Follow these easy tips and avoid bounce rates while establishing a successful WordPress blog in 2021
If you’ve clicked on this article then you’re interested in learning about how to become a successful WordPress blogger. WordPress has about 60 million blogs with over 409 million people viewing more than 20 billion pages each month, so taking an interest in the Blog Beast makes sense. (And don’t let the statistics intimidate you… it just means you’re not in this alone.)
In this final half of this two-part blog, we’ll be discussing the remaining additional tips for successful WordPress blogging:
Developing multimedia content to reach multiple audiences (including images and/or videos within the post)
Understanding the components of “appropriate” content for readers
Using social media to increase engagement
If you haven’t checked out part I of this article, make sure you do. We offer tips on how to: avoid clickbait; use meta descriptions to explain webpages; write sub-headers for “scan readers.” Now, let’s get into multimedia content, appropriate content, and social media.
HOW MULTIMEDIA CONTENT SUCH AS IMAGES AND/OR VIDEOS TARGETS ALL AUDIENCES
By now you’re aware that blog readers these days are all about quick and sensible. They’re not interested in staying focused on one thing for a long period of time; they’re interested in information that’s easy to understand and apply.
The great thing about multimedia content is that it’s so diverse and rich by default that it makes content quick, easy to understand, and easy to apply for readers. Talk about a win-win situation!
Now you might be wondering: What is multimedia content? And, yes, it’s precisely what it sounds like.
Multimedia content is multiple streams or aggregation of multimedia objects such as audio, images, audiovisuals, text, interactive graphics, animations, photo galleries and other types of interactive media or modalities.
No longer are consumers interested in just one way of receiving information. Print is cool, but so are infographics and podcasts and videos and — the possibilities are endless especially since all types of media have their benefits.
Aside from enjoying increased engagement and shares, including multimedia content increases the time spent on your website, benefits your SEO, and enables you to optimize your branding.
Here’s one way you can use multimedia to make your content more digestible to a variety of audiences:
1: Use multimedia to break up your blogs and re-engage your reader.
Changing up the format of your blog or including different forms of content besides text will provide additional value to your reader while making sure their eyes are focused on what they’re reading and seeing.
Is this easy to do? No. (Just take a look at this blog post.) But are there beginner-friendly ways you can break up your blog post? Yes. (Just take a look at this blog post.)
If you’re a novice in the blogging game, adding videos, images, audio play, and other sorts of multimedia content might not be practical. But getting your content to be readable is the main point — the multimedia content just makes that approach much easier once you get the hang of it and learn what works for your audience(s).
If you notice something about the formatting of this blog, it’s that it’s been broken up into small sections (bulleted lists, bold text, etc.). Similar to how sub-headers help make content more readable, multimedia content provides that same visual separation, where content is no longer a big chunk but smaller sections that are easier to digest.
Here are some other popular forms of multimedia content you can include in your blogs that can increase reader interest:
2: Add images, videos, audio recordings, and social media posts.
Let’s say you are interested in stepping up your blogging game and you want to include some serious multimedia content in your posts but don’t know where to start.
The good thing about multimedia content is that it’s not new (like… at all). It just so happens that in the last several years, technology has allowed for an onslaught of targeted multimedia campaigns. In fact, one article highlights 3 important reasons that businesses should start implementing multimedia in whatever avenue they can.
MULTIMEDIA AMPLIFIES ENGAGEMENT
Countless studies show that social media posts with images outshine text-only posts. Similarly, videos on Facebook rank above photos on the engagement scale, at three times more engaging than plain text. Video content, live video, and podcasts continue to increase.
In the sphere of consumer engagement, video messaging and advertisements are able to create an impact and get attention. According to Nielsen, 74 percent of a video campaign’s impact can be achieved within the first 10 seconds. In the cluttered world of digital content, short attention spans and the “small screen” of mobile viewers generate approximately half of all web traffic worldwide.
NEWER GENERATIONS FLOCK TO MULTIMEDIA
The newest generation thrives on the latest and greatest technologies. Generation Z is slowly but surely overtaking millennials as the generation with the largest influence and most diversity.
At 26 percent of the current population, Gen Z represents 48 percent of the total media audience. What we see is that no matter a company’s audience, this generation is critical.
MULTIMEDIA PROVES INNOVATION AND OVERSHADOWS COMPETITORS
All companies benefit by being seen as innovators. Industry-leading reputations are often key to standing out among competitors when it comes time to pitch your business to a potential client.
Alt text (why we love it)
This is one of the main tenets of accessible web design. The original (and still primary) purpose of alt text is to describe images to visitors who are unable to see them. This includes screen readers and browsers that block images, but it also includes users who are sight-impaired or otherwise unable to visually identify an image.
By focusing less on traditional forms of media and more on the latest multimedia tools, companies can position themselves as thought leaders.
MAKING CONTENT THAT’S “MOST APPROPRIATE” FOR “MOST” READERS: ACCURACY, LENGTH, ETC.
Aside from the points we mentioned above, there are other technicalities that could affect how and if readers continue to view your content or not.
The best blog length for SEO in 2021 is 1,760-2,400 Words.
According to numerous studies over the last ten years – Google’s algorithm prefers more content when going head to head on shorter content posts — helping blog posts with over 1,000 words do better on average — and driving up the average significantly. At a minimum, blog posts should have 300+ words. Having more than 300 words keeps your blog from being considered ‘thin content’ on your website.
Related reading(s): How Long Should a Blog Post Be for SEO in 2021?
Write about what you love and what you are knowledgeable about.
This may seem obvious, but write about what you love and what you are knowledgeable about. When you write about what you’re interested in your passion will show through in your writing. This makes your new career in blogging more enjoyable and more manageable.
Make your content easy to read.
Getting your content in order is a huge step but you shouldn’t neglect readability. Create short, to-the-point sentences, use common words and syllables, and avoid convoluted speech (guilty!).
Keep your content organized.
If you’re putting in the effort to write a 2000+ word post, you want your readers to make it to the end. One way to improve the readability of your posts is with the formatting you use.
Related reading(s): WordPress Blogging Tips To Make Your Blog A Success
USING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MORE THAN JUST SELFIES (SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!)
While this might seem like a no-brainer, sharing your content across different social media platforms is the digital equivalent to “word of mouth.”
One of the best ways to boost the visibility of your blog and grow your audience is to promote it on popular social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All it takes is a few great posts to drive more traffic to your site and grow your following.
Make sure you have social sharing buttons built into your blog.
Don’t rely on your readers to have social browser shortcuts or to go through the extra effort of opening up their social accounts to share your content.
On average people are bad at making decisions so the easier you make it for them to do something (like sharing your content) the more likely they are to do it. Don’t know what platform to use when it comes to sharing content? Just ask your target audience!
Contact your current readers and ask them how they want to learn about your new content.
Don’t do this if your current audience is different form your target audience. You’ll end up using a platform and attracting the very audience you’re trying to get away from.
IN CONCLUSION
In case you forgot, here’s a brief rundown on what we’ve discussed in this two-part article:
Short and true blog titles/headlines (avoid clickbait)
Concise meta description
Sub-headers for a more interesting read
Images and/or videos included within the post + alt text
Readable, knowledgeable, and length-appropriate content
Sharing content on other social media platformsBetween this blog and the other one, I’d say we’ve covered some pretty practical tips that every blogger should pay attention to. Of course, not all of these tips will be taken advantage of by every blogger (there are always exceptions to the case) but implementing some of these tips can set you, your blog, and your readers up for success.
If you’ve got additional tips to share on how you’ve grown your WordPress blog over the years, comment or message us directly with what you do. We’d love to hear your thoughts!
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