Blog Audit Challenge 2020: September Challenges | Jo Linsdell

Blog Audit Challenge 2020: September Challenges

Blog Audit Challenge 2020: September Challenges #BlogAuditChallenge2020


Blog Audit Challenge 2020


Welcome back for another month of challenges for the Blog Audit Challenge 2020!

I hope you did well with the August challenges. Remember to link up your progress reports in the Link Up on the 5th September

Each month we'll concentrate on a different area of our blogs.

Life is strange for most of us this year with Coronavirus, Lock-downs, etc... If you fall behind with the monthly tasks don't worry. Just catch up when you can. This challenge lasts the whole year. 

The Challenges:


January- Plan of action
FebruaryInformation pages
March- The trimmings
April- Design
May- SEO
June- Links
August- Content gaps
September- Developing readership
October- Get social
November- Press and collaborations
December- Know your stats

Monthly link ups

In order to keep us all on track, and give us a way to see each others progress, I'll be hosting link ups on the first Saturday of every month where participants can share their links and discuss their progress. 


#BlogAuditChallenge2020

September Challenges


Our focus for September is on developing readership. 

The September challenges:


1. Optimise your comment system

Are you making it easy for readers to comment on your content? I don't know about you but when I read a great blog post and go to post a comment only to find comments are not enable I feel let down. It's like I read all your content, got inspired by it and then.... nothing. The End. 

Then there's the blogs that have you jumping through hoops to be able to post a comment. Yes to site protection (spam is a big problem for bloggers) but if it's too hard to post a comment people will give up. 

Keep it simple, and make it easy. 

Also encourage readers to comment on the post. Ask a question or include another CTA (Call to action) at the end of your blog post to inspire them to continue the conversation in the comments section of the post.

2. Make sure you reply to all comments

If someone takes the time to comment on your content it's good etiquette to reply to them. The comments section is the part of your blog where you turn readers into fans that come back time and time again.  

Show them that you appreciate them taking the time to comment on your blog post, and get to know them better. This can also be a great way to find out what content your regular readers want more of. 

3. SEO comments

Your comment section is an extension of your blog content and can do wonders for the SEO of your post.

When replying to comments drop in the keywords for the blog post if they fit naturally into the text. 

So instead of just "Thank you" try "Thank you for sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed this post about blogging. What kind of blog do you have? As a blogger, what do you think could be added?"

The first is polite acknowledgment. The second includes keywords like: blogging, blog, and blogger. It also invites the reader to continue the conversation further. 

It's good practice to drop keywords that you think fit the blog posts you comment on when on other bloggers blogs. If you take the time to make a more targeted comment on their blog it increases the chances that they will do the same for you when they visit your blog. 

Let's use an example for book bloggers. Instead of writing just "Great post" try "I learnt some new tips about book blogging in this post. Thanks for helping other bloggers".

The first example, which although is very nice and appreciated doesn't add anything to the post. The second is much better and includes keywords like: tips about book blogging, book blogging, and bloggers.

If it was a book review post instead of just "Great review" try to add in the name of the book and author e.g. "Great review. I loved this book too. In fact I'm a huge fan of the whole Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan is awesome. I want to go to Camp Half Blood too". 


Free downloads: You can grab copies of all the extra materials for the Blog Audit Challenge 2020 for free here


Save the Date!

The October challenges will be posted on 2nd October. The monthly link up post for sharing your September progress will be on 3rd October. 


Blog Audit Challenge 2020: September Challenges #BlogAuditChallenge2020


You might also like: Exploring CTA's: Different Types of Calls To Action To Use in Your Blog Posts


Don't forget to promote your participation in the Blog Audit Challenge 2020 by using the following graphic in any blog posts you do connected with the challenge along with a link back to this site. 


Blog Audit Challenge 2020 hosted by @JoLinsdell at www.JoLinsdell.com

5 comments

  1. I didn't even know this challenge existed or I'd have joined sooner!! Feeling very miffed about it now haha. I'll try to join in now though. Great idea :)

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    1. Happy to have you with us. Join in anytime. You're welcome to go back through the older tasks and catch up too if like. Welcome to the challenge ❤️

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  2. I have bookmarked your blog, the articles are way better than other similar blogs.. thanks for a great blog! seo

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    1. Aww thanks. I'm glad you enjoy my blog and find it useful.

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  3. I'm running the Blog Audit Challenge for the whole of 2020. Every month I'll be posting monthly tasks for the challenges, each with a different focus. The focus for September is on developing readership, but other months cover a variety of different topics and areas from SEO to blog design to knowing your blog stats and how to use them to help improve your blog either further. I hope you'll join us for the rest of the challenge and submit your progress reports in the monthly link ups so we can see how you're doing with the various tasks.

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