Image by minifig via FlickrSo I've been blogging now for over three years and have built up a bit of knowledge on whats makes a good blog. Of course, I don't consider this blog any way excellent as there are loads out there which are better, but lately I have gotten the blogging bug again and I think its only right that I share some tips on how to increase page views and therefore visitors.1. Get Listed
Get your blog listed on blog directories and blog aggregates. Just to show in last year I have gotten 1,092 hits from Irishblogs.ie. That is about one sixth of my total refereed page views in the last year. Corkblogs.com is also in the top ten but unfortunately you can't add new blogs at the moment. There are lots of directories and aggregates out there so have a look around!
2. Feed you blog
By this I mean feed your blog into other websites. For example I have a twitter bot for this blog @stevemyopinion which allows people on twitter to see when you have posted something. Another idea is to feed your blog into facebook where it will appears as notes. This shows you friends who might not be aware that you have a blog the stuff you are writing about and it might get them onto your site to read more. Friendfeed is also handy for amalgamating all your feeds twitter, blogs etc into one handy place.
3. Say something controversial!
This is a tricky one, but it does work. If you say something controversial and it gets picked up it can take off. But be prepared to back up your statements. I noticed this through my support for McCain/Palin ticket and my opposition to Gay Marriage (though I'm Gay!). NOTE: only say something controversial if it is true!
4. Link!
Link, Link, Link. This is important. i notice a lot of visitors to my site are coming from back links either through their WP-admin page or through the link created on blogger. This sometimes leads to the other person linking you. If someone links you it is polite to link back, especially if you expect other to do the same!
5. Comment
This is something I am useless at, commenting on other blogs. Normally if I like a post I will "share it" on Google reader but if you have the time do this! It create rappor between you and the other blogger and therefore increases likelihood of them linking and each comment creates a link in its own right. Also remember to respond to comments on you posts!
6. Blog about what you want
Lots of people make the simple mistake of button-holing their blog to one specific subject. I did at the start at the start to an extent that I only blogged about news and politics, lately I have diversified and think it is better for me. Specialist blogs are great, if you have a lot to say on one subject stick to it, but if you can for only a short time allow some diversity!
7. Enter Competitions
Put yourself out there no matter how you feel about your own writing. When I was long listed for a blog award back in 2007, I was shocked. When I entered the EU Blogging competition I was not expecting to be picked. So put yourself out there!
8. Guestblog
If a major blog is giving an opportunity to Guest Blog forward take the chance! this worked for me when I emailed Gaypatriot.net earlier this year and they reproduced it! Again just take the chance and put your thinking cap on.
9. Go to tech events
When you have established a routine start going to tech meetups such as open coffee and bar camp and things like that. I was daunted the first time going to OpenCoffee Club as a blogger and not being in the tech industry but I was able to hold my own with my views on software and the like. These days most tech companies (well the ones that go to Cork OpenCoffee Club) nearly all have blogs so they appreciate the views of a blogger.
10. Mis-spell!
Strangely enough my bad spelling leads to lots of hits from Google from other people who can't spell! This leads to me looking a Google analytics going that is spelt right following the link to find that I couldn't spell in the first place. So if you make a mistake, don't be in too much of a rush to change it!
Right that's ten tips from me that hopefully someone will find useful! Feel free to add your own tips in the comments and I'll add them to the main post!
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Great post, some ideas there I'm definitely going to use when I can drag myself back into blogging. However, not the misspelling one. Words are my life, I would never abuse them so!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got something from it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy spelling is atrocious in fact I had to fix something in the post before I responded to your comment! (following my own advice!)
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ReplyDeleteI'm top of the class when it comes to mis- spelling!
ReplyDeleteGood post young man!
Now tell me why I am commenting as grannymar (Google)?
thanks for the comment grannymar!
ReplyDeleteYou are commenting using your Google ID which is linked to an old blogger profile of yours (http://www.blogger.com/profile/06032672459591738269). You can use a variety of accounts to post comments on blogger hosted blogs. You can post with, Livejoural, Wordpress and OpenID profiles as well as a few others!
Steve
There's a few more things you could do too.
ReplyDelete1. Make sure Google gets to like you by posting regularly. That's not the same as "frequently", by the way. People misuse that word too much. Post every day or every week or every month, but whatever frequency you decided on, stick to it.
2. Google also loves text. More text than pictures is good. A site with nothing but Youtube posts won't win you any Google-love.
3. Link within your own site. If you have other related posts, list them at the bottom or put links to them inside the post. Stop thinking of your site as something sequential and start thinking of it as three-dimensional. You want to persuade readers to dig wider and deeper into the stuff you've written.
4. Get listed on Technorati.
5. Take great care with your spelling and grammar. Mis-spelling is bad manners and bad grammar makes you harder to understand.
6. Post an occasional list of links to sites you' found and liked.
Good advice. Cheers. I particularly like the Twitter point and have just implemented it on my blog.
ReplyDelete@bock - thanks for your additions and maybe a counter argument to my point number 10!. May update this post with your tips if you don't object.
ReplyDelete@darran - your welcome! Hope it leads to an increase. Slugger use that idea too, can't remember where I got it from!
Good Post.
ReplyDelete5. Comment
CHECK!
lol! :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some good ideas here but I can't help but feel that being controversial just for the sake of getting hits would be pretty pathetic. Your post also opens up the whole can of worms as to why people blog. I don't really believe that you do it just for the sake of having loads of hits on your page, though you kinda make it sound that way. Bock is entirely right about sloppy spelling and bad grammar being disrespectful to your readers.
ReplyDeleteTypos happen, but nothing puts me off faster than a blog riddled with mistakes.
All bloggers are happy to have a wide readership and love geting comments from new people on their page but surely, first and foremost, they want to write something that they themselves can read back over with pride? Or perhaps that's just me.
Andrew firstly thanks for the comments and nice blog! :)
ReplyDeleteSecondly the when I say, "say something conytroversial" i mean say something people dont expect, but is true! Not just for the sake of hits. None of my posts has been for the sake of hits. For example the fact that I support the republicans and oppose gay marriage, something people dont expect to hear from a gay man.
as for the spelling, what I mean is dont worry about it too much. Believe me if you had to read my handwriting spelling is the least of your worries, you might need a code word. I write(blog) cause I want to, not to show off my writing skills. Though lately I am trying to fix my spellings before I publish but nomrally I don't have time!
again thanks for the comment!
handy blog - as a newcomer to blogging this is very useful,
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it youself Marty!
ReplyDelete