It’s not absolutely necessary for every page on every website to be entertaining. Certain websites can succeed simply by providing information—think of online yellow pages, or mapping sites, or traffic information sites. They’re pretty much no-frills operations, and if you think about it, that’s the way they should be.
You don’t want a lot of song and dance when you search for something on Google, do you ? You just want the results, and that’s what they give you. The same thing applies to your own website. Certain elements of it shouldn’t do anything other than provide the information your customers are looking for—contact information, frequently asked questions, and product lists, for example. Anything other than the basic facts would get in the way and annoy your customers.
On the other hand, when you’re writing your blog, the last thing you want to be is plain and utilitarian. If your blog doesn’t have some life to it, if it doesn’t give your readers something they didn’t expect, it’s not going to attract new readers or keep the few it has. You need to make a special effort to keep your blog readers interested and engaged, even if it means saying or including things that you wouldn’t say or include elsewhere on your site.
Why are the rules so different for blogs? Because blogs attract a different type of visitor than other websites. When someone goes to one of the sites I mentioned earlier—a Yahoo business directory, let’s say, or MapQuest—they have a specific need, and they want to meet that need as quickly as possible. If the page is clean-looking and the information is easy to find, the users are happy, and they’ll probably come back the next time they need the same kind of answer.
When someone returns to a blog they’ve read before, they’re not looking for one specific piece of information. They’re just interested in seeing what the blogger has posted recently, whatever it turns out to be. If someone is reading a blog for the first time, they’re most likely just trying to find out what the blog is about and whether it’s written in a way that they find appealing. If they like what they see, they’ll read more, and they’ll come back later to see what’s new.
There are lots of things you can do to make your blog more interesting and entertaining. The best way to get ideas is to read lots of other blogs and pay attention to the things that you find most appealing—if it works for you, it will probably work for your readers, too. Here are a few basic tricks, if you’re looking for a place to start:
1. Mix things up. Don’t limit yourself to simple written text. Most blog software makes it easy to incorporate audio and video files into your blog, so take advantage of that ability. If you have something your audience would enjoy, put it on your blog. If you don’t have anything pre-packaged, take a subject that you were planning to write about, and turn it into a three-minute video or audio recording instead. You might not want to turn your entire website into a multimedia experience, but adding some variety to your blog can only help.
2. Loosen your tie. Blogs, in almost all cases, are less formal in tone than other web content. If you want an illustration, take a look at the website of your favorite presidential candidate. The front page will be all business, but if you look at the candidate’s blog (they all have them), you’ll notice a significant difference in style and substance—they’re going for that easygoing, down-home appeal. You’re not running for office, I know, but you should follow the example. If your posts too stuffy or businesslike, you’ll turn off readers who are used to something a little lighter.
3. Link, link, link. Many blogs become successful not so much because of the blogger’s original material, but because he or she provides so many interesting links. If you see something on another site or another blog, don’t be afraid to put the link in your own blog. Your readers might click away for a moment, but if you’re doing it right, they’ll come back.
Once you understand the unique demands of the blog audience, you’ll have an easier time attracting and retaining them. More than anything else, be sure to follow rule #1: DON’T BE BORING!
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