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ProBlogger: How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work

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ProBlogger: How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work

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How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work

Posted: 27 Dec 2018 03:30 AM PST

The post How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work appeared first on ProBlogger.

Starting a Blog When You're Not an Expert

Is it okay to blog about a topic you're not an expert on?

Definitely.

I wasn't an expert blogger when I started ProBlogger, or an expert photographer when I started Digital Photography School. Even now I don’t consider myself an expert, especially with photography.

When I started ProBlogger in 2004 I'd been blogging for a couple of years, but hadn’t been making money from blogging for very long (less than a year). I wasn't a professional, full-time blogger by any means, and never claimed to be one.

It was the same with Digital Photography School. I wasn't, and never claimed to be, a photography expert.

But it didn't matter. In fact, my lack of expertise helped me to make those blogs a success.

Why a Lack of Expertise Might Work in Your Favour

Some experts are great at talking to beginners. But a complete beginner may find it hard to connect with an expert who's had years of experience or is seen as a ‘guru’ in their area.

If you're still relatively new to your topic area, you'll remember what it was like to be a beginner.

You'll know what it feels like to be starting out, and be able to explain things in ways beginners can easily understand.

You can position yourself as someone who gets what it's like to be in your readers' shoes. And as you learn new things, you can share what you learn with your readers.

Three Key Things to Do When You're Not an Expert

If you decide to blog about a topic you're not yet an expert in, or even one you've just started learning about, it's important to:

#1: Be Transparent and Ethical

Be upfront about who you are and what experience you have. That might mean telling your story so far in a blog post or on your About page, which I did in the early days of both ProBlogger and Digital Photography School.

There's nothing worse than reading a blog by someone who claims they're an expert (or at least implies it) but isn’t. It usually comes across in the writing, but even if it doesn't it can have a serious impact when readers later find out the truth.

#2: Think Carefully About the Types of Post You Create

These days on ProBlogger we publish a lot of tutorials that are quite authoritative. They build on years of testing and experimenting, talking with people and gathering ideas.

But in the early days my teaching posts focused very much on the beginner, and were generally based on something I'd experimented with. And the rest of my posts didn't require particular expertise. (I’ll talk about them in a moment.)

Be very careful writing about topics where misguided advice could have a detrimental effect on your readers' lives. This includes areas such as legal advice, financial advice, and physical or mental health.

I'm sure the last thing you want is to ruin someone's life. But that's a potential consequence of giving poor advice in these critical areas. You also run the risk of getting sued or destroying your own reputation.

#3: Keep Actively Learning About Your Topic

While you might not be an expert yet, you can and should keep learning about your topic area. Even if you don't ever get to the level where people would consider you an ‘expert’, you'll still be learning things you can share with your readers.

When readers see you're enthusiastic about your topic and moving forward yourself, it helps them to be enthusiastic too. It can build anticipation and momentum, and help them connect with you and your blog.

What Kind of Content Should You Create?

If you're not creating tutorials or ‘how to’ posts, what sort of content can you create as a non-expert?

#1: Write About What You've Done or Seen

I listen to Rob Bell, a podcaster who teaches public speaking. He suggests that if you're asked to do a talk on something you're not an expert in you should start by asking yourself, "What can I be witness to?"

What have you seen or experienced? What involvement have you had with your topic on a personal level? Start with your experience of that.

#2 Write About Your Mistakes or Failures

I did this a lot in the early days of ProBlogger. I wrote about things I tried that didn't quite work out, and about what I'd do differently the next time.

This type of post can really resonate with readers because it's honest and authentic, and genuinely useful in teaching them what not to do.

#3: Write About Your Successes

Share what you've done that's gone well, like a case study. You might want to talk about how you'd tweak it next time or build on it.

This is a good way to do teaching content by basing it on your own experience. For instance, fairly early in the life of ProBlogger I wrote a series of posts on how to monetize your blog using Adsense. It included posts on how I started out, where I positioned my ads, how I changed the size of my ads, and so on.

#4: Write About What Others Are Doing

A great way to share what other people are doing is to write a case study. I used to do this a lot of ProBlogger, and we still do it occasionally.

These days, we normally involve the person we're doing a case study on. But in the past I’d just write about what I saw people doing: how they'd redesigned their blog, what I liked about it, how I might improve it, and so on.

