Growing Your Traffic
The first sesssion the girls and I taught this weekend was called "Blogging: What Works and What Doesn't". We tried to divide the whole deal into three distinct parts.
Sophie's part was called "Finding Your Voice", I handled "Growing Your Traffic", and Melanie discussed "Setting Your Boundaries". I think the two of them may plan to discuss their own segments at their own blogs later this week. The sessions were recorded (the thought of which made me want to do a little bit of throwing up), and I believe the recordings may be available for purchase later. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, below is the gist of what I had to say about "Growing Your Traffic" to the SheSpeaks girls. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've learned a few things over the last few years (most of it by trial and error):
(And before I go any further, I'll tell you what I told them, which is that the subject of traffic is a tricky thing. Always remember that your worth is IN NO WAY tied up in how many people visit your blog, though the immediacy of blogging makes it tempting to, occasionally, feel that way. Reality checks are good, when it comes to keeping blogging/traffic/etc. in perspective.)
Anytime I've been with a group of bloggers, the subject of traffic always seems to come up. How do you get it, and how do you keep it?
And as much as I'd like to offer you a magic formula that guarantees you thousands of visitors, we all know it doesn't work that way. There's no magic, no gimmick. It's hard work, and maybe even just a bit of being in the right place at the right time.
Having said that, there are a few things I'd recommend to a beginning blogger.
WRITE WELL. Sophie spoke excellently about this, and it cannot be stated enough. Blogging is about content, and it is important to write with a voice that is consistent, uniquely yours, and clear.
WRITE OFTEN. Another big one. People want to know they can regularly expect to find some good content at your site. Plus, (as with most things), the more you write, the better you get at it.
ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE BLOG COMMUNITY. If you're writing well and writing often, but no one knows you're out there, it won't get you very far! Here are a few ways to dive in with both feet:
1. Comment generously on others' blogs. And don't just do this with the ulterior motive of drawing people back to yours, but because you want to be a part of the blogging dialogue as a whole.
2. Blog carnivals are a great way to jump into the community. Here's a definition, and here's a good resource for finding a carnival that might fit your style and interests.
3. Up to a certain point, it’s a good idea to respond individually to as many comments as you can. You may reach the point where you have too many comments for this to be practical, but it’s still a good practice to respond to many of them, perhaps on a random basis. Additionally, be sure you have a clear and simple way for your readers to reach you via e-mail.
4. Blogrings or webrings (the terms are used interchangeably) are described at length here. They're a great way to find some community on line, though I'd recommend you limit yourself to a handful of ones that have a track record of being well-managed.
5. Definitely stay on top of your Technorati rating. By their own description:
Technorati is the leading monitor of the world of weblogs. Technorati is a real-time search engine that is the largest source of fresh information about the global and local conversations going on all across the Web. Technorati allows you to find out what people are saying about you, your company, your products, your competitors, your politics and, other areas of interest, on the Internet in real time.
This is a widely recognized measure of what's going on at a blog, and it's very easy to use. Their technical support is excellent.
There are hundreds of other tools that can contribute to the growing of traffic (Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Kirtsy, and on and on forever). Investigate these and try them out, because they can be fun and helpful. But remember, don't focus on the tools to the exclusion of writing things that engage your readers. To quote BooMama, content is king!
6. Pursue opportunities for guest blogging. Not every blogger uses guest bloggers, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. If you're interested in growing traffic, this is a great way to attract more readers.
7. Write in a way that engages your readers in your topic. People read blogs for different reasons than they read books, magazines or newspapers. Blogs offer a sense of community and immediate feedback that isn't present elsewhere, and they give people a chance to be heard. Write to this. Start conversations and listen sincerely to what people have to say.
When you start discussing feedback, of course, this will bring you around to the seedy underbelly of blogging: the negative commenter. Unfortunately, if you blog for any length of time, I can just about promise that it will happen to you. And no matter how long you've been blogging, it's never easy to take. How to deal with it is a personal decision, but here's what I'd suggest:
1. Don't take it personally. Blogging can be a little like driving--just as people do things behind the wheel they wouldn't normally do, they'll sometimes say things on a blog they wouldn't normally say. Often a negative comment is just somebody letting off steam.
2. Feel free to ignore it, especially if the insult is baseless and ungrounded.
3. Be careful about deleting comments. Blogging is, at its heart, a dialogue, and deleting comments hinders this. I've had to do it before, but I've done it as sparingly as I can.
4. If you feel you must respond, be brief, and inject humor and grace. I wish I could tell you I've always done this. Sometimes I've let myself get all twisted up and have responded before in ways I regret. But I'm learning...
There was probably more, but with my notes in a trashcan somewhere in North Carolina, that's the best I can remember. Be sure and visit Sophie and Melanie's blogs later for their part of the presentation.
