14 Tips for Increasing Traffic to Your Blog

You hear about this awesome new invention called blogging. You decide to give it a try. You get a free blog at Blogger or WordPress.com. You pick a template. You start cranking out posts. About a week, month or year later it finally dawns on you.

No one is reading your blog.

Don’t feel bad. About 90% of the blogs on the internet are standing shoulder to shoulder with you on this Dock of Shame. The good news is that with time, focused effort and a few of these suggestions, you can overcome your no-traffic nightmare and turn your blog into the rockin’ place to be.

1. Search Engine Optimization/Search Engine Marketing

The internet is like the United States national debt. It just keeps growing. With billions of web pages on the internet, the only way web surfers find the information they need is through the use of a search engine like Google and Yahoo. Therefore it is important that your website is organized in a way that makes it easy for these search engine giants to scan and properly index your web pages.

This involves a little voodoo magic. First you need to cut off a lock of Larry Page’s hair…Just kidding. Seriously, search engine optimization (or SEO) techniques range from simple to complex. There are many websites on the internet that give free SEO instruction or you can save yourself time and money by just buying Naomi Dunford’s SEO School.

2. Write Linkable Content

Don’t make the mistake that a lot of website owners do and forget that people visit blogs for the content. What that content is, is entirely up to you. However, if you want to increase traffic to your website at least some of that content should be linkable.

Linkable content encourages people to link to it, talk about it and recommend it to others. Unlike other types of blog postings, such as news posts or personal updates, linkable content is designed to always be relevant and strives to be comprehensive. An example of this type of content would be a how-to article or even a comprehensive list of resources.

For advice on how to write a great article, check out my blog post “How to Write a Great Article”.

3. Write and Submit Press Releases

A press release is an announcement that is written for and circulated to various news outlets. The goal of a press release is to get picked up and talked about by those news sources which nets you increased exposure and traffic.

The first step is to write the press release. Afterwards you can submit your press release directly to those news sources or use online PR Services such as PRWeb or Market Wire.

4. Engage in Article Marketing

Article marketing is the process of writing articles and submitting them to article directories. Webmasters, looking for free content, will download your articles and post them to their website. Article marketing provides you with backlinks and exposure for your website which can be substantial if your article is picked up by enough webmasters.

Writing for article directories is a little different from writing for blogs so check out this article for some great tips. Visit this website for a comprehensive list of article directories to submit to.

5. Submit to Internet Directories

An internet directory is a collection of links to other websites. Some directories are general in scope, meaning they have a wide range of categories encompassing a wide range of topics while others focus on a specific interest (called a niche) such as personal development or web development.

There is much debate as to whether or not internet directories really bring in traffic. I say it depends on the directory. Some directories, such as BlogCatalog, have an active community surrounding it that encourages members to visit each other’s blogs. Others…well, not so much.

When submitting to directories, look for ones that specialize in your blog’s topic. You stand a greater chance of getting traffic from a niche directory than a general one.

6. Network with Other Bloggers

The notion; “If you build it, they will come”, only works in the movies. You wouldn’t go to a party, stand in a corner and wait for people to talk to you. Likewise you can’t start a blog and just expect people to visit it. You must take it upon yourself to get out there and introduce yourself. Read and comment on other blogs. Participate in forums and social networking sites. Submit to blog carnivals.

7. Guest Blog

Guest blogging is sort of like article marketing except it’s much more effective. Instead of posting your article to an article directory, you write specifically for another person’s blog. The blogger gains quality content for their website and, in return, you get to share your expertise, as well as your website, with their audience.

To learn how to be a great guest blogger read, “How to Guest Blog without Disaster.”

8. Paid Advertising

Paid advertising is an effective means of getting the word out about your website. Often it is the only way to get your blog into places that will offer you a nice stream of steady traffic. The cost of advertising will range but a general rule is that the more traffic a website has, the higher the price to advertise on it.

Before opening your wallet, be sure to evaluate whether the website caters to your desired audience and whether you will receive your desired outcome. If you are really strapped for cash, offer to guest blog or exchange advertising.

9. Get Your Blog Reviewed

You can purchase a paid review through a service like Review Me. This is where you pay a blogger to tell others what they think of your website. The upside is that if the blogger really likes your website, then you’ll get a glowing review. The downside is that the blogger is not restricted to just saying good things about you or your website. So if they have any issues with those will be discussed.

The second way you can get a blog review is to network with other bloggers and agree to write a review of each other’s blog. This is a win-win situation for both of you as you each will earn a free review as well as make connections in the blogosphere.

10. Offer Something for Free

People. Love. Free. Stuff. Especially if it’s high quality free stuff. The best freebies are things people will actually use. On the internet this would be a web template, graphics or a plugin that makes their internet life easier.

The nice thing is you can always find places on the internet to advertise your freebie for free. Some will even host your download although I highly recommend you place the download on your website as well. If your freebie is cool enough people will tell their friends about it thus earning you free advertisement and traffic.

11. Hold a Contest

Next to getting free stuff, people also love winning stuff. The trick with contests, however, is getting people to enter. This is usually overcome by offering prizes people actually want to win so ixnay on the Weird Al Yankovic records.

Depending on where you live there might be laws that govern how a contest is run so be sure to check this out prior to advertising your contest.

12. Interview Other Bloggers

Just as you are looking for ways to advertise your blog, there are other bloggers out there doing the same thing. What better way to help each other than to interview them. You gain because you have fresh content to post on your blog and your interviewee will tell their readership all about their interview with you.

Conversely, jump on any opportunity that arises for you to be interviewed and don’t forget to reward your interviewer with a mention on your blog.

13. Viral Market with a Game or Video

People are always looking to be entertained. That’s why putting up a fun flash game that people can play on your site or uploading a funny and memorable video to YouTube is a great way to attract visitors.

Don’t worry if you don’t know the first thing about coding a game or shooting a video. Experts in these two subjects are just a Google search away.

14. Write Testimonials

When looking for products or services to purchase, one of the things I look for are testimonials from current or previous clients. If there is a website, I visit it if only to make sure that the reviewer is real. Think of all the online products you use and then contact their sales department about putting up a testimonial from you that includes a link to your website. You gain traffic as well as support your favorite products and services.

This list is by no means exhaustive but should get you off to a great start. I’d love to hear about some things you have done to increase traffic to your website.

Thank the editor. Buy me a coffee!