Walden's Wits - Increasing Your Blog Traffic

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 4:43 PM

Increasing Your Blog Traffic

Maggieraye was blogging about Site Meter. I agreed with her that it's positively addicting to see who has been by and where they're from. I've made a study of what things tend to increase your blog's exposure, what makes people stop by your blog and here are my observations. They aren't hard and fast rules. This is, after all, a blog.

Links, links & more links - If there is one thing you can do to increase your traffic is get other people with traffic to link to you. It's like a trailblazer to your site. My traffic jumped quite a bit when I participated in the Carnival of Homeschooling, a post with listings of several homeschooling blogs and what they've written about. Likewise, link to other blogs and comment about the ones you like, both on their blog and and your own. It increases traffic to their site, and, like giving love to receive love, you give links to receive them. Additionally, use trackback links because others may be interested in going to see what others have said about one of their favorite bloggers' posts. I have done all three things in this very post.
Ping! - There are likely millions of blogs by now, and it's even more likely that half of them are abandoned or very infrequently maintained. I call these "Cobweh-blogs" (as opposed to the started-but-never-used blogs, which are "blobs"). Search engines specializing in blogs like Technorati are constantly scouring blog sites to find new entries and list them so people can search for the latest blog entries on their topic of choice. If you have the ability to ping those engines like you do on Homeschoolblogger, do it everytime you make a new post. Pinging tells the engines, "Hey! Come search my blog!"
Be Regular - This may seem pretty dumb, but a blog was meant to be updated regularly. That's why people come back. They want to see fresh stuff. Those who are casual bloggers update their blog every week or every few days. Those who are more serious can post 2 or 3 times a day. Those who are insanely prolific bloggers, like Michelle Malkin, have several assistants posting with her several times a day under her name. This is good only if you have a cadre of friends or associates that are very likeminded. On my other blog, I have given a friend access because I trust him...mostly.
Topics - This goes hand-in-hand with pinging. Blog about topics that interest people. Few people will want to know about the smudge in your carpet. On the other hand, people may have an interest in the Yorkshire Terrier who made the smudge on your carpet. People have an interest in all sorts of things. The topics you blog about will attract likeminded people to your site from the engines.
Browse - Search for other interests and read up about them. Then write about them. It will expand your abilities and your readership.
Signature - Use the signature line in your personal e-mail to let everyone you e-mail know about your blog. If your friends don't know about it, they won't tell others about it.
Have Fun - Don't take yourself too seriously. Be candid and human. People want to relate to you and your life. If they sense insincerity or hypocrisy, they'll only come back out of a perverse desire to make fun of you. Trust me, you don't want that kind of traffic.

So those are my ideas to increase traffic on your blog. Hopefully you have some other ideas. Leave me some comments!

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Comments

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx

While I love having new people visit my blog and making new friends, I still feel weird about the whole ping thing. I guess those that search out HSB make me feel somewhat "safe" but the general public "finding" me kinda weird's me out. Does that even make sense?

Have you gotten any weirdo's to your site from other search engines? Or am I just being paranoid?

Marsha

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Interesting overview...

Posted by ejoyce,ink

Thanks. Up until now I hadn't given much thought to trying to increase traffic to my blog. Not even sure that I want to do it right now...but this is good information. I put a site meter on in case I wanted to do book reviews...they required a certain number of visitors per month. I was suprised at the number of people who do apparently stop by.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Weirdos

Posted by SteveWalden

Marsha,

The good thing about blogging is that you are in total control of your content. You control what people see on your site. Period. Don't like that comment? Well, as king or queen of your realm, you can quash any rebellion your visitors may raise. The downside is that they will leave in droves.

"But I don't even have a drove..." - Bugs Bunny

If you're true to the "spirit of blogging," you want to let people feel comfortable sharing their point of view, even if it's different. Therefore, I recommend allowing comments as much as possible. I will only knock off someone's comments if they're significantly disrespectful, if they use crass or foul language, or if they are posting off-topic and have no good reason.

I think I understand your feeling vulnerable on the web and not seeking undue attention. At the same time, this is a very easy way to share your beliefs and what homeschooling means to you. Pinging will not stop search engines from eventually picking up what you say. Google "Steve Walden" and you will find this blog...eventually. Google something I've written on, like "Steve Camp" and I will turn up in the results...eventually. Google "Our Homeschool and Other Such Happenings" (in the quotes) and you will get your blog as the first result.

So what's the point of pinging? Well, the other "blog engines" need to know you're actively updating your content and if you ping them, they will come and scan your blog, including you in their search results for the stuff you blog about. The benefit is there, but it's not everything.

Regarding weirdos, I do get the occasional odd query. People still end up reading "And Tango Makes Three?" when they enter the right search terms like homosexuality and penguins, which worries me sometimes. Interestingly, that post got the most attention of any of my posts because it dealt with an issue our society is struggling with. I actually ended up debating a wiccan homeschooler for a few rounds. Odd, huh?

Regardless, you can choose whether to engage them or leave them, whether to leave their comments for others to see or to take them down. They'll get the point and leave you alone. If you end up with someone abusive or a "blog stalker" you can block their IP's, and even report them to HSB. Like I said, you're in control.

In His Peace,

Steve

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Momwtrmn

Good advice. I think I'll trackback to this compilation list. Heh heh.

BTW: I am addicted, too, to seeing who has come by my site and from where. The 'referrers' is a neat tool.

Many blessings!
Christi

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Thursday, January 26, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx

Thanks Steve!

I knew about IP blocking and such but didn't think to utilize it. Sometimes you're just happy with the current status quo...and I've got some great friends here so far. But I sent out my first ping's anyway because it's always nice to encourage and bring one more person into the homeschooling fold. :-)

Marsha

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Thursday, January 26, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by KarenW

Great advice! Thanks so much. I try to post as often as I can. Being on the road is difficult but not impossible.

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Thursday, January 26, 2006 - Candid? Human?

Posted by Amber

Everyone here thinks I'm CRAZY! Well, maybe I am, but shhhh....don't tell no one-LOL!

I just visited your other blog, wanna visit mine? I have pics of my new baby lambs, they're SO cute. www.homesteadblogger.com/Amber (this is what you mean by telling others about your blog...right?)

Leave me a comment if you want:)

God Bless,
Amber

PS~ I'm putting you down as my new friend! See ya around friend:)

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Friday, January 27, 2006 - Thanks for the tips

Posted by debdillon

I'm addicted to reading my site metre too :)

I wish HBS had something in place to work with "Cobweb-blogs". I enjoy Random Blogging and am amazed at the amount of blogs that come up which haven't been posted on in months. Wish they could put those inactive blogs on some kind of reserve list or something. Just a minor pet-peeve on mine.

Deb

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Friday, January 27, 2006 - Cobweblogs on HSB

Posted by SteveWalden

Deb,

I dropped by the company porch a few months ago and they said that they would be deleting the cobweblogs and the ones that hadn't had any entries (the blobs). Despite this, I try the Random Blogger as well, only to be disappointed to see blogs with one entry back in October. You can smell the dust. We have a very non-committed culture...even among homeschoolers. Still, it's very encouraging to see the likes of you and others on here. I'm glad homeschoolers are finding such community here. Thanks for stopping by!

Steve

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Monday, January 30, 2006 - Hey

Posted by Juliestew