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:
- Listicle Headline (ex. 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Blogging)
- Best of Headline (ex. Newbie Awards: Best of Beauty 2018)
- How to Headline (ex. How to Set Goals You’ll Keep)
- Question Headline (ex. Pan That Palette 2018 Finale/Will I Do It Again?)
- News/Announcement Headline (ex. Starbucks to Eliminate Plastic Straws)
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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jennifertarheelreader says
April 16, 2019 at 7:25 amSuch 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! ♥️
The Newbury Girl says
April 16, 2019 at 11:25 pmThank you, Jennifer! I’m honestly just so impressed how steadily you’re able to get your reviews out!!!
localphgurl says
April 17, 2019 at 9:38 pmVery helpful post, thanks for this! 😊💖
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:33 pmSo glad that you found this helpful – thank you for your comment & for visiting my blog! 😀
Accidental Blogger says
April 16, 2019 at 8:05 amThis 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. 😁
The Newbury Girl says
April 16, 2019 at 11:24 pmThank 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!
Accidental Blogger says
April 17, 2019 at 5:03 amYes ,I can relate totally. Now I’ve slowly started to make it public.
Best wishes for your blog too 😊🙌
Jessica says
April 16, 2019 at 9:17 amEverything 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!!
The Newbury Girl says
April 16, 2019 at 11:23 pmThank you so much! <3 I'm glad that you agree!
PoojaG says
April 16, 2019 at 10:40 pmReblogged this on lifesfinewhine and commented:
These are great tips and thank you so much for the mention!
The Newbury Girl says
April 18, 2019 at 11:04 pmThank you so much for the reblog – so many people have responded positively to your advice regarding tags
PoojaG says
April 19, 2019 at 7:42 pmYou’re very welcome!!
sheri hoyte books says
April 16, 2019 at 10:51 pmGreat post. Thanks so much for the tips!
The Newbury Girl says
April 16, 2019 at 11:22 pmThank you so much – hope this was helpful! <3
Sunshine with Savannah says
April 16, 2019 at 11:33 pmGreat post! Engagement is by far the biggest thing for me, and I’m working to get into a better routine with it. Thank you so much for sharing!
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 12:00 amAw thank you so much for your comment. I hope this was helpful! <3
molly rose says
April 17, 2019 at 12:24 amI 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
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 2:44 pmI had no idea either !! But it def helped my posts get better engagement once I edited my tags!
Gail McLaughlin says
April 17, 2019 at 11:42 amWhat 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.
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 12:00 pmThank you so much for this thoughtful comment! 💜 Glad you found this helpful!
scatteredbrained says
April 17, 2019 at 1:29 pmI was wondering why aren’t my posts popping off the way I want and then comes this post. Thank you!
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 12:00 pmI’m so glad you found this helpful. 💜 Happy Blogging!
Simone says
April 17, 2019 at 2:23 pmI 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!
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:22 pmAh I’m so glad you discovered something new through this post. I had no clue about tag spam until I read Pooja’s post! Good luck with all of your updates!! 😀
Simone says
April 18, 2019 at 12:51 amThank you love!!
Thesacredspaceap says
April 17, 2019 at 2:35 pmGreat post full of really useful tips! I am going to go and promote my latest post now!
Thank you!
Alyssa
THESACREDSPACEAP.COM
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:21 pmThank you so much, Alyssa! You do such a great job promoting your content on Twitter & connecting with other bloggers! <3
gabbyabigailll says
April 17, 2019 at 3:16 pmThese 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
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:26 pmAw 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. 😀
TranquilTrekker says
April 17, 2019 at 4:39 pmThank you for the information!
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:29 pmYou are very welcome – glad that this was helpful.
Lellalee says
April 17, 2019 at 4:49 pmThank you for sharing, this is a really useful and informative post and a great guide! xxx
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:30 pmThank you so much!! Glad this was helpful. 😀
ThatAutisticFitChick says
April 17, 2019 at 5:20 pmThis 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 🙂
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:32 pmOMG – 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.
