Turning your blog into a potentially lucrative home business requires many factors, one of which is to have a consistent audience. The more you are able to encourage viewership and turn them into regular readers and subscribers of your blog, you will have more success with any monetization options you choose.

Write Valuable Blog Content

Good content does two things for your blog: it makes readers interested enough to view you as an authoritative source for information and it also facilitates engagement. You want viewers to treat your blog as a reputable and authoritative source for information because you want them to return. Increased engagement is also important because it keeps views on your blog longer, which translates into better search engine statistics. Longer time on your page also encourages readers to buy a product or subscribe to your email list.

There are few hard rules when it comes to defining good content. Aim for longer content, as it often does better for search engine rankings. However, your content cannot be overly long, because that can lead to audience inattention. Use headings, subheadings and lists as another way to break up your content for easier reading. Include authoritative links within your blog posts when they are appropriate, but do not overdo it. One to two embedded links every 400 words is a sufficient amount.

Create Shareable Content

Your content should be easily shared on social media platforms. If you have not done so, install a plug-in on your website to allow visitors to share your content on most social media platforms and by email. You will need to spend time preparing for how your content will look when shared on different social media platforms. For example, on some platforms you want an interesting and relevant image to coincide with your content.

Also, find a way to summarize information about your post that gives people an idea what the topic is about, while making them curious enough to actually click the link. You will need to be more creative with social media platforms where you are limited in character space. Take advantage of relevant and trending keywords or phrases when possible.

Use The "Old-Fashioned" Way

All types of media remain relevant. Do not overlook the value of an old-fashioned business card. You can have hundreds of business cards printed inexpensively, with your logo and blog link. Casually leave your business card at your favorite spots, such as the bar, cafe or library. To make generating traffic easier, include a QR code with a direct link to your blog. It is easier to attract people to your blog if they can quickly scan the code and head over to your blog to see if it is interesting. Most people who stumble across your business card will check out your blog at least once, purely out of curiosity.

Consider Guest Posting

Guest posting is not dead, though it's not the same as it used to be. With search engines cracking down on guest-posting networks, you may need to find different ways to gain exposure—the content you offer for guest posting has to be really relevant and helpful. You may need to have more experience within your niche to land spots on worthy blogs for guest posting. Depending on your niche, your goal is to land guest posts on other websites with high volumes of traffic or that are authoritative and the go-to resource for people within that niche.

Some websites publicly display their information on requirements for guest posting, while others may require you to contact them and inquire. Even one guest post on a popular website in your niche will give you the advantage of a byline where you can build your credibility and include a link to your blog.

Every day more people are building blogs in hopes of becoming the next internet marketing success story. With so much competition, it will take more time and effort to build viewership, but the learning experience will help you with your future business endeavors.

If blogging isn't the only thing you're interested, take some time to search around for some of the best online business opportunities.