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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

  1. Six months ago I got my second WP Blog (My domain name was pressing the brakes to grow in new ways)… Imagine. 5 years ago I didn´t know wich button had to press in my admin panel.

    I´ve been pretty serious about my blogs since day one but it is not as easy as it seems… that´s why I like reading your posts and pages. You always have something useful to share!

    Keep going that way!

    Reply

  3. Thanks Lisa for sharing such information. It have been a while and there have been a lot o changes made by search engines since this post was published but it do have exceedingly good taste. I will keep using your skills as long as you share them.

    Reply

  6. This is a very helpful post. But I totally disagree with the fact that giveaways help in bringing traffic. Yes they do bring traffic but only during the time of giveaway. Recent events on my blog showed me that organizing a giveaway brings social traffic and lots of traffic. But after the giveaway, we are back to normal. The traffic is because they want to win the giveaway. After it they do not even care what the website is up to.

    Even I do forget which giveaways I participated last month. I think i am right. What do you say ?

    By the way, The blogger to WordPress traffic point is completely correct and it is very good that you mentioned it. Many bloggers do not mention this point.

    Thanks

    Reply

  9. Very informative post Lisa, Thank you for this. I have a suggestion for you. Try to respond to your reader’s comments. An interactive conversation can work wonders !

    Reply

  12. Just wanted to say I’m so grateful to have found your site, wish I had found it 2 years ago. I’ve been struggling with trying to keep my website going and this has really cost me a lot of time. Still, at least as I try to get it on the right track, at least now I have a great resource for info. (and yes, I’m now on Website Babble too!)

    Reply

  13. Wow great tips on how to increase your traffic. I definitely need to check out those two plugins that you mentioned.

    I have had my site for a little over a month and I am still working on building followers and subscribers. Great information that I will definitely start using.

    I know what you mean when you say some people have writers block. I tend to fall into that category sometimes.

    Reply

  16. Hi Lisa

    I have an question if I want to interlink my existing post do I need to create an similar post relevant to that existing one ? and recently I have started an niche site its been ranking in first page for my secondary but my primary ranking above 100 what other step do I need to take can u suggest some idea..

    Reply

  17. Thanks for all the great tips. I’m still trying to crack the code on bringing traffic to my website. As you stated I have a main website but my second website has nothing to do with my first one. Plus sometimes I do suffer from writers block.

    Reply

  19. Thanks Lisa! After reading this, I have applied the same on blog on blogger………Looking forward for the great results 🙂

    Reply

  21. Thanks for the wonderful post Lisa, Is there any guide that teaches how to craft post titles to be more catchy. And Thanks to you, I learned about this freebie thing which i am not aware before. Thanks again..

    Reply

  22. Thanks for the wonderful post Lisa, Is there any guide that teaches how to craft post titles to be more catchy. And Thanks to you, I learned about this freebie thing which i am not aware before. Thanks again..

    Reply

  23. Hey Lisa,
    Thanks for sharing these tips with us. These tips really gonna help many bloggers. WordPress is really an amazing CMS and I am also using it. title really play major role in driving traffic to blog. Thanks for sharing this post with us.

    Reply

  25. The good thing about blogging Lisa is that search engines are always searching for new content and whatever you post on your blog gets indexed. By far, it is a great way to not only stay employed as a full-time blogger and internet marketer, but also, earn a healthy online income.

    Reply

  26. The good thing about blogging Lisa is that search engines are always searching for new content and whatever you post on your blog gets indexed. By far, it is a great way to not only stay employed as a full-time blogger and internet marketer, but also, earn a healthy online income.

    Reply

  27. Hello Lisa,
    First of all thanks for sharing such useful and valuable information about blogging. Your way of sharing the above information is also very interesting. Well I will also try these tips to my blog. I am a novice in this field and hope that after implementing some of your valuable experience/suggestions i will be benefited too.
    thanks for such a nice post.

    Reply

  29. Hi Lisa,
    Very informative Article…Your writing skill is too good and nice. You have mentioned above points are very easy and should implement in the blog. Selective Topic, Interlinking into the blog, often write on the blog some fresh content, People love to read it regularly and wanted to come again n again on the blog.
    Thanks for sharing this information with us. Keep it up! 🙂

    Reply

  30. I switched to WordPress last year, and I’m so glad I did. There was a lot of learning to do and (still is actually!) but I feel like I’m so much more in control of my blog now. Thanks for all these great tips!

    Reply

  31. Hi Lisa, glad to read your success chronology right path. I am almost one year of blogging on blogspot, 500s of new traffic per day. your experience is a lesson and tips so that I can take lessons and pick up success. Thank you for the article, greetings from Indonesia.

    Reply

  33. I blog frequently and I genuinely thank you for your content.
    This article has really peaked my interest. I will
    bookmark your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week.
    I opted in for your RSS feed too.

    Reply

  36. Hi Lisa, I found your website and blog through your YouTube videos. I was searching for some guidance on using The Keyword tool. I am so glad I stumbled upon your videos and blog. I have already learnt so much. I am excited to implement this new knowledge to my blog!

    Reply

  38. hi
    Great post for me, Thanks for sharing. I was unable to drive huge traffic to my wallpaper blog but i think i can increase my blogs traffic through these ways. Thanks again.

    Reply

  39. Lisa – Have I ever told you that I love you! Oh wait, yes, yes I have!! You are my blogging guru and I truly appreciate everything. I wish we could one day meet or we could one day have a blog pow wow, so I could truly get your feedback and advice for my blog! 🙂

    Reply

  41. Hay lisa
    Good to see your blog has very informative.and you really work hard on it.today when I was searching google adsence your blog was on first position,and I was start reading your blog.and its really help me , you really deserve it that position, here is my blog http://www.seeyourinterest.com , I apply for google adsence ,but google not accept my blog for adsence , can you plz check my blog and help me to figure out some mistakes that google accept my blog for adsence
    Thx in anticipation
    umer

    Reply

  42. hi lisa ,

    thanks lisa for such a nice post. First i must congratulate you that your writing style is very simple and impressive. Now i am try to follow your step and hoping that i also get huge for my blog.
    thanks again for sharing

    Reply

  43. It difficult to get hug traffic within 2 months even i try to follow your steps above. Is there any Trick help to increase huge traffic like this ? . Thanks in advance for sharing.

    Reply

  44. Great info! I’m not so sure I’m ready to post my income report, but the title is worth considering and I definately need to get workin on my bio page. Thank you!

    Reply

  46. Hi Lisa,
    I saw your site totally by accident and I’m grateful to God I did. I’ve learnt so much from you already, wish I had seen your articles earlier. I’m using Site Build It and it has been a sweet journey so far.
    My website is still young but I’m enjoying the number of visitors it has garnered already. The site is so lovely and I’m enjoying every bit of it. I’ll soon build more sites.
    You can check it out here.
    http://www.womensbodyclinic.com

    Reply

  49. Lisa,
    Great information. It’s not like I haven’t heard some of these suggestions before. However, I like the way you presented it and just as people buy from thos they like and trust, we tend to hear better what is said by those we like and trust. I gained much in a short time from your WebSite Babble forum and now I’ve found your blog. Pretty exciting!

    Reply

  50. Wow great tips on how to increase your traffic. I definitely need to check out those two plugins that you mentioned.

    I have had my site for a little over a month and I am still working on building followers and subscribers. Great information that I will definitely start using.

    I know what you mean when you say some people have writers block. I tend to fall into that category sometimes.

    Reply

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