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.
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