One of the questions I get often is how to build a popular blog. I got a private message from one friend on Facebook 2 days ago who said “Enstine, your new blog is getting so popular. How do you do it?”
Many people all over wonder how others do things to work for them. If it works for me, it can work for you. That’s right!
Now, I often give two answers to this question on how to build a popular blog;
- Work smart and work like an ant – Get it quick
- Take your time and build it gradually
As expected, many bloggers want to build a popular blog so fast. That’s achievable but you have to be an ant 😉
There are two entities involved:
- The blogger first
- The blog second
I have seen very popular bloggers with some little known blogs. For the most part, these popular bloggers have several blogs. Some of these blogs are just not a major part of their blogging career.
Now, there are also some little known bloggers that run very popular blogs. They have succeeded in building a community that runs their blog.
However, to be able to build a popular blog in just 90 days, you’ll need to work smart and like an ant. Now, these are a couple of things I recommend you do as you strive to building a well known blog.
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How to build a popular blog in just 90 days
1 -> Write top content that’s loved
The very first step at building a popular blog is constantly publishing the kind of ‘wow’ content that attracts readers. There is no magic key here! The more you publish sharable content, the more the news about your blog spreads.
You have to go beyond just writing 500 words posts and produce in-dept treatment of specific topics. That’s the key to writing viral content. It’s not about the number of words. It’s about your mastery of the subject and how you drive understanding home.
Google’s RankBrain is a step towards rewarding authors with a deep understanding and treatment of specific topics on their blogs.
2 – > Build an attractive blog
The attractiveness of your blog is a strong factor. There are several ingredients that make your blog more attractive and sticky;
- The theme (graphics, colors, fonts, responsiveness, etc). Get the right theme here
- Photos or medial objects on your blog posts.
- Load speed of your blog. Host with WPX Hosting for top load speed
- Browser compatibility.
- Engagement and interactivity
- Less annoying elements (popups, banners, etc).
- and of course attractive articles.
These things put together will compose the attractiveness of your blog. Any of these that’s not a factor of professionalism will be a deterrent.
3 – > Be active on social media
This is almost no news. If you want to build a popular blog as early as possible, social media most be a strong factor. 90 days may not be enough time to build a huge follower-base but joining Facebook groups and and other social media platforms is a fast way to start spreading the news and growing. Respond to comments, tweets and retweets to attract more attention.
4 – > Using social media applications
There are some recommended Facebook, Google+ and Twitter apps for bloggers. These apps generate real likes, followers, retweets, tweets, shares and thus traffic. Some of these applications are free and include EasyRetweet, Viralcontentbee, Triberr, etc. These apps don’t only generate traffic but also help in building relationships with other bloggers.
5 – > Content sharing community sites
Content syndication sites are great places to pull traffic to your blog and spread the word. They are also wonderful communities to meet and network with like-minded bloggers. Here are some sharing communities I use and recommend:
6 -> Blog commenting
There is been a lot written on the Internet on blog commenting. As a matter of fact, it’s a powerful expansion tool if done right. You have to leave reasonable and related comments on related blogs. The key to succeeding in commenting is reading the post thoroughly and sharing your own view about the topic discussed.
Another result driven tip is to leave replies on comments made by other visitors. Don’t just reply to the comment on top (like I see many do) simply because your want your comment to be on top.
Trigger conversation in your comments and remain interactive. Make it real discussion and avoid simple words or few sentences just to build link.
7 -> Guest Blogging
Although this blogging activity (just like blog commenting) is being messed up by link-hungry bloggers and some SEO firms, it remains an important tool in building a popular blog and networking with bloggers in your niche. Submitting your top contents to popular blogs in your niche of course will bring you huge benefits – traffic, backlinks, relationships, authority, etc.
The first thing to do is read the guest posting guidelines on these blogs. Most blogs do provide details on the type of posts they accept. Reading, understanding and following these guides is the first step towards getting accepted.
Often, you will have to decide between posting on someone else blog and posting on yours. Now you think the content you have just written is killer. Remember no blog will accept thrash. They need your best. The content you submit on other blogs must not be lesser than what you publish on your own blog.
8 – > Attending live event
Live blogging events and online hackathons are fertile grounds to gain popularity and expand. That’s where you meet other bloggers physically and share points on a more practical note. Don’t miss any opportunity to attend a live event in your area. While on the event ground, make an effort to meet and chat with more successful bloggers.
9 – > Constantly run Contests and Giveaways
This strategy is the killer and can make your blog very popular in a very short term. People love winning stuffs so they always look for opportunities to win something. If you want it even hot, do a cash prize giveaway.
From my experience, RaffleCopter makes your contest go viral. The reason is that it has a reward feature. Participants are given a unique link to promote the event and earn points. Given that each participant has higher chances of winning with higher points, they will always share their links to earn the points.
At the moment of writing this post, each visit that you bring to the contest page through your unique link earns a point and each participation earns points. You see why participants will get into hot promotion of your contest?
10 -> Build a list
In this post, I detailed out some helpful points on building a list that keeps your subscribers. List building is a way of going popular as it’s a hot source of traffic. If you have trust from your subscribers, they will help share your content bring in more traffic.
These are some few points to help you on how build a popular blog in 90 days. Follow these tips actively and see where your blog goes after just 3 months. Your Alexa ranking should be within 100K. You should be having 300+ more visitors per day
11 -> Start Pinning
Piniterest is a huge source of traffic. Trust me the result you get from this traffic tool is tremendous. I see it as a social media and SEO tool. SEO because a huge part of it is based on keyword discoveries.
That’s it
This post is part 15 in the series to create a blog that makes money. Check out the previous parts here. In the next part, we are looking at earning backlinks and getting to Google page #1
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