Traffic is the livelihood of any blog. If no one is reading, it’s not a blog; it’s a diary. Obviously you won’t have legions of adoring fans in the beginning, but at some point you start staring at your stats page and wondering what you’re doing wrong. (Believe me, I’ve been there!)
So you’ve set up a blog, you’re learning about all the things you can do on the platform you’ve chosen, and you’re writing posts. But how do you get people to see the awesomeness you’ve created?
1. Write great content. This is the number one rule of blogging, yet it seems to be the easiest to forget. Ask yourself what someone will gain from reading your posts. That could be anything from learning something new to laughing at a funny story or photo, but there definitely needs to be some kind of value for readers.
2. Choose a niche. While all of us write different things from time to time, we usually have a basic theme that sticks out. There are recipe blogs, photo blogs, mommy blogs, and just about any other type you can imagine. Choosing your niche will help you keep that audience in mind - if someone is looking for a pet blog, will they want to read a review of a shoe store? Probably not.
3. Get to know other bloggers. This relates to finding your niche. Once you’ve decided what type of blog you’ll write, search for other blogs about the same topic. Read their posts, link to them, and reach out via email. You’ll make friends who know what you’re going through and can offer advice.
4. Comment on other blogs. One of the easiest ways to gain traffic is commenting on other blogs in your niche. Set up a Gravatar that is hooked to your blog email address. When you comment, comment as your blog name or Your Name @ Your Blog Name. People will see that and click through to check it out.
5. Make it easy for people to connect. If you haven’t set up RSS and email subscriptions, head over to Feedburner and make that happen! People don’t always want to visit blogs manually, so sometimes they’d rather subscribe. Don’t fret about your visits - part of gaining traction is allowing people to read on their own terms.
6. Make your blog easy to read. Design isn’t the most important thing, but it does matter. Check out this page of ugly websites for examples of what NOT to do! If your site is too cluttered or the colors hurt readers’ eyes, they aren’t likely to come back.
7. Submit your site to search engines. Most search engines have an option to submit a site for inclusion. If you’re on WordPress, you can use a plugin called RPS Sitemap Generator (once you activate it, you have to go to Tools > Sitemap Generator to create it) to create a sitemap that you can submit to Google using Webmaster Tools.
8. Ask to guest post. If you find a bigger blog in your niche that seems to have a good following, email the owner to ask about guest posting (check for a policy first and be sure to follow the guidelines if there are any). Be honest - let them know you are a new blogger and you’re hoping to gain some exposure. If they agree to accept a post, write something AMAZING, geared to that audience, and free of typos or errors. Also, keep in mind that you need to respond to any comments on your guest post over at the hosting blog.
9. Use social media. If you don’t have a Twitter account or Facebook fan page for your blog, you’re missing an opportunity to gain new readers. (Speaking of that, go follow me on Twitter or become a Facebook fan!) Twitter seems to be a little faster - follow other bloggers and people you’re interested in, then start some conversations! Don’t be afraid to talk to people; the more people you know, the more you can promote them (and vice versa).
10. Don’t forget about content! While you’re busy doing all this stuff to attract new readers, don’t neglect the ones you already have. Make sure you’re still writing awesome posts on a fairly consistent schedule - that also gives new visitors a reason to subscribe or come back. It can be time-consuming (and even exhausting) to keep up with everything, but your blog will benefit from your efforts.
Have you tried these strategies for increasing your readership? Have a tip to add for others who may see this post? Let me know what you think!
I am so glad you started this blog (here I am commenting, and it's added to my google reader!). I only started blogging in October and I want to do all the things in this post, I just wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
If you have any specific questions, submit them via the form in the sidebar and I'll write a post.
A couple of tips that have helped me: if you set up Facebook or Twitter, actually use them to engage your readers. Have a presence on there. Don't ask people to follow you and then not post anything (you did touch on this). Have a schedule for your posts. Readers like consistency. If you post sporadically, that's a surefire way to have readers leave your site. Write about what you know. If you know nothing about food but start a food blog, readers are going to notice and it's going to show in your traffic. Everyone is an expert in something-write about that. And finally, be original and be yourself. Readers appreciate an authentic voice. The more genuine you are with your readers, the more they'll read (and tell their friends to read)!
Jana said it well, use your social media outlets if you have them. I still don’t use them like I should. No one wants to see a dead facebook page.
I only started blogging fairly recently but I have always loved taking your advice-it does nothing but help me out! I'm slowly starting to get a good following and my daily views aren't cringeworthy anymore (I had a diary for awhile
)
I'm so glad you're finding the posts helpful. I've really really enjoyed watching your posts transform - it's amazing how that happens once other people start reading!
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[...] but I can tell you it’s worth it. In time, you will see Twitter’s value as a way to attract readers, as well keep the interest of the ones you already [...]
HA HA..You had me, "
If no one is reading, it’s not a blog; it’s a diary. "
I have a small, small amount of readers but my I'm a but fickle when it comes to taking my blog serious. I do find when I take the time read and truly comment on other blogs my views go up. I would also add being strategic about what you name your post. I get more traffic from search engines based on the title of my post of tags.
Well, I don't think anyone should give up sharing personal info just to gain more readers. Sometimes I just need to gripe about my life, darn it! But having a strategy in place is a really good way to get (and keep) more readers.