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RSS4 Steps to Increase Your Blog Traffic
One of the most common complaints that I hear from bloggers is the fact that no matter how hard they try, they can’t grow their blogs past 100 or so daily page vies. Those early days are indeed the hardest, because you need to put hard work in without the certainty of achieving results.
If you are in that same situation, here is a simple strategy that will certainly increase your blog traffic and make you break the 1,000 daily page views mark. In fact, the strategy could be used even if your are already over that number but have reached a traffic plateau lately.
Just make sure to execute the 4 steps as planned and to spend the two hours and a half every day (obviously if you have more time available you can expand the time spent on each of the four steps proportionally).
First Step: Killer Articles (1 hour per day)
Spend one hour brainstorming, researching and writing killer articles (also called linkbaits, pillar articles and so on).
Notice that your goal is to release one killer article every week. If that is not possible aim for one every 15 days. So the one hour that you will spend every day will be dedicated to the same piece. In other words, expect killers articles to take from 5 up to 10 hours of work.
If you are not familiar with the term, a killer article is nothing more than a long and structured article that has the goal of delivering a huge amount of value to potential visitors. If you have a web design blog, for example, you could write an article with “100 Free Resources for Designers”. Here are some ideas for killer articles:
- create a giant list of resources,
- write a detailed tutorial teaching people how to do something,
- find a solution for a common problem in your niche and write about it, or
- write a deep analysis on a topic where people have only talked superficially
When visitors come across your killer article, you want them to have the following reaction: “Holy crap! This is awesome. I better bookmark it. Heck, I better even mention this on my site and on my Twitter account, to let my readers and friends know about it.”
Second Step: Networking (30 minutes per day)
Networking is essential, especially when you are just getting started. The 30 minutes that you will dedicate to it every day could be split among:
- commenting on other blogs in your niche,
- linking to the posts of bloggers in your niche, and
- interacting with the bloggers in your niche via email, IM or Twitter.
Remember that your goal is to build genuine relationships, so don’t approach people just because you think they can help to promote your blog. Approach them because you respect their work and because you think the two of you could grow together.
Third Step: Promotion (30 minutes per day)
The first activity here is the promotion of your killer articles. Whenever you publish one of them, you should push it in any way you can. Examples include:
- letting the people in your network know about it (don’t beg for a link though),
- letting bloggers and webmasters in relevant niches know about it,
- getting some friends to submit the article to social bookmarking sites,
- getting some friends to Twitter the article, and
- posting about the article in online forums and/or newsgroups.
If there is time left, spend it with search engine optimization, social media marketing and activities to promote your blog as whole. Those can range from keyword research to promoting your blog on Facebook and guest blogging.
Fourth Step: Normal Posts (30 minutes per day)
Just like a man does not live by bread alone, a blog does not live by killer articles alone. Normal posts are the ones that you will publish routinely in your blog, between the killer articles. For example, you could publish a killer article every Monday and normal posts from Tuesday through Friday. Here are some ideas for normal posts:
- a post linking to an article on another blog and containing your opinion about it
- a post informing your readers about a news in your niche
- a post asking a question to your readers and aiming to initiate a discussion
- a post highlighting a new resource or trick that you discovered and that would be useful to your readers
While killers articles are essential to promote your blog and bring new readers aboard, normal posts are the ones that will create diversity in your content and keep your readers engaged.
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Thanks Daniel, this post is a good one! i will follow this four steps!
Killer articles are great at gathering some traffic. I recently did a post on whether Coscto membership saves as much as everyone claims. It too some time to look at all the benefits, both popular and rarely used, and organize all our savings.
The only thing I disagree is the amount of time spent on killer posts. It takes me a bit longer; but I find it worthwhile time spent.
Great article; thanks for sharing.
Thanks Daniel,
This is a winning combo, short, sweet and effective.
I used to do one freebie release a month some time back. Freebies are crowd pullers and they get heavy re-tweets and stumbles.
Traffic went down a lot when I stopped that. There are limits to the traffic SEO and Keyword research can bring, unless you are the best at it.
Killer articles are comparatively easier to make and works well on the networks, esp. Twitter
You and Darren at ProBlogger have consistent posts that get page ranks in the 3-4 range which is really good for a post.
