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How I Doubled My Blog Traffic in 2 Months

Filed Under: Blogging, Build Traffic 485 Comments

I just got serious about blogging in December of 2007.

I had a blog on Blogger.com for 2 years, but rarely updated it.

Then in November of 2007, I installed Feedburner and discovered I had 430+ subscribers. I was shocked due to the fact I hardly ever blogged.

I didn’t want to lose those subscribers or the traffic, so I decided to challenge myself and see if I could generate an even larger readership.

After switching to WordPress last December, I got more serious about my blog efforts.

I subscribed to Darren Rowse’s blog, ProBlogger.net – a very informative and inspiring blog to newbies and seasoned bloggers alike.

Then I started doing some key things…

1. I am More Selective With My Topics

When I had my Blogger blog, I would often re-write information that was already on my site. I didn’t put much effort into the subject matter of my posts.

(Yawn!)

Now, I’m much more selective. I try to think more about my audience’s needs and what they would find interesting.

And even if I choose a topic that has been blogged about a lot, I try to add my own spin to make it unique. For example, how many articles have been written about “How to Write Good Content” or something similar?

Too many, right?

Well the reality is, most people don’t write good content and they find it a chore or get writer’s block.

So I blogged about this very issue and addressed it from a new angle in a blog post titled “Is Writing Content a Chore for You?” An email I received inspired much of the content in the post.

2. I Make Use of Some Handy WordPress Plugins

Some people go hogwild on the WP plugins. While there are some really cool ones out there, you don’t want to make your blog so plugin-licious that it’s difficult to navigate and read.

You can have too much of a good thing, but there are a few that really come in handy.

Two plugins I believe made a difference in my traffic and readership have been the SiteMap and Related Post plugins.

The SiteMap plugin is important because it generates and submits your blog’s sitemap (an XML listing of all your posts) to all the major engines. Once you install it, the plugin works its magic automatically.

Some of my posts get found in the search engines only hours after I create them.

The Related Post plugin is useful because it encourages people to read more of my blog. It helps them discover posts they might not have discovered had they not seen the “Related Post” link at the end of a blog entry.

Before installing this plugin, I noticed my most recent posts always received 95% of the traffic. Now, older posts are getting more traffic.

3. Visual Appeal

I doubt my graphics have made a huge difference in my traffic, but every now and then I get an email or comment from someone who says they love my blog images and graphics.

One lady says she can’t wait to see what kind of graphic I’ve created to go with the post.

Some of my graphics include pictures of people and things found on Photos.com (I’m a subscriber because I want to make sure I have rights to use the images on my site.)

Usually I’ll add my own flavor to the images with good ole’ PhotoShop.

However most of the graphics like the one in this post were created by me. Learning PhotoShop has been a great asset to my business.

While the content is what really makes or breaks a blog, a few appealing images and graphics can help round out your blog’s appearance and give it a more professional feel.

4. I Blog More Often

Blogging more often is not always a good thing. If you don’t have anything interesting to say then no point in blogging just for the sake of blogging.

It’s not worth losing your subscriber base so be sure your posts have substance.

When you blog often, the search engine spiders will visit more frequently, and this could help your traffic. Blogging often also keeps your subscribers coming back regularly and keeps you on their radar.

5. I Interlink My Blog With My Main Site

I am fortunate enough to have a site that already receives over 7,000 visitors per day, so of course that’s a huge help. When I create a new post, I look for relevant content on my site and provide a link to that entry.

When I used Blogger, I didn’t cross promote all that much. Now, I’m much more conscious of opportunities to interlink the two. So if you have a website and a blog, keep your eyes open for ways to link the two together.

6. Competitor’s Blogs Keep My Juices Flowin’

First and foremost I want to make it clear that I am not suggesting you copy someone’s content. Not only is it illegal but it’s highly unethical and dishonest.

But there’s nothing wrong with getting ideas from another blogger’s topics.

For example, if you see a blogger has written about the iPod Touch features (a topic that is overdone); rather than just re-wording what they wrote, create your own entry but take a different approach.

Maybe your post could be something like, “10 Reasons the iPod Touch is Better Than the Zune”. You’re writing about the same topic, but you’re taking the content in a new direction.

Not to mention you could capitalize on a new audience – people looking to compare the Zune and the iPod.

I encourage you to take a look at your competitor’s blogs, get ideas and look for ways you can create your own fresh, unique content.

7. I Switched from Blogger to WordPress

I wrote a post about this a while back, but it is worth mentioning again. I really do believe WordPress is a much better platform because of all the plugins and flexibility.

