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7 Things Your Blog Needs to Keep Readers Coming Back

This is part of the Grow Your Blog Series. Read more posts from the series here.

If you want your blog to grow, you need your readers to come back for new posts on a frequent basis. There are some things you can do to help ensure they do come back. Some of these are repeats from the 12 Tips to Grow Your Blog, but I felt they should be mentioned here again because they are so important.

A great checklist of things every blog should have to keep readers. 7 Things Your Blog Needs to Keep Readers Coming Back

7 Things Your Blog Needs to Keep Readers Coming Back

Contact Page

Have a clear, easy to find page or space on your blog where people can contact you via email or social media. I have my email on my “About Me” page, my “Start Here” page, and my “Advertise” page.

Great “About Me” Page
I love getting to know the person whose blog I’m reading! Anytime I visit a new-to-me blog and I just love it, I want to find out more about the person who is behind the awesome blog! It doesn’t have to be your life story. If I put my whole life story on my about me page, it would be wayyy too long, bore you in some places, and drop your jaw in others. I will be honest, I am not good at “About Me-s” at all! So, I use photos in my About Me page to help tell my story. Lauren, over at The Thinking Closet wrote a great post about revamping your “About Me” page. Check it out here.

Clear Categories / Labels
Make sure you categorize every post with your labels. Keep your categories clear. Example categories may include: DIY, Crafts, Makeovers, etc. Display your Categories/Labels on your sidebar where they can be easily seen. Mine are in the cloud format, rather than the list. This is just a personal preference. I like how it makes the labels bigger that have more posts.

Social Media Buttons
I said it in the 12 Tips to Grow Your Blog, and I’m sayin it again. Make sure you have social media buttons where they are easily seen on your blog. This allows people to quickly follow you and stay up to date on your posts.

Easy to Read Titles, Fonts, & Colors
Don’t use fancy, swirly hard to read fonts. You may be able to read them just fine, but others may not. Use fonts that can be easily read and keep your colors basic! Don’t use reds, yellows, blues and other colors for the majority of your posts. Its hard to read, and will keep many people from finishing reading a post.

Turn Word Verification OFF
Make sure Word Verification is turned OFF on your blog! This is when the box pops up after someone writes a comment asking them to type in the letters and/or numbers. It is so annoying and will keep many people from leaving you comments! To change your comment settings (on Blogger) go to Settings > Posts & Comments and its all there.

Keep Your Blog Clean and Easy to Navigate
Do not clutter up your sidebars! Keep everything neat and organized. Have a section designated for sponsors, ads, etc. Also, your sidebar is prime real estate! Use it to showcase your most popular posts to keep people around on your blog longer! Make it easy for people to find something they are looking for. Have pages designated for certain topics (I have Seasonal Decorating, Home Tour, etc.) Have a search bar for people to easily search your blog.

READ MORE OF THE GROW YOUR BLOG SERIES: 

My Blogging Story

7 Things Your Blog Needs to Keep Readers Coming Back

How to Grow Your Blog with Pinterest

A great checklist of things every blog should have to keep readers. 7 Things Your Blog Needs to Keep Readers Coming Back

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Comments

  1. Desiree Fisher says

    Somemore great tips, as I grow my blog I find this tips very helpful. Thanks for sharing. And as I look at many blogs I agree with everything u have said. The ones that have those things I visit more often.

    Desiree @ YourCraftyFriend

    Reply

  6. Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says

    Thanks for all the great ideas, Jenna! I can use all the help I can get! 😉 Have a wonderful weekend!

    ~Abby =)

    Reply

  8. Shannah @ Just Us Four says

    I am so glad you included turning word verification off! I have gotten to the point that, if it is on, I may try once if I have something I really want to say. That is it though.
    I have also started emailing my favorite bloggers when I notice they have it one. A lot of times they don’t even realize it is on!

    Reply

  10. Danielle says

    Thanks so much for sharing this (over at SixSistersStuff.com party) – I’m just getting back into the blogging world, and it was a huge help. Going to now finish the other articles in your series this evening. Have a great weekend!

    Reply

  11. Krista thehappyhousie says

    Thanks for sharing these fab tips, Jenna. Immediately after I read your first tip I went to my “about” and added a contact email. I will have to check out the other articles in this series as well:)
    Krista @thehappyhousie

    Reply

  13. Krista Rollins says

    Yet another great post! I love these grow your blog posts, they are super helpful, informative, and easy to read. You’re a ROCK Star… oh and I envy your profile picture (so stinking cute)!

    Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats

    Reply

  16. Veronica and Daniel says

    These are some great tips! Word verification is the worst!! And you dont know someone has it until you take the time to type up a thoughtful comment…and then have to try a hundred times to post it 😉

    Reply

  21. Pam O'Brien says

    Thanks, Jenna. Those tips are helpful. I also have a hard time with about-me pages. Now, to go back and check out some of your hyperlinks! (Stopping by from Weekend Wonders.)

    Reply

  28. Christine says

    Great tips Jenna 🙂

    Thanks sooo much for partying with me! Can’t wait to see what you link up at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality tomorrow evening!

    Reply

  29. Jordan Hansen says

    These are some great tips! I am new to blogging, so I am trying to figure out all the technical stuff that goes along with it, like the social media buttons or creating categories to sort my posts. I love finding posts like this so I can use them for future reference and learn ways to grow my own blog! Thanks!!
    http://woroldsnoister.blogspot.com

    Reply

  31. ngnrdgrl says

    Great tips, Jenna! Pinned it to my blogging tips board. You hit a couple pet peeves of mine when reading blogs: fonts and colors as well as word verification. I know people are trying to purty up their blog, but some of them make it really hard to read. The word verification is just plain annoying. I sometimes close the tab after posting my comment, only to see a flash of the word verification form disappear. Oops! Oh, well. Guess they didn’t want my comment that much. I once tried to pass a word verification four times before succeeding!

    Reply

  32. Kim M says

    Love these tips! I just started blogging, so I keep changing things, trying to get it all right! I’m going back right now to tweak it again, based on your tips! I’m pinning this to keep at my fingertips! Thanks

    Reply

  34. Momcrieff.com says

    I LOVE the series you have to help us newer bloggers! Thank you for making them specific, helpful and easy to find on your blog! I have already made 4 changes to my blog based on what you have written.

    Reply

  36. Diana Lee (@somebodyhealme) says

    This is great! I wanted to share how great I’ve found Disqus as an alternative to the Blogger commenting system. It deals with 99.8% of the spam comments, but makes it easy for my readers to interact. And it couldn’t be easier to install. I loathe word verification.

    Reply

  38. keyosha holmes says

    I am a new blogger and I have been working on my blog site and my facebook page since the past weekend. I am a fan of several blogs and I love them! I am a craze for blogs. I think it is a wonderful and exciting thing for people to do and I’ve been getting lots of ideas as well by reading other blog sites. I ran across yours today, and I have to be honest, I have been on your site for about a hour and a half now just reading all if this valuable and helpful information! I just want to say thank you so very much, it all of this is so amazing and so worth the time to read! Thank you!

    Reply

  39. Jelli says

    Great tips for any new bloggers out there. Thanks so much for sharing. Word verification drives me nuts. So glad you reminded us to turn it off! Pinning.

    Reply

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