Can’t figure out why your blog isn’t attracting more readers? Here are the 11 most common reasons why your blog isn’t doing as well as it should.
Imagine this: you’re a small business with a limited budget, so you rely heavily on content marketing like blog posts to draw readers—potential customers—in.
You know the value of high-quality posts, so you pour hours into brainstorming blog topics, researching them and then actually writing them up — only to discover that, actually, no one’s reading them!
Maybe you don’t even have to imagine this frustrating scenario. That’s exactly what’s driving you nuts right now.
And if we’re being really frank, it’s more than frustrating.
It’s disappointing, discouraging and demoralizing—enough to make you want to give up blogging for your business entirely.
After all, if no one’s reading your blog anyway, then why not focus on other digital marketing initiatives that bring better results?
Because it doesn’t matter if you blog purely for fun; if you’ve turned blogging into your career; or deem content marketing an integral part of your business’ online success—chances are you want to see some kind of return on your investment. At the very least, that means gaining readers.
So, seriously, why is no one reading your blog!? Let’s find out!
The most common reasons no one’s reading your blog
#1: Can you be found?
Are your posts buried towards the tail end of search engine results pages?
That is, do they rank highly on search engines or are they so far back that only the most dedicated searcher will come across them?
Because if what you’ve written isn’t showing up on the first few pages of your preferred search engine, then that makes it awfully hard for people to find you. And if your blog isn’t discoverable, then it’s not surprising you aren’t getting many readers.
Tip: You need to write strategically – for real people (your readers) and search engines.
#2: Are you promoting your posts?
It’s harder for people to stumble upon your posts if you don’t promote them.
By tweeting about your latest post, sharing on Facebook or referencing it on your Instagram, more people are likely to come across your content. Similarly, it increases the chances those readers will share your posts with their own followers.
#3: Are your topics in demand?
While there’s an audience for arguably every topic under the sun, some subject matters naturally attract more eye balls than others.
In other words, they’re interesting to a wider range of people.
To put that into perspective: a post exploring the different types of coffee drinks from around the world will probably garner more curiosity than a post on how to properly clean an industrial coffee roaster to prevent roaster fires. One has mass appeal, the other is better suited to a specific audience.
So if you’re writing about topics that not many people actively search for; if the topic isn’t very popular; or if the post veers towards niche interests, then you’re probably not going to get as many readers as you’d like. (That’s not always a bad thing though – it depends on your goals.)
#4: Are you boring?
Sometimes, it’s the topic. Sometimes, it’s how the post was written. Whatever it is, it happens—even to the best of us.
Having said that, no one’s going to stick around for a boring read. They’ll just find another blog that’s more their style.
After all, what we want is to be entertained, inspired, whisked away or to learn something relevant, exciting or new without being put to sleep!
That’s what keeps us coming back for more—and sharing the link with friends.
#5: Is your blog s-l-o-w to load?
I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time or patience to wait forever for a page to load. It’s only natural to hit the back button / close the tab and venture to the next best option.
In other words: slow pages lose potential readers.
Frequent (but overlooked) reasons your blog isn’t doing well
Now if you’re certain none of the above is behind your blog’s sluggish performance, then it might be one of the following lesser-known reasons that’s causing low readership.
#6: You underestimated the need for a content strategy
Without a content plan, you’re essentially winging it. You’re writing what you want, when you want and while that might be convenient for you, it’s not the best way to build readership.
Before you start blogging, it’s helpful to know what you’ll be writing about, who you’re writing for, what you want your blog (or each individual post) to achieve and even how frequently you’re going to post.
Having the basics sorted out helps you be consistent and you need that for blogging success.
#7: The blog isn’t organized
How easy is it for readers to find similar, i.e. more of the same content? Do your categories and tags make sense? What’s the user experience like on your blog?
This links to your content strategy in that, if you don’t have one, how do you organize your content properly?
Something as ‘minor’ as organization can impact how attractive your blog is to readers.
Tip: Structure and presentation might depend on your blog’s theme or design. That’s why it’s important you test out various templates and choose one that is both attractive and user-friendly.
#8: Poorly structured content
Paragraphs upon paragraphs of text + no headings or subheadings + no white space + no images = a tedious read.
It’s simply not pleasing to the eyes and that makes it a burden to get through. That results in people leaving the page.
#8.1 A note on images
Keep in mind that irrelevant photos or too few graphics make your post an unattractive read.
#9: Your headlines aren’t doing their job
We would all agree: the best headlines grab attention and arouse interest.
Yet, while eye-catching headlines are awesome, they don’t always help you bring in more readers.
That is, witty headlines may win writing awards but they don’t always result in your post ranking better. In reality, you have to think about function or utility.
#10: The blog isn’t mobile responsive
If your page loads funny on a tablet, phablet, or smartphone—the page is distorted or hard to read—then it doesn’t matter how well-written your piece is. No one’s going to stick around! Why torture their eyes or be inconvenienced when there are other options out there?
#11: Zero backlinks
Backlinks are when other websites link to your posts / pages and, as you can imagine, this often comes down to the quality of your content.
Why are backlinks important? They matter because (1) those inbound links bring referral traffic (more blog readers!) to your pages and (2) they also help you to improve your ranking on search engines. That, in turn, affects discoverability.
Have a blog that’s struggling to attract readers? Here’s where you can explore all the ways I can help your brand win online!