How to Build a Blog Following – One Post at a Time!

Since I began this blog in December of 2011, the subscriber count and following has been increasing. Growth was very slow at first, but as I continued posting articles regularly, and featuring artists, subscriber count has went to 1700+. Followers at social networks have even increased much more than this. This was achieved by daily posting and promoting of blog posts - but most of all by the sharing of articles by our awesome readers.

To show my gratitude, I thought I would use this space today to share with you how to build a following for your own art blogs.

 

How fast you would like to increase your follower count and subscribers will mainly depend on two factors – post frequency and promotion of posts. The more you post, the more content will be at your blog for viewers to read and share. Of course the more posts are promoted, the more your writings will be seen by people who have not visited before.

One thing is for certain, building a blog takes time, dedication and a lot of hard work. But, if you enjoy writing, it doesn’t seem like work at all.

Find lots of ideas for blog topics here: 103 Art Blog Topics

Here are some tips to build a blog following – one post at a time! 

1. Choose a good template or theme

   
   It is important to spend some time searching for that perfect theme. Look for one which suits your style. An ideal blog template or theme is fast loading, clean, and easily navigable. Visitors should enjoy their reading experience.
   
   Blogger users should take a look at this post: How to Make your Blog more Professional
   
   

2. Short, keyword rich post titles

    
   Ideal post titles should be a summary of what the post is about, using particular keyword phrases -  ones that you can imagine people typing into search engines.  Search engines such as Google and Bing consider the post title the most important part of the article. Well thought out, interesting post titles could make all the difference for the growth of a blog.
   
   Here are some things I have learned about writing smart article titles
   
   • If writing on the same topic more than once, try to rephrase the title.
   • Use one or two keyword phrases.
   • Make it interesting and easily understood for readers.
     
     

3. Write about something different every time.

   
   If you write at your blog every day, try to write about something different - and at the same time keep it related to your blog topic. Whatever the post is about, only certain people will be interested.
   
   I have articles here directed at particular groups. My Webydo series, for example, applies to web designers. I write mostly for artists though, as proven by my many blog posts about featured artists, inspiration and art promotion.
   
   

4. Write long, detailed posts.

   
   It is not always necessary to write long posts, but they do have advantages over short ones. More content means more for search engines to pick up. Google places preference in its ranking of pages to posts with original, lengthy content. Its important to find a balance though. Since most internet users skim posts, give variety in your article length.
   
   Break longer articles up into sections, and use headings where necessary. The idea here is to make posts both easy for search engines to scan, and visitors to read. I’ve heard from many sources that an ideal post length is anywhere from 400 to 800 words.
   
   

5. Pretend you have a huge following, even at the beginning.

   
   If you write excellent content from the very beginning, your blog will surely gain traction. Plan for success at the outset. Write as though you are speaking to a much larger audience than you really are. At the same time, depending on your blogging style, it may be helpful to be personable.
   
   

6. Write and publish blog posts often.

   
   The frequency of blog posting can be one of the most crucial steps for success of a blog. More posts means more for search engines to pick up. It also keeps regular readers interested, and steadily attracts a growing audience.
   
   Depending on your niche and time, think about posting every day, at least for awhile. At the initial blog stage, this helps build a solid foundation of articles. More posts often leads to more subscribers and decreased bounce rate.
   
     

7. Include images in blog posts

   
   Images often help to illustrate a post and break up content. For artists, including images should be the main intent of a blog. Take good quality photos of your art, working in your studio, inspirations, etc. and use them to illustrate posts.
   
   Also, make sure to title them properly beforehand, and include good alt and title tags for the image. This will help search engines such as Google Image Search properly tag your photos. Consistently use good SEO practice in your photographs, and before long you should notice a steady rise of visitors from Google Image Search.
   
   

8. Promote every post.

   
   One of the best ways to attract readers is to have social sharing buttons on your blog. If a person likes what they have read, they can easily choose to share it at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networks. They are in effect helping you promote your posts by recommending it to their own followers.
   
   To aid in the process of article promotion, share every post with your own followers. I like to share Artpromotivate posts at several places where I have profiles - Google+, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, Tumblr, Digg, Delicious, etc.
   
   Articles often experience an influx of visitors after such promotion. Take a look at this post for instructions of how to do this: Promote Blog Posts with Addthis

 

Care to share your own tips for building a blog following? Please mention them in the comment form below.

Find much more help with blogging in this post: 5 Top Blogging Articles