The Newbury Girl

Blogger Love | Advice for Bloggers | Why Your Blog Posts Aren't Getting Engagement & Tips for How to Boost Engagement

5 Easy Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

April 16, 2019

As a blogger, there is nothing more disappointing than pouring your heart and soul into a blog post that performs poorly. Ever wonder what are the best ways to increase engagement on your website? If you’re frustrated with your low blog post engagement, please keep reading for five easy ways to increase your website engagement.

Five Reasons Why Your Posts Aren’t Engaging

1. Your headline lacks a hook

Believe it or not, a headline is extremely important to drawing in a reader. The headline is the first point of contact someone has with your work.

Ideally, the perfect headline should be applicable to your audience (this is where having a niche can be helpful) and should communicate the value that you plan to provide. There is a multitude of headline types that you can use to draw in your audience, but here are 5 common types:

2. You don’t have a featured photo

Just like your headline, your featured photo contributes to a reader’s first impression of your post. As such, at a minimum, every single new post should have a featured header photo.

Not a skilled photographer? Don’t worry – there are loads of ways to find or create the graphics that you need. Canva, WordPress, and Styled Stock Society all prove stock imagery that can be used in blog posts. Canva can also be used to design graphics or edit photos.

2019 Winter Empties | Cosmetics, Skincare, Haircare | Best Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

Ex. Header Image: I like to include the title of my posts, but you don’t have to

3. You don’t use tags (properly)

Not using tags appropriately is a major no-no for a few reasons. First, post tags help Google to understand what your post is about (which affects your SEO). Second, post tags enable other bloggers to find your content when they’re looking for or reading about specific topics.

More specifically, tags are used to sort and rank your content within the WordPress Reader. For example, I write posts relating to Project Panning. If I type the phrase “Pan That Palette” into the reader search bar, not only is my post the top featured post, but I am the top featured blogger. As a result, any WordPress bloggers interested in the Pan That Palette Yearlong Challenge are going to be directed to my content.

Proper post tagging is one of the best ways to increase engagement on your website. Tags draw in readers looking for similar content!

How to Use Blog Tags Effectively | Best Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

Currently, I’m the top featured post and blogger for the “Pan that Palette” tag on WordPress

However, I learned in a recent post from Pooja G (lifesfinewhine) that there is such a thing as using too many tags. Bloggers should use 10 or fewer tags per post. Otherwise, WordPress may consider your content to be spam… and as such, it won’t show up in the WordPress Reader. Anecdotally, I can contest that this is true. After fixing/removing tags for a few of my posts, I immediately saw a trickle of engagement even though the posts were older.

4. You don’t promote your posts

I’ve heard it said that blogging is 20% Content, 80% Promotion… which is annoying, but true. No one can like or comment on your content if they aren’t seeing it!

My early blog posts did not do very well in terms of engagement because I was afraid to promote them on social media. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are all wonderful platforms for promoting your content and connecting with other bloggers.

Blogger Love | Why Your Blog Posts Have Low Engagement | How to Improve Blog Post Engagement | Best Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

In less than 3 months, I’ve eclipsed my total blog views for all of 2018

I typically suggest that shy or new bloggers start with Twitter because people are the most engaging, supportive, and relaxed on Twitter (compared to platforms like Instagram). Check out my post featuring Twitter 101 Tips & 40+ Blogger Retweet Accounts for help getting started or help to improve your Twitter game.

5. You don’t engage with others

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to engage with and support other content creators. Engagement is a two-way street in two ways – successful bloggers engage with other bloggers and their readers.

What does it mean to engage with another blogger’s content? This means sharing, retweeting, liking, or commenting on posts. This may be time-consuming, but it is so vital to sustaining actual relationships with others. When I see that a friend has posted new content, their posts are always the first ones I comment on or “like” in my feed because (1) I know that I like their content and (2) I adore them!

What does it mean to engage with your readers? Respond to their comments. Not only have I made some new friends this way, but it makes me more likely to engage with that blogger’s content in the future.

