You have a blog but no traffic! Here are some tips on how to present your content attractively enough so that it acts as a traffic-magnet. This is the first in my How to Attract Traffic series focusing on Blog Content. It has truly been said that Content is King and to attract viewers it has to be presented in a royal fashion........
1. Talk to your Niche : There are millions of sites/blogs out there and it doesn't make sense to compete with all of them. There is enough traffic in all the segments so create your own niche and talk to it. Instead of having a Technology Blog write about Wireless Technology instead and you will rise to the top of your pile.
2. Be an expert in your niche and provide expert advice. You can do this by starting a blog about your profession in which you are already an expert. Then you can provide authoritative advice on the subject. If you want to start blogging about something else research extensively into the subject before you start blogging so that your content is detailed and convincingly complete.
3. Your language should be simple and with no grammatical or spelling errors. As for the content Follow the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) Rule. Spellcheck your posts before publishing.
4. Use strong headlines in post titles and blog titles. Use Keywords in your headlines. For more information on keywords see Keywords Tips and Tricks for Bloggers. Use Headlines like "Top 10 Tips for.....". Such headlines are encouraged by Digg. See Digg for Bloggers.
5. Create short posts consisting of short paragraphs. Each paragraph should be made up of 2 to 3 lines only. Use bulleted or numbered lists. Viewers don't like reading long content on their monitors.
6. Create uptodate content. You can see the latest topics on Technorati and write about them. You can also see trends on Google to see what is hot and what is not. Post frequently. You should post at least once or twice a week if not per day. Search engines like new content.
7. Appeal to their emotions. For all his rationality man is still an emotional animal. If you can touch and tap the emotional vein running through humanity it will yield high dividends in terms of traffic. More people will be induced to comment on your blog if emotionally aroused.
8. Update your content. After posting the latest you have to keep it current as time flies. If you have a blog reporting entertainment news then you have to post the latest news on your blog and renew old content. You cannot have your site reporting that a celebrity couple is married when they have actually separated. Your will lose your readers.
9. Offer links to other sites with resources in your niche. If you have a site on painting you have to have a sidebar column with links pointing to other sites supplying painting material.
10. You can write in any language but offer language translation facilities for your viewers who may be from different regions. You can add language translation widgets to your blog with only two clicks from the top of the right column of this blog. No coding experience required. Just click the Install button below the +Add to Blogger graphics.
11. Podcast your posts. Record your podcast and include them in your posts. You can also submit them to podcast directories.
12. Invite bloggers in your niche to post in your blog. They will get a link back to their blog in return. You will get varied content which will serve to attract traffic.
13. Take part in Blog Carnivals. This is a type of magazine dedicated to a certain topic in which many bloggers submit articles in their blogs. Each edition of a blog carnival is in the form of a blog article that contains permalinks to other blog articles on the particular topic. The carnival travels appearing on a different blog each time.
14. Write on controversial topics depending on your audience. Sometimes this may have a backlash effect turning visitors away.
15. Attach a survey to a post. This invites interaction from the readers and you get to know the pulse of your reader. The results of these surveys gives you and your reader invaluable feedback.
16. Review other blogs/posts/consumer items/software. You can review for links or cash. Payperpost and others pay you to post reviews in your blogs. Review other blogs to get backlinks from them.
17. Increase traffic with the Z-List. This is a list of blogs at the bottom of the rankings which you publish in a post. These links are reflected in the standings of those blogs on Technorati and you can get valuable attention at the start of your blogging career.
18. Post a Trackback. Install Trackbacks in your blog. Now when you write about another post in your blog an excerpt will be added below that post automatically and that blog owner will read your post and if sufficiently interested will come over to your blog. This applies to his readers as well, thus increasing traffic to your blog.
19. Only keep relevant pictures on your blog as search engines ignore them except for their alt tags. If they are in BMP format they may increase page loading time.
