Monday, January 31, 2005
The Steady Traffic Routine
There is a tested proven way to get a steam of visitors, not just any old traffic but real human visitors and it should be part of every blogists routine until the blog is well established.
In actual fact it is the routine that brings in the visitors.
The first task of every blogist is to blog regularly. Every day is best. This takes determination and dedication and while I have no magic formula to help with that, I do have a method to make it easier.
Often one of the hurdles to blogging every day is finding something worth saying. I addressed that issue more directly here but today I am going to tackle it indirectly.
In order to get you visitor rate flowing well it is vital that you develop your Steady Traffic Routine and in case you think it sounds like a marketing ploy - so do I, but it describes the method well. Anyway I'm not asking for any money so put away those credit cards.
Now about the Steady Traffic Routine - what is it?
Each of us have a number of routines; we have our morning routine which is likely to consist of yawning, stretching and stumbling off in search of coffee. We have developed that routine without giving it much thought over the years so that it precisely matches our needs. Some times we vary it a little sometimes a lot. Some of us vary it so much we don't think we have one but an outsider will soon spot the pattern of things done each morning.
It's the same with blogs. We do a selection of very similar things each time we blog.
We sit down to the computer maybe, and then open blogger and stare at the blank text box.
Or perhaps we sit at work hating the fat guy with the bad breath who keeps bossing us about so we vent to our blog.
Or maybe we are nerds and sit in our underpants all day surfing and chatting and sometimes we blog.
Whatever our story we have our pattern. The Steady Traffic Routine is a subtle set of changes to your standard routine that will transform you blogging experience.
It addresses the following issues:
However it will not address these issues
Change #1
Blog every day or as near as makes no odds. Do this with all you blogs. If this seems hard or you find that you only have inane junk to say start an inane junk blog. The simple fact is this - Blogging begets blogging.
All this blogging on services such as blogger will result in surf-by-visitors from the blogger bar.
Eventually this will become part of your daily routine and the more you do it the more you'll do it.
Change #2
Link Habits. Link to your other blogs. Put the links in your template for maximum search engine effect.
This sounds simple but many people are only half aware that this should be done and it seems fewer people are aware of the why.
Follow these links regularly and give your blog a good looking at. This checks the links are good but also leads to...
Change #3
Read you own blog.
No I mean it surf to your own blog or blogs and read them. Look at the side bar from time to time and most importantly read your comments. This will naturally lead you to...
Change #4
Visit your visitors.
When you get there say something worthwhile. This will not only make you seem like an interesting and nice person but usually results in return visitors.
However all that might be to little avail if not for...
Change #5
Surf on Mad-Den Traffic...
...and keep an eye open for blogs you find yourself able to comment on. Some blogs will be to far from your own interests to be worth much more than a quick vote and a "NEXT" while others beg a good read. Those blogs you read should be blogs you leave a message. a comment, a guest book signing or a tag board "hi there" in.
Not only does this build those all important nice guy images but it also means that people will often come and visit you to say hi. So it helps if you make this easy for them.
In addition to that you will build up a head of credits that will send people to your listed blogs.
Aim to find five such blogs every day until you have more than enough visitors to visit.
By reading what will likely amount to five to ten blogs everyday you will also give your self that holy grail of bloggerdom - a chance to find a topic to talk about.
Perhaps you need to comment about another persons blog entry (on your blog) or mayhap you see a link, follow it and result in a topic, meme or other publish worthy snippet.
What ever the result you will find yourself back at change #1...
Congratulations you now have: a Steady Traffic Routine.
Simple wasn't it.
¶ 1:43 AM 0 comments
In actual fact it is the routine that brings in the visitors.
The first task of every blogist is to blog regularly. Every day is best. This takes determination and dedication and while I have no magic formula to help with that, I do have a method to make it easier.
Often one of the hurdles to blogging every day is finding something worth saying. I addressed that issue more directly here but today I am going to tackle it indirectly.
In order to get you visitor rate flowing well it is vital that you develop your Steady Traffic Routine and in case you think it sounds like a marketing ploy - so do I, but it describes the method well. Anyway I'm not asking for any money so put away those credit cards.
Now about the Steady Traffic Routine - what is it?
Each of us have a number of routines; we have our morning routine which is likely to consist of yawning, stretching and stumbling off in search of coffee. We have developed that routine without giving it much thought over the years so that it precisely matches our needs. Some times we vary it a little sometimes a lot. Some of us vary it so much we don't think we have one but an outsider will soon spot the pattern of things done each morning.
