Wait! Don’t hit publish on that next post just yet. To get the most out of your efforts, there are a few simple things you can do to improve the effectiveness of each blog post you write. Read the tips and tricks below, then download my free post promotions checklist.

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Make Blog Posts Work for You

Effectively growing your blog involves more than just writing posts and hitting publish. That’s why I previously created this original free WordPress Post Guide with 12 steps to help bloggers optimize their content, improve SEO, and drive more traffic. Let’s dig a little deeper and learn additional ways to improve your blog reach. Once you’ve read the tips and tricks, be sure to grab your free checklist at the bottom of this post, print it out, and use it for each post you write in the future.

Improve Your Blog Post Reach

First, let’s look at the things you can do on your actual blog post to improve its reach before hitting publish.

Include A Call To Action

At the bottom of your posts, include specific actions for readers to take before they go. Focus on ways for them to share your content and/or engage with you.

• Pin for later (embed an actual Pin you’ve already made for them to re-pin)
• Share with a friend/Facebook
• Invite them to Tweet a reply
• Leave a comment (ask a question and tell them to answer in the comments, invite them to share an experience, etc. Then allow time to individually respond to their comments)

Assign Categories

I wrote a previous post on how to set up your site structure with categories, but it’s worth mentioning again. You need to consistently use categories to help readers navigation your site and find related content. It’s easy to overlook this important step, so I usually assign categories first before I begin writing my post.

Write Alt Text

Alt text is the “alternative text” that you use for your images to describe them. These are critical for visually impaired users using screen readers so that they can read the text you’ve placed since they can’t see the images.

However alt text is also useful for site promotion and reach because they help site crawlers {think Google} index your images. This can greatly improve your SEO and help your website rank higher in search results. You can read more about this on Yoast.

Adjust SEO

I discuss several ways to improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in my original free WordPress Post Guide. I don’t publish any posts without first checking my Yoast SEO settings. This free plug-in can help you improve your content by automatically checking your key words, meta description, alt text, and social sharing settings.

Create Internal Links

Helping readers connect the dots between your related content is another way to boost traffic. Just as I’ve done above, include links to other relevant posts with additional information your readers might enjoy reading. Don’t assume that every visitor has read every single one of your posts or is proactive enough to seek out additional content for themselves.

Share on Social Media

Your work isn’t finished after you publish your post. Next you need to strategically share your post on social media.

Tailwind

I personally use and recommend Tailwind for Pinterest (it’s also available for Instagram). You can use Tailwind to schedule your pins to multiple boards and re-pin them automatically in the future. However, Tailwind is more than just a scheduling tool; it’s also a powerful network for bloggers. You can share your blog posts with other business owners in your niche so they can share your posts with their followers too. This is also a great way for you to find other related content to share with your audience. Collaboration over competition is always the way to go. Checkout Tailwind Tribes to learn more.

Facebook

If you have a Facebook business page or community group, share your post link to help direct traffic to your new content. Be sure to set your Facebook image and description {Yoast SEO can help with this too} to make sure your post is optimized for Facebook and looks awesome when shared.

Instagram

If you have a business Instagram account, you can also share your post there. I personally make square promotional images for my regular Instagram feed. Then I share that image to my Instagram stories and add it to a highlight on my account. You could also post teasers in your Instagram stories. For example, record a video of yourself asking your followers if they have a common problem that your blog posts solves; then direct them to your blog to see your solution.

Pinterest

If you use Tailwind, then you have Pinterest sharing covered. I like to make a vertical Pinterest image (or two or three for alternate pins). Then I embed that Pin at the bottom of my blog post. This way it’s easy for readers to quickly re-pin and share my post.

Twitter

Twitter is a powerful network and can work especially well for post promotion depending on your niche. Be sure to set your Twitter image and description {again, Yoast SEO can help with this} to make sure your post is optimized for Twitter and looks awesome when shared.

Collaborate With Others

One of my favorite things about blogging is the community you develop. Finding ways to collaborate instead of compete helps everyone rise. Growing your personal network with other bloggers, small business owners, and readers in your niche can take time but is always worth it.

Make It Easy For Readers To Share

First, take a look at your blog and the ways readers can share your content with their friends and followers. Adding the Pin image is one way, but so is checking your onsite share options. Using a plugin like Social Pug to include share buttons automatically on your posts helps too.

Share With Your Mastermind

As you become more established, you’ll likely find small group tribes or masterminds where all users are committed to helping each other grow. Sometimes you’ll also find exclusive Facebook groups that are offered through trainings you’ve taken or memberships you’ve purchased. These groups are perfect for brainstorming and sharing.

Create Backlinks

Backlinks are links to your content from other sources on the internet. A word of advice: Be careful with these because the key is being genuine and not spammy. The goal is to have your website’s link included on other relevant websites. This could be achieved by things like:

• relevant link ups / blog post roundups where you’re allowed to leave your own link
• becoming an authority in your field so other blogs links to your content in their relevant posts, like I’ve done with the external links above
• continue to share great content that users want to share or save on social media
• guest post on other blogs
• offer to leave a testimonial where appropriate

Repurpose Content

Consider ways to repurpose your blog post content in other forms and then link back to your original post. For example, could you create an infographic that links back to your post? Make a related video? Turn several posts into an ebook? The more value you can provide, the more readers will seek you out to learn more. This article has several ideas to help you repurpose content.

Check Analytics

Finally, frequently check your site analytics. Look for trends in your most popular content to give you ideas for future posts. See what time/day is most popular with your audience to better plan your shares. Visit this post about Google Analytics to learn more.

Download Free Checklist

pin for later