Today I would like to share a few tips that may help you as a WordPress.com blogger to get and/or retain new blog visitors. This is specifically about new visitors, as opposed to repeat visitors. In other words, it is about first impressions.
The first three tips can be implemented at your Gravatar account, accessible at http://www.gravatar.com (Link will open in a new window). You can log in with your WordPress username and password.
Gravatar/Picture
When you Like a post on WordPress (by clicking the WordPress Like button), all that people see is your picture or gravatar. If you Like a post on a popular blog or web site, then many people will see that picture.
I personally think having your own picture as your gravatar is better than having that of a cat or a tree, though some well-chosen non-human pictures may raise curiosity as well.
If you have an attractive picture it will, well, attract people and chances are someone will point their mouse at it to see something about you (or just to see a bigger version of the picture đŸ™‚ ).
Which brings us to the second point.
Hovercards
When someone points their mouse at your gravatar, they will usually (unless they turn this feature off) see a hovercard – a small hovering window that displays summary information about you.
If you want the person to want to find out more about you, then add something interesting or informative to your summary information.
The hovercard has a link inviting the reader to view your complete profile, which is our next point.
Profile Links
A reader can reach your profile through hovercards or sometimes when you Like a post and a notification is sent to the blog owner.
Gravatar allows you to add multiple links to your profile, so that others can go from your profile to your site or blog or even FB page.
I only learnt this recently and was delighted.
If these links are not provided, then a visitor can use yourusername.wordpress.com and reach your blog, but that will only happen if they know that they can do that and are willing to take the trouble.
Also, this more tedious method will only take them to your wordpress.com blog, not your other sites or pages. So, go ahead and add links to your profile.
Like I said, you can set the above three things at http://www.gravatar.com
Your About Page
Once a visitor has reached your blog, then you need to give them a reason to stay on.
When I visit a blog for the first time, I will usually go to the blog’s About page to know more about the blog or the blogger.
Also, when you comment on or like a blog post, the blog owner will probably receive an email with a link to your About page (unless they turned off such notifications).
You can read this article on making your About page a good one:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/aboutpage/
My small addition: Avoid statements like “I started this blog one year ago” if you are not stating the specific year that you mean. The reason is simply that as the years go, the statement becomes untrue :-). Also, your readers have to figure out when you wrote “one year ago” then calculate which year you were referring to. Save your readers the trouble.
Comments on Posts
You can easily be found by others by commenting on other people’s blog posts. When you comment on a blog post, your name will usually have a link to your own blog, if you are already logged in to your WordPress account.
If your comment (or just your picture) is interesting, someone may click and visit your blog
You can read this article on commenting etiquette:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/say-something-commenting-etiquette/
Some more tips about your blog:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/quick-tip-take-control-of-your-title-and-tagline/
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/three-easy-and-free-ways-to-make-your-blog-your-own/
Change your Widget Titles and Comment Prompt
Add an attractive elevator pitch
customise your email that is sent to new followers
- Gravatar Hovercards (adhinoegroho.wordpress.com)
- Gravatars for Global Recognition (onecoolsitebloggingtips.com)
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051 – How To Attract Blog Visitors On WordPress
Posted in Blogging, Wordpress, tagged about, Blog, blog traffic, blog visitors, comments, Gravatar, hovercards, profile picture, Wordpress, Wordpress.com on 17-December-2012| 2 Comments »
Today I would like to share a few tips that may help you as a WordPress.com blogger to get and/or retain new blog visitors. This is specifically about new visitors, as opposed to repeat visitors. In other words, it is about first impressions.
The first three tips can be implemented at your Gravatar account, accessible at http://www.gravatar.com (Link will open in a new window). You can log in with your WordPress username and password.
Gravatar/Picture
When you Like a post on WordPress (by clicking the WordPress Like button), all that people see is your picture or gravatar. If you Like a post on a popular blog or web site, then many people will see that picture.
I personally think having your own picture as your gravatar is better than having that of a cat or a tree, though some well-chosen non-human pictures may raise curiosity as well.
If you have an attractive picture it will, well, attract people and chances are someone will point their mouse at it to see something about you (or just to see a bigger version of the picture đŸ™‚ ).
Which brings us to the second point.
Hovercards
When someone points their mouse at your gravatar, they will usually (unless they turn this feature off) see a hovercard – a small hovering window that displays summary information about you.
If you want the person to want to find out more about you, then add something interesting or informative to your summary information.
The hovercard has a link inviting the reader to view your complete profile, which is our next point.
Profile Links
A reader can reach your profile through hovercards or sometimes when you Like a post and a notification is sent to the blog owner.
Gravatar allows you to add multiple links to your profile, so that others can go from your profile to your site or blog or even FB page.
I only learnt this recently and was delighted.
If these links are not provided, then a visitor can use yourusername.wordpress.com and reach your blog, but that will only happen if they know that they can do that and are willing to take the trouble.
Also, this more tedious method will only take them to your wordpress.com blog, not your other sites or pages. So, go ahead and add links to your profile.
Like I said, you can set the above three things at http://www.gravatar.com
Your About Page
Once a visitor has reached your blog, then you need to give them a reason to stay on.
When I visit a blog for the first time, I will usually go to the blog’s About page to know more about the blog or the blogger.
Also, when you comment on or like a blog post, the blog owner will probably receive an email with a link to your About page (unless they turned off such notifications).
You can read this article on making your About page a good one:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/aboutpage/
My small addition: Avoid statements like “I started this blog one year ago” if you are not stating the specific year that you mean. The reason is simply that as the years go, the statement becomes untrue :-). Also, your readers have to figure out when you wrote “one year ago” then calculate which year you were referring to. Save your readers the trouble.
Comments on Posts
You can easily be found by others by commenting on other people’s blog posts. When you comment on a blog post, your name will usually have a link to your own blog, if you are already logged in to your WordPress account.
If your comment (or just your picture) is interesting, someone may click and visit your blog
You can read this article on commenting etiquette:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/say-something-commenting-etiquette/
Some more tips about your blog:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/quick-tip-take-control-of-your-title-and-tagline/
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/three-easy-and-free-ways-to-make-your-blog-your-own/
Change your Widget Titles and Comment Prompt
Add an attractive elevator pitch
customise your email that is sent to new followers
Related articles
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