10 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Blog

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10 reasons why no one is reading your blog & how you can easily fix these problems & gain real readers that keep coming back to read more.

 

Honestly, this post about why no one is reading your blog is less of me sharing with you what you are doing wrong, but a reminder to myself of what I can do to boost my views & grow my following.

Because let’s face it, there are a million things to do & never enough time to do it, especially if you are running a blog by yourself!

Sometimes it feels like you are working so hard with little to no return.

Chances are if you are reading this post you are searching for some answers. As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or need any help feel free to message me!

And since this is a pretty long post I think we should go ahead & just dive right into it!

 

 

1. Reader Focused Content

I touched on this topic in my post 10 Reasons You Should Not Start a Blog, so I’ll try to keep it short here. People want to read & engage with content that benefits them in some way.

A very important question to ask when you are creating new content for your blog is to ask yourself how the post will benefit your readers. If it doesn’t serve or benefit your readers in some way you may want to hold off on writing about that topic until you figure out a way to address it so that it has purpose & meaning for your readers.

 

2. Evergreen Content

Another important thing to think about is how long the post’s content will be valuable.

If it has a short lifespan (like a post focused on the 2017 eclipse or a brand sale) it might not be worth creating because it will only be of value for a short period of time.

Creating seasonal posts that will become relevant again each year is a great way to boost your blog with valuable content.

So, for example, when fall starts coming around my Caramel Apple Slices recipe (which now has over 1 million pins! WOOHOO!!) always gets a big hit & at Christmas, my DIY White Salt Dough does too.

Continually creating content that will be beneficial now & in the future is a great way to bring new & old readers back to your site again & again.

 

3. Timing Content

Knowing when to post content is very important, especially if Pinterest is one of your main traffic drivers.

It can take some time for your post to have a snowball viral effect on Pinterest, so posting right before &/or at the begging of a season can be very beneficial.

For example, I started creating & sharing fall recipes at the beginning of August. Kids are going back to school & for many, that means summer is coming to an end, which means they are beginning to think forward towards fall.

I’m planning to start posting Christmas content in October & winter content (which can double as Christmas content) in December.

Planning ahead is key!

 

4. Pictures

Having unappealing pictures can be a big turn off. Even though you know it is the most amazing recipe in the world, if it isn’t presented properly you will have a hard time bringing in views to your post.

Photographing & editing pictures is an acquired skill, but one that can easily be learned by anyone! And I highly recommend you learn to take your own photos!!

Over the last few years, my photos & editing techniques have changed a lot. Like night & day difference. Literally!!!

When I first started blogging I took photos at night, using the golden lighting of our kitchen lights, & edited my photos on Picasa. Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

Over the years I have learned the importance of taking in focus, properly lighted & edited photos.

If you are looking to grow your photography skills you might want to check this out.

Also, if you are a blogger on a budget who is trying to grow your blog you will love this post on budget blogging.

 

5. SEO

You probably have heard this a million times, but it is so true. Those SEO keywords are important!

I use YOAST to ensure the SEO for each of my posts is good. And I sprinkle important keywords & phrases throughout my post to help boost the potential reach.

 

 

6. Slow Website

Even if you have reader focused evergreen content posted at the correct time, with great pictures, & SEO, if your website is slow your potential readers will leave before your site even has a chance to load & register their view.

We are living in the age of instant gratification. So if your post doesn’t load quickly people will move on to something else or someone else’s post.

It’s incredibly frustrating, I know, I’ve been there.

Last year I had, had enough with my slow website. So I stopped using free themes (which can slow you down), started using StudioPress’s Genesis Framework with the Simply Pro Theme by the Bloom Blog Shop & I switched to SiteGround for my self-hosting needs. 

This was a great discussion because it led to my best fall yet!

Ps. I’ve got a post about how to switch to SiteGround here.

 

7. Google Penalty

Yikes, this is a bad one.

If you don’t have it, avoid it by making sure to properly nofollow vs follow your links.

If you do have it you can easily get it fixed through The Blog Fixer.

I had this problem & The BlogFixer not only fixed the problems, but they went through the process of communicating with Google to remove the penalty for me. Huge time saver & so worth it!

It also came with a 2-month free trial that automatically fixes nofollow links for me every time I update or save a post. I had originally marked it in my calendar to remind myself to cancel it after the trial was up, but I decided it is totally worth it & now I have a years subscription.

I love not having to worry if my links are properly tagged because it does it for me.

Seriously so much love for The Blog Fixer!!

 

8. Wasted Time

Time wasters are the worst. You think & feel like you are doing something to help your blog, but then it turns out it wasn’t worth it at all.

When I first started blogging I was desperate for traffic. I tried a variety of things that helped, but ate away so much time. Time which could have spent learning, creating, & growing in more beneficial, substantial, & long-lasting ways.

I’m going to try to say this carefully because I don’t want anyone to get upset with me. The truth is, I have fallen for all of these traps throughout my blogging journey, which also means I have learned from them.

1. Link Ups

Simply put, they take a lot of time & too many people have a tendency to link drop & run.

A few views here & there can be nice, but I know what you really want is thousands of views a day.