Sad to say, but I’ve unfollowed or stopped commenting on bloggers’ content when I realized they never replied to any comments. As your blog grows, this can become challenging so it may not be possible to respond all the time, but successful bloggers go out of their way to respond to their readers… even if the response is only to “like” the comment.

Engaging with your audience is easily one of the best ways to increase engagement on your website. It encourages continued support.

Final Thoughts on the Easy Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

Above all, don’t let “low” engagement make you feel like an inadequate blogger, because that’s simply not true. As we all know, failure is a liar that tells us to doubt ourselves and our abilities, when in reality most blogging “failure” is (1) arbitrary and (2) not content related.

Most blogging “mistakes” have to do with blog promotion rather than blog content. People have to find your content to read it and engage with you.

While I’ve included the simplest, best ways to increase engagement on your website, there is no magic fix. Sometimes, we just need a reminder to keep pursuing our passions and work hard.

Let’s connect on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin’ | Influenster

Blogger Love | Why Your Blog Posts Have Low Engagement | How to Improve Blog Post Engagement | Best Ways to Increase Engagement on Your Website

Did you enjoy my tips on the best ways to increase engagement on your website? Are you looking for more tips on how to step up your blogging game? Check out Blogger Recognition Award: Why I Write & Tips for New Bloggers, Helpful Tools for Blog Planning & Scheduling, and 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Blogging.

What do you think are the best ways to increase engagement on your website? How to do you encourage engagement on your blog posts? Please let me know in the comments below.

Reader Interactions

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Comments

  1. Such a smart and helpful post, LP! So true about the engagement with others and I need to remember to actually count the number of tags I use. I can’t wait for your comment etiquette post! ♥️

    Reply

  2. This is very helpful post for all the bloggers out there 🙌
    I can relate to not promoting my blog. Though I’ve got good response on my blog , I didn’t make it public for long. I’ve been shy to tell that I’ve got a blog. It’s been just a day when I announced it on my personal Instagram about my blog. 😁

    Reply

    • Thank you so much!! I totally agree that is can be scary to promote your blog … most of my family / friends don’t know that I blog, but I promote through my blog social channels. Good luck as you continue to grow your blog!

      Reply

  3. Everything you’ve said is literally so true !! I’ve noticed that ALOT of people don’t use tags properly esp on WordPress! Great Post & thanks for sharing!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!

    Reply

  7. I love this and I can definitely attest that all those points are SO important for engagement! I actually had no idea though that you can have too many tags, I think ill be going back and editing a few of my older posts haha! I’m actually really interested in hearing your thoughts on comments etiquette, ill be looking forward to that post! I love this series xx

    Reply

  8. What a wonderful post! I will also read your post on Twitter tips. I try to take time to engage with fellow bloggers but I really do need to get better at it! Thanks for the time you took to write your post.

    Reply

  9. I was wondering why aren’t my posts popping off the way I want and then comes this post. Thank you!

    Reply

  10. I didn’t know about the tags! Glad you shared it because I’m accidentally updating my blog right now so I can fix my tags as well!

    Reply

  11. Great post full of really useful tips! I am going to go and promote my latest post now!
    Thank you!
    Alyssa
    THESACREDSPACEAP.COM

    Reply

  12. These tips are so helpful, girl! I admit that my tags game isn’t strong ATM. I will definitely begin using them more consistently and properly – so thank you for that HUGE reminder! This was so fun to read, so I’m def looking forward to the next post in this series.

    Much love always,
    GABBY | http://www.gabbyabigaill.com

    Reply

    • Aw thank you, girl!!! Appreciate your support so much and I can only imagine how many more people you’ll reach as you start using more tags, since your content is already so amazing. 😀

      Reply

  15. This is an awesome post! I am AWFUL at tags and I know it XD it’s one of my things on my list of things I need to improve (but for me it’s lower down than actually engaging with people because I get very shy so I’m pushing myself hard to get out there more).
    I might actually make that a goal for May, to go back and redo the tags on one old post each day.

