BLOGGING SECRETS 

How to Get More Traffic to Your Blog

Have you started a blog recently? Or have you been blogging for a while, but want to get more readers and traffic to your blog? Blogging should be fun. You can even earn some money, but there are a few essential things you should know to increase traffic to your blog. Are you ready for your "fifteen minutes of fame" in the great blogosphere? That's why I created this page--to provide some of the secrets to great blogging and getting more readers. Why put so much effort into your blog, and then be content with just a few readers, when you could enjoy greater popularity by learning some important secrets to blogging success?! And how about making a few bucks--or even eking out a modest income? It all depends on getting more TRAFFIC to your blog.

Photo: Daily Traffic by Burning Image

TRAFFIC. You hate it as a driver, but you love it as a blogger. Do you know how many readers you have or how much traffic your blog is getting on any given day? Don't judge by the number of comments you receive, because most people do not leave comments on blogs. I've read that less than 10% of readers leave comments. (Keep in mind that some of your favorite posts may never get a single comment.) If you don't have a statcounter for your blog, go to StatCounter.com and get a FREE one for your blog. This incredible tool not only will help you track the traffic to your blog and your progress, but gives you all kinds of valuable information about your traffic, such as the actual key words which brought others to your blog. Information from StatCounter.com can help you craft your blog. It can also give you a boost. When I check my blog stats, my favorite thing is to view the world map and see which foreign countries have been visiting my blog (of course, I appreciate my readers from the United States, too). The fact that my blog's international is still quite a thrill to me.

Don't be discouraged if traffic to your blog hasn't been terrific. Before I "spill" some secrets, think for a moment about how you can get more readers. Stymied? Here's a quick suggestion to boost traffic. Provide a list that's related to your topic which would be useful to others. For example, on my blog about books, Suko's Notebook, I provide some lists of books by authors and include publication dates. This is helpful to people looking up this information on the computer. I'll mention lists again in a moment. And it took ages before my second blog,La Vache Intéressante, got any traffic at all.

9 Simple Blogging Secrets

TYPICALLY, when you first start a blog, family and friends are excited for you, and leave encouraging comments. Then suddenly, all too quickly, the honeymoon ends, and they stop reading your blog. You may feel dismayed, ready to hide your head in the sand. Don't take it personally, though, because your friends and family thought they were doing enough by checking out your blog once or twice initially. Truth be told, you are really blogging for new friends and readers who are truly interested in your topic, although some old friends or family members might continue to read your blog occasionally. But be honest--is your readership pitiful? Are your stats so low that you feel like the least popular kid at school? My own stats were nothing to brag about until I learned a few basic things about blogging. So don't be depressed, get motivated! It's not that your blog stinks, it's that you need to know a few of the secrets to successful blogging. Don't give up, just keep on reading!

1) First and foremost, BELIEVE in yourself! If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. This may sound like a simple cliché, but it's true. Step one is to have confidence in your self and your words. You should feel like an authority on whatever you're blogging about. If you're unsure, your words will reflect that. You don't have to be pompous or arrogant, just confident. Do the research you may need to do to be accurate and authoritative. Furthermore, your blog should be about what really interests you, and is worth the extra effort you put into it. Be ORIGINAL, be YOU, and be inspirational to others. This will make you a success!

2) PUBLISH as frequently as possible. Every day is ideal, but challenging for those with busy schedules. I try to post every few days, or at least once a week. Commit to frequently publishing original content that's well-written and heartfelt. Here's your chance to tell your stories--make them interesting! Edit as much as you need to, even after you've published if necessary. Quality and uniqueness are really important. My favorite blogs are one-of-a-kind and keep me coming back for more. You want people to look forward to reading your posts, not consider it a boring chore. Encourage comments, too, which make people feel more involved with your blog.

3) LINK to other blogs and websites. Eventually others will link to your blog. Include a blog roll on your blog featuring related blogs. For more information about this, go to Writing Space. Encourage people to read your blog by commenting intelligently and courteously on other blogs. That's the quickest way for others to find you. They may become interested in you, because you showed interest in them. All they need to do is click on your name and they'll arrive at your blog. It's the start of many reciprocal relationships between bloggers.

4) GOT ADS? In a flash, you can put related ads on your site from Adsense or other advertisers if you want to earn some money from your blog. Personally, I like AdSense, which gives you ads related to content and a great deal of control. In fact, you can choose the size, amount, and the placement of your ads, and many other aspects are customizable. Go to AdSense to find out more and sign up.

5) LISTS are a wonderful addition to your blog. Blog expert Chris Brogan says it's best to have a list which contains an odd number of items. For some reason, this seems to draw the most readers. In keeping with this, I'll attempt to have this list contain an odd number of items, although I may add to it when I get more good secrets from readers, so it could have an even number of items temporarily. Be sure to check back for future additions to this list.

6) More advice: STOP COMPLAINING. Don't make your blog a site for complaining about your world. You don't need to sugar-coat everything, but on the other hand, who wants to hear about all the tedious personal problems of others? I don't! Do you? People want to be entertained, inspired, intrigued--not feel like the local complaint department--so air your grievances elsewhere. Help others to get motivated in some way--don't be a downer!

7) HIT THE BOOKS. There are many terrific books about blogging, packed with useful tips and techniques for building a successful blog which gets lots of traffic. I couldn't resist ordering a copy of The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie for myself. I still need to learn more about blogging!

8)JasonE recommends that if you're interested in making money through blogging you should read Darren Rowse's blog at problogger.net. I get updates of this blog and do find it helpful.

9) Snozzle says, "Don't give up". I couldn't agree more. You need a substantial body of work in order to get traffic. The more you have in the search engine, the better (as long as quality counts, too). Persistence really does pay off where blogging is concerned. (Also see "BE A PLUGGER" below.)

AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED can be found online, including any books or software you may choose to order. But there's also a wealth of information to be found online for FREE. Check out some articles by Squidoo's founder Seth Godin for terrific blogging tips and advice. In brief, he says your blog should be unique, useful, and updated (u,u,u). In other words, give people a reason to read your blog. I always keep this in mind when I'm writing a post.

BE A PLUGGER

DON"T GIVE UP, unless you're really unhappy with the entire blog experience (which does have it's ups and downs). Keep things in perspective and realize that even when you don't meet your readership goals, there's always tomorrow to do just that. Stay motivated and continue blogging. Many "gung-ho" bloggers quit after only three months or so, which isn't usually sufficient time to gain many loyal readers. You must build your blog and readership, post by post. Be patient--Rome wasn't built in a day--and stay focused on making your blog worth visiting. At the very least, you will be recording some portion of your history and improving your writing and presentation skills.

THINK CREATIVELY

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, think of your blog as a way to flex your creative muscle. It really does take a good measure of creativity and original thinking to come up with interesting posts on a regular basis. Is your writing interesting and up to par? Do you need to proofread more closely? It's worth the extra few minutes to read your posts out loud to make sure that they flow well and are understandable.

Keep yourself inspired by reading other blogs (but not copying them) and by participating in the activities you most enjoy. Then you' ll have something (positive) to post about!