Did you make any New Yearâs Resolutions?
If yes, did they concern your blog?
Sadly, many bloggers resolve to abandon their blogs unless the new year brings them the traffic they desire.
Their concerns are indeed warranted. The competition is fierce. After all, there are more than 152 million blogs in the world, according to recent statistics.
People donât have to threaten to stop blogging.
Perhaps they just need to change the combination of actions they are taking in order to get the traffic they want.
After all, isnât that what a new year is for, the opportunity to make a change if things arenât going the way we want?
This post will share a combination of factors that successful bloggers agree is vital for mass traffic.
How to Get the Blog Traffic You Desire
Produce the right kind of content. That does not necessarily mean you have to whip out a 5,000-word blog post each time you publish. Actually, you donât have to create a blog post at all. Many formats exist which will enable you to empower your readers. Using a variety of formats will prevent both you and your readers from getting bored.
According to Blogging Wizardâs Adam Connell, certain types of content perform better than others. A recent study published by Noah Kagan showed that Infographics and list posts get the most traffic.
Format your articles. Make sure you format your posts so busy readers can quickly skim. Use of bold, bullet points, and subheads go a long way in keeping your readers engaged and on your site longer.
Have an About page. Readers want to know who you are before they decide to give you the time it takes them to read your content. How to Write a Killer About Me Page That Will Attract New Followers  explains how to write the most effective About page to generate traffic. Make sure you have a gravatar as well.
Enable sharing. You want viewers to be able to share your work with their followers. In this way, their readers will become your readers.
Go to your dashboard. Click Setting, Sharing to enable social shares. If you are on WordPress.com, you should be able to turn on Publicize which will add your social media followers to your blog followers count and make your blog look even more popular. The Band Wagon Effect says people want to get out with the virtual crowd and do what seems popular.
If you can, allow reblogs. Go to Settings, Sharing. Scroll down to click âReblogs.â Make sure âShow the reblog button on postsâ is clicked.
Interact with your readers. Enable likes and comments. I have seen people close comments. How frustrating for the reader who just found your post! When readers comment, be flattered they took their time to write you and write back promptly.
This interaction is a two-way street. Danny Ray and Jason Cushman are successful bloggers that spend hours interacting with their readers each day. Danny Ray reports he might spend up to five hours a day each day starting at 6:00 am working on his blog, and Jason Cushman starts at 5:00 am.
Cushman echoes the importance of networking. âMost of us⊠humans find it impossible to garner interest without first showing interest in turn.â
Fill in Categories and Tags. To my surprise, many bloggers skip filling in the Category section. Donât waste an opportunity to be found in search engines. Donât make your category or tag so specific that no one would think to look that up in a search engine. Donât box yourself in. The more people that can find you, the better.
Develop a brand. People should come to know what to expect from you. Also, if they recommend your blog to their friends, but your site has changed gears when they get there, it could be confusing to visitors, and you could lose potential subscribers.
Use relevant images. I know of bloggers that ignore the need for graphics believing they already have enough to do. Graphics get the readersâ attention. Since they are attracted to the graphic, they will be interested in the content of the article.
Make sure visitors have a way to subscribe to your blog. In my right sidebar, I have a âSubscribeâ widget where visitors can type their Email address to subscribe to my blog and get my posts in their inbox.
Be professional. Even if blogging is your hobby and not a profession (yet), you can still behave in a mature manner. I know one blogger who chose to wage an argument with her ex-roommate over the Internet using her blog as the vehicle to do it.  Donât use your blog as a place to complain. The odds are you will calm down, but your angst will still be on the Internet for the world to see.
Hook your reader in your introduction. You want your reader to know your post is about how they will be better off because they read your article. Although, at times, I have mentioned myself in the first sentence of my articles, it is the exception. The introduction lets the reader know the post will be about helping them, and they will have information in order to reach a goal that they didnât have when they began the article. Once you hook them, keep them engaged during the rest of the article.
Write what your reader wants to read. According to Chris, you will enjoy the experience of blogging more if you have an engaged community. Jon Morrowâs instructions support this. Donât write what appeals to you until you are rich and famous. Write what appeals to your readers. Check your stats page. Top Posts and Pages, Summaries will tell you what articles garnered you the highest page views.
Be patient. Blogging has a snowball effect. The more traffic you get, the more exposure you will get as your new readers share your content, and the more traffic you will continue to get as the cycle repeats itself.
In conclusion, How to Have a Winning Combination of Blog Factors explained the combination of blog factors that helped Gertrude Nonterah be successful. This post explained the combination that helped Chris McMullen get to a place where he was happy with his blog traffic. You need to find the combination that works for you. However, if you havenât found that formula yet, perhaps try the methods offered in this post.
You may feel thirteen blogging tasks is a great many to try to achieve. As Danny Ray points out in the article in which he describes his day as a blogger, blogging can be a grind. You have to grind your way to success.
Did you get a chance to compare Chris McMullenâs techniques described in this article to Gertrude Nonterahâs? Chris has 13 factors while Nonterah has only seven factors for success. Did you check to see if there are any overlapping areas?
Perhaps if time is at a minimum you can follow the tips they both agree are essential for success. After all, they only seemed to agree on three points! (Note: Chris did not specify an About page, so it is not listed in the overlapping area. However, he did specify a gravatar which is normally put on an About page.)
Readers, please share, so that other bloggers can experience the success Chris has had and have a chance to compare the techniques of McMullen and Nonterah in order to find out what combinations work for them.
What do you think? I know other bloggers that take a formulaic approach to blogging. Are there any factors Chris left out that you feel are essential if you want to be a successful blogger? Did he include any factors that surprised you? I look forward to your views.
Related Posts:
How to Turn Loyal Visitors to Repeatedly Return to Your BlogÂ
How To Make 1,406 People Look At Your Site in 1 Day
4 Simple Ways to Start Blogging More Creatively
How to Blow the Roof Off Your Traffic Using Pinterest
How to Create Better Blog Content That Will Bring You an Enormous Audience
Bad Attitude Blogging
Sources:
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/how-to-get-100000-blog-views-21-blogging-tips/
