This is a guest post on improving blog traffic from Courtney Tuttle. Courtney writes about marketing online at Court’s Internet Marketing School.
1. Create link clusters within your blog
A link cluster is a group of links that you can point at a post or page to improve its search engine ranking. Let’s say you have a post that’s ranked for ‘stupid business ideas’. Edit 10 of your other posts to create links (using ‘stupid business ideas’ as the anchor text) to the ‘stupid business ideas’ post and you will surely move up in Google for that keyword. This process can be implemented in about 10 minutes and can be used for any keyword your site ranks for or is trying to rank for.
2. Rework HTML title tags of trafficked posts
By watching your stats, you can often identify posts that get search traffic from a keyword, even though the keyword isn’t listed in the HTML title of the post. By editing your posts’ HTML titles to add the keywords they cover, you can strengthen the rankings and therefore the traffic that the post generates. You can easily make a difference with this method in less than 20 minutes. This method combines very well with #1.
3. Invite your readers to connect with you on StumbleUpon and Facebook
You can never ever have too many friends on SU and Facebook. Inviting existing readers to find you on these services with a post should take less than 20 minutes.
4. Save your best posts for the best times of the week
Writing a home-run post on a Saturday afternoon will probably happen from time to time. However, does your blog have good traffic on Saturdays? Analyzing your blog’s stats to determine when it naturally has the most traffic can get more eyes on a great post, which will translate to more social votes and more links. If you have created the post of your life, wait for a good day to publish – it will cost you about 1 minute on a later date to put it up.
5. Edit your post one more time
How can you improve your title? How can you improve your first paragraph? Small details in your post, especially in the beginning of your post, can make an enormous difference in its ability to draw social traffic and links. You can definitely improve your title, first paragraph, formatting, and grammar within 30 minutes.
6. Stop writing about yourself. Start solving problems
Surfers become readers when a blog provides something that is wanted. A casual visitor may read your blog because they find training, answers to problems, entertainment, or something else they want. This more than likely will mean that they won’t want to read about you, your girlfriend, your cats, your kids, or your catastrophes (unless you have a personal blog that your friends read). Discontinuing the off-topic posts will help you to develop more repeat traffic and takes exactly 0 minutes to implement.
7. Subscribe to the feeds of your industry’s major players
That way, you won’t miss important news releases. When news breaks in your industry, there will be a lot of extra traffic searching for information on the event. Adding your thoughts will almost always generate extra traffic. Subscribing to the feeds of your industry’s top sites should take no more than 15 minutes.
8. Give a great post to a prominent blog
Let’s say that you took the time to write something great. Donating your post to a great blogger can help you to create a win-win. The great blogger gets a great piece of content that will bring him social traffic and links and you can create exposure for your name and brand. Emailing your post to a great blogger or blog takes less than 10 minutes.
9. Go to the store
Look at magazines. Pay special attention to the types of titles that are used on the covers. Write down the most interesting titles and think about what makes them interesting. In order to generate buzz around a post, a great title is an absolute necessity. More on this topic here: The Cosmo Headline Technique for Blogging Inspiration. You should be able to find some good title ideas in about 30 minutes.
10. Answer your email and comment questions
Nothing will show a reader that you care more than answering an question (even if you have already answered that question 100 times on your site). Why do people read your blog? Because you solve their problems. Why will they come back again and again to your blog? Because you solve their problems. Answering a person’s email or comment question should take less than 5 minutes.
I have been playing with video for a bit and its a lot of fun and its bringing a lot of traffic to my site, social media also works great for traffic.
Really great tips. #4 is especially smart, even if it’s sometimes hard to resist hitting that ‘publish’ button asap when you’ve knocked out something you’re proud of. I have this problem, except with me it’s wanting to push everything out at odd hours of the day (night) rather than low trafficked days of the week. I blame insomnia. Must. Save. To. Draft….. Thanks, Darren.
Thanks for the post. I’m going to implement #1 and create internal link clusters. External link clusters are awesome, but I never tried to implement link clustering within my site.
My favorite point is #9… “Go to the store”
This is great advice. But even in addition to magazines there is much inspiration to be found. Personally, the moment of finding that inspiration is one of the absolutely best parts of blogging.
I suggest the cereal isle at the super market! They know how to pitch something to kids in very few words. And I think all the bold colors in a super market is inspiring.
Hmmm… I think I’ll head to the book store today, then maybe the chocolate store, then pick up a new CD, and I’ll have everything I need to pump out a few blog entries for the day.
