There are many ways to boost your blog traffic, but I’ll briefly discuss some of the most important here.
Be topical.
People are on the hunt online every day for information. If you have a track record of providing up-to-date content about topical issues, you’ll be part of the daily routine for thousands of people. Find ways to incorporate current events into your blogging, even if you don’t specifically write about politics or business. Subscribe to major news sites and power bloggers so that when news breaks, you hear it right away; then as soon as possible afterward write a post. You will find that you draw in a wide range of people who may not have initially been attracted to your blog simply by writing your opinion on the day’s news.
Anticipate high traffic days.
Some days are going to be busier than others: Election day, the day of the Oscars, New York Fashion Week and the season premiere of American Idol are just a few examples of times that you know in advance internet use will be high. Plan around those dates (and other dates that are pertinent to your blog’s main subject matter) by preparing posts in advance, or making sure you have time open on your calendar to blog as events occur.
Participate in online communities.
Blogs, message boards, forums, and social media sites like Facebook are excellent ways to stay connected to people and alert them when you have fresh content up. It also exposes you to thousands of other potential readers who happen to be ‘friends of a friend’. Make sure that any site you participate has a complete profile filled out, linking people back to your blog.
Use regular features to keep them coming back.
Regular posts such as a monthly book review or a daily “top ten” list is a great way to get people coming back to your site again and again. They’ll be more likely to link to your blog, and refer friends to it and make it a part of their regular online reading if they have something enjoyable to anticipate.
Learn to Read Your Analytics.
These programs help you track your traffic. They can tell you everything from which site referred each reader, to how long a particular visitor spent on your blog and how many pages they viewed while they were there. You will be able to tell which efforts in marketing your blog are most effective this way, and you’ll have a concrete way of knowing which topics you write about get the most attention.
Free traffic tracking apps:
• Site Meter http://www.sitemeter.com
• Stat Counter: http://www.statcounter.com/
• ShineyStat: http://www.shinystat.com/
• GoStats: http://gostats.com/
• GoogleAnalytics: http://www.google.com/analytics/
• FreeStats: http://www.freestats.com/
• OneStat: http://www.onestat.com/
I would love to hear from you if you’ve got personal experiences you would like to share in boosting your site traffic.