Ways to improve your blog

Is your blog in need of a boost? Here are 6 ways to improve your blogs performance and promote its growth.

1) Visit and comment on other blogs within your niche

As a blogger it's common to visit other blogs within your niche both for camaraderie and research. Participating actively by leaving comments, when appropriate, is an excellent opportunity to gain readers by inserting your link within your signature file.

2) Post useful and entertaining content

Remember a blog is only as good as its content. Be sure what you post is relevant to the niche you're in. Making your content entertaining and useful to the reader will also encourage them to not only return but also refer others to your site.

3) Listen to your readers

By reading and responding to comments left at your blog you can open channels of communication with your readers. This type exchange will give you a better idea of what they want and what improvements you can make to attract more visitors and maintain the readership at your blog. This will help develop a greater feeling of community amongst your readers.

4) Personalize your Blog

Learn to stand out from the crowd by being YOU. Be sure your blog has your imprint whether it's in your delivery style (attitude, humor, or intensity) or perhaps blog design. Don't be afraid to let it show since this is the single biggest factor that will differentiate you from the rest. By delivering your messages in a more natural fashion you will allow visitors to get a better sense of who you are, impressing upon them your individuality, while also making your posting much more enjoyable and less like work.

5) Use outbound Links to your advantage

Don't be afraid to defer your readers to other sites for additional information. The school of thought here is simply to provide your visitors with as much useful content as possible. By providing outbound links you are clearly indicating you have the interest of your readers in mind and they will recognize and appreciate that. It is impossible to be 'all things to all people' therefore utilize the knowledge of others, when appropriate, to enhance your site as not only a source of information but also a site with its reader's best interest at heart.

6) Blog Reviews

Here's a solid way to entice both new and old readers to your site. On a scheduled basis be it weekly or monthly do a review of the best blog posts from within your niche for that given time period. Hopefully you're already 'crawling' around your niche for educational and social benefits. Now let's put these results to further use and write about them. Here we're using the magic of outbound links as previously discussed while providing useful content for our readership.

By implementing these 6 ways to improve your blogs performance you'll not only realize an increase in traffic but also a greater appreciation of your overall subscriber base by their continual visits.