I agree. I think keeping good logs of your traffic and releasing great posts to correspond with that is a great way to make sure that article gets viewed, and not buried!
Great guest post!
I believe these are some of the best tips that you have given in past few weeks. So simple, but things we over look are don’t spend the time to do.
Thanks Darren and Courtney!
I am new to all of this, so enjoy these kinds of posts. I am still confused about the key word element for my unique niche, so would love to see more on that area for noobs.
Unlike many here, I am not looking to get rich and I am already retired, but I do spend a lot of time on our blog so looking to make it better. There is so much to learn!
These are some excellent tips! I’ve been trying to pay more attention to the text I am linking to reference past posts. Up to this point I was rather haphazardly highlighting some text and linking back – now I understand the benefit of anchor text. Thanks for putting these together.
UHM…Great post.Thanks Darren
:-)
Courtney, this is a very valuable post
THANK YOU
Great suggestions. It’s sometimes difficult not to publish on the weekend (slow days), because that’s when I have more time and write better content. Also, in the narrow niche, non-monetized blog, catchy/creative titles don’t work as well. The boring “Princeton NJ real estate….” does better:)
I am new to blogging, and it always amazes me that for all the bells and whistles you can add to a blog, it still comes down to connectivity, common sense, good writing, and leaving your readers with something they can take away and use. Thanks for outlining it the way you did in this guest post.
Link clusters is a great tip! I just used this tip in my blog. Other tips are very useful too such as posting the best post at the best time of the week. Some similar tip includes dig your best post at the best time of the day.
Yes, and just to add in relation to HTML title tags that it’s not only for Google or other search engines, but also for humans, as they will read it and decide themselves whether they click to your website or not – based on the .
So make sure you optimise it well also from this point of view. Maybe this article could help – How to Captivate Buyers in 5 Words: http://www.3r.ie/resources/marketing_articles/captivate_buyers_in_5_words.htm
Enjoy!
hi, can somebody explain the ‘anchor text’ bit again? I’m new to this.
Great list, but to me, #6 is the stand out suggestion. As I look at others in the blogging world that I respect, and get great reader numbers, this seems to be a rule they embrace.
Whether it be in review form, giving kudos, showing link love, solving a problem or educating a reader, the bloggers that project out instead of in are usually more popular and engaging.
Cheers,
Eban
Great post! I think it is very smart to improve upon posts if you think of a better way to say something.
While it’s not something you can just do off the cuff, talking about your blog to people seems to help – not just commenting on blogs but talking to people when you see them. Because the site I run doesn’t generate revenue through ads but through sales at events, it’s important for me to build up a loyal readership, which means trying to get word of mouth advertising, which is slow.
It’s fun reading the posts here, even though it feels like the majority don’t apply to my site (however much I wish they did!).
Keep the tips coming, thank you!
Very nice post and up to the point that what author wish to say is well planned.
Yes not only developing the content and putting it in the proper format,providing social media book marking facility will definitely gives a uplift to the traffic.
I didn’t do the math but these suggestions add up to WAY more than 30 minutes!!
Exciting title though.
I aldeady doing some of those,
but others, realy are great information.thx,
Hey I’m surprised I actually implemented most of these already, I’m more ahead than I thought lols ;) Great Post Darren!
Hi Darren,
I lke # 8 “Go to the Store”! it is something that brings bloggers closer to real journalism.
Great post!
Darren,
Answering your email, go figure. :)
Quit talking about yourself and solve problems…that is one many bloggers miss.
Here is one that could add to this thread…
Attend a seminar, and bring business cards with your blog’s address on them, and actually talk about your blog a little in appropriate conversation.
Joseph Ratliff
Author of The Profitable Business Edge 2
P.S. Oh yeah, mention that you actually write a blog when you can…don’t just expect your audience to find it in the search engines, after all we are people. :)
If you’re using WordPress, never fear on publishing when you shouldn’t! If you set your post’s date to some time in the future, that’s when it’ll be published! So if you’re writing on Saturday but want it to go up at 4pm on Monday, just set that as the time, and publish it and forget. This is a great way to queue up content for when you go on vacation too.
Tip #4 has to be the toughest one on this list! If I write something I am proud of, I just want to hit “publish” immediately LOL
I as well created a big list of traffic building tips for a blog at http://www.scopeformoney.com/2008/04/10/26-ways-to-bring-traffic-to-your-website/
That’s a great list and I’m glad to add that kind of content
to my Del.icio.us/UpperRoom and again be blessed ProBlogger-Darren. Yes, that’s sure to be help to many.
