How to increase page views on your blog.
Don’t we all want to know how to do this?
*note: in this post, pageviews and page views will be used, not to confuse readers but as keyword saturation.But, honestly, I do suggest to newbies and start-up bloggers to NOT focus on the numbers, but on the quality of their content first and foremost. If you are too busy trying to drive traffic your content will suffer and content is what drives traffic, so you’ll be in this terribly tragic circle of unresponsive readers. No one wants to visit a blog that is just full of fluff and gimmicks. I understand that writing quality posts without the benefit of reaction and readership seems like a wasted effort, but we all must start somewhere and nothing comes easily and quickly.
If, you feel it is time and you do want to focus on page views here are my two suggestions for increasing your pageviews:
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Quality & Smart SEO Content
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Targeted Networking
Quality & Smart SEO Content to Increase Pageviews
What do these things have to do with each other? Quality content keeps visitors. If you do get someone to visit your blog, you want them to stay and maybe come back right? You can achieve this by offering your reader pertinent information and then on top of that information, interlinking your blog post with other related posts that they might be interested in. This will get them to stay, click links and maybe come back for more later.
Interlink your posts, this is done by linking your post to your other posts that are related. Have you reviewed this author before? Link to that review. Also, install a related post widget to get them to possibly click onto other posts you’ve written.
Just know, that doing any of this is not going to work unless you have good quality stuff to read. Why would I visit a blog that is all memes? Why would I visit a blog that just regurgitates the synopsis? I can’t tell you why, because I would not. You want readers like me, readers that are visiting your blog to be informed, not the ones that are– “Just stopping by to say hi! Here is my *link*” Those readers are just coming to promote their own post and while this might convert a few to loyal readers your target should be people that are coming to read your opinions and ideas.
So what is good quality content that will help you increase page views?
Emotional, Passionate and a bit of humor, pair that with quality writing skills and that my friend is the key to a successful post. But, that could be anything right? So, what specifically?
Headlines!
Try to coin a catchy headline. If someone is just scrolling through their Reader Feed — what will catch their attention? Make sure the headline conveys the gist of the post, is short and sweet, stands-out and promotes an action or a sense of urgency.
What headline would get your attention more?
Page views – Go Viral or Go Invisible
or
How to increase your page views.
Topics!
Stick to topics that people are interested in. I know we are review blogs, but I do know that if I review a book that is not well known, I do not get many hits. You can tailor your reviews to popular titles. Hell, review ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ it’s one of the highest searched books ever…it might get you a few hits. Do you want to do this though? Tailor your reading to popularity contests? That is something you need to rectify with yourself and your blog goals. Think about what you want to achieve. If page views are a overall goal, then yes, read popular books and post reviews on those books. If you do not believe page views are worth the integrity of your reading choices, than don’t do it. Maybe try something else that might get page views.
Unique!
Make sure your blog post is unique. Make your reviews or other posts stand-out from the crowd. Set-up your reviews differently, do something out of the box. Just own it and make it work for you.
Proof-read!
Make sure that the post is ship shape and as free of spelling and grammar issues as possible. I know it is sometimes hard to do, but if your blog post looks like a hyped up teenager wrote it with spell-check turned off — well your readers might not stay as long as you would like. (No offense to hyped up teenagers!)
Targeted Networking
Get Social. Get on Facebook. Get on Twitter. Start chatting, sending out links, making friends!
Comment on other sites. Make friends, say hi. Join a blogger group.
Offer to write guest posts for other bloggers with a little more street cred. Offer to write reviews, things like that. Some bloggers are stressed with posting overload, this might be a welcome relief.
Join group memes or blog hops. But, make sure that you don’t do to0 many or this might impact that Quality Content we talked about earlier.
Host a contest.
Join book blogger social network sites and post in forums.
Just get out there and start sending your link out…but don’t spam! Unsolicited linkage will get you marked as a spammy blogger. You don’t want to do that.
Ok — get out there and start producing Quality Content!
This post inspired by Cheryl’s question: “I want to get more hits on my blog and I really don’t know how.”
Net Galley Gets a makeover.
On Tuesday NetGalley posted on their Facebook page that they were expecting a makeover. View image here. [fill out a survey for me, I’m going to post the results in next weeks BB101 post — I figure it is all information that we will want to know. I will only post averages and none of your specific information will be shared at all. Fill out survey. I am also offering a giveaway to people that fill it out. Bribery works!
Questions for my Readers:
What works for you as far as page views? The type of post etc.
Happy Thursday. Talk Less. Read More. Blog with Integrity.
Have a question? Fill out the form by clicking on the button to the left. This will go into a spreadsheet to be looked over at a later date and hopefully answered on this blog. This is completely anonymous, you do not have to leave your real name. Urls will not be included in your question unless it pertains to the question.
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Great post!
Usually, for me, the most posts that get pageviews for me is this one meme I do and usually a really gushy review (So I may be a hyped up teen at time, but don’t worry I do proofread after I calm down;)) or a review of a really well-known book 
Yeah hyped up teens! As long as your proof-read
This post is great!! I’m really bad at linking up other posts on my blog … I know that I should, but then I think of ALL THE WORK I’ll have to do.
Thanks for sharing!
