Do you want your readers to engage with your blog? Want them to comment and share your post on social media? Want them to come back to your blog and read your next post? Then you want to increase your blog engagement. In this post, I’ll explain what this is, why it’s important for SEO and I’ll give you 8 tips on how to increase the engagement of the audience to your blog!
So, what is blog engagement exactly?
We define blog engagement by all the ways people can interact with your post. This could be leaving a comment, sharing your post on their Facebook timeline or mentioning your blog post in a newsletter, tweet or blog post. Besides those, it’s a form of engagement to return to your website to read your next post or subscribe to your newsletter.
Engaged readers are those readers who are active on your blog. And you want your visitors to be active. These active users are the people that buy your stuff, read your newsletter and become regular visitors of your website. These people are your most loyal customers, and can also be your brand ambassadors who will help you reach other people.
Why is blog engagement important for SEO?
Blog engagement can contribute to SEO. If your audience shares your post and leave comments on your blog (and you respond to these comments), Google will notice that your blog is very much alive and active. And of course, mentions on social media will also help with your blog’s ranking. If people share your post on social media or talk about it online, this will definitely lead to more traffic.
But how do you increase the engagement of your audience? How do you make sure that people comment on your blog post and share it on social media? I’ll give you 8 tips to increase the engagement on your blog!
Tips to increase blog engagement
1. Be relatable
Always put yourself in your readers’ shoes. What “problems” do they experience? And what questions are they asking online? Make sure to focus on the needs of your audience, because this is what they will recognize and what they’re searching for. This may sound simple enough, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of creating content about your products or services without considering what your customers really want to read about. Write in a way that’s relatable for your reader and focus on their needs.
2. Create high-quality content
Your content should be awesome. Your content should be so informative, funny, or relevant, that your site visitors want to share it with the world. Of course, this can be challenging. But if you take a few steps in preparation you’ll be able to create quality content that your readers and Google will love. Also, make your content readable and appealing with these 10 tips for an awesome blog post.
3. Be consistent
In order to get people to engage with your blog, you should blog on a regular basis. Let people know what to expect. You don’t have to blog every day to create engagement, but make sure the intervals are predictable. If people know that you always publish posts on Thursdays, people might swing by your website on these Thursdays on their own initiative. Think about setting up a content planning to make this easier for yourself or your team.
4. Be original
Make sure your content is worth sharing. The most effective way to make sure that people want to share your content is to write original stuff. If your story is one of a kind, people will be more prone to sharing. Don’t be afraid to share your own unique knowledge about a subject. And because I know that finding inspiration isn’t always easy, I have a few tips to find new blog post ideas.
5. Be (a bit) controversial
People tend to respond to something when they disagree. So, if you want to provoke people to share their point of view on a certain issue, or you want to start an interesting discussion: don’t be afraid to be controversial. Make your statements a little bit bolder and a little less nuanced. Don’t go overboard, though, or you’ll have to deal with a lot of negative comments.
6. Ask for engagement
If you want people to respond to your post, ask them to do so! If visitors are actually invited to comment, chances are much higher they decide to do so. Ask people to share their thoughts on the matter at the end of a blog post, or encourage people to like or share your post on social media.
7. Respond to the engagement
If you do invite people to comment on your blog, be polite and respond to their comments. When your audience notices that you pay attention to their reactions, they’ll be more inclined to come back and visit your website yet another time. Don’t worry too much about having to deal with negative or off-topic comments, as opening the discussion can bring you so much closer to your readers. We also discuss the different types of comments in our article on how to handle comments on your blog.
8. Engage on other blogs
Make sure to be visible on other blogs related to your area of expertise. Comment on posts that have similar subjects as your own posts. If people see you engage on other blogs, they’ll be curious to see what you’ve written about the matter. Do be careful not to use these comments as a way to just promote your products or services, as this can lead to more annoyance than people visiting your site.
Conclusion on blog engagement
In order to collect an engaging audience for your blog you should be a little bold. Make sure to post awesome and original content and add just a little bit of controversy. And, do not forget to invite people to respond! While we’re on the matter… how do you create engagement with your readers? Do you have a hot tip I haven’t discussed here? I’d love to hear your view on this!
Marieke was Head of Strategy and former CEO at Yoast. During her time at our company she wrote a lot. Topics that she loves writing about include SEO copywriting, site structure and readability.