Fine Linen an act of righteousness that makes a difference.
Ten ways to Improve Blog Traffic In 30 Minutes or Less.
Can You see why?
@ Peter Cooper: thanks for the tip, I never knew it would publish it at the time you set it to automatically.
This post is great, I’ve never thought about #4 especially. I’ll definitely be following at least that tip from now on :)
Great tips, especially “stop talking about yourself”. I’ve got one more simple one many blogger’s forget.
How about providing additional references and links to other’s sites when discussing some topic found there. Its a great way to draw their attention and some additional traffic.
That first tip is amazing, I’ve never thought of doing something like that. The rest of them are great too but I thought I would point out the best one.
These are really great tips. It’s not often you come across content that ACTUALLY helps you rather than beating around the bush.
Thanks for this!
In an post publishes 2 days ago, I wrote that something similar to your no. 6 is one of the ways for a blogger to keep me away from reading his posts. It’s always nice to find people online, people that you can relate to, but then again, that’s why we have Facebook, Hi5, MySpace. I’m reading blogs to find information, articles of interest, not daily ramblings about vacations, training dogs and stuff like that.
If you pick a niche, than act professional and stick to it!
Thanks and congratulations Courtney for a great post!
I know now, thanks for the really useful tips and I will try to use them now!
All great tips! Sticking to your blog’s topic is especially good. I oftentimes wade through personal anecdotes in my niche (mom blogging), and it can be tiresome sometimes.
I’ve never thought of #1. Really great idea! Thanks for sharing.
This was a great post. I thought the link clusters was an interesting idea. I’m not really concerned with writing for search engines at this point, but it’s something I’ll have to consider in the future. I also liked the idea on solving problems. I think it’s something we all know, but it’s good to be reminded about that, now and again.
– Dave
#1 is really a good idea. #7 is something that depends on your pagerank (especially for Google search). For #8, it may take less than 10 minutes to email your great post to prominent blog, however it may take more than a month for a blogger of prominent blog to read his/her mail box and sometime email will be categorized as a spam mail, however this is not a bad idea nor good for a blogger to be negative thinker. Overall this is a nice article.
I didn’t know about the clusters things. Thanks a lot!
Like your short and informative article.
I have been surprised at the amount of search engine traffic I get but I would love to have more. I am going to try rewriting some of my titles and dropping in text anchors and clusters. Thanks for the tips!
Nice to see thoughts and ideas I have been contemplating on how to improve, confirmed by someone that has the experience, and know-how. Thanks!
I’ve always know about the internal linking. I always thought it was just a way to increase traffic flow within your blog. And maybe ever share the pagerank between your posts. I NEVER thought that it would actually increase my ranking in Google. WOW.
I’m gonna spend allot more time on that.
And I know need to start working on the other things.
:) Thanx again Darren.
Great ideas. I’ve been doing the link clusters for awhile but didn’t know there was a name for them. Re stumbleupon and facebook – would having them linked on my blog be useful too or only draw attention to that in posts?
I appreciate how concise and clean this article is, including the time estimates needed to implement each of the ways! I’m going to try some of them out that I haven’t really made a conscious effort about before.
While I agree with the overall sentiment of #10, I disagree with heading in a direction of answering the same question 100 times — not only does it waste your time from more eclecti questions, it makes your readers (certain individual personalities more than others) lazy. Instead, I recommend growing a FAQ over time and updating it to include hot new Q&A, and regularly pointing readers to it so they can get the benefits.
Great post. I recently started a new project and have been looking for ways to generate steadily increasing traffic. I feel the concept has wide appeal, but am seeking ways to jump start my rankings. I have just completed tip#2, and am anxious to see the results. Prior experience confirms tip#6 is dead on.
Awesome ideas Darren! Definitely going to implement most if not all them when the time arrives.
I like the idea of donating a good post to another blog. The Law of Reciprocity definitely kicks in!
Excellent list, Darren.
Helpful.
Think I may incorporate these traffic-getting tips soon into a guest post.
Thanks,
Paula
One of your best posts in a while. These are practical tips and I feel like once implemented, i can begin to see results soon. thanks!
Great tips, Courtney! Another way to draw traffic to your blog is by participating in forums, message boards and groups related to your blog’s niche. Don’t spam them. Instead, share advice and answer questions posted by others. Include the link to your blog in your signature. :)
You’re advice has been stumbled. ;)
Absolutely great tips… thank you for sharing this with us!