I've been working hard to improve the stories section which is now listed according to most recommended by default. This puts out best face forwards for new members and encourage them to join the site. For those who still want to list by most recent, the searches are now remembered so the list will appear automatically how you want it whenever you return.
However if you want to imrove your story rankings and appear further up the recommended list then there's a number of things you can do. The 'most recommended' algorithm takes into account several factors, including whether an thumbnail and description have been entered, how recently the story had been created or updated, how many chapters the story has and number of likes and comments.
Think of a catchy title, upload a thumbnail and enter a relevant description
Your story listing is like a shop window, tempting members in to read your story. A catchy title will help, something that appeals to their imagination or sparks their interest.
Find a nice good quality image for the thumbail. This will also appear as a 'book cover' at the top of the reading page. For best results the image should be at least 800px wide. It may be clipped to fit the page, so ensure the main part of the picture (the bit you want to keep) is in the center of the image. There are many websites out there that offer free clipart and other images that you could use. Try this one for a start vecteezy.com/free-vector/fat.
The description is all important since many members will need further encouragment before clicking to view your story, especially if they're in an area with a slow internet connection. It's easier just to scroll down to look for someting else unless they can see it's something they want to read.
Add at least 3 chapters to begin with
Although writing good stories takes time and effort, it's worth adding a few chapters to start with to tempt members in and get them engaged in your story. You can alway add more chapters later when you have more time.
Try to build up a following
I've now added a 'follow' button to the bottom of the reading page. If you can encourage members to follow you, they will recieve a notification whenever you upload a new story or create a new chapter. This will get you some instant views and hopefully a few comments and likes that will push your story up the ratings. Members on this site seek out talented authors and keenly wait for new content to become available.
This list isn't conclusive, but hopefully it's a start. I haven't covers interesting plot ideas or good grammar and spelling which will also lead to more views and interest in your stories.
However if you want to imrove your story rankings and appear further up the recommended list then there's a number of things you can do. The 'most recommended' algorithm takes into account several factors, including whether an thumbnail and description have been entered, how recently the story had been created or updated, how many chapters the story has and number of likes and comments.
Think of a catchy title, upload a thumbnail and enter a relevant description
Your story listing is like a shop window, tempting members in to read your story. A catchy title will help, something that appeals to their imagination or sparks their interest.
Find a nice good quality image for the thumbail. This will also appear as a 'book cover' at the top of the reading page. For best results the image should be at least 800px wide. It may be clipped to fit the page, so ensure the main part of the picture (the bit you want to keep) is in the center of the image. There are many websites out there that offer free clipart and other images that you could use. Try this one for a start vecteezy.com/free-vector/fat.
The description is all important since many members will need further encouragment before clicking to view your story, especially if they're in an area with a slow internet connection. It's easier just to scroll down to look for someting else unless they can see it's something they want to read.
Add at least 3 chapters to begin with
Although writing good stories takes time and effort, it's worth adding a few chapters to start with to tempt members in and get them engaged in your story. You can alway add more chapters later when you have more time.
Try to build up a following
I've now added a 'follow' button to the bottom of the reading page. If you can encourage members to follow you, they will recieve a notification whenever you upload a new story or create a new chapter. This will get you some instant views and hopefully a few comments and likes that will push your story up the ratings. Members on this site seek out talented authors and keenly wait for new content to become available.
This list isn't conclusive, but hopefully it's a start. I haven't covers interesting plot ideas or good grammar and spelling which will also lead to more views and interest in your stories.
5 years