#5: Interview People for Your Blog

This can be tricky in the early days of your blog when you haven’t built up a profile. But it's still possible. Listen to episode 172 of the podcast to hear how Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner built his blog based on video interviews with experts.

Whether you do text, audio or video interviews, this type of content can build your credibility, drive traffic, and help you network in your industry.

#6: Run Guest Posts on Your Blog

This is something you probably won't want to try when you're just starting out. But once your blog is more established you could open it up for guest posters, or even hire someone to write for your blog.

Digital Photography School began with just me writing posts aimed at beginners. These days we've got professional photographers writing on more advanced topics so we can fill the blog with expert content.

#7: Write About News and Developments

In the early days of ProBlogger I'd write an article every couple of weeks that covered a development in blogging, or maybe a new tool or controversy in the industry.

But I didn't just report what had happened. I wanted to interpret it for my audience in some way (“What does this mean for us?”) This could also work for a discussion post (which we'll come to in a moment).

#8: Create Curated Content

"Curated" content is when you link to and quote from someone else's content. (Never copy it or present it as your own.)

If another blogger has written a great article, pull out a short relevant quote, link readers to the entire article, and add some of your own thoughts. Tell readers what you liked, and maybe add something to the article (e.g. if it has ten reasons or ten tips, come up with an eleventh).

#9: Embed Content into Your Posts

As well as linking to and quoting from other people's content, you can include their content by embedding it. The most obvious examples here are YouTube videos and tweets.

Again, these let you bring other people's voices and expertise onto your blog. Using curated and embedded content is also a great way to build a relationship with the influencers in your niche.

#10: Write a Research Post

This is a bit like writing an essay on a particular topic. You go away and learn from lots of different sources, then create something that brings together what you've learned, quoting from and crediting your sources.

You’ll learn more yourself (which will get you closer to that ‘expert’ status), and you can share what you've learned in an authentic way. It helps your readers to see you as more authoritative and knowledgeable.

#11: Write a Discussion Post

We publish a discussion post every week on Digital Photography School. And it doesn't take any expertise at all. (If you have only a few readers you may need to wait till you've built up a larger audience.)

With a discussion post, you ask a key question: something you want to know the answer to, or that will prompt a bit of a debate. This gives your readers a chance to participate and engage. You could even take some of the best comments and use them in a future post.

You can have a blog that covers a topic area you're not an expert in. Just make sure you’re transparent, and be careful about the type of content you create.

Keep actively learning, and keep sharing what you learn with your readers. If you have any suggestions for other types of content that work really well on a non-expert blog, share them with us in the comments.

Image Credit: unsplash-logoRita Morais

The post How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work appeared first on ProBlogger.

      

ProBlogger: Have Blog, Will Travel: Tips For Blogging On the Road

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ProBlogger: Have Blog, Will Travel: Tips For Blogging On the Road

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Have Blog, Will Travel: Tips For Blogging On the Road

Posted: 20 Dec 2018 03:30 AM PST

The post Have Blog, Will Travel: Tips For Blogging On the Road appeared first on ProBlogger.

Tips for blogging on the road

This post is based on Episode 243 of the ProBlogger podcast.

If you're travelling over the holidays – to see family and friends, or just for a vacation – then you might be worried about you'll keep up with your blogging. (This can also be a challenge if you travel regularly.)

Here are five broad options you might like to consider, depending on your situation.

#1: Take a Complete Break

A break will allow you to focus on your trip. It will also give your readers a break, which can be a good thing from time to time.

#2: Get Ahead Before You Go

If you write and schedule posts ahead of time, there won't be so much to handle while you're on the road. (This is something I do quite a lot.)

#3: Use Your Archives

While you're away, you could republish some of your popular posts (perhaps after editing them a bit), or publish posts that link to some of the best pieces in your archives.

#4: Use Guest Bloggers

You could ask one or more guest bloggers to post on your blog while you're away. And ask if they're happy to answer comments as well so you can have a proper break.

#5: Work While Away

Finally there's the option of blogging on the road, which is what I'll be covering in the rest of this post. But to make things easier for yourself, you should probably stick to straightforward posts that don't take too much writing or managing. (This isn't the time for an in-depth reader poll or a huge multi-person interview post.)