    I cannot wait to read your thoughts on comment etiquette! I am always worried that I am doing things wrong so that is going to be helpful and (hopefully) super reassuring for me 🙂

    Reply

    • OMG – you are the absolute sweetest, so don’t fret about the way you comment. You are very thoughtful in all of your comments and in all of your posts. And I totally relate to feeling shy with interacting with others, but I’m seriously so impressed with how actively you engage with other bloggers on WP and on Twitter…. It took me 6 months to build up the courage to do that.

      Reply

  17. These are great. I especially think engagement with others is important, and it’s where some blogs fail. You take the time to read and leave a real comment, and they never acknowledge it. That makes sense on a popular blog with lots of comments, but on a new blog with few readers? I didn’t know that WordPress has stock photos–I’m going to have to check that out.

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you found this helpful – so sorry for the delayed response. I agree – it really is hard when it feels like your effort goes no where, but I’m glad that you found out about WP stock photos through this! ☺️

      Reply

  19. I’m totally struggling with the last two the most!! I never really promote my previous posts once I’ve promoted it the first time, which I know I’ve always needed more work on. I did really well the first few months of my blogging in terms of engagement, but I realized starting 2019 I really just didn’t feel like doing anything for my blog, including engagement! I totally agree with all of these. Thanks for sharing lovely! 🙂

    Geraldine | https://geraldinetalks.com

    Reply

    • For promoting old posts, I find pre-scheduling to be the most helpful! So for example, I schedule my blog promo Tweets ahead of time and try to schedule out Pinterest as far as I can too. (Although Pinterest is a little limiting without Tailwind at the moment, but hoping once my financial position changes that I can invest in that tool). Glad you found this helpful – can’t wait to see your blog redesign. 🙂

      Reply

  22. Wow! This is so helpful for starters like me. Thank you very much for sharing. Yes, it can be frustrating and it’s nice to know that issues on post engagements have practicable solutions.

    Reply

  23. This blog post is so important! There are different reasons why a blog might not receive as much love. I’m not that great at having a popping headline, though I try to keep it somewhat interesting and simple. YESSS on featured pictures! Having a popping one will attract people! I find engagement with other people very important. I mean, I’ve seen bloggers, where they unfortunately say things like: “I rather have readers who comment because they want to and my commenting shouldn’t be encouraging them to…” No!!! This is wrong on all sorts of levels. Engagement is definitely a two-way street. Thanks for sharing these tips!!

    Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me

    Reply

    • Your photos are always on another level, Nancy! 💜 I definitely agree with you that having that negative mindset towards engagement is so discouraging …. engagement is 100% a two-way Street.

      Reply

  25. Great tips ! I just started blogging and don’t know if I’m doing the right things – this was so helpful !!

    Reply

  28. Great tips!! I always thought it was less than 15 tags, not only 10. Uh oh. Lol. & I have also unfollowed blogs that don’t respond to my comments. 😛 Looking forward to that Comment Etiquette 101 post!

    Reply

  30. Growing my posts’ engagement is definitely my main focus and your tips are really helpful. I’ve recently become more involved in Facebook groups and on actually commenting on other people’s post, and that has helped tremendously.

    Not only has my engagement grown but I’ve come across so many different types of posts and I really love learning new things and discovering how people think. It has made me more knowledgeable and appreciative of the blogging community.

    Reply

    • I tried getting involved with FB groups, but didn’t have much luck because (1) Facebook took down my page and (2) I found that I wasn’t getting return engagement. Would love to read any tips <3

      Glad to have connected with you on Twitter & IG! 😀

      Reply

  31. Great post! You are spot on about Twitter. I started my blog in January of this year with almost zero social media experience, let alone promotion experience, and I have found Twitter to be the most welcoming and easiest to use. I find that people are very supportive and understanding.

    I also found the section on tags helpful. I have been using them, but without much purpose behind it.

    Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to your post on commenting etiquette!

    Roger

    Reply

  32. Some good thoughts here. I have often scratched my head over my blog stats as there seems no rhyme or reason to them, but you’re probably right about the 80/20 thing. and I do enjoy interacting with other bloggers; it makes it worthwhile to have that interaction

    Reply

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