Jump-start a dying blog is not as easy as it looks. On the outside, you might think that blogging is just about writing content and publishing it. However, it is more than that. If you want to run a successful blog, there are so many things that you have to do at once. For one, you need to create an interesting and compelling content that your audience will love. And in order for it to be noticed by a wider audience, you need to make sure that your post is ranking on Google by making sure that you are using the right SEO strategy. You will also need to share it on your different social media platforms. Among others, you will also need to make sure that all the technical aspect of blogging is doing fine to keep it all running. For this reason, a lot of people who runs a blog could not keep up with the pace especially if they have other things to do in life. And when all of these fail, it gets a lot harder every day to find ways on how to save a dying blog.
How do you define a dying blog? We all go through different experiences with blogging and this could mean several things. But usually, this is what happens:
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- You no longer have the motivation to create a compelling content.
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- You stop working on your website.
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- You lose your website’s rankings.
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- Your audience stops reading your blog which means you lose traffic.
- Your email list growth becomes stagnant.
Whatever is the case, these things can heavily affect your blog, but not to the point of extinction if you do something. No matter how worse it got, you can always try to revive and bring your old blog back to life.
Change direction and rethink your niche
Bringing your blog back to life is not just about publishing new content. Perhaps, your current content or niche may not be what you want to pursue in the long run. If you are confused as to what you should do with your blog, it would be a good idea to change course and perhaps rethink of your personal branding. It could be making your topics a little bit more specific or perhaps changing entirely your focus. For instance, if you are currently writing travel guides about a specific country and it is not doing quite well, you can still continue writing travel guides but focused on a specific region. Make sure to do a review of what is working and what’s not. Do a complete analysis of your blog’s status before making any drastic changes.
Optimize your blog design
Updating your blog’s design can totally make a difference. A lot of people probably don’t have a good user experience when navigating your blog which is why you are losing an audience. For this reason, make sure that your blog’s design and functionality is good for UX and SEO purposes. The first impression matters so you have to make sure that you get your audience’s attention the moment they enter your blog. You must ensure that your blog design provides a far better user experience to your readers and is also optimized for search engines. Find a theme that is simple and fast and make sure that it is responsive. A lot of people today are not using mobile phones compared to a desktop computer to make sure that your blog is also mobile-ready. Otherwise, you will lose a potential audience at their first glance on your blog.
Improve the navigation
One of the steps that will help rank your website is to improve your website’s navigation. It will help your readers browse your blog a lot more easily as well. It is quite frustrating on the user’s end if navigating your blog is completely difficult. Make your website’s navigation simple and easy. Do not fill it up with so many menus and items as it can get much cluttered. Instead of buttons, you can use links if you want your website to be search-friendly.
Optimize your SEO
If you want search engines to readily index your site, you must offer easy navigation and a solid site layout. This is why you need to give importance of SEO if you want to revive your dying blog. Optimizing your blog’s SEO will provide your visitors with a good experience and at the same time, this will also increase and encourage more repeat visits. Organic traffic is what you should aim for if you want your blog to sustain it in the long run. Arm yourself with an extensive technical knowledge and understanding of SEO. Once you learn how SEO works, you can be guaranteed that your blog will be revived for the better.
Remove or update any outdated content
You have to make sure that your blog gives value to your readers. And if your blog has content that is no longer relevant to your readers, it’s not going to help your blog at all. If you have any outdated posts, make sure to update all of them. If there is content that is no longer applicable or relevant to your readers, remove them from your blog. As a guide, find blog posts that are less than 500 words and do not contribute to your blog’s success.
Optimize your About Page
One of the most popular sections of your blog is the one entitled “About.” It’s also crucial since it contains information readers need to know about you, the blog’s creator. Let your audience know about your purpose, your journey, and other important things that they have to know about you. Avoid putting information that is outdated or not relevant. Make it attractive and interesting so you can generate more leads through this page. Keep it short and concise, but most importantly, it should tell your story. Make use of images, graphics, or videos to attract your audience. Lastly, include something that will let your visitors remember you.