10 Tips to Attract Traffic to Your Blog

Author: nigen

One of the oft-asked questions by newbie bloggers is, "How can I attract more visitors to my blog?" I often receive email requests which ask for tips on how to increase their blog's traffic. First, I'll start with an honest answer. I wish I knew all the answers myself.



Well, I don't. But what I do know is a series of sure shot lessons I've learnt that's helped me make my blog get a significant readership over the last nine years of blogging. Let me start with tips that will help you expand your blog's reach.

Get your own domain
Kick out the secondary blog addresses like http://yourname.blogspot.com. Buy your own domain. It costs less than Rs 500 and it's a small price to pay. Show you are a professional. Show you are serious enough.


Get your custom email
This has been my blog's best marketing tool. My email is 'Kiruba@Kiruba.com' and I don't use any other free emails. Every time I send an email, I promote my site in a subtle manner. My point is, why promote Yahoo or Hotmail, when you can promote yourself. The best part is that one can use GMail for domains, which means that you get all the best features of GMail and yet retain your own identity.

Publish your URL in stationaries
Use it in your email signatures. Use it in your business card. In your letter pad. Heck, I even have it on my helmet.

Add a blogroll
It's the equivalent of 'you scratch my back, and I scratch your back'. Sign up with Blogrolling.com. Add up your frequently read blogs.

Activate ping

If you are using blogger.com, activate the ping option. Pinging is an easy way of letting other sites know that you have updated your blog. They help push your site to the top on account of freshness of content.

Register your blog at directories
It is important for you to be found. The easiest way to do this is to list yourself in important directories. It takes manual effort but its well worth it. Why wouldn't you want to be here?

Provide RSS feeds
Many people use Newsreaders to subscribe to their frequently read blogs. Don't miss out on this crowd. Make sure your site has RSS feeds. If you don't know what this is, ask a tech friend.

Write daily
When people visit your site, they invest in their time and internet time. And more importantly, they think about you. Respect that. Don't make them turnback empty handed.

Comment on other sites
Let's be honest. We love receiving comments. And invariably check out the commentor's blog. It's an effective way to introduce your blog to others. However, be honest in your commenting. Don't comment for numbers' sake. Comment, so you can engage in a discussion.

Keep your posts short and sharp
I hate reading long posts. And am sure so do others. If you can't help it, at least break it into smaller paragraphs and provide sub-headings.
Like I said, these are my personal opinion. I am fairly sure these will work for you for sure. If you have a point that's helped your blog, we'd love to hear it from you.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1514154_81.html
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