@Laura, notice that the 1 hour per day I mention is to be spent on the same article. So total time is from 5 to 10 hours for a killer article.
You take longer than that?
Daniel and Laura,
How much time do you spend on a normal article?
For instance, this one is an article of descent length, how much time did you spend to write this one?
This is really a nice recipe to have gr8 for the blogs f or sure . Especially I like about the Killer artic le and the time spend on networking others and writing comments .
Just wanted to add freebies and such stuff do not give success all the times .. So according to me be careful while giving free stuff ..
Sudeep
Wondering if you wrote this post just for me. I’ve hit a glass ceiling with my traffic, and I’m having problems knocking through it.
I’ve fallen into the trap of publishing “normal” posts and haven’t done a killer one for awhile. Already have a good idea for at least one I’m going to start tonight.
@Arun, for this article I believe I spent one hour.
For normal posts I spend around 30 minutes.
Hmm, I think I gotta start pumping more time into the primary articles. I’ve spend several hours on them, but I think I’ll kick it up a notch. Setting these tasks on daily todo-list and set/schedule time for’em will get’em done.
And actually it’s a great tip to work on the same article/post on several days, something which I’ve been doing a lot, even with the smaller posts – sometimes you get a fresh idea to the post when you sleep on it.
What I enjoyed about your thoughts here is that you point out that your blog needs some extra “killer” content to push it above the many blogs that are out there. Something to be recognized for is crucial. Great thoughts.
I found this post very useful and inspiring for my new blog. Cutting tasks down in to manageable sections makes them a lot better to cope with. As always, an inspiring article to help keep going!
They are very good points. And they are only useful if they are executed. You need to be honset to yourself and set a time managment for these tasks.
Anyone can create a blog with good traffic if the above tips are followed. However, you need to be patient and determent to see the outcome.
Whatever the niche you are in, you need to take blogging seriously. I realised that a lot of people are looking for magic answer for traffic and the success of a blog. But, you won’t get more than and clearer than what is mentioned above. As long as you take action and stick to your tasks and schedules, you will see the outcome soon.
This is me commenting on another blog to get more traffic to mine. That’s the point of blogging about blogging, right?
Great advice! I’ll definitely be putting this into practice at my site!
Well-written, and specific advice. Thanks!
Killer articles: Can you link to two or three of your own that you put that kind of time into and got the reaction you were expecting traffic wise? Also an example or two of ones that you didn’t get the traffic/reaction you had expected would be nice to see.
Fantastic Daniel. my blog is now going into its fourth month. your article seems to raise me up and do it in a more structured way.
I might not be able to get that 1,000 page views per day, but the thing is that an attempt to put some striking articles.
thanks Daniel for the advice
So it takes 2.5 hours to do this. This is really interesting! Thanks for sharing them.
This is a nice summary of blogging activities. My blog is about 3 weeks old and I was already practicing some of the titles from your list. But some of them are new to me and I will put them into practice asap.
Great article! However you haven’t mentioned which are the best places to publish these articles to get in tons of new traffic.
I have a new blog which I made my first post on March 1st, 2009. It has been doing very well so far overall, it has web traffic and pagerank.
I make one post per day, seven days a week so far. However, that may change so I can promote the SEO blog better than I have been doing.
Good advice in your post and I need to polish up on a couple of your suggestions.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I recently started a blog and I am doing a lot to get traffic but the results are very slow. I’ll implement these ideas and I’ll think I’ll have some look. I’m feeling optimistic again, thanks!
Really simple but essential tips for novice bloggers. Thanks for these step by step guideline.
Top info Daniel. I like articles that are broken down into bite sized chunks to explain a few points and I’m going to print this off, stick it on my desk and use it as a reference for daily use.
Great information. Really simple yet extremely effective advice. I shall be following this closely.
@B. Durant, check the “Popular Articles” section on the homepage. Most of those are what I call killer articles, and they all generated a very good response in terms of traffic.
This seems simple and great…. I will try following this… Thanks for providing this fantastic article…!
I tried a routine similar to this, but in my observation, 30 minutes of networking seems not enough
Content writing is really something that takes time, and it must be prioritize. I just have concerns on the times allotted for the other areas.
I am going to take this on board.
