The Top Five Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog or Website

How Tos

By: ponchomeg 29-Oct-2010

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Introduction:

Do you need more traffic on your blog or website? If the answer is yes, read on! Because here I present you with the top five ways to increase traffic to your blog or website.

Write High Quality Content

If your page is more ad-based than content based, people will probably not find your site in search engines... nor will they stick around too long if they do. Make sure that you have valuable information for the people in your niche market so that they will find your content, share your content with their friends, spend more time on your site, and perhaps even follow what you do.

Network

Have you ever heard the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know?" Well... it's kind of true. You could have the most amazing content in the world, but if word doesn't spread, very few people will find it. So be a part of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. Connect with other bloggers and leave thoughtful comments on their blogs (perhaps even leaving your web address, if appropriate). Post in forums that address the content you write about on your blog and link back. Finally, write for sites like List My 5, Squidoo, Hubpages, Bukisa, etc. and connect with the users there as well. Not only will this drive more traffic in for you, but you will also make some new friends too!

Choose Your Keywords Wisely

People talk a lot about SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. I know it works... but it confuses me too! Instead of thinking too much about it, just think about what keywords would help people to find and connect with your writing. For example, my blog is PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian, and it is about my life as a hippie, bohemian, free-spirit. I know that the more I used the words PonchoMeg, hippie, bohemian, and free-spirit, the more my page will be associated with those keywords. So I use them as much as I can... but I never overdo it. There's a fine balance between getting in a lot of quality keywords and keyword spamming. An example of keyword spamming would be: "PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian, a hippie, bohemian, free-spirit, loves her hippie, bohemian, free-spirit life. She loves to do hippie crafts, hippie sing-a-longs, and other hippie, bohemian, free-spirit activities because that's what she is; a hippie, bohemian, free-spirit." See how annoying that is?

Keep Your Loyal Fans Happy

When people are loyal to a cause and happy with a cause, they will do whatever they can to promote it. If you have 30 people following your blog, but you never give anything back to them, then they probably won't be going out of their way to do much for you. However, if you respond to their comments, send them messages, support them in their online endeavors, have contests and giveaways, etc. then they will probably want to spread the word about your blog, and 30 followers can turn into 60! (This ties in a lot with #2)

Promote Your Blog or Website Online and Off

There are many ways to promote your blog or website. Some of these ways are free, and some cost money. Some ideas that have worked for me in the past include using Ping-o-matic every time I post a new blog entry (when I remember), carrying a tote bag with me all summer that had my blog URL on it so I could easily show it to people, and utilizing Facebook ads. Other ideas? Get business cards to hand out with your web address on them, use traffic sites like Traffic Witch, or pay someone with marketing experience to promote your blog or website for you.

Final Thoughts

Getting more traffic to your blog or website is not a fast or easy process. It takes dedication and hard work to succeed online. Make sure you spend a little time each day working on driving traffic to your site if you want to see results.

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Comments

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tracyann 4/6/2011
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Good list, thank you! H5!
snowfence 4/4/2011
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Great tips! H5
goodselfme 12/23/2010
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Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Jeanniemaries 10/31/2010
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This is a super list! I am jeanniemaries almost everywhere except on Associated Content where I use my real name Jeanne Baney. I love having a real name that can be googled. My articles are the only thing that come up. I just love List My 5!
LangleyCornwell 10/30/2010
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Super suggestions.
dlcass 10/30/2010
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Great tips. It is so important to promote your work.
ponchomeg 10/30/2010
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I'm glad you find it helpful. :) I am not an expert with it, but my page has gone up in rankings a LOT since I started it, and a lot of it has to do with keywords I think. I use keywords in titles, in the posts, and in the tags, but like I said, I don't overdo it. One of my best keywords is actually my online identity ponchomeg, because I use it on websites all over the internet (including this one!), it is in the title of my blog (PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian), and I write about it a lot and tag it a lot. I don't know if that works for everyone, but it helps me.
penelope7 10/29/2010
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Item #3 is very helpful to me as is the whole list five. I appreciate the help. I sometimes get really confused about keywords. Thanks!