Few things are as important to blogging as site traffic is. When you intend to make money blogging, the success of your site is going to be reliant on the number of people who manage to make it to your site, stay there, and return to become loyal readers. Fortunately, driving traffic to your blog doesn’t always have to be a herculean task.
Here are a few tips we’ve collected for you so you can boost your site stats and encourage people to come to your site:
1. Get out there and socialize!
One good way to increase traffic to your blog is by going to other blogs and leaving a footprint wherever you go. The principle behind this is that people will frequently check out where their blog visitors are coming from, and your blog will be no exception. Leave relevant, intelligent comments on another blogger’s post, making sure that you attach your name and a link back to your blog at the end of your comment.
You can also link to other sites as a means of getting more traffic. More often than not, these blogs will link back to you (unless they’re the larger, more successful blogs), therefore opening up your site to their own visitors and network.
Forum boards are also a good venue to plug your site in subtle ways. Participate actively in discussions that you have some good knowledge of, and make sure that your contributions are informative and helpful. Don’t forget to leave a link to your site in one of your messages or in your signature!
2. Fan out your work to article directories:
Article directories are a great way to spread your work, cement your credibility through your articles, and get backlinks from other sites. Places like eZine Articles and Buzzle are a great place to send your articles to, since they have a lot of users and your articles – which should come with a link to your blog — are sure to find an audience there. Take note, however, that these services exact some very strict rules: there’s always a minimum word count for submissions, and some topics are just taboo.
3. Write better posts
The most effective way to draw traffic into your blog is by providing great content that gets your readers’ attention and distinguishes you from other competing blogs. Make each blog entry worth your visitors’ while, and they’re bound to return to your site.
Remember, profitable blogging isn’t just about flirting with search engine spiders and bookmarking like a fiend. Instead, to make money blogging, you have to show your visitors that your site is worth a visit, that it has more to offer than general knowledge and a nice blog design. Once your readers find that your blog aims to offer them nothing but first-rate information that works to their benefit, your traffic will take care of itself, expanding naturally on account of your credibility.
