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…
- The Perfect Site Guide
- Free RSS Icons I Created
- Free AdSense Book (PDF) (for beginners)
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.
Ok, am still on Blogger, and now i can’t change platform.I dont know why,but i dont like wordpress,sory.
Tnx for your tips Lisa, you are still amazing tut.
this post is so good,like others offcorse.
hi lisa,
gr8 post…. u gave a new angle to an old discussion… hope to get some seo software for blogspot…
think I was search of this post..but my traffic aren’t static..someday even less than 50..one reason may be it is a mixed blog….hoping soon 2 get 1000 visitors..:)..less traffic may be due to new blog!! but this post give me more idea..
Yeah! amazing post Lisa.
http://tro-ma-ktikotero.blogspot.com/
Yeah! amazing post Lisa, I agree will all the points that you have mentioned in the post.
Yes many people think that if they are just launched a blog which is 1 month old get frustrated very quickly that why my blog is not getting visits and why i am not earning enough.
let me tell you one story that it takes time at least you must wait for 1 year, to see any good results.
your blog will perform better and better as the time goes on.
So Just be patience and keep on promoting your blog.
I also make much efforts on blogging but one and only difference in all your efforts and mine is that I blog in blogger and I am way back.
Very informative page. However, at some point of time I thought that target is just to increase traffic only. My thinking is to generate traffic as well as spread the knowledge.
Switching from Blogger to WordPress was one of the best decisions I ever made for my blog. Just by doing that, my traffic shot up considerably. I’m not sure exactly why, but I’m not complaining.
I have been thinking of maybe writing a free short guide on working at home to offer my readers. It’s just finding the time to get it written!
Wow, thank you for sharing this info. I didn’t think of
cross referencing my related. Thanks! great article.
The lesson that I’m taking from this is that successful blogging is a combination of many, many different factors. You may not need to get all of them exactly right, but the right combination of them can lead to good things.
Thanks great information here. I am a newbie blogger and will try some of your suggestion. I got 1500 hits in just 2 weeks but only got 1 click. Thanks again, Great Stuff!
I think once you go big, you may even have a fan page in Facebook or have a twitter account and you will have more followers. It’ll create a viral effect when you have new post article.
great post lisa, thanks.
Thank you Lisa. I am also a new blogger. I gained some success in my blogger website and I just bought a domain and running my new blog. You gave me a nice idea to write contents of my own. But it is really worth and increase my traffic. Replay me and if you are comfortable lets chat.
Thanks for a great post Lisa. It really is all about original content but like your idea on putting a spin on things to tackle the topic from another perspective.
Cheers
Thank you very much for your information. I have just written a blog and don’t know how to get traffic. Infact I am struggling with blogging..I will try some of the tactics adopted by you.
Thanks
Gayleg
Yes this is a great post it has be follow as you said, thanks
I have a question. Recently my website http://www.postureapparel.com has been getting emails from stay at home moms who have blogs and want free products for them to review. It seems suspect because all of the emails came roughly in the same period of time. Should I be weary of this? Has anyone heard of a scam that sounds like this?
Great tips. I’m doing almost everything there, I just have to find a way to give out freebies.
Number 8 is my favorite. A good title goes a long way. It is like the lead right before they go to a commercial break.
Or if you ever read the huffingtonpost, ever article headline there is interesting but slightly more so than the actual article. This is important though to get good CTR I suppose
I’m in the market of figuring these things out myself and the more websites I run across, the more ideas I get, and the more I can try to increase my traffic. Great info, thanks for the tips.
Very nice post!
You really have made it in the IM bussiness!
You are a inspiration to all of us i think!
It is really mind blowing Lisa. You are doing twist to the oldies thats pretty nice.
your story is very inspiring .
I followed some of your steps and it quadrupled my traffic just in a month, thanks!
