This is a guest post by Mellisa Tamura from ZenCollegeLife.
The saying goes that Content is King – but even if you’re a great author with amazing things to say, it still takes work to get people to read your blog.
How do you differentiate yourself amongst a million voices who are all striving to get the same attention and readership that you are? How do you reach out to an audience that is already drowning in noise?
Good content alone will not do the trick – there has to be something more then just hoping that people will read your blog entries.
With that in mind, here are 10 proven ways to get more readers, more attention and more traffic to your blog:
1. Pick a Sweet Title – Picking a great title is one of the most basic ways to attract more readers to your blog. Even though it is only a few words, the title can entice viewers to continue reading and ultimately subscribe! Remember, pick a title that is catchy. This is extremely important for drawing traffic from sites like Digg.com or del.icio.us.
2. Improve SEO – Improving your blog’s search engine friendliness is vital for attracting more readers. In order to do this, one should change their permalink structure and even tailor their title to Google’s needs.With a few simple steps, search engines can vastly increase the audience who views your blog.
3. Marketing – Word of mouth is one of the most basic but useful ways to increase the number of readers for your blog. Have a facebook? Create a fan page encouraging your friends to read your blog. They might just pass it on to more people if they find something they like. Have a Twitter? Post your blog’s link. Any type of advertisement will be helpful!
4. Write Original Content – When you write content that has already been blogged about, the chances are readers won’t come back for more because they’ve already encountered something similar. The solution – put a new spin on whatever subject you’re writing about! Quality blogs all have subject matter that is new and inspiring. Readers will always keep checking your blog if this is skillfully done.
5. Comment On Other Blogs Posting – Giving feedback on other writer’s blogs is an extremely easy way to get the attention of other bloggers and their readers. It’s very important, however, that you don’t look like you’re spamming. Make sure you read the article, and then simply advertise your own blog in a discrete way.
6. Guest Blog – Guest blogging on a similar blog is an effective way to get even more traffic to your site. Some bloggers have greatly increased their own amount of viewers by simply writing one entry for a very popular site. Even though it is hard to get your guest entry posted, it is certainly not impossible. If you succeed, your traffic will surely increase greatly.
7. Run a Contest – Running a contest is a great way to generate buzz in the online community. With a type of sweepstakes, readers will regularly check your blog for an update on the winner, while also telling their friends about their hopes of winning. Find something that is related to your blog that readers would enjoy winning. After your contest is over, publicize the winner. Participants will continue to read your blog even after the contest is over!
8. Link To Other Blogs – Don’t worry, you won’t lose traffic! Bloggers who link to other blogs usually see their efforts reciprocated. This friendly relationship allows writers to share a common audience. By networking with other writers, your blog’s traffic will inevitably increase.
9. Be Controversial, It’s Okay! – There are many bloggers all over the world. Not many bloggers, however, will write about a controversial subject. Don’t be offensive, but distance yourself from those other ordinary blogs. The online community will definitely take notice if you continue to push the envelope.
10. Just Wait! – While all of these tips can help you attract more readers to your blog, it still takes time! Do not become frustrated! The longer your blog is thriving, the sooner you will see a heavy increase in traffic. Don’t be upset if you only have a few readers! In time you’ll have a popular site that everyone is reading!
At the end of the day, you need to put in the effort, but if you do, you will certainly be able to reap fruit from your efforts in promoting your blog and getting more readers.
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Article Written By Melissa
Melissa Tamura recently wrote about weird scholarships for the Zen College Life directory of online degrees.
Melissa has written 1 superb article(s) on this blog
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Agree with all your tips. Bloggers should concentrate on Quality post and SEO …Readers will automatically come .
.-= Whiztechy´s last blog ..5 Simple and Effective Business Plan For Bloggers =-.
Speaking of getting readers for our blogs, I think Guest blogging is an effective way indeed. If we can put our articles on some popular blogs relevant to ours, it may mean that we can gain many potential readers too.