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23 Responses to Increase blog engagement: 8 tips to boost shares and comments
Joshua Isibor • 4 years ago
This was really helpful.. 🙈
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Great to hear, Joshua!
David Earley • 4 years ago
I’m beginning to get the impression people simply will not engage with certain content or niches.
I utilize most of these methods, but my niche is somewhat small. I’m currently using a strategy of part photo blog and part content (all original apart from factual data already online). Most articles have about 10 photos and 1,500 words. I’ve also experimented creating short videos and linking to and from those to specific content.
It’s baffling how my content receives very little traffic, but many other random videos, I would never dream of watching, get thousands of views. Once in awhile, I will receive a few good comments on social media, but I feel like people who are looking at content on a social media platform want to comment on that platform, and not on the website.
Additionally, when I search for related content, I find most sites on page one do not allow comments. Either they do not want to deal with spam, or they realize it’s just not worth commenting on in the first place. It’s getting rarer to find sites which allow comments, so that could play part in disengagement as well.
Another part of the problem may be the type of visitors. Most of mine come organically from the search engines, but they may not quite fit the niche? It’s difficult to determine. How does one know if visitors didn’t comment because they did not find what they were looking for, or they did find it and quickly left?
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Hi David, thanks for your question! I think in your case it would be a good idea to conduct some research into your audience and the key phrases they use when searching online. This can give you insight into what they are looking for and if your site is providing the right content to match their search intent.
Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions!
Behzad Hussain • 4 years ago
Thank you for sharing this nice advice.
Out of these 8 tips, I think the most difficult is the content planning and being consistent in publishing high-quality content. I am finding it difficult right now.
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Hi Behzad! Thanks for your comment! You’re right, it can be difficult to stay consistent in the frequency of posting new content. Just remember that you determine that frequency. So if it’s too much, just give yourself some more air and decrease the number of posts you write per month. Try to find that balance that works for you :)
Hello Willemien,
Had to say a quick thanks for this priceless advice.
That line about Being Controversial hit me, it hit me hard. I couldn’t agree more with the fact that most disapproved theories get the most attention, Be it real life or the web itself.
I am surprised to what huge amount of benefits this strategy can provide in the long run.
My blog could not get any major traffic from quiet some time.
Now, I know some best strategies to write content that is eye catchy and provokes the reader to present his thoughts. Now, on my way to write some controversial content, you better hope I don’t make a huge mess.
Thanks and Regards
Devdutt
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Hi there, Devdutt! You’re welcome :) Good luck with your writing, it sounds like you’re going to do an awesome job!
champions battery • 4 years ago
Thanks for the the awesome tips for blog engagement. It will help me to write blogs for my clients.
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
You’re welcome and good luck with your writing!
Zola • 4 years ago
Thank you for sharing these awesome strategies to gain more engagement. Having more people engaging with online content has not been easy, but gradually I’ve began to be consistent with posting better content on my blog. I started noticing more people commenting on my posts and some sharing on social media. I also invite my subscribers to comment on the new post I share when I send them the newsletter or email.
Willemien Hallebeek • 4 years ago
You’re doing great, Zola! Inviting people to respond does help in a lot of cases. Keep up the good work!
Luke • 4 years ago
Nice article :) It is quite hard to be controversial when you are writing about facts…otherwise, people would think that we’re misleading them. With everything else, I 100% agree.
Willemien Hallebeek • 4 years ago
Hi Luke! I understand you’re concern. It might not work for every industry/market/topic. What you could consider, instead of making a bold statement is posing a controversial question in your title (and perhaps debunk it further down in your article). But, for sure, check if this suits your audience!
Luke • 4 years ago
Thanks! Interesting idea…I’ll try to incorporate it into my next article.
Best :)
Daria • 4 years ago
These are basic principles that everyone should use for successful blogging.
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Thanks for your comment, Daria!
Aman Singh • 4 years ago
I think the only problem with me is inconsistency and I never ask my visitors to get engaged in my blog, Thank you will try these tips.
Willemien Hallebeek • 4 years ago
You’re welcome, Aman. Let us know if that works!
Michael Leahy • 4 years ago
For those that write articles for corporate sites that don’t allow comments (yep, they exist), you could always create a link to the article from the client’s LinkedIn page, be a little more chatty and edgy and encourage people to react on LinkedIn.
