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.
Hi Lisa.
i’m from Viet Nam, and i use sharing my income from internet so unfortunately my account papal is hacked and i think carefully if everyone want to show their income from internet
Lisa, I like the way you present the blog in your own way and that’s how it brings more subscribers and readers to one’s blog, thanks for posting your own experience and ways to increase the traffic..
Content is very important to every blog. So Post unique content to your blog…
Thanks for your tips Lisa, you are still amazing tut.
this post is so good,like others offcorse.
Thanks Lisa mam, for this very helpful case study. A great way i found in your post is Giveaways, now most of the bloggers are using this great tool to empower their blog traffic.
Yes I agree with you. I love evergreen content and try to produce as much as possible
nice posts lisa i have create new website in wordpress but it has no much traffic. i follow all your tips. it will be very help full for me. thanks for sharing.
I recently started my own blog and I find your website a huge help when it comes to writing quality information and how to set up my own website. You truly do help a ton! Thank you, Lisa.
I totally agree with you. Blogging needs serious efforts and it can give you more than you expect. To get success in blogging, concept is simple, be sincere and make some useful things.
you are a real mentor lisa i must confess that
I appreciate your stuff and very nice information, i was very sad about my http://dramatvshows.blogspot.com low traffice but now i am very confident after reading this article.
Thanks for sharing this kind of Stuff.
I will agree with you on being selective carefully on the title and interlinking all sites. IN term of moving from blogger to wordpress due to visual theme, I dont think this has nothing to do with traffic generation. There are lot of my friends that are getting more traffic with blogspot.com. Well, you are talking from your experience.
I just started a blog 2 weeks ago. I do SEO, I update it 2-3 times a week, and I think my content is very good. (I have some premium interviews, and I’m a professional copywriter), How long should it take before it picks up?
That’s a vague question, but what I mean is… is it realistic to think that I’ll have 100, 200, or 500 visitors a day within a few weeks?
very nice post adn usefull, i just build my wordpress to and i looking 4 tips that can help me…. thanks
Lisa !! your success continues to inspire and ignite the fire to excel within us 😛 You are really a motivator… hearing about your success makes us all work hard and harder…
Good Luck!!
thanks for the practical tips..i think anchor text plays an important role in bringing organic search results for the blog and hence increase traffic.one question are the backlinks too important.i have seen many blogs who have few backlinks but their ranks are too higher.so what is the secret of their success..
Traffic is money .. 😀 the more traffic you will have the more money you can make from your blog ..Just you need to direct them where they should 🙂
Thanks for the nice share 🙂
Hi Lisa
I am a long time fan of your advice and yet again you have just shared some great tips – I love the title of the whole post which just confirms your point about writing great titles. It made me look!
Something I can share with you that greatly increased my blog traffic is Yahoo Pipes. It became my number 1 referrer very quickly for one of my blogs and stayed at number 1. I also used it for another blog but with poorer results as it was in a much more competitive market I think. But, worth a try for anyone who hasn’t come across it before. You are basically creating a new feed by merging several blog feeds together. So, you can find other people’s great blogs and merge them with yours to create an even better channel of information.
Hope that helps some of you too!
Jo
you are right by using feedburner i also seen my traffic increasing so well.
Great Post 🙂
Same Story here 🙂
I made my first blog in 2011 but i just spammed all the way on that blog by doing 50+ posts a day 😉 bcz that time i didnt know what blogging is all about 🙂
last year in september 2012 again got interested and started a new blog….and reading throw articles today made up succesfully 8 months in blogging world…
What i’ve learned in This Blogging World is Just Keep on Holding….Dont Give up 🙂
You will get the position you want 😀 Cheer’s
Thank you for posting this.
Hey Lisa Very detailed and informative article .I have been an avid fan of your blog.Keep up the good work
Great tips Lisa! Good titles always work like a charm. I noticed how I got more views on my articles when I made more catchy titles.
I really have problems to get a good numbers of visitors to my website and to my blog. May be i find the solution here, thank you for these tips 😉
hum… you did all that in two months you are really a pro i have my blog for almost a year and don’t have much traffic but i liked the post definitely going to come back more often
If you are a blogger, you need to be doing two things just as you would breathe and sleep as a human being – create killer content and network with other bloggers and your blog readers.
I like your style of writing. It’s very free flowing and natural. I gained some success in my blogger website and I just bought a domain and running my new blog.