20. Adapt Viral Strategies and give away Freebies. Give away free articles with your content and blog link below them. One useful strategy is to provide linkware which when put on the other blog will provide a link back to your blog. You can do this by supplying free templates/hacks/graphics/widgets/gadgets.
1. Talk to your Niche : There are millions of sites/blogs out there and it doesn't make sense to compete with all of them. There is enough traffic in all the segments so create your own niche and talk to it. Instead of having a Technology Blog write about Wireless Technology instead and you will rise to the top of your pile.
2. Be an expert in your niche and provide expert advice. You can do this by starting a blog about your profession in which you are already an expert. Then you can provide authoritative advice on the subject. If you want to start blogging about something else research extensively into the subject before you start blogging so that your content is detailed and convincingly complete.
3. Your language should be simple and with no grammatical or spelling errors. As for the content Follow the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) Rule. Spellcheck your posts before publishing.
4. Use strong headlines in post titles and blog titles. Use Keywords in your headlines. For more information on keywords see Keywords Tips and Tricks for Bloggers. Use Headlines like "Top 10 Tips for.....". Such headlines are encouraged by Digg. See Digg for Bloggers.
5. Create short posts consisting of short paragraphs. Each paragraph should be made up of 2 to 3 lines only. Use bulleted or numbered lists. Viewers don't like reading long content on their monitors.
6. Create uptodate content. You can see the latest topics on Technorati and write about them. You can also see trends on Google to see what is hot and what is not. Post frequently. You should post at least once or twice a week if not per day. Search engines like new content.
7. Appeal to their emotions. For all his rationality man is still an emotional animal. If you can touch and tap the emotional vein running through humanity it will yield high dividends in terms of traffic. More people will be induced to comment on your blog if emotionally aroused.
8. Update your content. After posting the latest you have to keep it current as time flies. If you have a blog reporting entertainment news then you have to post the latest news on your blog and renew old content. You cannot have your site reporting that a celebrity couple is married when they have actually separated. Your will lose your readers.
9. Offer links to other sites with resources in your niche. If you have a site on painting you have to have a sidebar column with links pointing to other sites supplying painting material.
10. You can write in any language but offer language translation facilities for your viewers who may be from different regions. You can add language translation widgets to your blog with only two clicks from the top of the right column of this blog. No coding experience required. Just click the Install button below the +Add to Blogger graphics.
11. Podcast your posts. Record your podcast and include them in your posts. You can also submit them to podcast directories.
12. Invite bloggers in your niche to post in your blog. They will get a link back to their blog in return. You will get varied content which will serve to attract traffic.
13. Take part in Blog Carnivals. This is a type of magazine dedicated to a certain topic in which many bloggers submit articles in their blogs. Each edition of a blog carnival is in the form of a blog article that contains permalinks to other blog articles on the particular topic. The carnival travels appearing on a different blog each time.
14. Write on controversial topics depending on your audience. Sometimes this may have a backlash effect turning visitors away.
15. Attach a survey to a post. This invites interaction from the readers and you get to know the pulse of your reader. The results of these surveys gives you and your reader invaluable feedback.
16. Review other blogs/posts/consumer items/software. You can review for links or cash. Payperpost and others pay you to post reviews in your blogs. Review other blogs to get backlinks from them.
17. Increase traffic with the Z-List. This is a list of blogs at the bottom of the rankings which you publish in a post. These links are reflected in the standings of those blogs on Technorati and you can get valuable attention at the start of your blogging career.
18. Post a Trackback. Install Trackbacks in your blog. Now when you write about another post in your blog an excerpt will be added below that post automatically and that blog owner will read your post and if sufficiently interested will come over to your blog. This applies to his readers as well, thus increasing traffic to your blog.
19. Only keep relevant pictures on your blog as search engines ignore them except for their alt tags. If they are in BMP format they may increase page loading time.
20. Adapt Viral Strategies and give away Freebies. Give away free articles with your content and blog link below them. One useful strategy is to provide linkware which when put on the other blog will provide a link back to your blog. You can do this by supplying free templates/hacks/graphics/widgets/gadgets.
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