4 Things You Didn’t Know Your Blog Was Missing

As you know, there’s an oversaturation of blogging tools and resources on the internet. Everywhere you go, someone’s telling you about a new tool that’s supposed to revolutionize your blogging experience or fundamentally simplify your ability to attract page views. Unfortunately, most of us either forget about these suggestions or write them off as too complicated.

4 Elements Your Blog Needs

Being a strict gatekeeper is a good idea. If you were to take everyone’s advice at face value, your blog would have no direction or appeal. With that being said, there are certain elements you don’t want to ignore. If your blog is missing any of the following things, you may want to reevaluate your position.

1. Large High Quality Images

While the heart of blogging involves words, sentences, and paragraphs, you can’t ignore the growing importance of high quality images. Today’s most successful blogs are the ones that are able to compliment posts with compelling images that grab the reader’s attention and deliver a superior reading experience.

The key is to avoid stock photography and instead start taking your own photos. Sound intimidating? Don’t worry; with a few basic tips you can learn everything you need to know about taking simple, yet attractive photos for your blog.

2. Facebook Comments Plugin

Did you know that 71 percent of all adults have a Facebook account? That number is roughly three times as many people as any other popular social media platform on the internet. Knowing this, bloggers should attempt to leverage Facebook as much as possible.

If you aren’t currently enabling Facebook comments on your blog posts, it’s time to reevaluate. The Comments plugin lets people comment on your posts using their Facebook account, which they are generally already logged into. It also allows for seamless sharing and posting. Here’s a quick guide on how to set it up on a WordPress blog.

3. Related Posts Feature

A favorite strategy among successful bloggers and content marketers is to keep readers on site by continually offering an endless stream of related content. It’s why those picture slideshows you click on always transition into another similar slideshow when you hit the last slide. It’s also why YouTube has a feature that starts another video when you finish the one you came to watch.

As a blogger, you need to use this tactic as well. Thankfully there are a number of good options in the form of plugins. Here’s a guide for choosing the best one.

4. Consistent Byline

While it may seem obvious, it’s astonishing how many bloggers don’t include their names on each post. This is troublesome for a number of reasons. For one thing, it doesn’t allow you to develop much of a relationship with your regular readers. After all, they want to read something from a person, not a computer screen.

However, the biggest issue is that it makes it difficult for someone to cite you as a resource. Let’s say you have a really fantastic point that another blogger wants to quote for their own post, how are they going to quote you without knowing your name? By implementing a consistent byline into every post, you can greatly increase your trust and mentions. On a related note, it’s also a good idea to include an avatar or picture with your byline.

Put Your Blog on the Right Track

A blog is a very objective thing. From the layout and design to content and branding, every blog is different – and that’s what makes the internet so wonderful. However, there are a number of elements that need to be a mainstay on all blogs in 2016. The ones mentioned in this article should certainly be priorities as you move forward.