8 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog

No one likes to sit in traffic but everyone wants traffic. Suddenly, traffic is good.

To drive readers to your blog — and keep them coming back — here are eight tips to consider: 

1. Stick with one thing. It can be broad but it’s important that you know (and love) your subject matter. This helps to build your brand and online persona. Your blog is like a long-term relationship. You love it and you stay together. When you focus on your niche, and are passionate about it, readers will come to respect you as an expert in your field. Trust and passion shine. 

2. Read everything in your industry. We are blessed with an abundance of resources and information. Stay current by reading the opinions and rants of others in your field — including competitors. Look and listen for trends. This leads to quality content. No time you say? Turn off the TV. Just a suggestion.

3. Write for the reader. Blogging is not a 300-level college business class. If someone wanted that, they’d buy a textbook. Write as if you are speaking to one person. Conversational, casual, and meaningful. I believe that people don’t want to follow your blog. They want to follow you. Reach out to them through your words, experiences, and expertise. Let them get to know you. Then they’ll come back — and bring friends. Stuffy sucks. Don’t you agree? 

4. Solve their problem. When you consider yourself a problem-solver and not a salesperson, people will be attracted to you and your  message. Write with the sole purpose of helping your reader to ease their challenges. It’s not about you. Be the solution.

5. Involve them. You may think the only interactive part of blogging is the comments section. Think again. Ask your readers a question. Get into their heads. They’ll feel as though you’re connecting directly to them. Here are some examples:  

• “Your thoughts?”
• “Did you ever burn the roast minutes before your guests arrived? Here’s how to avoid cooking disasters.”     
• “Stuffy sucks. Don’t you agree?”  
• “If you’re like me and hate the airport….” 

6. Keep it reader-friendly. Catchy, relevant headlines that impact people will compel them to read on. Grab their attention with short and punchy sentences. Use images and pictures to break up the text. Use bold or italics to emphasize key points. We are all skimmers and scanners who quickly glance at something to see what jumps out at us. Give them nuggets.  

7. Forget the “rules.”  I don’t know about you, but I hear a lot of buzz about editorial calendars, the number of posts you should write, and word count. There are no rules. It’s whatever works for you. Don’t over think because it will paralyze you. Here’s what I believe. I use a journal to write down ideas and notes that spark my creativity. I don’t need a calendar to tell me when to write. When I “feel” it, I write. Art can not be forced. Quotas: I don’t like them. I prefer to write quality content that’s relevant and inspiring. It may be two a week or four a week. Who knows? On the word count issue, just make your point. There is no word count. Make every word count.   

8. Focus on the positive. Sure the economy stinks and some people are mean. If you’re in a bad mood, don’t write. You’ll only be spreading poison. The goal is to draw people to your blog, not drive them away. 

Another key way to engage people—especially ”non-readers” —is to use video blogs. Sprinkle these into your repertoire from time to time. Vlogs allow viewers to hear your voice and observe your style. It’s a fabulous way to build rapport.