I normally spend about 20 mins doing posts. But i need to do a killer post aswell.
If only writing an awesome article like this takes 1 hr for me! Great advice and practical too.
And by including the timespent you are giving me a definite, measurable goal here. This is really helpful and meaningful. Thanks Daniel!
Very well said. I like this. Killer articles can be in a few words but catchy. Few words, yet going straight to the details.
Happy blogging!
Good tips as always, especially like how you suggest the amount of time we should spend on all this. You should do it because you enjoy it not just to gain traffic.
Daniel, wonderful tips. Time constraints are one of the most common complaints we hear when we’re talking to potential clients about blogging and other forms of social media. Thanks for breaking it down into understandable and manageable chunks.
Daniel, thank you so much with these useful tips. It would be of great help but I do need some more ideas about “killer articles.” Same with other new blogger, one of my constraint is how to drive traffic to my blog. Again, thanks….
Great & useful tip. I’ll follow this and increase the traffic on my blog.
I guess this is really what Michael Dunlop did to earn more dollars online as a blogger. Isn’t it outrageous ? That at the age of 21 that’s he is.http://www.internetbusinesspath.com/podcasts/michael-dunlop-interview
Hey Daniel, this one is a killer article! I will implement your advices for my blog. Thanks
i found these tip helpful, thanks very much
I’m going to take this into practice. I actually started last week a “song of the week” post, but now I’m thinking of planning a killer article once a week.
I think the killer article is what I’ve been missing, Thanks.
i takes 2 hours per day… thanks for sharing this artikel..^^
Some great tips. I have been trying to increase my daily visits for sometime now and you have given me the 4 steps that I need to follow.
I so agree with the normal posts idea. You need to throw your readers off balance a bit and find the balance so to speak. I will have to try this method of yours and see if it works for me.
Man, This article has come to me in the most needed time.
I kinda have stuck with my blog… only publishing normal articles… and having 100 page views for 2nd week now… no increase at all..
Today i’m gonna spend some time to write a nice great killer article. rather than pushing normal article.
Thanks daniel… awesome info.
This is one article that I read thrice at work (normally won’t do it). It just struck me to the core and right on target.
I’m pretty much following most of the ingredients that you’ve mentioned but don’t know why, DemoGeek.com is still under the bar (less than a year old blog, may be?). As with one of your advice, I’m not going to give up but would certainly appreciate if someone can let me know what’s wrong and if they can give clear/concise direction of how to take DemoGeek.com to the next level. Would even pay $$$.
I was Sent this article from a friend, I think its informative and really boils down to commitment.
Ill definitely follow your advice.
Thanks
Very useful tip. The only thing which people miss here is commenting and promoting their well written stuff on social bookmarking site.
Readers should take an example of your post which is well promoted on Twitter. If not 100 even 10-20 nice tweet will help to get good traffic.
This actually boosted my confidence
Nice article , I am learning new things from you buddy thanks
This is a Killer Article!
Thanks Daniel, this is the exact article I was looking for.
Inspirational article after a long time, Daniel. Going to execute it.
The best tips of the year probably…awesome.
waw this is nice and great article, please let me translate it to indonesia in my blog [i already sent a trachback to this article]
thanks
Thank you! This post really helped me layout a strategy for starting my new blog about cooking. Awesome suggestions.
I normally spend 10 hours to research and writing blog.
Sometimes it makes me tired but bring traffic a lot.
In my opinion, writing regularly is a good way to get more traffic.
Very nice. I would say double the times for everything if not more. It’s all about the “Plan”.
Writing is the key to getting traffic… But only if it is quality work. I have found that pillar/killer articles are the best way to get consistent traffic and build new members in your community.
Another tip for your promotion section/networking is guest posting. I gp on DBT a while back and am still getting traffic and created some dedicated readers from the opportunity here.
With everything said and done, the winning factor is hard work, patience and persistence. These are the basic guidelines for bloggers to adhere and kick off their traffic-influx campaign. By having proper analytics or monitoring apps, one could benefit from knowing which strategy works best within each steps. I wonder does anybody here, or Daniel yourself, have any suggestions or experience in monitoring traffic source via analytic applications?