Nice Words Lisa. I’m going to apply this on my blog. Hope may I get a success like you . 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
agreed with u Lisa …..the best part is a wide range of seo plugin to get maximum exposure indulge into higher traffic
Another little gem of an article I’ve found on your site tonight 🙂
Most of what you say is common sense really, but how many of us overlook it?
The ‘Related Posts’ option is a must – and I’ve been very guilty of not using it to it’s maximum. I don’t use WP for my main site/blog, I use Joomla (which has it’s advantages for other things) – and the verion my site is in doesn’t have a plugin that handles Related Posts particularly well (though I see they’re sorting that for newer versions) – but after reading this tonigh, I’ve added some manual links/lists to the bottom of my most popular posts, directing people to read some other, related ones.
Good stuff, and another thanks …. twice in one night, thats a record for me !!
And Lisa i forgot to say that you have a unique way of blogging and the way you build your blog is excellent …….and inspirational too….
Even I switched from blogger to WordPress last month. And currently i am proud of my decision. The flexibility and customizations in WordPress are far more beyond than blogger. I’m certainly gonna implement these tricks on my blog. Thanks for sharing!
social media sites only give no-follow backlinks? Meaning you won’t get any PR juice from them? Also, I never understood how article sites give a PR.
usefull information but i must say one has to keep on working on these tips to be succesful . and yess i also think wordpress is better than blogger . i Just love the feel of wordpress 😀
social media presence and forum presence is also essential in having more traffic and gaining backlinks thus help in creating a better page rank to your site
Thanks for the great tips. They can used both on blogs as on regular websites. Just needs a little effort, of course.
Thanks for the above tips Lisa,I’m sure they’ll come in handy to build my traffic!
Hey!
Thanks for the post i really enjoyed reading your blog.Its right that site map and related post plugins made more traffic.But in my opinion writing skill and knowledge also play good role to made more traffic on site.
Thanks again for share.
I like the suggestion to add related posts above the comments, but got a little overwhelmed by the number of plugin choices. I ended up choosing the Yet Another Related Posts Plugin, so we’ll see how that goes.
Thanks Lisa for this complete article I will apply these techniques on my blogger blog.
Infact Lisa i’m short of words,i just don’t know what to say, i’m really in love with your site.
I have a little problem.
I wish to have a beautiful blog like yours too but i just don’t know what to write about i’m confused. If you don’t mind, maybe you can be of help to me, i’ll be extremely grateful you can email me everfirsts@gmail.com
THANKS.
Wow, this article is very encourage me as newbie..I just started since august 2010 & Im glad that my web interest by people. I have good Alexa Rank but I dont know why my google pagerank still Egg zero. Do you have any idea? thanks
Congratulations on doubling your blog traffic that quickly. There are some excellent strategies here and they can help anyone signficantly increase organic traffic from the search engines in a very short period of time. My favorite one is the blogging more often tip. A steady stream of high quality content can help any blog gain a higher PageRank, rise higher in the SERPs and gain more traffic overall!
That’s amazing you make over $5,000 a month from Adsense. Would you say YouTube has contributed a large portion of that?
At the time it was mostly Google, now I make more from YouTube.
Hello,
Came across your blog and it is fantastic. You have great writing skills. I also have a blog but do not have active visitors. I will try the guidelines mentioned above and hope to get some good results.
Thanks for the tip..!
Regards,
Nishant Desai
Hi Lisa,
Awesome article & you have included almost every possible details.. I know WP is great but somehow i enjoy doing things in on my Blogger Blog… 🙂 Unfortunately there are very less plugins available for Blogger but i think it doesn’t matter when you have a great content.
Great informative post……. i am using blogger but not satisfied from it…. Planning to start a blog at wordpress.
This is an excellent post. I’ll be installing both of the plugins you recommended. And, I particularly like point 8. Crafting your titles is something I never really thought of. Thank you for this.
This post gets a thumbs up from me. 🙂
Hi Lisa, some super excellent tips you’ve written about. I especially like the part about writing original content and not stealing it from another site. Your reputation in the blogosphere is of up most importance.
I would also like to add to this that you can’t underestimate social networking when talking about generating traffic. I believe it’s very important to not only have your site available through different social media networks, but it’s just important to interact with your followers. This helps define there is a real person behind the site. There is a lot of traffic to be had by using all these practices you’ve outlines, as well as using social media.
Thanks for an inspirational post!
hey lisa,
nice post and thanks for sharing your experience with us. As I am new to this blogging world, so I am bit confused about what to do but after reading this post I decided my next step in blog. Thanks again for sharing such an awesome post.
it is very very useful thanks a lot lisa…..