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.
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 =-.