ThatAutisticFitChick says
April 18, 2019 at 8:20 amThank you so much 🙂 I challenge myself to get involved on at least one thread a day which helps me push myself out there and engage 🙂
Jess says
April 17, 2019 at 7:03 pmSo very helpful!!
The Newbury Girl says
April 17, 2019 at 11:32 pmSo glad you found this helpful! <3
Nowhere Tribune says
April 18, 2019 at 6:49 amThese 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.
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 2:45 pmI’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! ☺️
map195 says
April 18, 2019 at 7:04 aminformative
Geraldine says
April 18, 2019 at 12:50 pmI’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
The Newbury Girl says
April 18, 2019 at 12:56 pmFor 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. 🙂
Michelle says
April 18, 2019 at 10:51 pmI am finding this to be true about my blogs. I haven’t t been getting much attention anymore even though I publish often
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 2:46 pmI’m so sorry to hear this – I hope these tips help you! 💜
Life Ain’t Simple... says
April 19, 2019 at 3:56 amThank you think I need to use less tags x
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 2:47 pmIt’s so helpful when you figure out tagging and what tags will drive visits! ☺️
Tina S. says
April 19, 2019 at 4:25 pmWow! 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.
The Newbury Girl says
April 19, 2019 at 6:17 pmI’m glad this was helpful to you! Happy blogging!! ☺️
Nancy says
April 20, 2019 at 1:41 amThis 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
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 2:49 pmYour 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.
lifeofahedonist says
April 20, 2019 at 4:22 amThis is so true! Last year I went through all these steps and came to similar conclusions. Thank you for this, you are an inspiration! 🙂
The Newbury Girl says
April 20, 2019 at 11:57 amOmg thank you – you are too sweet! 💜 Happy blogging!
DailyRoutine says
April 21, 2019 at 12:36 amGreat tips ! I just started blogging and don’t know if I’m doing the right things – this was so helpful !!
The Newbury Girl says
April 21, 2019 at 2:50 pmI’m so glad to hear that you found this helpful. Best of luck on your blogging journey! <3
jmillerbeauty92 says
April 22, 2019 at 10:15 pmThis is very helpful and informative. 🙂
The Newbury Girl says
April 22, 2019 at 10:22 pmI’m so glad you found this helpful! 💜
Faith says
April 23, 2019 at 2:21 amI’m just starting out with my blog and this is really useful, thanks so much for writing this!!
Hunida says
April 23, 2019 at 1:44 pmGreat 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!
The Newbury Girl says
April 26, 2019 at 1:33 pmHah – glad that I’m not the only one lol! I felt a little salty sharing that, but blogging so much about interacting with others!
janice says
April 23, 2019 at 2:41 pmSome really great points
The Newbury Girl says
April 26, 2019 at 1:32 pmthank you so much! Glad this was helpful to you!
Estée Izaola says
April 23, 2019 at 5:06 pmGrowing 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.
The Newbury Girl says
April 26, 2019 at 1:27 pmI 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! 😀
Mind and Love says
April 23, 2019 at 7:58 pmGreat 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
Sarada Gray says
May 7, 2019 at 6:26 amSome 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
The Newbury Girl says
May 7, 2019 at 11:41 pmI definitely agree with you – the interaction is really what makes it all worth it! 💜 Thank you for your comment.
artworkworld says
May 8, 2019 at 12:27 pmI enjoyed the post. It made me think a little about my near zero promotion of my blog & even made me send my first tweet!
The Newbury Girl says
May 8, 2019 at 1:36 pmAw I’m so glad to hear that this was helpful – it took me almost 10 months to muster up the courage to start promoting my blog. Wish you success!!
Infinite Passion says
May 19, 2019 at 6:20 amThanks. This was helpful. 🙂
The Newbury Girl says
May 19, 2019 at 11:51 pmSo glad you found this helpful!
Alex | california pollution says
May 30, 2019 at 11:48 amLove this! Super helpful as a refresher as I look to get back into blogging. So proud of how much you’ve grown!
The Newbury Girl says
May 30, 2019 at 9:35 pmThank you, girl! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you come back with – will def be your hype woman whenever you’re ready!! 😀