If you aren’t sure, spend a week doing what you normally do with link ups while logging how much time you spend participating in them.

Then for the next 2 weeks, use that Link Up time doing something else for your blog. Like growing your Pinterest following, learning new photography skills, or taking a blogging course to grow your income.

You might not see a huge change over 2 weeks, but in the long run, you will see a difference, especially as you start to grow a loyal following.

2. Facebook Groups

This one really depends on the group. There are some really bad ones with the same downsides as link-ups, but there are also some really good ones that can be beneficial. However, it really all depends on how you use it & how the group is managed.

3. Submission Websites.

I use to be very dedicated to posting all of my recipe & DIY posts to a large list of sites.

It eventually becomes so overwhelming & took so much time that I completely stopped. Yes, I went from one bad extreme to the next. Oops!

A few months ago I decided to get smart. I went through my Google Analytics for the past 2 years & created a short list with the most beneficial & time worthy sites to use.

And yes, I’m going to share them with you!

For Food: Yummly, FoodGawker, Tatespotting (this one has been unusually slow recently), CraftGossip(there is an edible section), & Fridgg.

For DIY/Home: Hometalk, CraftGawker, CraftGossip, DwellingGawker, & AllFreeHolidayCrafts.

Other: Sway (previously SITS), StyleGawker, & WeddingGawker.

Now I am slowly trying to go back & submit the posts from over the last year that I never submitted.

 

 

9. Social Media

Using social media improperly is a big one.

Every blogger has a different favorite & least favorite & it often depends on your niche, audience, & technique.

Personally, my favorites are Facebook & Instagram. I’m honestly not a fan of Twitter, but some people love it! Notice I didn’t include Pinterest? More on that in #10.

A big reason you might not be getting a lot of traffic from social media is that you aren’t using it properly, or maybe not even using it at all.

Guilty!

Over the last month, I have gotten into the habit of posting twice a day on Instagram using the time schedule recommended by Tailwind. Occasionally I miss a time because it’s too early in the morning, we are on vacation, or life just happens. (Note, I wrote this pre-renovation phase 2 in which I woke up at 6:15 am & went to bed at 12:30 am just about every day for 2+ weeks. As you can guess, all blogging went out the door during this time).

When I post I always use between 25-30 hashtags & add a location (not a specific location, you don’t want to give people your address, just general location/closest city). Both of which will increase potential viewership which can lead to new followers.

I also using Instagram Stories & I include hashtags & location to these as well. Can’t see my hashtags? That’s because they are hidden! I have a note on my phone with groups of hashtags depending on the post, then I copy & paste them onto my story. I shrink them with my fingers until they are barely visible & then I move it to the top right corner & then cover it with the location tag.

Sneaky, right?

I worked really hard in August to get ahead of schedule with my posts so that I could spend more time doing other things for my blog, like scheduling Facebook & Twitter. (Again, everything changed when we started renovating again, but I’m determined to catch back up & get ahead again!)

Over the summer I stopped being consistent with posting to them & I’m determined to not let that happen again!

Ps. Currently, I am using the scheduler on Facebook to schedule my Facebook posts & the free version of CrowdFire to schedule my Twitter posts. Oh & did you know that you can use Tailwind to schedule Instagram posts as well?

 

10. Pinterest

A big mistake bloggers often make is mistaking Pinterest with social media & thinking they should post to it like they do other platforms.

Big NO NO!

I could write a whole post about growing your Pinterest following right here, but I won’t because not only would it make this already long post gigantic but also because I have already written one about How to Grow Your Pinterest Following!

Click here to read about how I grew my following by over 600% (from 3,500 to 21,500) in one year using Pinterest scheduling.

 

11. Emails

I’m super embarrassed to say that I haven’t sent out an email in months!!

But starting in 2018 that is all going to change!

Honestly, I wasn’t ready to fork out the cost for emailing my number of subscribers. Plus I didn’t want to start paying for a new email service if I didn’t have time to create emails each week.

But once I have posts scheduled 1 month in advance I know I will feel ready to dive into emails head first.

My goal is to share 1 new email a week for my subscription list filled with my newest posts, fun ideas, & exclusive information. And one email a month to my blogger’s subscription list, with tips, ideas, & exclusive information not found on my blog.

You can sign up for my weekly newsletters here.
And you can sign up for my blogging newsletter here.

 

BONUS: Pray & Have Faith

I realized a while back that I needed to pray more about my blog. I pray for my husband & his job. I pray for him to have steady hands, to do good work that helps & heals, & that he will have meaningful conversations with his patients. So why wasn’t I praying for growth & meaningful connection with my readers?

I am trying to be more dedicated to praying for help & guidance as I blog. I know God wants us to succeed & that He is waiting for us to ask & include Him in all that we do. We simply need to ask.

 

 

What is your favorite tip for driving new readers to your blog?
I’d love to hear from you!
Feel free to comment below, email me, or tweet me on Twitter.

Want to connect on a more personal level!?
You can find me & Domestically Blissful on
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bloglovin, & Pinterest!

With love, Giustina

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10 NIV

 

 

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