You've heard it many times before- "social media is the key to building a popular blog". So you signed up for every social networking website that you could find to advertise your posts, you've filled out your profiles and even made some new friends who are now supporting you and helping to advertise your content.. Why hasn't your blog taken off yet?
Continue reading "Turning Social Media Traffic Into Long-Term Supporters" »
After choosing your niche, setting up your blog, and writing your first few posts, it's time for you to find some readers. Here are a few ways you can start driving traffic to your niche blog:
This is kind of a no-brainer, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the obvious. If you want to build a readership, you need to give people unique and valuable content that would make them want to return for more. You can promote your blog all day, every day, for a long period of time, but if you don't have anything that people would want to read, you're not going to build an audience willing to come back on their own.
Give people a reason to keep coming back- post often. Not so often that they find it difficult to keep up, and you don't want to sacrifice quality for quantity, but often enough to keep them interested.
Also, the more you post, the more pages your website has, and more chances of people finding you via search engines.
Do a search for other blogs in your niche, read them, and comment on posts you like, or feel you have something to say about. Often, the blogger, and maybe some of the readers, will follow you back to your blog. That is, if your comment grabs their attention. I don't recommend commenting just for the sake of it- a "Hi, nice blog," doesn't go very far these days. Try to leave something of value for the blogger, or at least a more personal show of appreciation for the blogger's work. You may even make a few friends in the process.
Like commenting, participating in events on other blogs is a great way to make friends with other bloggers. If people see you contributing to other blogs, some of them may be more willing to visit yours. The more active you are in the blogging community, the more people will begin to notice you.
Before doing something "big" like this, I recommend building up your network and posting steadily for at least a few months. Starting a big project or contest is a great way to get people talking about your blog, and if you require that all participants announce the event and link back to your post on their own blogs, you could get tons of links from other websites. That is, if you've got a large enough network of friends willing to help you out, who have other friends who would be interested. Your success in this sort of endeavor usually depends on how popular you are in the blogosphere, who you know, and how you advertise.
As you engage in conversation with other people online, they may develop an interest in you, and what you have to offer. Include a link to your blog in your signature(s), and you might find yourself a few new readers.
Sometimes our blogs receive links from other blogs with a large readerbase, or a post will receive a lot of votes from social media users, and we'll have a heavier-than-usual flow of traffic to our websites. It's good to take advantage of these high-traffic periods by posting another article, possibly a similar one that these readers would be interested in. Also, you may want to add a "Subscribe" link to your post, to encourage visitors to return as you continue to update your blog.
Further reading:
These aren't the only ways to bring visitors to your website, they are just some of the most common. Get creative, and you will find that the possibilities are endless. (But I suggest staying away from spamming techniques- nobody likes spam, or other shady means of advertisement.)
Do you have any other traffic tips to share?
This post is Part IV of the Niche Blogging series.
>> Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe for more from IGTB.
Continue reading "Driving Traffic to Your Blog: Niche Blogging Series Part IV" »
Participating in traffic exchanges is a fairly popular way bloggers generate traffic to their websites. They view other blogs for a short amount of time in exchange for visitors to their own blogs.
There is some controversy around this method of generating traffic- some bloggers think it is worth their time to participate in exchanges, while others insist it is useless. Each side of the argument has valid reasons for their opinion, so it's easy to become confused about whether or not they're worthwhile.
I don't think the question is whether or not traffic exchanges are worth the all the time invested, but rather are traffic exchanges suitable for your blog?
How old is your blog?
Lots of new bloggers benefit from participating in traffic exchanges. Not only do they help expose your blog to potential readers, but some websites, like BlogMad, are more than traffic exchanges- they are communities in which bloggers can network and learn new things from one another.
Not everyone benefits from these communities and visitors though- many of the more experienced bloggers feel that they have graduated from this, perhaps because they feel they have learned everything they can from the community, or because the visitors they get from the exchange is only a small portion of the daily traffic and it will not make much of a difference if they stopped surfing for credits.
How much time do you have?
Although traffic exchanges are free, you're still investing time into them, and you are rewarded for your participation. For those with plenty of time to spare, this isn't usually much of a problem. Some people surf for several hours each day.
Unfortunately, not all bloggers have the luxury of spare time. Some write for several different blogs, many have full time jobs outside the internet, some have families they need to take care of, etc. These people may not benefit much, if at all.
What are you promoting?
Many bloggers use traffic exchanges as a way to make money from their blogs, whether it be through CPC, CPM, affiliate ads, etc. This helps to pay for their hosting, and maybe even more if they have devised an efficient monetization plan.
Keep in mind- not all ad programs approve of using traffic exchanges as a way to earn some extra cash. Google AdSense is one- participate in exchanges and it's likely your account will be banned. Make sure to read each ad program's terms of service carefully.
Another thing bloggers like to use traffic exchanges for is to promote contests on their blogs, however large or small they may be. This is a good way to reach a broader audience and maybe recruit a few new readers.
There are all sorts of pros and cons here, and as I mentioned before, it all depends on the blog and the one writing it.
Tell me- What are traffic exchanges to you? Do you participate in them? Do you think they are worth the time?
>> Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe for more from IGTB.
