Happy Friday everyone!
I’ve seen this post on a few blogs – I’m so sorry I don’t remember who you are! – and I thought that I would share my thoughts as well on what keeps me coming back to a blog! I, of course, don’t want to sound cocky, like it matters if I read your blog, right? I’m just one single girl in the very wide array of people that the joys of blogging has attracted. My personal opinion shouldn’t matter too much – but hey this is my blog and I thought that I’d share!
To beginning with, I think the first thing to say is that if I read all your blog posts and comment all the time, I’m probably pretending like we’re friends…I know I’m weird! Let’s move on from my socially awkward tendencies. I follow about 100 blogs on Bloglovin, but I only read a handful assiduously. Blogs that touch me, appeal to me and inspire me! Here are the 4 reasons why I keep reading your blog:
4) Being personable is a big thing that attracts people to your blog! At first, I was trying to stay away from putting photos of me on the Interweb, etc. but then I realised that it makes it more personal! That you can see who is writing all these posts! When I fall upon new blogs, I might go right away to the ‘About’ page (especially if there are no photos on the sidebar) – I like to get to know who it is that I’ll be reading! It also becomes honest when you do share a part of yourself on the blog! People can relate more easily!
3) Visual appeal is very important. We live in a visual world. That means the header, the font, the background colours, etc. While not everyone can pay for a unique design, it’s good to keep it readable! I dislike dark backgrounds and centered text because, for some reason, it makes it harder for me to read. I don’t think my layout is the best, but I try to keep it clean and not too cluttered!
Visual appeal also means photos! While I do love to read good writing, if I’m in a hurry, I will sometimes read diagonally and look at the photos more (especially travel posts). This doesn’t mean that you should have an expensive camera to be able to blog, because I don’t! But to include photos is definitely a must!
2) Blogging is a world of interaction. It’s kind of a give and take. Rare are the occasions where people will come read and comment on your blog if you don’t also do the same. I know that blogging is very time consuming (plus social media it just gets crazy), but it’s nice to follow up on people who took the time to come to your blog!
If I pretend that we’re friends (like the psycho that I am) then I like to feel it’s reciprocal. I’m a sucker for responding to comments! I take the time to answer every single one of the comments left on my blog. I think it’s so important to acknowledge the people who took the time to comment on your blog, you know? While I understand that it’s not something you can take the time to do when you get more than 30-50-70 comments on a single post, I still highly appreciate the bloggers who do take the time to answer and even visit my blog in return! It’s a sad truth, but if you never acknowledge me as a reader, I probably won’t stop reading, but I might stop commenting!
One of the things that really pleasantly surprised me when I started blogging was when “big bloggers” (people with thousands of followers let’s say) took the time to come read my posts and leave a comment, or when they tweet back! Yes it gets tedious, but it doesn’t go unnoticed I can promise!
1) The most important thing of all is that you have great content!
Basically, despite everything that I’ve mentioned before, if you have great content, then it supersedes everything! Great content rules the Internet for me! If I like what you write about, then I’m probably sold! Whether you’re making me discover new places in the world, or in my own country, teaching me a recipe or inspiring a DIY project, then I’m all ears (or eyes, since I’m reading)! While everyone’s interests differ – and you should write for yourself, not other people – it’s so amazing when you find bloggers who share your passions! Really keeps me coming back for sure!
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So what did you think of my tiny list? These are four things I’ve learned through my months of blogging and things that I personally enjoy when I read and follow blogs, and also things I try to follow myself! … but perhaps you shouldn’t listen to me at all! Because blogging is first and foremost a personal thing. It’s your little corner of the Internet and you can do whatever you want with it!
What makes you want to come back for more on a blog?xx
