[stylist] 10 ways to increase your BLOG traffic

Tue Jan 17 14:57:26 UTC 2012

A good friend of mine tells me this guy is an expert:

This author's name is---  Michael Hyatt
[mailto:michael=michaelhyatt.com at mail170.us1.rsgsv.net] On Behalf Of Michael
Hyatt

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

10 WAYS TO GENERATE MORE BLOG TRAFFIC

Whenever I speak on the topic of platform-building, someone always asks,
"How can I generate more traffic for my blog?" Most are hoping I have a
silver bullet, something that will instantly get them the recognition they
deserve.

The bad news is that it's not quite that simple. Rome wasn't built in a day
and neither is a platform. It takes doing several things right-and doing
them over a long period of time.

The good news is that it's not rocket science. I have used these basic
techniques to increase my blog traffic every year since I started tracking
it in 2008 using Google Analytics. Some years have been better than others,
but all have shown an increase:

Year    Pageviews     Increase

2008   574,778          N/A

2009   1,496,241      160.3%

2010   1,972,497      31.8%

2011   5,060,331      156.5%

Based on my experience, I believe you can dramatically increase their blog
traffic by following these ten suggestions. (Forgive me if I cover some of
the basics.)

1.         Write content worth sharing. Nothing I suggest in 2-10 below will
compensate for weak content. If you are not writing stuff people want to
read, smarter marketing will not fix the problem. Begin by creating a killer
headline that makes people want to read what you have to say. Read
Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich. It's my secret sauce. 

2.         Adhere to a consistent schedule. You can't expect to increase
your traffic if you don't blog regularly. By this, I mean at least once a
week. Three times a week is even better. Five times a week is best-but not
if the quality of your content suffers. Frequency equals visibility. 

3.         Get your own domain name. Make it easy on your readers to pass
along your blog name. What do you think is easier, "yourname.wordpress.com"
or "yourname.com"? This is the the foundation of branding and making your
blog memorable. If you can get your name or a short phrase, it is worth
paying (within reason) to do so. 

4.         Include your blog address everywhere. In the beginning, you are
adding readers, one at a time. You never know when someone with a bigger
audience will quote you or link to you. Include your blog address in your
email signature, on your business cards, and on your stationary. It should
appear virtually everywhere your name appears. 

5.         Make it easy to subscribe to your blog. You don't want to depend
on your readers to remember to come back to your blog. Instead, you want
them to subscribe, so they get every new post you write. They should be able
to do so by either RSS or email. (Use both.) Position these two buttons
prominently so that those who want to subscribe don't have to hunt for them.

6.         Optimize your posts for SEO. You people to be able to find you
when they Google one of your key words or your name. I use two WordPress
plugins for this: All-in-One SEO Pack and ScribeSEO. The latter analyzes
every blog post you write and suggests how you can optimize it for the
search engines. It is not cheap, but worth every penny. 

7.         Utilize social media. If you want to build visibility for your
blog, you must go where the people are. In days gone by, people gathered in
marketplace at the center of the city. Today, they gather online in places
like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. Which service is best? The
one you will use regularly. Use social media to network, build
relationships, and announce new blog posts. 

8.         Engage in the conversation. Start by making it easy for your
readers to comment. People today want to participate. I recommend the Disqus
commenting system. (It's what I use.) Don't make them register. This only
adds friction. Engage in the conversation yourself, reading your comments
and replying as appropriate. 

9.         Comment on other blogs. As you read other people's blog posts,
leave comments. I'm not taking about spamming people with invitations to
read your blog. Instead, engage in the conversations that interest you and
build credibility. Make sure that you register with their commenting system
if possible, so there is always a link back to your blog. 

10.       Write guest posts for other bloggers. Frankly, this is not
something I have done. But most successful bloggers swear by it. Jeff Goins
wrote a guest post for me on this very subject. He claims that it grew his
own blog traffic more in six months than in the last six years. (If you are
interested in guest posting on my site, here are my guidelines.) 

You will also want to use a good, SEO-optimized blog theme. There are
hundreds on the market. I use StandardTheme for WordPress and love it.

Finally, be patient. Building traffic takes time. Like anything else, the
ones who win are the ones who stay at it after everyone else has quit.

Question: What other suggestions do you have for generating more traffic?
You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Robert Leslie Newman

President, Omaha Chapter NFB

President, NFB Writers' Division

Division Website

 <http://www.nfb-writers-division.net> http://www.nfb-writers-division.net

Chair, Newsletter Publication committee

Personal Website-

 <http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info