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.
thanks for the tips. its funny but sometimes just waiting does help even if it is frustrating. when working on a blog you have the need to have as many readers asap, but its not possible. time does the trick combined with hard work
.-= Maaya´s last blog ..Making Ghee – The Home Recipe =-.
You left out one important tip … be consistent with your postings. Readers anticipate your words around the same time every day, week, or however often you write. If you frequently disappoint, they’re gone and, like any other “customer”, readers are harder to get BACK than they were to get in the first place!
— Fred
I’m always torn between a catchy title not containing my keywords and a not so catchy title, which contains my keywords.
Anybody got any thoughts which to go for.
.-= Keith Davis@Public Speaking and Presentation Skills´s last blog ..Laugh and the world… =-.
I think there is another tip… keep posting! Many people start a blog, post enthusiastically for a while, then lose enthusiasm. You don’t have to post all the time (in fact nothing is worse than a blog that is updated constantly but without value) but you do have to keep on writing.
My blog is entitled “A foodblog from a would be gastrop*rnographer” – is that a sweet title?
All good sound advice Melissa, especially the first and most obvious one: creating a great title for your post… not only should it be compelling, but using great keywords for your niche makes it a winner in Google’s eyes. It’s not easy to create great titles but these two points usually work for me: 1. Ask a Question in your title, (for example my last post title: Should You Be Able To Wear Jeans on the Golf Course? or 2. Make A Promise to your readers (and then, of course, you keep it in your post) Example: The Best Golf Training Device I’ve Found
My readership is slowly growing… it does take time!!!
.-= Pat´s last blog ..Golf Fashion Question: Should You Be Able To Wear Jeans on the Golf Course? =-.
Thanks Melissa! Great advice, most I’m already doing. No. 5- commenting on other blogs…I don’t do as much as I could but have noticed when I do my traffic increases. Another thing I’ve tried is asking readers to help me reach a “hit per day” goal. I reached my goal & now need to set the bar higher. Letting readers know they matter helps. After all, without readers where would bloggers be?
.-= Jen´s last blog ..All wet =-.
I enjoyed reading your blogging tips very much. It’s good for those of us in blog-land to contemplate the ways we can get more readers. I wrote a blog in March called How to write a WordPress blog & get a zillion hits. (Some of our tips are the same!) Even though I put “WordPress” in the title, the suggestions may be helpful to other bloggers as well. http://upwoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/how-to-write-a-wordpress-blog-get-a-zillion-hits/
Thank you! Kathy
Melissa:
These were excellent advises. I have been writing a blog for sometime, but it is not showing on Google search engine. Also, I do not see its ranking. Hopefully, with your suggestions, I would try again.
Thanks
Melissa, I enjoyed reading your post above. Ten guideposts to Blog by. If it ain’t fun, interesting, and different, why bother.
Thanks for the tips! I get good feedback from my blog posts; I just don’t get ENOUGH traffic, so your tips are definitely appreciated! Like someone else said, consistency is key–but there is great support in the blogging community.
I know I get a lot of extra ‘social media coverage’ – because i ask my readers to help spread the word. Many have been on the journey with me for some time, so when I ask for help (digg me, tweet me) its like they are investing in their own continued success. Ask current subscribers for help.
.-= Nigel Coates´s last blog ..Transmuting Fears =-.