How to Increase Blog Traffic
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If you’re trying to turn your blogging efforts into a new career opportunity, you may find yourself searching for tips on how to increase blog traffic.
Content is King
The most important thing to realize when learning how to increase blog traffic is that your blog has to provide information that your readers will find useful and relevant. If you’re blogging about your experiences managing your own catering company, for example, aspiring entrepreneurs are likely to find your blog useful. If you’re simply venting about your annoying boss, however, your blog is unlikely to ever find an audience beyond your immediate family and friends.
Although you don’t have to be a professional writer to have a successful blog, you should make an effort to use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation in your blog posts. Blogging, like any other form of writing, is about successful communication. If your readers are struggling to decipher your message, they’re likely to simply click on a different Web site.
If you’re not sure the content on your blog is worthy of attracting a broad audience, review the article 13 Questions to Ask before Publishing a Post on Your Blog.
Use Keywords Effectively
While professional Web content writers are extremely familiar with using keywords to boost search engine traffic to their sites, many bloggers have failed to consider the value of this strategy. By including the keywords that people are likely to search for in your blog posts, you boost your blog’s chances of making it to the top of a Google search for that particular term.
Although there is some debate on what constitutes an appropriate keyword density, one general rule of thumb is to aim for two to six keywords per 200-word blog post. Using more keywords than this is fine, but only if the post sounds natural. “Stuffing” your writing full of garbled keywords results in text that is very difficult to understand. In addition to being penalized by search engine formulas, this tactic is a guaranteed turn-off for your readers.
The Importance of Regular Updates
Because blogging is a very flexible and user-friendly activity, many people start blogs with grand ambitions. However, consistency is the key to successfully increasing your blog traffic. Try to post daily if possible, or at least several times per week. If you only post one or two times per month, even your most loyal readers are likely to abandon your blog in favor of more current sources of information.
Use Comments to Your Advantage
An important aspect of blogging is building a sense of community. As a blogger, it’s wise to make an effort to comment on other blogs that discuss the same issues as your own site and to provide links to your posts when appropriate. You may also want to ask the owners of blogs on similar topics if they would be interested in trading links or appearing as guest bloggers on your site.
On a related note, it’s also quite helpful to answer reader comments on your own blog. If your visitors see you as accessible, they’ll be more inclined to visit on a regular basis.
Take Advantage of Promotional Resources for Bloggers
As blogging becomes an increasingly popular way for tech-savvy individuals to earn supplemental income, a number of resources have become available for professional bloggers. For example:
- Technorati lets you “claim” your blog, add a photo, and provide updated link counts.
- FeedBurner is an RSS service that helps you promote your blog’s content while measuring the size of your audience.
- At del.icio.us, you can add links to your blog and excerpts from selected posts.
Tips on How to Increase Blog Traffic
For more great tips on how to increase blog traffic, check out the following helpful resources:
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