Working While You're Travelling

When I started blogging in 2002, smartphones weren't really a thing. My Nokia offered rudimentary internet access, but it was a very slow and clunky experience.

Back then (and even today), most bloggers would find internet access along the way. I'd look for an internet cafe, or borrow a computer from the friend I was visiting. Sometimes I'd visit the local library, which often had computers with internet access.

I'd take a notebook and outline my blog post on the go. Then when I was at the internet cafe, the library or my friend's computer, I could write that blog post quickly and efficiently. So if you want to travel without any technology, it's certainly possible.

But these days most of us travel with some sort of device, whether it's a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or a combination of them. So let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of using each one.

#1: Blogging from Your Mobile Phone

While you can create text content on your mobile phone, I find it cumbersome. I wouldn't want to write much more than 100 words. Anything longer would be slow and frustrating, and I'd make a lot of mistakes.

But some things are easy to do from a mobile. For instance, I might check in on social media, interact with comments, or even make minor edits to blog posts.

So if you'll be focusing on the social media side of your business while travelling, a mobile phone would certainly be an option.

#2: Blogging from Your Tablet

In the past I've found using my iPad to create content a bit clunky. But a while back I won an iPad Pro with a keyboard, and I can plausibly use it instead of a laptop.

Obviously a tablet takes up a lot less space than most laptops. So if you're on holiday for a week or two and just want to be able to check in on things and do a bit of work if/when inspiration strikes, a tablet could be a great option.

My iPad has apps that let me do pretty much anything I need to do with my blog, such as log into the backend of WordPress. (I can also do it through a browser on the iPad). I can chat with my team, access Google Analytics, and much more.

#3: Blogging from Your Laptop

When I'm on a work-related trip I always take my laptop. Presenting at a conference is more reliable from a laptop. And chances are I'll be working on the plane (each way), in the hotel, and so on. I'm much more effective on a laptop, and so for me it's definitely worth taking.

But you might think a laptop will be a nuisance to carry around. Or you might be concerned about losing it, particularly if it's an expensive one.

Whatever technology you choose, you then need to decide how to fit it all in while you're on the road.

How do you juggle blogging with being on holidays, or at a conference? Obviously you want to focus on whatever you're there to do – spend time with your family, catch up with friends, network at the conference, etc.

I've already given you one key tip: schedule as much as you can before you go, even if it means working extra hard for a few days or weeks.

Beyond that, I've found that what helps the most is to have a routine for working while you're away.

With smartphones, it's easy to be "always on". But this can really intrude on time with family and friends. Find some blocks of time where you can work: perhaps a small block every day and a few bigger blocks for tackling larger tasks.

If I'm travelling with my family this means I'll either get up early to do my social media, check my email, etc. or work after my kids have gone to bed. In either case I keep the main part of my day free to either spend with friends and family or be present at the conference I'm attending.

With any larger tasks I couldn't schedule ahead of time (such as sending out a newsletter), I make sure I'm clear about when I need to do it, rather than springing it on my family. I'll tell my wife Vanessa and the kids, "I'll be working on Wednesday morning for two or three hours. I'll need to find a cafe somewhere, and I won't be with you during that time".

Scheduling blocks of work ahead of time like this also helps me:

  • Mull over the task I'll be tackling, such as figuring out the subject line for an email or getting clear about the structure of a blog post in my head.
  • Work efficiently. I can get a lot done in an hour if I know what I need to tackle and I get straight to work.

That being said, I generally try to avoid mixing work and relaxation too much. Even if we get our energy from blogging, we all need breaks from it too.

How do you handle working while you're away? Share your tips with us in the comments.

Image credit: Oliur

The post Have Blog, Will Travel: Tips For Blogging On the Road appeared first on ProBlogger.

      

ProBlogger: Four Realities of Blogging Every Blogger Should Know About

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ProBlogger: Four Realities of Blogging Every Blogger Should Know About

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Four Realities of Blogging Every Blogger Should Know About

Posted: 13 Dec 2018 03:30 AM PST

The post Four Realities of Blogging Every Blogger Should Know About appeared first on ProBlogger.

Four realities of blogging every blogger should know

Does it look like other bloggers achieve success really easily?

Maybe they're content machines, pumping out great post after great post. Perhaps they've just launched yet another course, or have an amazingly swish new design for their blog. Or maybe they always reply to comments and emails really quickly.

