| 05 January 2010
Forward: This was actually a request I got via email! So I was more than happy do do this one. Also: These techniques work for both blogs and websites. I frequently say blog, but you could easily substitute that for "website." In this day and age, the differences between a personal website and a blog today are slight.
1. Find your Niche
You've heard the term niche marketing before. Everyone has. It's the big thing that is currently being passed along as a huge secret to website success. I'll save you the trouble of paying some jackass with a cheesy used-car salesman grin on his face 45 dollars to find out the big secret: All niche marketing is, is finding a good subject to base your original content around. There's nothing special about niche marketing. Think back to high school when you had to write a paper on a theory. Essentially, that's a great technique for writing a blog. Pick a topic, fill it in with supporting ideas. Once fleshed out, you've got a respectable entry. When picking your niche, you want to pick something you are really passionate about, and have a good amount of knowledge on. Also, you want to pick a key aspect of that niche to make your own. It's easier if I give you an example:
Okay, say you're really passionate about cooking. You want to start up a website dedicated to teaching people how to cook. However, cooking is a broad subject, you should narrow it down more to draw in more viewers. I know that sounds weird, but "cooking" is such a broad topic that its likely you'd be lost in the broad spectrum of such a large subject. Maybe you're really, really passionate about french cuisine. Maybe you would like to feature tasty weight-loss recipes. Maybe you want to show off your skills with a slow cooker. These are all great! However, make sure not to stick yourself into a niche so small that it becomes impossible to write content for, or something that no one would ever have the desire to learn about. Such as French gluten-free, slow-cooker vegan recipes for one. A bit too refined, I think. If you have the desire to get specialized, that's what they make individual categories within a blog or website for. A great way to have your cake and eat it too!
2. Update often.
If you update often, you increase your chances of both bringing in new visitors, as well as bringing in loyal viewers to see what you've done. This also establishes a strong website. Try to establish a schedule which you can update frequently, but not so much that you easily exhaust yourself. I currently update my blog regularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I generally try to write my Wednesday blog on Monday, my Friday blog on Wednesday, and my Monday blog on Friday. This gives me the opportunity to have two free days during the week and my two days on the weekend. These days I use to write tutorials and/or tweak parts of my website that need it. Also some of those days are spent exclusively in my underwear, playing World of Warcraft. Honestly, if you're just starting out blogging, I'd pick a one or two day workweek and plot out a few blog ideas ahead. Once you get comfortable with the mental strain of putting pen-to-paper (or text-to-text box as it were), proof reading, and editing, you'll probably find it easier to to update more often. Its worth noting that once you are comfortable updating two times a week, you should push it to three or four times a week. I get two to four times the amount of visitors on days that I update verses days that I do not.
3. Produce valuable content.
While updating is important, quality is still much more important than quantity. If you can't come up with a quality post, skip that day, write down a few ideas, and try again later. Writing is mentally exhausting, especially if you've never really done it, or if you've been out of practice. Don't worry, it gets much easier! And try to stick within your niche. If you have a blog on cooking, don't erupt into entries on pet care, politics, or your thoughts on climate change. I'm not saying that every entry has to be exclusively about your niche, but it is important that most entries are still within your niche. So if it's cooking, stick with food. If it's personal stories, keep it personal. If it's politics, keep it political. Hopping around too much will do nothing but cause your niche-targeted entries to be hidden amongst mish-mash. Tags and keywords will help. If you have the ability, make a miscellaneous section for anything not-related, and keep them off the main page.
Also, this is a personal annoyance of mine: If you're going to post an entry on a blog that you wish to be taken seriously, don't post it as a single, silly, unrelated line. If you have something short and funny to say, get a twitter account. That's what they're there for!
4. Pimp yourself out!
The internet is a community, and anyone who tells you different is either lying or stupid. So, the easiest way to get yourself noticed is to get in good with some of the others in the blogosphere. Joining a large blogroll and community listing is a great way to get exposure. Blogher, BlogCatalogue, and AllMediocre are all great communities to join. However, a lot of comunity listings often have requirements.
Blog carnivals are another great way to get exposure if you write into them, but its hard to find many that are updating on a regular basis. They're still worth a shot.
And lastly: Don't be afraid to comment on other bloggers work. Write lengthy comments and discuss what you like and didn't like about what they've written. I've noticed that longer comments get more notice, especially if witty or insightful. People will be more likely to see what your blog is about if you're making yourself known as a witty individual on someone elses blog. Not to mention, everyone loves to recieve great comments, so you're really helping the community as well.
5. Don't try to write for everyone.
Above all, remember that you're not going to please everyone, and you shouldn't try. You're a person, you have opinions, and you are entitled to state them. Now, I'm not saying that this gives you license to be an asshole and go around causing trouble. However, if you have a particular feeling on a subject that might not appeal to everyone, express it anyway. Blogs that are sugar coated to have a mass appeal to everyone are boring and have little value to people looking to link or comment. And don't expect every single one of your ideas to go unchallenged. If you make your place in the blogging community, people will challenge you from time to time. Keep your mind open. And there will be trolls. Don't bother trying to reason with them. Either delete their comment, or let it go. They're simply trying to get your goat, and responding to them will only take more energy that you could be spending doing other things.
So remember guys, you are the only thing really limiting your traffic. If you're willing to do the legwork and try out new ideas, you can pull in a pretty good amount of viewers in a short amount of time. And most of all: Have fun with it. Blogging only works if you're enjoying yourself. I've seen a lot of good blogs go south because people have let it become a lot less fun and more work. Its about balance, you know?