Blogger is probably easier to setup, but WordPress is pretty user-friendly too – especially if you have a Web host that offers CPanel. (I use HostGator and setup this blog in 5 seconds.)

I have much more control over my layout without having to edit the raw code (like you do with Blogger). Plus, WordPress breaks up the template into separate files so it’s easier to figure out what file controls what section of your blog.

Not to mention, WordPress has much better design templates, in my opinion.

And as I said above, additions like the SiteMap Plugin also help get your posts spidered and indexed faster.

8. I Craft My Titles More Carefully

I discovered titles that pose a question or contain a bit of shock value generate the most clicks. My recent entry “Would You Like $57,000 In One Month?” has a little of both.

Usually my newest post wins the “Daily Traffic Award” but this post is 2 weeks old and still beats out my newer posts on some days.

Taking time to develop a good title can make a huge difference. Particularly since more and more people use RSS to keep track of their favorite blogs.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make that title count!

9. I Give Away More Freebies

Who doesn’t love something free, right? Plus, it’s a great way to build loyal fans and viral traffic (because they’ll tell others who tell others and so on.)

But I have to be careful with this one because I want my freebies to have value. I hate it when I see Webmasters giving away items that have been distributed over and over again, or freebies you can find anywhere.

How insulting and unoriginal.

If you want your freebies to go to work for you, take some time to develop something useful and unique.

Here are some of my favorite freebies I’ve offered from my blog…

10. I Share My Personal Success

I wasn’t comfortable doing this at first. I felt I was bragging, but I slowly found it builds credibility. And I noticed other successful people often do the same thing.

If you’re trying to teach people how to do something, it helps to show them how your advice has worked for you.

While I don’t offer specifics about my income, I may display an AdSense check here and there or remind people I am making a living online.

It’s important that my audience knows I am actually walking the walk since I often talk about making money. See my record AdSense video below.

In Conclusion…

Doing the above things has not only helped double my blog’s traffic in 2 months, and my subscriber count is up by nearly 100 subscribers.

Which of the above strategies can you implement on your blog?

And if you’ve done anything to help boost your blog’s traffic that I haven’t mentioned here, feel free to share.

Comments

  5. I must start by saying it seems as if you are a good writer. Very informative info. I’ve been a little down because my blog isn’t doing as good as I thought it would be doing by now. I wish I could generate that type of traffic! Any pointers anyone?
    .-= Shanita´s last blog … Photo Shoot Tips =-.

    Reply

  7. Hi Lisa:

    Thanks for another great post. I like the way you write. I’ve been writing for a while, as well as doing some Internet Marketing, and writing for the masses in an easy style is important. Some other tools I use to drive traffic include social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc. (there are over 200). I’m going to check out the rest of your site – looks very interesting.

    Cheers

    Reply

  8. Hey ya I completely agree with this that wordpress is more flexible than blogger, because it gives you options like themes, plugins etc which you will not be able to change or install in blogger. You can even create a website for free using a free domain and free webhost, check out this http://here2read.co.cc which is created using wordpress itself.

    Reply

  12. I’ve begun Tweeting a few times a day either linking to new content – like a special offer – or to the articles that link to my site. I’ve also begun submitting URLs to Google a lot more again of articles and new pages on the site. When I have enough article content built up I’m going to get into the world of RSS but at the moment that is a mystery to me. Latest content here:
    http://www.advoco.es/home/22-latest/29-spanish-residency.html
    I like the comments on here – you tend to see the real internet “grafters” if I can put it that way!
    .-= Baker_James´s last blog … Spanish law, tax and more: advice and practical assistance for English-speakers in Spain =-.

    Reply

  14. Hi Lisa, I’m glad that I found your blog. And I want to thank u for writing such an honest posting. I’m still -at this moment- focusing on blogger. ‘Though i kept stumble on people persuade to move to WP. I have to admit that WP has better designs and themes. But I am convinced that money making program with blogspot have several advantages for beginner.

    Anyhow, I will definitely subscribe yo your blog here. For I think we -the new blogger- can learn much from you.
    .-= Get Paid to Blog´s last blog … Getting Visitor For the First Time For Your Blog =-.

    Reply

  15. I am new webmaster and want to do big work about SEO, i did only 6 months work on Net and studing more, i ve learned manythings from your site. thanks,
    Nowadays i am publishing website about SEO, Adsense, & Adword will you please visit it http://usawise.com and guide me about my work i dont have much exeperience but i got a lot of knowledge through 10 plus SEO & Adsense Books.