And so you start to feel inadequate. You wonder how they do it, and why they never seem to struggle like you do.

But the truth is they probably do struggle. All bloggers do, even long-established ones. That's why in today's post I want to share four realities of blogging that don't often get talked about.

#1: It's Hard to Be Creative Every Day

I've written thousands of blog posts over the past fifteen years or so. But it can be hard to be creative every day, or even every week.

As any blogger will know, there are times when you have loads of ideas and your posts or podcasts flow easily.

But there are also times (a lot of times) when you stare at the screen and wonder what to write about. You worry that everything has been done already, or that you don't really have the skills or experience to cover a topic.

Every blogger goes through this, so don't think you're alone.

Make it Easier

Push yourself to make a start. Once you push through that initial resistance, you'll feel a sense of creative energy and your ideas will start to flow.

Make creating a regular part of your day or week. Even if you don't create something each time, just getting into this rhythm will help.

#2: First Drafts are Almost Always Bad

It often seems like my favourite bloggers have this innate ability to put words together in an amazing, effortless way.

But that gripping article probably started out as a hastily scribbled list on a scrap of paper that became a first draft full of mistakes and awkwardly formed ideas.

Then it was revisited and reworked time and time again. The headline, opening lines and conclusion were probably agonised over. And it was critiqued and edited multiple times before eventually being polished and published.

Make it Easier

Don't compare your first drafts to someone else's polished, published work. It's not a fair comparison.

If your ideas don't feel complete or your writing doesn't seem to flow, make sure you're putting enough time into editing. You need to spend as much time on editing, polishing and finishing your work as you do on that first draft.

#3: You Never Really Finish Anything

In fifteen years of blogging, I don't think I've ever hit "publish" on a post or podcast episode I've been 100% happy with. I always have mixed feelings. While I'm proud of what I created, I also think I could have done more – added extra details, polished it further, found a better quote, or made it look better.

These feelings of "I could do more" can be a good thing if they drive you to improve your first draft. But they can also stop you in your tracks and prevent you from publishing anything.

Make it Easier

Recognise that perfectionism can be both a superpower and a curse. Let it drive you to improve, but also learn to set your work free.

Remember, you can always go back and tweak your post or product later. But you'll never build anything of value without hitting "publish".

#4: We All Procrastinate

Do you ever put things off that you know you should get done? I bet you do, because everyone does.

For me, procrastination is often tied to fear. But I know the things that scare me are also the things that could potentially have the biggest impact on my life. For more on that, check out episode 167 of the ProBlogger podcast – My Million Dollar Blog Post (and How Procrastination Almost Stopped me Writing It).

Maybe it's the same for you, in which case procrastination is a sign you need to pay attention to something.

Make it Easier

Set yourself a deadline and tell your readers (or a fellow blogger) about it. The main reason I launched my podcast was because I told a friend I'd do it by the 1st of July 2015. And I did.

Pick one thing you've been procrastinating about – something that would have ongoing benefits for your blog – and do it. You might start an email list, create your first product, set up a "Start Here" page, or something else entirely.

When you're having a bad blogging day (or week, or month), and it feels like everything’s difficult for you and easy for everyone else, remember these four realities of blogging.

Keep persevering. The more you face up to the difficulties, the easier it will be to overcome them.

Image credit: Niklas Hamann

The post Four Realities of Blogging Every Blogger Should Know About appeared first on ProBlogger.

      

ProBlogger: 13 Key Ways to Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate (and Why it Matters)

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ProBlogger: 13 Key Ways to Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate (and Why it Matters)

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13 Key Ways to Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate (and Why it Matters)

Posted: 06 Dec 2018 03:30 AM PST

The post 13 Key Ways to Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate (and Why it Matters) appeared first on ProBlogger.

13 key ways to lower your blog's bounce rate (and why it matters)

Bounce rate is a Google Analytics metric that tells you the percentage of people who "bounce" off your site (i.e. visit your site and leave from the first page they arrive on).

To find out your bounce rate, log into your Google Analytics account.

(If you haven't set up Google Analytics on your blog, do it. It's powerful, very useful, and completely free. You can find out more about Google Analytics in episode 30 of the podcast.)

