Blog to Build an Audience
Some people blog to get good search engine rankings. But getting good rankings should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to an end.
That’s because a first page ranking, by itself, does you very little good.
Visitors search, they click, they read, they leave.
Search engine visitors rarely return. They find what they are looking for. Then they move on.
This is why it’s important to build an audience. Visitors are good; an audience is better.
So make sure your blog or web site is designed to capture visitors and turn them into loyal subscribers. Easier said than done, right?
Here are a few things I’ve done to build my audience:
- I’ve written about what I feel are important issues.
- I’ve been willing to embrace controversy when I felt it was necessary.
- I’ve offered some of my best ideas for free on this blog.
- I’ve written guest posts for other bloggers and business owners.
- I’ve encouraged visitors to subscribe to my mailing list.
- I’ve tried to be genuine and transparent in my writing and interactions.
And, over time, my audience has grown.
It’s grown slowly — in fact, far slower than most well-known blogger phenoms — but it has still grown.
Your blog is primarily a platform for spreading good ideas… for connecting with other people… and for building an audience.
Search engine rankings are just a way to achieve these things faster.
-Ryan M. Healy