    Reply

  19. Thanks ,
    i can understand now each and every thing , it is difficult and time consuming but not impossible , thanks all of you , i have to go ezinearticles.com and sooperarticles.com and find all the material which i want , there are a good variety of all kind of articles , and now i am reading your posts at http://www.affiliateshelpdesk.com/ and try to download ”How to Make Your First $500 Online in in 30days”-ebook . i say again thanks to you and you organization ,
    regards
    .-= Viiiiiky´s last blog … Pakistan lifts the ban on YouTube =-.

    Reply

    • @Viiiiky. I hope this doesn’t come as bad news, but the biggest part of blogging is writing. You can supplement it with youtube video posts or you could have others write for you. These days ghost writers are producing unique content for as low as $10 a post, but that’s if you have extra money to invest.
      As far as choosing a title, you need to choose one that captures the theme of your overall topic for your blog. The more focused the better. Think about what your purpose is for creating the blog – it has to go beyond earning Google adsense revenue. What type of valuable information will you offer your readers? That can help you in deciding on a title.
      As far as traffic goes, you should join some social networking sites like Squidoo, Tagfoot, Twitter, Digg, and Facebook, but be careful to choose friends are already interested in your topic. It will take time to build your friends/follower list, but in the meantime, while you’re waiting on that, you could be writing some engaging articles (Read, 5 Tips for Writing Engaging Content: http://affiliate-helpdesk.blogspot.com/2009/07/5-tips-for-writing-engaging-content.html). Submit them to some article directories like ezinearticles.com or sooperarticles.com, be sure to put a link to your site in the author resource box.
      Of course this is the abbreviated version, but you can find more tips at: http://www.affiliateshelpdesk.com and http://affiliate-helpdesk.blogspot.com. I wish you much success!
      .-= The Affiliate Marketer’s Help Desk´s last blog … Need a Free Subscriber Incentive? =-.

      Reply

  26. I have read the article and the comments with interest because I am still trying to decide whether it is worth starting a blog to promote my site (Spanish legal, tax and accounting advice for English-speakers in Spain). On the one hand I can see potential customers being attracted by free advice, articles about the law in Spain etc but when I read this it seems like a lot of work trying to get people to read your blog. I’ve got enough on my plate trying to attract people to the website itself; is adding a blog just making more work for myself?
    .-= JamesB´s last blog … Spanish law, tax and more: advice and practical assistance for English-speakers in Spain =-.

    Reply

  29. Hello Lisa,
    I find your blogs very helpful and informative. I will certainly turn to you for direction as I am already so lost (and lost money too) in online biz. I enjoy your videos as you do not sound canned and pretentious. Please accept my compliments

    Reply

  32. Another great post Lisa. I was just wondering about some SEO techniques. I heard that commenting on blogs is a good way of getting links to my site. But I have also been hearing about no-follow and do-follow. What does that exactly mean, if I comment on a no-follow site, will that hurt my Google ranking? Thanks.

    Reply

    • No-follow means the search engines don’t count that link as a backlink so when Google counts how many backlinks you have then those no follow links don’t count. But blog commenting is still good just to get people to notice your site and visit. The key is to say something useful to make your comment stand out.

      Reply

  33. hey lisa,
    is google sites a good place to make my first website? I’m hoping to use adsense with it?….is it good?

    Reply

    • I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with using Google sites. Whatever host you choose, I would highly recommend your own domain and a paid hosting company for the longrun.

      Reply

    • I bought my domain from godaddy and my hosting is from host gator at the address sites.google.com is where I started my webpage..it shouldn’t matter where I construct my webpage should it?..getting traffic is what is important right?

      Reply

  35. Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.

    I’ll be watching you . 🙂

    Reply

    • Kiesha

      You can export your blogger posts onto your computer and then import them into WordPress so that part isn’t that bad. You’ll probably have to start over with your design because WordPress themes are much different than Blogger templates. Overall it shouldn’t be too bad.

      Reply

  38. Hi Lisa

    I would like to ask, how important is google page rank in your opinion?
    I use one blog to simply host an online portfolio, (although because of what I do and what I now have planned I am going to need a website) and the other I now am starting to update more regular now to show my work in production etc.

    I use blogger and I am just now slowly starting to pick up a few extra hits now I managed to get 60 hits last week which doesnt sound like alot but is alot for me, it has inspired me to work alot harder to try and network myself now.

    My online portfolio blog has a higher google page rank than my current production work one should I be worried about this or is all just to with how I have been linking my blogs

    Mark’s last blog post..My second blog http://Productionwork.blogspot.com

    Reply

  45. these tips are great ……now i gotta more then 6000 visiters on ma site…..www.weeblyultimate.weebly.com

    Reply

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