isn?t Rapunzel ? come out of your tower and let it be shared.

It?s pretty straightforward ? whatever your goal is in blogging, you?re not going to get there by making it hard to be found and interacted with.

The good news is, you don?t have to do a heck of a lot to get the cogs moving ? ready to get started?

This post originally appeared on our blog resource centre For Bloggers By Bloggers.

For many bloggers, there are a variety of blogging goals ? growing your blog, monetizing your blog, attracting more readers and more.

While the intent of setting goals is always a good one, often it can be easier said than done. Things get in the way, like life, work and more, and even the most intent blogger can soon let their goal slide.

Yet it doesn?t need to be this way. Just like any commitment, it just takes willpower and stamina. The good news for bloggers is that stamina can be replaced by a blog schedule or maintenance calendar.

With that in mind, here are 10 steps you can take to help you grow your blog .

1. Evaluate Your Blog

Every blogger has goals when they first start out. These vary depending on the blogger. It can be traffic and readers/subscribers; making money; raising awareness of your expertise; or many other reasons.

So check how you?re doing on your goals, and make a list of what you haven?t (yet) achieved.

2. Prioritize Your List

Once you have a list drawn up, start to prioritize from top to bottom in order of the things you want to achieve first.

If there are some that you feel have equal priority, think which one you could leave for another day versus one that?s really bothering you with its absence. Make that one your very top priority, or Want.

3. Build a Reverse Schedule

Now that you have your most important Want as a priority, you need to build a schedule that defines how you?re going to meet this goal. The easiest way to do this is to make it a reverse schedule.

This involves starting as if you?ve succeeded, and then work your way backwards from there to see what pain points you might meet along the way.

These could include vacations, work schedules, family events, etc ? anything that takes?time away from your blogging and therefore your?goal. Then, adjust your goal?s finish date accordingly and make it more realistic based on the pain points.

By making?something realistic, you?ll have a far better chance of achieving it.

4. ?Gather the Tools

Now that you know what goal you?re going to work on first, and the time it?s going to take you, you?ll have a better idea of the tools you need to make it happen. So, for example, if it?s monetizing your blog, you may want to look at affiliate products.

If it?s gaining readers, consider an email list tool. If it?s a redesign of your blog, start looking at themes and frameworks to help you in this.

My preferred choice is the Genesis framework (affiliate link) purely because they make it easy to get going, and provide a rock-solid basis to start your blogging journey. Tools maketh the artist; choose yours wisely.

5. Set Your Success Metrics

Now that you have your Wants and Goals in mind, and the tools needed to get there, you need to set some success metrics. The reason for this is simple ? if you?re not measuring your progress, you don?t know how successful you?re being. This will stop you from making necessary adjustments.

So, if your goal is to monetize, aim for X amount by month 1, then month 2, then month 3, and so on. Same for readers, subscribers, email list members, percentage of visitors from search results and more.

Keep monthly comparisons as these will help you plan an Exit Strategy.

6. Plan an Exit Strategy for Your Blogging Goals

In business, there?s an option called an Exit Strategy. This can be knowing when it?s time to sell a business, or leave?a failing one. But you can also use this for your blog.

If your goals aren?t being met, sit down and ask yourself why.

• Is your subscription box not prominent enough?
• Have you picked the wrong affiliates?
• Are you passionate about your topic?

Knowing where you?re failing ? and why ? will help you either switch paths on the fly, or cull altogether and start afresh.

7. Leave Your Blog Alone

While this might sound crazy ? after all, how can you grow your blog if you leave it alone? ? it?s not. When I say ?Leave your blog?, I mean spend around 70-80% away from it. You should only be there when writing content and replying to comments.

The rest of the time? Promote, promote, promote.

Share on social networks; take part in #BlogChat; comment on other blogs; join communities like BlogEngage and ComLuv; and present at local and national blogging events.

Simply put, the more you get out and about and get to know other people, the more you?ll find those people come to your blog and begin to share it.

8. Have a Locked Down Hard Stop

The biggest mistake many bloggers make when trying to achieve their goals is letting them drag on for?too long when they?re not working. Don?t make this mistake too.

When you have the date you want to achieve something by ? the realistic one we spoke about earlier ? stick to it. If it doesn?t work, it probably wasn?t meant to be, so try something new.

There?s nothing wrong with failing ? failure is just another path to success. Remember this, and you?ll understand what it means to be successful.

9. Re-Evaluate and Redefine

Depending on how you prioritized your goals, you should have a good idea of how many are realistic throughout the timescale you set out to measure your success. Don?t take on too much ? remember, grow your blog in one area and solidify that success, then move onto the next area.

At the end of 12 months, look back at what worked, what didn?t, and then start the process again. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint ? true success comes from longevity, not a fast burn.

10. Read For Bloggers By Bloggers

Okay, hands up, this is kind of a cheeky one. Kind of. Yes, I?m biased, but I really feel we have a great collection of some of the best tips around when it comes to growing your blog, and both our core authors and contributors offer something different in how they present their tips.

We know the pain points you?re experiencing, because we?ve been through them and overcome them.

Yet we?re still learning too ? and that shared experience will help you grow your blog the way you want it to. So keep on dropping by and subscribe to get the latest posts ? you know it makes sense.