How to Blog Effectively With Unique Content
Blogging Tips to Increase Online Traffic and Daily Page Hits
May 12, 2009
Although almost everyone with an Internet connection and an opinion seems to have a blog, it is also quite common for a would-be blogger to peter out after a few months or a year, getting wrapped up in other parts of life and forgetting to blog, or becoming discouraged by the lack of commenters. New bloggers who want to build and sustain web traffic to their blog need to devise a strategy that ensures consistent posting and lets visitors know what to expect.
Post Frequently and Consistently
As obvious as it seems, it can be very difficult for a new blogger to keep in mind the importance of frequent posting. Often, a new blog will generate little traffic of its own, and it takes time and energy to leave comments on other blogs and build reciprocal traffic. However, frequently posts will keep a blog on others' radar screens and add up to more traffic.
Perhaps even more important than the sheer number of posts is that a blogger develops a schedule and sticks with it. This doesn't have to mean posting on particular days or at particular times, but it does help to make a commitment to post, say, once a week for a blog that tends to have more developed essay-style posts that require research and planning, or four times a week for a blog that consists mainly of short posts that can be jotted down quickly.
Quality can make up for quantity, but bloggers who are having trouble posting at least once a week might consider adding shorter "filler" content to their more developed posts. For example, a political blogger with a busy job may only be able to post a couple of long, considered essays a month, but filler content might include links to interesting bits of news or other blog posts, short paragraph blurbs expressing an opinion on recent news, or action updates on political events going on during the week.
Use Regular Features to Generate Traffic and Post Consistently
If posting consistently is a problem, a blogger can use regular features to remind himself or herself to post as well as to attract traffic. A weekly feature is generally fairly easy to maintain, and picking a particular day of the week will make it harder to forget. These can also be features that don't require a lot of thought or intense writing—for example, a pop culture blogger might post a funny celebrity photo each week, or a personal blogger who writes about work can post a "Mediocre Monday Moment"—a short anecdote something annoying that the boss did in the previous week.
Regular features can also be participatory, such as the popular Feministing blog's "Shameless Self Promotion Sunday," an event that invites other feminist bloggers to share a post they put up that week. This type of event encourages other bloggers to read regularly for the chance to self-promote and also generates reciprocal traffic.
Another idea that works for almost all blog topics is a regular book or article review feature. Bloggers who read a lot on their topic, whether for work or fun, should have no trouble sharing a review of a book or article on a regular basis, and readers will also enjoy the chance to add a new relevant item to their "to-read" list.
No matter what the blog type, the most important thing is not to let posting die out. Readers will forgive the blogger a vacation, even an extended one, if notification is posted in advance, but a blog that stays "dead" for an extended period of time without notice will quickly suffer the "delete" button on bookmark lists and RSS feed readers.
