Anyone who operates a blog for income, attention or as a bit of fun knows that success depends on how many people see, read and share your content. The age-old art of discussion revolves around a healthy flow of ideas and consideration of others’ thoughts, but all too many people seem to have forgotten about that in the age of instant and impersonal communication. If you want to increase the likelihood that people will comment, share and engage the way you want them to, then you need to be more proactive in a few areas. In the following article, we’ll outline some ways to do this, and in the process, boost blog engagement.

Give It to Receive It

If you operate a blog, you’ve no doubt at one point seen a comment posted to one of your articles but failed to engage with it. While this might not present an immediate problem, the act of consistently ignoring blog comments will result in pure dead space for your blog. We all want each article to be filled with folks who are ready and willing to share information, debate and ultimately spread the news to their friends. Without you engaging in the process – especially true on smaller blogs – you’ll never develop enough traction for readers and visitors to interact with one another in a sustainable fashion.

Aim for Better Content, Not More of It

Some people produce weekly writings for their blogs, but have failed to see any increase in engagement or traffic. As a result, they begin to think that they need more content in order to attract people, and a vicious cycle begins. The reality is that quality content is far more important than the amount of content you are pinging to Google and others. As search engines continue to analyse content based on how others feel about it, you have no reason not to be producing content that readers will find informative, creative and engaging. With this being the main focus, you are sure to help further stimulate blog engagement and traffic.

Always Share Socially

While pinging to Google your latest updates is a great way to boost SEO, you also want to be all about boosting social sharing. After all, what better way to boost engagement than to get into the status feeds of thousands of other users? Every time you make a new post or have something new to say, you should share via social media with friends and existing followers. Some brands will even engage in paid marketing tactics via social media to put their content in front of relevant audiences (many of whom might not otherwise see it). This can definitely boost your short-term traffic and help you gain attention for important topics, but is not as solid of a method as SEO is for long-term growth.

Conclusion

With the three outlined methods above – the production of quality content, social sharing and mutual engagement with your audiences – you can be sure to produce an atmosphere that is conducive for growth. There are several other ways to boost engagement that are not covered in this article, so be sure to get creative and find out what works specifically for your blog or brand!