Once you're in Google Analytics, go to Audience → Overview and look at the Bounce Rate. You should see a little chart and a percentage that looks something like this:

On my Digital Photography School site the percentage is around 78%. That means 78% of the people who arrive at the site only view the page they arrive on.

You can click the little chart or select from the dropdown menu to see the entire chart for the previous month (or whatever period you select):

Most blogs don't see much day-to day-variation in their bounce rate. Mine changes slightly when I send out our email (which I'll talk about soon), but chances are your blog has a steady, even line when you view your chart.

Interpreting Your Bounce Rate

A high number (say, 99%) means a lot of people are leaving your blog without checking out any of your content beyond the page they arrive on.

A low number means a lot of people are sticking around, and looking at more than one post or page on your site.

Bloggers often think a high number is bad and a low number is good, and later in the post I'll be showing you ways to lower your bounce rate. But it's worth keeping in mind that a high bounce rate isn't necessarily a bad thing. For instance:

  • You might want readers to leave and do something else. For instance, if you promote affiliate products you probably want to send readers away to buy them.
  • You might want people to call your business. And a high bounce rate might suggest that's working. People are finding your site, and then picking up the phone to call you.
  • You might sell products through a major e-retailer such as Amazon or eBay. If you are, you'll need to send people away from your site.
  • You might be getting readers to sign up to your email list through a popup tool that doesn't load another page on your site.

How to Drill Down When You're Looking at Bounce Rate

While looking at the bounce rate for your entire site can be interesting, it's better to focus on specific pages. You can do this by going to Behavior → Site Content → Content Drilldown, and clicking on the page you're interested in. Here's an example:

On ProBlogger, the bounce rate for the front page is 61%. That's lower than our site average, which is normally in the high 70s. When people arrive on the front page, they're probably trying to figure out what the site is, what content they're interested in, and so on. So it makes sense for the bounce rate of that page to be relatively low.

Some pages on ProBlogger have a really low bounce rate. On the "Start Here" page it's 54%, and on the job board it's 35%. That's great, because it means people are clicking to view individual jobs.

Other pages have a much higher bounce rate. One post from 2012 gets search engine traffic every day, but its bounce rate is 91%. People arrive, see that the information isn't relevant for them, and leave.

How to Look at the Bounce Rate of Different Sources of Traffic

Another thing to be aware of is that bounce rates vary depending on the traffic source. In Google Analytics, you can go to Acquisition → All Traffic → Channels to view the bounce rates for different sources of traffic. It'll look something like this:

On Digital Photography School, Google traffic bounces away at 77% and social media traffic bounces at 81%. But email traffic has a much lower bounce rate – 55%.

So when I'm looking at lowering the bounce rate there, I'm particularly interested in the Google traffic because more than half of my traffic comes from Google. And most of it comes from first-time visitors. I'd love them to stick around and hopefully subscribe.

But I'm not particularly bothered about lowering the bounce rate for email traffic. It's already pretty low, and those people have already subscribed.

13 Straightforward Ways to Lower the Bounce Rate on Your Blog

Now that you understand bounce rates, and how to break it down by page and traffic source in Google Analytics, let's go through some ways to lower it.

#1: Make a Great First Impression

When someone comes to your site for the first time, they decide within seconds whether it's credible, is relevant to them, and has content worth reading.

And they base those decisions on your design, branding, tagline, and other clear indicators to the benefits of them reading.

#2: Work on Social Proof

If you have a testimony from a reader (or from someone well known), include it. If you've got a lot of Twitter followers or email subscribers, put the number on your site. If you've been quoted or featured in mainstream media and can use that publication's logo, use it.

These are all signals to first-time visitors that your site is credible and useful.

#3: Remove the Dates on Your Blog Posts

This might be a bit controversial, but I'm going to suggest it anyway. Consider removing the dates on your blog posts. It can help make a good first impression – especially when you have a lot of older evergreen posts.

On my Digital Photography School site I have a post about shutter speed that I wrote in 2007. It's just as relevant today, but if I included the date on that post people would inevitably judge it as less worth reading.

#4: Make Your Site Easy to Use

It might sound obvious, but people are more likely to click around on your site if it's easy to do. Make sure your site loads quickly, and make your content easy to read.

For more on this, you might want to listen to episode 176 of the podcast where I talk about creating scannable content: making sure the text is easy to read, having clear navigation, making your site responsive so it's optimised for mobile, minimising interruptions, and so on.

