To attract readers and keep them coming back, you need to define your audience.

  • Build a foundation with Google Analytics data
  • Reach out to users and find out what they care about and why
  • Review and refine your message to meet your readers’ desires

Use Google Analytics to create a framework to build on (Check out our web guide on Google Analytics!). Start with high-level attributes like age, sex, location, language, and technology. See what ads people click on, the types of websites they frequent, and what they’re in the market for. Pay attention to external search keywords that come up frequently—this is the stuff drawing people to your website, and writing blog posts related to those subjects would likely draw more traffic to your site. Site search data shows you what users were most interested when they got there.

Survey your readers for information. You can use Drupal’s built-in Webform content type or a third-party services like Survey Monkey or iPerceptions. User feedback is a crucial complement for your analytics results. Round out demographic information like education, income, employment, and industry. Ask about attitudes, predispositions, opinions, habits, concerns, and interests.

Combine your information to visualize who your typical users are and what they want. This puts you in a good place to get your blog started and craft your editorial calendar.