Nice post i have follow your methods and i find another tools that really helpful to gain traffic .
tools optimizing your SERP
I rarely comment but I figured I needed to do it now after visiting your site so frequently. We readers need to show appreciation! Keep up the good work!
awesum post lisa,,i always find your posts more original and from the heart,compared to other get rich gurus who only tell us the good stuff and make us happy
Thank you so much for the great article and freebies. They are really high quality!
thanx for such a great article.
i am big fan of urs.
can you plz give me some suggestion to improve traffic on my blog. my blog is http://www.dtplus.in
thanx in advance!!!
thanks for the wonderful post. im more eager to blog more often. i would also want traffic in my blog. im pretty sure i will be back in your site more often.
Very informative page. However, at some point of time I thought that target is just to increase traffic only. My thinking is to generate traffic as well as spread the knowledge. Am I right?. I am sorry to be blunt.
Its really amazing how fast the blogging world has revolutioned into.With some great commitment one can really enjoy the benefits if there main purpose is to get Passive Residual Income.However, there is so much that we constantly have to adapt and make changes to so that we keep up but one thing we agree is that its exciting when new programs ease our online activity.The best thing for you to do is be willing to adapt.
Very informative post Lisa.
I like your advice of writting about something already available but from your another angle and make it unique with your own voice and point of view.
Wow….where have you been all my life? 🙂 I think I’ll spend most of today looking at your YouTube videos and articles.
You have provided me more info. then I think I know what to do with!!!! And that’s a good thing.
Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you for your Information i try to follow some of your tips to get mor traffic on my blog about audio and Video Programs and free services on the net.
This is a great post. I have to tell you how helpful your site, blogs & videos have been to me. I’m a new blogger and I’ve learned so much already. My Pastor equates being under someone great who has been doing for years what you would like to do and learning from them, is like having a plane on that persons runway. You’ve built the airport, tested out plane after plane until you got it right, now people like me can come and launch our planes off of your runway and go further faster thanks to you. Please keep up the great work and training.
Lakecia Gayle
Fabtravelinfo.com
The freebies are some awesome stuff. I am just reading those books and I have found some really good information for my blog.
Thanks a bunch.
Very inspiring article. WordPress plugins are great. Interlinking sites are also a great idea for more traffic…
I really like the idea of related posts plugin and will add it to my new blog. It seems like your site is also fairing well too in the search engines considering that I found you by searching “How to increase website traffic”
Many thanks for this information – I did a google search on “how to get more traffic to my blog” and your site came up first and answered my question perfectly. Well done. I am pleased to say I am now on the right track to “Success In-SitU” (excuse the pun!)
As it is in almost all your posts, you write from your own perspective, and that makes it great! So it is great to read about what YOU did, that gained you extra traffic!
And you are right, writing about your own achievements isn’t always just bragging, it adds to your credibility.
Awesome advice. Now I just need to implement all this 🙂
This is some great information on how to double your blog traffic. I’ll definitely have to try to be more selective with my topics. That and possibly trying some kind of giveaways.
Hi! Lisa,
You have an informative web site and its just plain helpful! Since I’m new at blogging, the info really helped me consider the design and organization of my site. Well, I’m having trouble with the RSS feed. When I test my blog, it says feedburner can’t find my site. You have any ideas I can check into?
Thanks!
Hi dude,
You have given very valuable points here. Thanks for sharing your experience. I to like blogging very much, but not expert in seo perspective. Learning day by day slowly. I read your blog and got many good tips to optimize my blog.
I’ve been trying to work on a “related posts” section for my site. But I don’t wanna make it to cluttered and shit, I’ll eventually get it 😀
Fantastic post – I get a lot of clients asking how they can get more traffic to their blog. I’m not an expert in web marketing by any means, but I’m sure this post will help me answer this question in the future.
Thanks a lot.
I have been reading your content for the last 2 years, fear is a horrible thing, but i had to just do it. Thank so much!!! you are my mentor thanks for all the information. Amazing stuff!!
That’s a pretty great idea. The constant need for improvement should be on the mind of every blogger. I always come back here because I have something new and original to read.