#5: Focus on High-Quality Content

If a first-time reader lands on a well-written, articulate article that enhances their life in some way, they're going to click around. So focus on writing consistently good posts that help your reader as much as possible.

And investing time to write great content improves your blog in other ways too.

#6: Ask Readers to Connect in Some Way

Normally you want readers to make an ongoing connection with you – perhaps by subscribing to your email list or following you on social media. Make strong, clear calls to action in various parts of your blog to encourage readers to connect to you.

This will help keep readers coming back to your site as return visitors, which will reduce your bounce rate over time. On Digital Photography School we see that people who come back every day click around at a much higher rate than first-time visitors.

#7: Create Portals for Your Site

This is one of the best things I've done on ProBlogger. On the front page we have icons for different 'portals' (under "I need help to…"). The same icons also appear in the sidebar next to every single post.

Each portal is a special page that includes a video greeting (where I make a personal connection) and a call to subscribe. There's also lots of information on each portal page. It isn't a category page with links to our latest posts. Instead it's a curated list of the best content we have.

These portals have reduced our bounce rate a lo. The individual portal pages have a bounce rate as low as 40%. If you'd like to know more about them, check out episode 114 of the podcast.

#8: Create a "Start Here" Page

Our "Start Here" page is featured prominently in our navigation: it's the first item in the menu. It's targeted at first-time readers, particularly those coming from Google who hopefully spot the link in the navigation and click on it.

You don't have call yours a "Start Here" page. An "About" or "My Story" page could serve the same purpose.

#9: Make External Links Open in a New Tab

When you link to another site or blog from one of your posts, a simple way to ensure you don't lose your reader is to make the external link open up in a new tab (or window). That way, the reader won't actually leave your site.

This is simple to do in WordPress. Simply edit the link and click the checkbox to open it in a new tab. There are also WordPress plugins that can handle this for you, such as Open external links in a new window.

#10: Link Back to Older Content from Your Posts

When you write your next blog post, challenge yourself to create links to at least three of your existing posts. For example, you could link to a previous post that covers something you mention in greater detail.

Another option is to add suggested reading (or listening) at the end of your post. While you can do this using a plugin, I like to add in my own so I can choose exactly what I want to encourage readers to look at next.

You could also create an interlinked series of posts, which can be great not only for lowering your bounce rate but also for exploring more complex ideas on your blog.

#11: Link to Popular Posts in Your Sidebar

If you've got a post (or several posts) you know are popular, make sure they're really easy to find. You could highlight them on your About or Start Here page. But you can also link to them in your sidebar.

You can do it with a text link, or you can get more creative with a button or a banner. For example, on ProBlogger we have an image in the sidebar that links to our "How to Start a Blog" post, with the call to action text in the image itself.

#12: Create a "Sneeze" Page

In the menu on Digital Photography School, we highlight a post called "Tips for Beginners" because it's always popular with our readers. If a reader clicks that link, they end up on what I call a "Sneeze" page.

This page introduces the topic, then lists 40 or so different posts we've written that are relevant for beginners. The point of the page is to get people "sneezed" deeply into our archives.

You can also write entire posts with this in mind. One we produced for Digital Photography School is "21 Settings, Techniques and Rules All New Camera Owners Should Know".

#13: Make it Easy to Search Your Site

Many blogs don't give readers the opportunity to search their content, or bury their search bar somewhere low on the page. This makes it hard for readers to search for information they particularly want.

Make sure your search bar is easy to find. You want you readers to find the right content as easily as possible.

I know that's a lot to take in. So here are some practical steps for what you can do next:

#1: Identify the top three posts on your site that consistently get a lot of traffic.

#2: Have a look at the bounce rate on each post. Are they all similar, or is one much higher or lower than the others? Can you figure out why?

#3: Try to optimise those three posts to reduce the bounce rate. You could add a call to subscribe, include further reading, or add extra links in that content.

If you want to go further, create a "Start Here" page for your site, or create some "Sneeze" pages or posts to list your best content in particular categories.

Don't forget to leave a comment below to let us know how you get on.

Image credit: Markus Spiske

The post 13 Key Ways to Lower Your Blog’s Bounce Rate (and Why it Matters) appeared first on ProBlogger.

      

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