It's the same with blogs. We do a selection of very similar things each time we blog.
We sit down to the computer maybe, and then open blogger and stare at the blank text box.
Or perhaps we sit at work hating the fat guy with the bad breath who keeps bossing us about so we vent to our blog.
Or maybe we are nerds and sit in our underpants all day surfing and chatting and sometimes we blog.
Whatever our story we have our pattern. The Steady Traffic Routine is a subtle set of changes to your standard routine that will transform you blogging experience.
It addresses the following issues:
- What to talk about
- finding people who actually want to read it
However it will not address these issues
- being to lazy to do it
- the amount of cash in the bank
- any obsessions with nasal fluff
Change #1
Blog every day or as near as makes no odds. Do this with all you blogs. If this seems hard or you find that you only have inane junk to say start an inane junk blog. The simple fact is this - Blogging begets blogging.
All this blogging on services such as blogger will result in surf-by-visitors from the blogger bar.
Eventually this will become part of your daily routine and the more you do it the more you'll do it.
Change #2
Link Habits. Link to your other blogs. Put the links in your template for maximum search engine effect.
This sounds simple but many people are only half aware that this should be done and it seems fewer people are aware of the why.
Follow these links regularly and give your blog a good looking at. This checks the links are good but also leads to...
Change #3
Read you own blog.
No I mean it surf to your own blog or blogs and read them. Look at the side bar from time to time and most importantly read your comments. This will naturally lead you to...
Change #4
Visit your visitors.
When you get there say something worthwhile. This will not only make you seem like an interesting and nice person but usually results in return visitors.
However all that might be to little avail if not for...
Change #5
Surf on Mad-Den Traffic...
...and keep an eye open for blogs you find yourself able to comment on. Some blogs will be to far from your own interests to be worth much more than a quick vote and a "NEXT" while others beg a good read. Those blogs you read should be blogs you leave a message. a comment, a guest book signing or a tag board "hi there" in.
Not only does this build those all important nice guy images but it also means that people will often come and visit you to say hi. So it helps if you make this easy for them.
In addition to that you will build up a head of credits that will send people to your listed blogs.
Aim to find five such blogs every day until you have more than enough visitors to visit.
By reading what will likely amount to five to ten blogs everyday you will also give your self that holy grail of bloggerdom - a chance to find a topic to talk about.
Perhaps you need to comment about another persons blog entry (on your blog) or mayhap you see a link, follow it and result in a topic, meme or other publish worthy snippet.
What ever the result you will find yourself back at change #1...
Congratulations you now have: a Steady Traffic Routine.
Simple wasn't it.
¶ 1:43 AM 0 comments
Friday, January 07, 2005
Keeping it fresh is the key but what to do when you dry up?
Keeping your content fresh is the key to keeping people interested but how do you do this when you are feeling a little... dry?
We've all been there writters cramp. Don't know what to say. The blog goes icey cold and then after the thaw all that lovely traffic has gone else where.
Gone.
Else where.
But gone. as in lost.
This is where news sites come in. Any news agency such as google news, slashdot or Mad-Den (UK or NET) will provide you with things to comment on.
Sometimes your comment might be look at this! (Do this too often and you will bore people). Sometimes your comment might be outrage or insight or a good debunking.
It all makes great reading.
Another great way to add a bit of freshness is to add a quiz result (Quizilla).
Another great way is to quote and link to another blog and comment of what you have quoted.
Another great way is to look at what people are talking about and talk about your own expirences.
Another great way... there are hundreds of good sources of insperation if you are willing to look. With a little practice it can become easier.
So don't you quit that good flow of blog articles.
(More soon).
¶ 2:22 PM 2 comments
We've all been there writters cramp. Don't know what to say. The blog goes icey cold and then after the thaw all that lovely traffic has gone else where.
Gone.
Else where.
But gone. as in lost.
This is where news sites come in. Any news agency such as google news, slashdot or Mad-Den (UK or NET) will provide you with things to comment on.
Sometimes your comment might be look at this! (Do this too often and you will bore people). Sometimes your comment might be outrage or insight or a good debunking.
It all makes great reading.
Another great way to add a bit of freshness is to add a quiz result (Quizilla).
Another great way is to quote and link to another blog and comment of what you have quoted.
Another great way is to look at what people are talking about and talk about your own expirences.
Another great way... there are hundreds of good sources of insperation if you are willing to look. With a little practice it can become easier.
So don't you quit that good flow of blog articles.
(More soon).
¶ 2:22 PM 2 comments
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