Why Trust is so important if you want to be a successful blogger

Why Trust is so important if you want to be a successful blogger

So you have this amazing idea for a blog post, you know that if people read it then it will really help them and if they click on the links included you’re sure to make a little something for yourself BUT you have a big issue – actually getting the eyes and clicks through on your blog. Trust is such a huge thing for bloggers in terms of getting those eyes to their blogs, getting them to return and if you wish to monetise your content, getting those all-important clicks. If your readers don’t trust YOU as a blogger, then your content becomes irrelevant as they won’t trust that either.

So how do you overcome that?

Be an active blogger: the biggest way to earn trust is to be active, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on other blogs. Comment, reply and interact with your readers and other bloggers. If they can see that you are a genuine and real person then they will become more interested in what you have to say, ultimately trusting you – whether that is on your social media channels or on your blog itself. Other bloggers can be a great boost to your trust level, if they trust you enough to share/retweet your content then you are reaching their readers – who will trust them enough to know that when they share content it will be worth their time. Commenting on their blog posts, Twitter posts and Facebook statuses will also expose you to their readers.

Show them you’re not a referral hound: people don’t like the hard sell so if you’re just throwing out content that is obviously aimed at benefitting only you then people will steer clear. Posts with no obvious benefit to you (referral links etc.) will show your readers that you are willing to educate/inform/entertain them for nothing in return. If they think that this content is well written then they will probably want to read more from you, this includes any of your posts that directly benefit you.

Provide high quality content: great posts with clear pictures and plenty of information that is your own work will encourage your readers to come back. Short, vague, badly written posts which has been copied from another source is a fantastic way to turn your readers away from your blog.

Your blog hosting is important: using a trusted hosting company, which means you will need to pay for it, shows that you really care about your blog. Using Blogger/Blogspot or WordPress.org will hold less of an influence then places like Kloudhost or GoDaddy as they are free sites. Using a well-established and known hosting brand will also come with guarantees such as your site having fewer service dropouts and the content being yours; rather than owned by the hosting company in the cases of Blogger and WordPress.org.

Domain Authority is more important than you think: it scores your site (up to 100) and predicts how well your site will rank on search engines – the better it ranks the more people will see it. Creating links back to your blog is one way to strengthen your DA – this is where connecting other bloggers is a big plus. Commenting on blog posts and doing guest posts all leave footprints that are picked up, improving your score. The higher you are in search engine results the more likely you are to be a trusted source of information.

Be yourself: don’t fake who you are and what you do. If you are telling your readers you earn £1000’s a year doing x, y and z but then cannot prove it then they will lose faith in you. Informing your readers about fitness and health but then always posting unhealthy meals on your Instagram will discredit your knowledge on the subject. Don’t lie about who you are, you will sooner or later be found out.

Trust yourself: be confident in what you are writing because if you can’t trust yourself and your own content then you have no right to expect others to do so.

What are you going to do today to build the trust between you and your readers?