.-= Duia´s last blog ..Search Engine Marketing Strategies of 2010 =-.
Hi Melissa,
These are great tips. Guest posting by far has had the biggest impact on my traffic. Then I’d say, posting authentic comments on other sites comes in next. I’ve also found that helping others, by retweeting their posts and linking to their sites, also brings in people who might have otherwise miss my sites. The more you help others, the more you get in return.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
.-= Kiesha @ Highly Favored´s last blog ..If you knew back then, what you know now, would you’ve still gotten married? =-.
All of these are great tips for writing well and creating a community, but I believe that no one will know about your blog unless you tell them. It’s a combination of great on-page and off-page SEO and a strong promotion strategy that works best for increasing readership.
.-= Tia Peterson´s last blog ..Your Turn: You Ask, I Answer Your Blogging Questions =-.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the great tips.
I think that writing headlines is a great point that I haven’t quite mastered as yet. Do you have any quick tips on that tip?
Adrian
.-= Adrian Swinscoe´s last blog ..Has the communication needs of you customers changed? =-.
Nice lists. I need to guest post more, no doubt.
.-= Colleen´s last blog ..16th Annual Safe Kids Saturday =-.
As a blogger, giving new and old visitors that “wow!” experience is key.
The best way to do this is covered very thoroughly in this post – nailed it!
If you can give great content on your subject, you can begin the process of building a strong relationship with your readers. It’s all about giving more than receiving.
The more active you can be on other blogs within your niche, the better chances you’ll have as being recognized as an authority because you’re so active. People love when they know a writer is actually has a vested interest in their readers, it helps build that online friendship. This can be applied to other bloggers as well.
The more you write, the more you network, the more you can give to the community, the more it will give back.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Make Money Online With ArticleMe =-.
Thanks for all the tips. We can also drive high amount of traffic by engaging on social media sites like twitter, digg, stumbeupon etc.
Well I have recently change my blogging platform from blogger to self hosted wordpress blog and enjoying blogging better than before.
.-= chandan@work at home jobs´s last blog ..Search freelancing work at home jobs =-.
It’s really amazing the affect that social media can have on your blog. If you have a unique concept, your Facebook Fanpage can really take off.
I have got more readers via my content and also due to the my comments on the other people’s blogs
.-= Gautam Hans @ Blog Godown´s last blog ..How To Deal With Blogging Failures =-.
I also agree with Top 10 List. A catchy ‘Title’ is worth its weight in gold, especially if it has your keywords in it.
I have also seen first hand, how running a contest can create a real buzz around your site, especially if you are giving something away for free.
.-= Cade´s last blog ..Technical Analysis of Stock Trends #1 – Chart Types =-.
The last one is the most critical, I have found that it takes a lot longer than you ever expected to grow any blog or site. Then suddenly it all comes together and all the hard work will pay off. Thanks for sharing Melissa!
.-= Jorgen Sundberg´s last blog ..How to Use the LinkedIn Company Follow Feature =-.
Controversy stirs up all sorts of great publicity for your site, but it can be a nightmare to pitch it right.
Too many bloggers will disagree just for disagreement’s sake – and that can backfire, as there’s nothing worse than an established blogger slapping you down in front of their audience.
.-= Andy @ FirstFound´s last blog ..FirstFound Now An AdWords Certified Partner =-.
Well, I’d have to say that you really covered just about everything that is effective enough to mention. I can’t overstate how effective guest commenting is, though. It allows you to show off what you know and what you have to say in front of people who, more than likely, are interested in the same thing. You have now just gained a new following to your blog.
Marketing is the best for me. Then what type of marketing you need to do the trick in order to get more readers to your blog? I think, it depend upon what are currently.
Just name a few, I would suggest using social media like facebook, or guest blogging as it can also build connections to other blogger and the authority in your niche.
.-= Real Blogging Advice´s last blog ..A Complete Rival of Wordpress Thesis Theme! =-.
Excellent list Melissa.
my main source is blog commenting, on Commentluv enable blogs. I gotta go with Pick a Sweet Title, over all.
