Aug 9, 2014 / Beginner

Perennial Favorites: Traffic Dos and Don’ts

Are you looking to grow your audience? Here are ten tips to get you closer to your goal.

One of the most frequent questions bloggers ask us — and themselves — is how to get more readers. In this post I wrote a year ago, I went over some of the basic things you should consider when trying to grow your audience. While there’s no secret magic formula (do share if you’ve found one!), I hope it gives you some fresh ideas to try out. And, if you’re looking for a more in-depth look at traffic and growth, you’re in luck: we have a free ebook devoted exclusively to that topic.

One of the main reasons bloggers stop blogging is lack of traffic: at some point, they get tired of being the proverbial tree in the forest, making sounds nobody hears.

We’re here to help. No list of advice can guarantee your blog’s success, but it’s important to be aware of the most critical elements at play. Five dos, five don’ts: give them a try.

Dos

  1. Write regularly. Producing fresh content on a regular basis is essential. First, it makes your blog more appealing to search engines, which means new readers are more likely to find you. Just as important, it creates a sense of loyalty among the readers you already have, who know you won’t be stranding them for weeks at a time.
  2. Write well. What makes a post engaging, moving, or entertaining is clearly a matter of opinion. What’s not a matter of opinion? Correct spelling. Reasonable grammar. Sentences and paragraphs of manageable length. Go over your post, spellcheck, and edit — above all — for clarity. (A strong title never hurts, either.)
  3. Keep your blog easy on the eyes. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, unattractive blogs are surprisingly easy to spot. Some minimal care can pay great dividends, even if you don’t have time to think of every possible detail. Choose a theme that suits your needs and your content. Make your homepage attractive with striking images or easy customizations, and make sure your content is easy to read.
  4. Use your existing network. As a beginning blogger, you should rely on friends and family to visit your blog and share your posts on their own social networks (use common sense to decide how often and how insistently you ask them). Keep them informed by publicizing your posts, and keep them interested by addressing, at least at first, topics you know they’ll enjoy.
  5. Create new networks. The blogging community is immense. The best way to find your own niche within it is through meaningful reciprocity. Follow and leave thoughtful comments on others’ blogs, and take the time to respond to feedback left on your own site. Use widgets to make it easy to follow and syndicate your own blog. Participate in events, or attend a blogging conference to make new friends and learn new tips.

Don’ts

  1. Don’t forget to tag. Unless you’re already a famous entity offline, readers won’t search specifically for your blog. That’s why smart tagging is so important: add a healthy mix of general and specific terms related to your post, and your potential audience will find you, either through search engines or on the WordPress.com Reader.
  2. Don’t spam. Community members and search engines alike are quite savvy in telling thoughtful content from fluff. One-word comments? A blog full of pingbacks and reblogs with very little original content? There is no surer method of pushing your audience away, even if your intentions are good.
  3. Don’t be afraid of the Publish button. The only post guaranteed to attract zero traffic is an unpublished one. Don’t worry too much about posts that ended up different from your initial vision. At worst, you can edit and update them later. At best, their shortcomings, if any, can be part of the conversation you start with your readers. Either way, what could you possibly lose?
  4. Don’t stop reading. Writing that exists in a vacuum will be less appealing to readers who don’t already know you. Whether it’s a new bestseller, other blogs and sites around the web, or the great content we feature daily on Discover, staying part of existing conversations keeps your content relevant, and will engage a wider audience than an entirely impenetrable musing.
  5. Don’t lose sight of why you blog. Even if you’re doing everything right, it might still take a while before your blog gains traction. It’s a good idea to remind yourself why you decided to start a blog to begin with. Whether it’s to express your opinions, record memories, or any other reason, you’re the most important member of your audience, and should enjoy the experience. Fun tends to be contagious: a writer who enjoys blogging regardless of traffic is, paradoxically, more likely to attract it.
Show Comments

116 Comments

Comments are closed.

Close Comments

Comments

  3. So far, I seem to be doing all the right things. But I don’t get many comments from other than my own friends (which I do appreciate). Maybe there aren’t many other “blogging RushBabes”. I do like having the forum, and I try to post often. Come by and see!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Oh how I wish people that read posts (and I know they’re there if only for the likes!) would be as verbose as me and leave a comment!

    I totally appreciate the read, but I want to know what you think – I want to know if you agree or disagree; I want to know if you enjoy or hate; I want to know if you’ll be back or otherwise; I want to know what you think I should write about next…or if I should disappear off the internet entirely!
    xLoJu

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I agree with you but I think that likes also mean approval. The reader identifies with your post but might not have the right words to respond expect you asked a particular question in the post.

      You may solicit for comments by asking specific questions.
      Most bloggers are also guilty of this ”offence”

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’ve just added a couple of widgets to my site – completely forgot about them when I set up my site! I’d love an easier way to find “my tribe” so I can mix and mingle with other bloggers. I’m still new to wordpress, so hopefully it will all work out. Thanks for the tips.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I’m very new to blogging and am voraciously reading anything and everything I can to become better informed as well as just in general, a better writer.
    Your post is most informative, and helpful,… thanks.

    Like

  11. Thank you so much for posting this! I have had my blog a few weeks now and my friends and family are my main audience. Still working on trying to get followers that I don’t know!

    Like

  12. Thank you for the great advice. I just started my blog this week and plan to let friends and family know about it now that I have a couple posts under my belt, thanks again!

    Like

  15. This is great for a rookie blogger like me, I sometimes forget to add tags. Or my laziness gets the best of me! Thanks for this one!

    Like

  16. I absolutely love these tips. Had I feared of publishing my content, I wouldn’t be where I am now. And I am loving it.

    Like

  19. Hi! I’m new here 🙂 I love writing and would love it if you could read and comment on my articles.

    Like

  20. Thank you for your useful advice. It is interesting that my initial reason for blogging grew somewhat stale due to the slow nature of book writing. I didn’t want to quit though and stumbled upon another form of communication – photography. I have always loved it, but am no photographer. There were several photo bloggers that I came across that I genuinely loved. It inspired me to try some myself. Not necessarily to draw anybody, but because it was something I enjoyed. Funny, but it has given me more contacts, likes, and traffic than my previous motivation. Keep writing everyone!!

    Like

  21. Thank you for this message. As a new blogger i seriously needed it. I have no idea what Smart tagging is so I better go check it out and of course engage & interact.

    Like

  23. I always feel so bad when I comment on a post with the intention of bringing more views to my blog. I mean, I always comment truthfully, I don’t make stuff up to have a comment. Yet, it feels so sleezy!

    Like

  25. I find that if I make lots of tags, it helps people get to my blog and connects to other blogs on similar subjects. Try not to use the same words many times in the same paragraph or start a new paragraph with the same words. Keep sentences simple and read over what you’ve created. A lot of people cut & paste using editing tools. You may have a sentence that is partial due to the cuts. Use media when you can so people aren’t just reading words on a page. Use the draft view mode to read over what you’ve created before pressing your publish button for grammar and spelling.

    Like

  26. What is your opinion about getting RSS feeds from popular blogs of areas of my interest?If I have a feed from area of general interest (e.g. Kardashians – now please don’t ban me) would that help with the traffic? I know you have covered ping backs and Reblogs but would you consider RSS feed as Spam?

    Like

    1. I don’t think it’s spam if it’s content that’s relevant to your readers and is connected in a meaningful way to your own original content.

      Like