Me too —
I’m a newbie blogger and this post was very helpful!
Yeah! I’m glad they help.
I love this post! I am new to blogging, but I want my blog to be about reviewing, and I want to review books that I choose to read.
I usually participate in the FF, but it’s the only meme I have been a part of so far.
It’s nice to see that people read my reviews, and that some comment as well, and hopefully, with time, my blog will grow, and followers will too
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
You have a lot of good points! I am quite new to blogging, and apart from participating in the FF meme hosted by yourself and Alison, I only do book reviews so far.
I had never thought of linking to my other posts – which is a great idea, especially because I love reading series!
It helps increase your SEO too!
Thanks so much for your advice!!
If there is anything that all bloggers have to work on if they want to stand out is quality content. Content, content, content! You can have all the followers in the world because of giveaways, but they mean nothing if they never come back to read your posts! Great post as usual, Rachel.
Thanks Steph. I know there is nothing wrong with a little filler content — but the majority has to be Quality…
Your content is definitely of good quality! A very nice post!
Appreciate it.
I really enjoying coming to your blog everyday. So many interesting things to read about and I really love your Social Hops! Also, one day… I will have to get one of your Blogger Templates because they are simply amazing and I’m totally jealous of all my friends who have your templates!! LOL
LOL Thanks Rose
Great post, I love reading your blogging 101 posts!!! They are so informative!!
Thanks Ali
Catchy headlines are so key. I just hate doing them. Catchy headlines will make people click links on Twitter to stop on by. Headlines that tease, like “You’re never going to believe…” But I just cringe when I try to use them. It feels gimmicky. It’s a tough balance and I’m terrible at it.
And I could never change what I review just to get hits. Though I actually hadn’t thought about that until this post. But it is true. Some of the more buzzed about and coveted book reviews do get more traffic than others.
I tend to get more interaction with reviews on Goodreads than on my blog. I suppose that’s bc Goodreads readers are looking to read reviews whereas some of the blog visitors are looking for other content and if they’re bloggers they don’t want to read reviews unless they’ve already read and reviewed the book.
As I don’t meme on my main blog, it’s my thoughts post that get the most traffic, aside from popular giveaways or tours. Gives readers the most chance to interact and offer their opinions.
I think if people have popular features it will generate higher pageviews. For example, I get your email newsletter, if it’s a review of a book I’m somewhat curious about I’ll read it in the newsletter and won’t head to your site. But if I see the headline is BB101 I’ll just click the link and read the article directly on your site versus through the newsletter as I know I’ll have something long-winded to say.
Those email subscriptions will kill pageviews. People can read your posts in their email in their entirety (much different from a feed reader) and never head to your site. I added that because my friends complained but I don’t push “subscribe by email” as I’d rather have interaction on my site. Something to think about.
Sorry, long ramble again.
A very helpful post (like all of your posts) thank-you ^_^. Also love the illustrations, very cute!
Sandy
I absolutely love your Book Blogging 101 posts. I always find something useful in every one of them. I would add that one good way to increase and keep your readers is to post consistently. By this I mean if you are going to post ten times in a month, try to spread those posts out so that they are put up every three days, not five posts on one day, three on another, and two on two other days. i know that if I visit a blog a couple times over a couple weeks and it hasn’t been updated for a month, I’m likely to stop coming by.
Love your post! Very informative.
“Tailor your reading to popularity contests? That is something you need to rectify with yourself and your blog goals…If you do not believe page views are worth the integrity of your reading choices, than don’t do it. ”
That quote gave me a lot to think about; yes, I would love for a lot of people to visit my blog, but there are so many older books that I still have on my shelf that need to be read. I do read popular books, but in the end I want to review books that interest me.
After reading your post, I think I may even be happy with being a little blog. I like creating original content, as much as I like occasionally participating in memes. My favorite one being Stacking the Shelves, because I like to tell little stories that go with each of those books and why I purchased them.
Thank you for the thoughtful post.
This is a great post! I totally agree with hosting contests. When I hosted a Hunger Games Read Along my page views for those two months went up 300% and 400%!
Brilliant and useful info! Love the graphics. I find book tours, and author contests and blog hop giveaways the best way to increase page views. But having a lot of contests is a good way to keep it rolling. You are right about the interest factor. However, I find I can slip in some older reads or not as well known reads.
Great information! Thanks!
I know you’re targeting the book-blogging community with these posts, Rachel, but I wanted to let you know how valuable I (and probably a lot of other writers) I find them as well. So…please keep up the great work — it’s hugely appreciated by many more than you think!
Great advice!
thank you…i will need to work on this for my blog
http://gamerzandwwe.blogspot.com
Rachel, first I LOVE your blog! There’s always such great info on here!
My question is: I have wanted to add a “related links” section to my posts, but can’t figure out how to on blogger.. I haven’t checked my wordpress blog yet to see about putting one there as well. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me how to do this. I see this on many blogs and really like the feature!
Thank you for your great article. Going to implement this in my site http://www.tricky-photoshpo.com
okay, i will count on this article and will not lose faith! thank you very much in renewing my vigor and making me believe in myself even if the results aren’t apparent yet.
Very well said.. I will apply it on my blog.. http://justnewsprint.blogspot.com/ thanks..