“If you build it, it will come,” is an outdated and fanciful blogging adage. Influence doesn’t magically materialize through blogging alone. You need to honestly figure out why your blog isn’t as dynamic as it should be so you can make it work better for you.

Before you raise your fist to the sky and declare, “MY BLOG SUCKS!” take a step back and reevaluate what’s wrong with it, and how you can fix it. This is a more common occurrence than you think, and plenty of successful bloggers have encountered blog stasis at least once in their blogging careers.

Here are common reasons as to why nobody is interested in your blog, and how to wake it up.

1. Poor design

If your blog isn’t as easy to navigate, or if your design and layout elements clash, it won’t attract an audience. People like browsing through blogs that make them feel good, and it won’t make them feel good if they think your blog is ugly.

Solutions:

• Choose a clean template with easy-to-read fonts.
• Use a color harmonious palette that doesn’t overpower the other elements of your layout.
• Don’t incorporate too much ads, especially the animated ones.
• Avoid videos set to autoplay.
• Before relaunching your blog, test all links and buttons first to see if it’s easy to navigate.

2. Oversaturated niche

Some niches, such as food, fashion, and make-up reviews are already highly saturated that it would be hard for you to set yourself apart from the more established blogs. And readers are likely to gravitate toward the familiar and established.

Solutions:

• Find a unique spin on your subject that you can claim as your own.
• Or go back to square one, and find other niches that you would like to write about.

3. Uninteresting or exaggerated titles

Cliched titles such as My Ramblings On…, or hyperbolic, cheap landing-page titles like How Linda Lost 380lbs And Now You Can Too!!! won’t capture your audience’s attention. The first is too pedestrian, the second is overkill.

Solutions:

• Make sure your title is clear and informative but subtle enough.
• Use a catchy writing style — a rhyme, alliteration, or humor.
• Read up on popular established blogs in your niche to see how their post titles are written.

Guess what, so are your readers.

4. Off-the-mark content

Your posts may be long-winded and pointless, or they may lack information that your audience needs. Or they may be rehashed material from other blogs in the same niche. Nobody likes to read blog posts that offer little to no value.

Solutions:

• Write original content.
• Offer relevant AND unique information to surprise your readers.
• Do your research well.
• Make sure your topic is something you are well-informed about.

5. Poorly delivered content

Your topics are interesting enough, but the way you speak to your audience turns them off. Are you too serious, condescending, patronizing, hostile, or phony?

Solutions:

• Match your writing tone to your niche, but keep it friendly enough for readers.
• If you’re writing about serious topics, keep the tone neutral and informative. Too much negative emotion will turn your readers off.
• If you’re selling ideas, be careful not to oversell or patronize your readers.
• Never talk down to your readers, regardless of their age range and life station.

6. Self-indulgence

Sure, your blog is all about you and your brand. But if you keep trumpeting about your product’s great qualities and accomplishments, or if you share endless tales about yourself, your thoughts, activities, and opinions, it can get boring for your readers.

Solutions:

• Make your stories relatable to your readers. Use shared interests as a focal point for discussion.
• If you run a business blog, tell your readers how they can benefit from you and your products, instead of just how good you are.
• Place a flexible limit on your post length.
• Keep your posts concise.

Ask your readers questions relevant to your post.

7. Lack of engagement

Your blog is a platform for you to be heard. But for your readers, it’s also a venue for them to be heard. Readers fall off the grid when they feel that the blogger they’re responding to isn’t capable of listening to them.

Solutions:

• Respond to your readers by answering some of their comments.
• Find comments that are potential conversation starters, and reply to them.
• Encourage your readers to ask you questions, and answer them.
• Add follow-up questions to your reader responses in your blog comments, or in your social media sites.

8. Lack of promotion

Your blog won’t take off if you don’t sell it. It needs the help of your social media engagement to spread the word about its existence.

Solutions:

• Market your blog in popular social media sites, as well as networking sites related to your niche. Be pro-active.
• Once you’ve built a social media following, regularly and constantly engage them with conversations and updates.
• Use email marketing to keep your readers updated with your blog posts.

Have you encountered this kind of issues with blogging? What did you do to address it? Let me know in the comments below!