Camille Cunningham • 4 years ago
Thanks for that great addition, Michael!
R Conte • 4 years ago
Correction: “Engaged readers are those readers *who*are active on your blog.”
This was really helpful.. 🙈
Great to hear, Joshua!
I’m beginning to get the impression people simply will not engage with certain content or niches.
I utilize most of these methods, but my niche is somewhat small. I’m currently using a strategy of part photo blog and part content (all original apart from factual data already online). Most articles have about 10 photos and 1,500 words. I’ve also experimented creating short videos and linking to and from those to specific content.
It’s baffling how my content receives very little traffic, but many other random videos, I would never dream of watching, get thousands of views. Once in awhile, I will receive a few good comments on social media, but I feel like people who are looking at content on a social media platform want to comment on that platform, and not on the website.
Additionally, when I search for related content, I find most sites on page one do not allow comments. Either they do not want to deal with spam, or they realize it’s just not worth commenting on in the first place. It’s getting rarer to find sites which allow comments, so that could play part in disengagement as well.
Another part of the problem may be the type of visitors. Most of mine come organically from the search engines, but they may not quite fit the niche? It’s difficult to determine. How does one know if visitors didn’t comment because they did not find what they were looking for, or they did find it and quickly left?
Hi David, thanks for your question! I think in your case it would be a good idea to conduct some research into your audience and the key phrases they use when searching online. This can give you insight into what they are looking for and if your site is providing the right content to match their search intent.
These articles will help you get started with this:
– https://yoast.com/analyzing-your-audience-a-how-to/
– https://yoast.com/keyword-research-ultimate-guide/
Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions!
Thank you for sharing this nice advice.
Out of these 8 tips, I think the most difficult is the content planning and being consistent in publishing high-quality content. I am finding it difficult right now.
Hi Behzad! Thanks for your comment! You’re right, it can be difficult to stay consistent in the frequency of posting new content. Just remember that you determine that frequency. So if it’s too much, just give yourself some more air and decrease the number of posts you write per month. Try to find that balance that works for you :)
This article can help you with your content planning: https://yoast.com/carolines-corner-blog-planning/
Hello Willemien,
Had to say a quick thanks for this priceless advice.
That line about Being Controversial hit me, it hit me hard. I couldn’t agree more with the fact that most disapproved theories get the most attention, Be it real life or the web itself.
I am surprised to what huge amount of benefits this strategy can provide in the long run.
My blog could not get any major traffic from quiet some time.
Now, I know some best strategies to write content that is eye catchy and provokes the reader to present his thoughts. Now, on my way to write some controversial content, you better hope I don’t make a huge mess.
Thanks and Regards
Devdutt
Hi there, Devdutt! You’re welcome :) Good luck with your writing, it sounds like you’re going to do an awesome job!
Thanks for the the awesome tips for blog engagement. It will help me to write blogs for my clients.
You’re welcome and good luck with your writing!
Thank you for sharing these awesome strategies to gain more engagement. Having more people engaging with online content has not been easy, but gradually I’ve began to be consistent with posting better content on my blog. I started noticing more people commenting on my posts and some sharing on social media. I also invite my subscribers to comment on the new post I share when I send them the newsletter or email.
You’re doing great, Zola! Inviting people to respond does help in a lot of cases. Keep up the good work!
Nice article :) It is quite hard to be controversial when you are writing about facts…otherwise, people would think that we’re misleading them. With everything else, I 100% agree.
Hi Luke! I understand you’re concern. It might not work for every industry/market/topic. What you could consider, instead of making a bold statement is posing a controversial question in your title (and perhaps debunk it further down in your article). But, for sure, check if this suits your audience!
Thanks! Interesting idea…I’ll try to incorporate it into my next article.
Best :)
These are basic principles that everyone should use for successful blogging.
Thanks for your comment, Daria!
I think the only problem with me is inconsistency and I never ask my visitors to get engaged in my blog, Thank you will try these tips.
You’re welcome, Aman. Let us know if that works!
For those that write articles for corporate sites that don’t allow comments (yep, they exist), you could always create a link to the article from the client’s LinkedIn page, be a little more chatty and edgy and encourage people to react on LinkedIn.
Thanks for that great addition, Michael!
Correction: “Engaged readers are those readers *who*are active on your blog.”
Thanks, we changed it right away!