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We all enter into the world of blogging for different reasons.
For some it is a place to share thoughts and opinions. For others it is a source of income. For yet others it is an outlet of creative expression, or maybe an attempt to educate and influence others.
Whatever your reason for blogging, we all have something in common. We want our message to be heard.
The only way to accomplish that is by increasing traffic to your blog.
How to do that? Let me share with you a few things I've learned in my past few months of blogging.
WORK HARD
Sorry to burst your bubble right off the bat. You didn't really expect this to be easy, did you?
For a new blog, WordVessel (three months old on January 24th) is doing well in traffic numbers, but I've had to work hard (16 hour days) to get that to happen.
I wish it were as easy as writing something and having cyberspace instantly attracted to your post. Yeah, right. There are millions of voices in cyberspace clamoring for attention. If you want your voice to be heard, you have to work hard.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
That's what you're doing here, right?
It is very important that you do research for your blog to make it the best it can be. Here are some resources I use:
ProBlogger
CopyBlogger
Tips For New Bloggers
Don't underestimate the importance of checking out other blog sites. You can learn so much from what others are doing (or not doing)!
FOCUS ON CONTENT
Write what you know with as much clarity as possible. Are you an expert at HTML code? Do you know how to work on a car engine? Have you had experience as an underwater basketweaver? Do you enjoy reading and reviewing books? (*Big cheeky grin*) Share what you know. Someone out there wants to know what you know. Make your posts relevant to your readers.
CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT
I asked other bloggers for advice on how to attract people to my blog, and this was the first advice I received. At first, I didn't think it was for me. I'm about as non-confrontational as you can get, and it's not my style to be controversial.
But right after that, I posted my three-part review to The Shack. I didn't mean to be controversial, but the book is controversial. My traffic shot through the roof on those posts. Who knew?
HAVE AN OVERALL BLOG THEME
It's okay to blog on a variety of different topics. It is, after all, your blog, and you get to choose the content. However, there should be an overall theme to your blog to draw interested readers and keep them coming back. For example, the overall theme of WordVessel is books--writing, reading, reviews, authors. It all blends together. This also makes it better for search engine traffic.
POST REGULARLY
Before starting WordVessel, I visited several blogs to get ideas. I was surprised at how many blog sites had not been posted to in months or even years. If the content is dated (and not updated!) I don't go back. It's like going to a restaurant and being served leftovers!
GET THE WORD OUT
You have to let people know about your site. There are several ways to accomplish this. Check out the post for Monday, January 26, 2009 for more info. (Nice segue to get you back here on Monday, huh?) Which brings me to my next point...
...but you'll have to come back tomorrow--this post is getting too long! (Another point: don't make your posts too long--people don't have time to read long posts.)
Leave a comment if you have questions or advice!
NEXT POST: How To Drive Traffic To Your Blog - Part 2
