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I’ve only been blogging for a couple of months now. However I have noticed a few techniques that have helped me increase my blog viewership that could be useful to fellow new bloggers out there. Feel free to comment, add or dispute this list but so far, these are the top ten tips that have worked for me.
1) Write about interesting hard to find topics
Can you guess out of the following topics, which one is the most popular on my blog?
- Internet Marketing
- iPhone Development
- My Chevy Venture
If you guessed anything but number 3 you are wrong. Does it surprise you that my Chevy Venture is the most popular topic?
People care more about good ole blue than my technical knowledge. Should I become a mechanic?
It doesn’t surprise me since I wrote an answers in an article on a topic I found extremely difficult to find myself. If you experience a tough time finding the information you need on a topic, most likely others are having the same issues. Therefore, once you find your answer, take the time to share your new found knowledge on your blog.
2) Place comments on blogs of similar interests
If you want people to read your blog and comment on it then you should be willing to invest the time to read other people’s blogs and to offer feedback. Remember Luke 6:31 in the Bible? Also when placing your comment add a link to your blog at the bottom so people can see who the cool guy was who left those amazing comments. 🙂
3) Add tags to your posts
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who complain about not receiving visitors to their sites and/or blogs who just don’t understand the value of site keywords and tags. Without tags, how will people and search engines know what your posting is about? Check out ours on the right had side under “What we blog about”. You MUST add relevant tags to your posting you won’t be wasting your time with an article that no one will read.
4) Watch blog stats daily and add follow-up posts to popular topics
As I mentioned in tip #1, my Chevy Venture article is the most popular one on my blog so far. However I wouldn’t have known that without watching my blog stats like a hawk daily to see what people were interested in. This blog is on WordPress.com so it comes with a dashboard including Blog Stats. However, if yours doesn’t, you should definitely add Google Analytics to your site and blog. Then be sure to check it daily to identify trends that you can react to.
5) Check your ping/track backs and add the sites to your blogroll
If I see a strong comment or a track/ping back from a daily/weekly blog, I take the time to add them to my blog roll or reference links. I do this as a courtesy for people who take the time to read my content. If you do this you probably can expect more people to link to and comment on your posting thereby increasing traffic.
6) Add your blog to your and your friends other sites
Have you noticed the trend now where sites that are part of sister companies are now displaying links to all of their entities at the top? Just visit the Wall Street Journal or GAP and look at the links to all their affiliated companies in banner format at the top. Your blog should be included on all your web sites and network web sites if possible. Also include a link to their sites on your blog.
7) Reference your blog in your social media outlets
Are you on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, StumbleUpon, Digg, RSS Feed…the list goes on and on. Well if you aren’t some of your friends probably are. Have them post updates when you add blog postings to drive traffic there. Also make sure that you add a button on your postings that allow people to send your article easily through social media.
8) Add images, polls, and other interactive content
Yes people care about information but they also want to be entertained. Take time to make your blog interactive and exciting by adding images, polls, videos, etc that support what you are blogging on. Take the time to add a cool template and color to the site so it is more appealing to the eye. People will stay longer and send your cool site to their friends.
9) Blog about blogging
There are thousands upon thousands of bloggers out there who are just getting started or looking for ways to improve their viewership. Why not address these people and offer tips based on your blogging experiences. Share your successes and failures and people will appreciate you for it.
10) Don’t forget to add the gravy
One thing that really irks me is to search all day for a topic, finally find someone who has the information I need and then realize that they only provided partial information. Imagine if I had written this top ten list without the explanation of each item. Wow…wouldn’t you be upset?
The Results
By following the tips and techniques mentioned above I have seen a steady increase in my blog traffic. Check the graph below.
Notice the upward trend when we finally started using these techniques
I’m still relatively new to blogging so I expect to see large increases as my writing skills get better and I prefect the above tips. Let me know what you think and what works or doesn’t work for you.
Bonus Material
I reread this post and decided to add on a few more tips that I’ve found useful in my short blog career. I wanted to make sure you had the best start possible to blogging. So here are a few more tips:
Reread your blog posts
Why you ask? Well one thing I’ve noticed is that there is always a typo or poorly worded sentence that was missed. Most beginning bloggers don’t have an editor reviewing their work so it’s up to you to make sure your posts are as professional as possible.
Use informative clearly stated blog titles
I could have named this post “To blog or not to blog…that is the question”. Sounds cool huh? But would you be reading it? The title I choose we clear, informative and easy to understand in any format and by all search engine results reviewers. Cool titles that don’t state what the article is about rarely if ever work. Just read my “Droid Does” post to see another example of how poor titles and marketing lead only to confusion not results.
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