You have a great idea for a blog. Do you sit down and slave over a new post only to feel like no one is reading your it? If you’re spending a lot of time writing articles and giving away your best tips, tricks and insights, you want to make sure people are a) finding and then b) actually reading it.

So how do you make your blog popular?

Make sure your content is what people want to read and that people are actually looking for it. That means knowing what your audience is interested in, what its pain is so the wisdom you’re spouting is actually useful to them. And, while you’re at it, get found accidentally on Google?

Here’s how to make your blog more popular:

Pick something to write about based on what your audience really needs to know. What will help them? Not just what you want to prattle on about. We take for granted what we (as the expert) knows so a great way to find out what they want to read about is to ask them.

Once you have an idea, use Market Samurai to see what people are searching. Input a key word phrase related to your content, such as ‘how to make your blog popular.’ Look for alternate terms and pick one with which you can be competitive, and with which you can naturally insert into a 400 words post a couple times.

Give real value in your posts. Don’t be afraid of giving away the milk by sharing your wisdom and experience. As Paul Tobey says, you could write a post about your knowledge every day for a year and not even make a dent in what you know. Real value, as opposed to fluff or a sales message will get people reading and sharing your blog.

Make it easy for people to read. Follow this basic format of identifying the problem, sharing the solution, elaborating or sharing main points, then finishing it with a tidy conclusion. Also, be sure to include subheads and at least one photo. This kind of format makes it clear and easy to read, more attractive and less daunting then a wall of text (which will stop them in their tracks).

Share, share, share. Put all that time on Facebook or LinkedIn to good use and share your brilliant post. Don’t just put the link up or say ‘here’s my latest blog post.’ Ask a provocative question, or write a hypnotic intro to entice. Then, there’s also submitting it to all the social bookmarking sites. Make sharing a ritual you do after completing each post so that your blog becomes more popular with humans and search robots.

To learn more about how to make your blog popular and other great digital marketing tips, sign-up for email alerts (just below my photo).