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Updated: Do You USE Aweber? I Want Your Affiliate Link. Part 2 =-.
Good points, a powerful titled blog post article can draw huge amounts of traffic! The title of your blog post is most likely the most important part of the post. It is usually the first thing that you readers will see about your post.
.-= Biodun @ UK webmaster forum´s last blog ..Post your best twitter tools and tricks =-.
Great list. I’m trying to get into the guest blogging bit now myself cos I believe I’ve done everything else I can do from my end.
#7 – Running a contest, well that’s a bit too much for me at this time. I’ll go for other people’s contest but to do my own? errrr… I don’t think so! lol.
.-= Tola´s last blog ..Link Building Strategies and The Content King =-.
Very great tips, thanks!
I do my best to write quality articles but sometimes, i don’t get any ideas so my blog posts decrease day by day unfortunely…
Hi, Good list. Very true if you have a great blog and no one visits then what’s the point. The title is a good point that sometimes I forget to think about when writing articles or posts. Then usually the first few lines are shown to give the readers an better idea of what the article or post is about. The only one I can not use is being controversial. My blog is about happiness. How happiness and success are directly related and how you can’t have one without the other. Maybe that can be controversial.
Mike
If your article becomes controversial then congratulate yourself. You are going to attract a lot of commentators and lots of readers from both sides
.-= imran@earn online money´s last blog ..Want To Earn Online Money? Promote Your Website =-.
That’s a great post you have there.
I think the advice that I like more is the idea of unique and interesting content.
It’s essential for both blogs and website, its something that will surely help everyone when it comes to ranking and traffic.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and also for giving a clear article like this.
I’m a new blogger and have been afraid of being controversial. I have a lot of opinions, but don’t want to offend anyone. I guess it also take time to find your own voice. Thanks for the great tips.
CHris
Certainly good points in your article, for those of us who are not born writers who just want to boost their blog’s traffic is SEO and even potentially SEM a good idea to drive traffic to a blog, especially initially to get increase readership?
Hi Melissa,
I loved your tips and I know the one I need to master more is a catchy title. I will have to work harder at that. You didn’t metion adding video something I’ve started doing to see if that helps traffic or stickiness. One thing I agee most with, is stick with it,don’t quite, keep blogging.
.-= Nick Grimshawe´s last blog ..How Important is Inspiration to You? =-.
Hi Melissa:
Glad you put #10 on the list. It can get frustrating waiting for traffic, but eventually if you are doing all the things on the list your blog will get noticed. It just doesn’t happen overnight.
~Terry
Hey Melissa, just wanted to give you a shout out about your ten tips article, it was well written and very concise. All of those things are really do able without making you feel overwelmed by the process as well as the reminder to just keep working at it, sometimes that becomes one of the hardest things to do, to keep on going in the face of discouragement. Great practical advice, thanks for writing it. Much regards. J Money.
.-= john milton´s last blog ..Day the laughter died =-.
Great Article Melissa.
Points 4-8 really help in increasing the traffic.
Comments by all readers are also great.
Thanks
.-= Krishna@3point4´s last blog ..Standardization Vs Innovation =-.
There is a lot of advice available on line about how to get more traffic and it is actually fairly consistent. All the tips you have placed here are relevant and I think you have covered the aspect of keeping traffic once it has arrived on your blog as well, not everyone does.
I used the words being able to stand out from the crowd and suggested that people develop their own style of writing that will appeal where others perhaps don’t; easy to say but not so easy to do.
Hi Melissa
“an audience that is already drowning in noise?” is a great way to describe the internet.
Read your top ten list and I already do some of them – need to work on the ones I’m missing out on.
5. Comment On Other Blogs Posting – this has helped me tremendously. Many bloggers give you a comment in return, there is a great community spirit within blogging.
I’ll check out the other suggestions.
.-= Keith Davis@Public Speaking and Presentation Skills´s last blog ..Laugh and the world… =-.
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