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
@Ching, my advice is to not get obsessed with the analytics. I recommend checking it weekly or even monthly, but making sure that you evaluate what is going on (keywords, referrals, etc).
Thank you, Daniel. That’s a good advice. I’ll pay more attention on those. Appreciate your prompt reply. ^^
Hi danial,
Green Greetings from the Everest Land- Nepal.
I am new on blogging. Your this article i.e. post is very advantageous for the initiaters like me. I really liked this article. The concept of killer article is very good and very interesting. If anybody can get the gut of this article, he can harvest the fruits. Thank you very much.
Nahendra Khadka, Kathmandu.
Great content! It is so easy to forget the fundamentals of why we chose to blog about a certain subject. Great posts= followers. Great posts take time AND thought… Thanks for the reminder!!!
hi,
it awesome tips. my problem is to write articles…
before this, all most i use plr articles for my blog…any sugesstion?
Nice and affordable steps. I always believe that content is the king.
Be sincere, that’s the most important point.
Wonderful post. The simplest way to get treasuer. Great post Denial
I think I spend too much time networking. But it seems to work for me. Great advice, I really need to work on the “Super Killer Article”.
Kane
I’ve never thought of doing killer articles before…but now…the aim is one a week. Thanks for sharing!
Andrew
Great post! In addition, you may want to recirculate/Tweet your old “good” posts..especially if they were written before you had any significant traffic….and focus on killer post titles…a great site for this is http://justcreativedesign.com/...../…No, this is not my site…just a great reference post.
Sorry. Let me reformat that link http://justcreativedesign.com/.....-blogging/
I think so, but it will spend may of time, is there a simple way to increase traffic
Thank you for this article! Writing has always been a passion and past time of mine. I love creative writing in particular, but I never paid attention until recently to what it takes to bring writing to a new level on-line and via blogging (for anything other than the fun of it that is!) I appreciate posts like this that give us a daily plan :0)
MeeTree
Wham..!! This is what you called killer article!
nice, well structured article and also useful..
thank’s for this article.
you also said that building natural relation with blogger in same niche. I think we are in the same niche
insyaAllah will get to you soon.
Anything that would help me get more traffic to my blog will always catch my attention.
Thanks for the info; it will really make a difference.
Danny great work, thanks for those tips
Hi,
I am just wondering if the article is tooooo long will most of the visitors just briefly read it ?
Slavi
@Slavi, some will, others will read it in full. Regardless, they will all perceive the article as something valuable, which will increase their chances of sharing the article with other people.
You maybe right. I’ll try that.
By a killer article do you mean an article comprised by more than 5k words ?
Thanks very much for the article. This is exactly the way to go.
Just my opinion – personally, I don’t have the patience to scan through lists containing more than 20 services/items. But that’s just me.
Hmm..i will try your tips.. thank you.. im still trying now.
@Slavi, not necessary. My definition of “killer article” is written in the post.
Wow!
Very useful blog, congratulations!
Very good planning for bloggers, thx.
Now I’m in the second step for today which is the first day that I start to use your steps
Thanks for the tips, Daniel. I recently found Daily Blog Tips and I’m now subscribed. I look forward to reading more of your content in the coming days.
Nice checklist for routine blogiing ) Killer article it good, but not all can nice write
Thanks for your simple blogging strategy. This post inspired me. This is indeed a killer article.
Just found this site, and I like it a lot. Subscribed already.
This post was one of the few posts in the last month that really struck me.
Great one.
As far as “Killer Articles” go, I believe this was one. Thanks.
Simple but effective! Thanks.
Hi Daniel
I just wanted to say that I took your advice and wrote a “killer post” (you can see it here: http://www.daccreative.co.uk/g.....ng-today/). My subscribers have doubled and hits to my site have increased ten-fold (albeit from quite a small base).
Thank you so much for this great advice. And yes, I’m planning my next killer post.
Clare
Hmm. that link didn’t seem to work, but if you go to my site, you’ll know exactly which post is the killer one!
This is the idea have to take promote any blog.thank for for the post
Excellent advice Darren. I usually do a killer article every week or so. I’ve learned that it’s more about quality than quantity; I used to think that I had to post every day but when decided to post only when inspired my readership went up.
Thanks for sharing your insight.
Thanks, this is the most relevant, straight-forward content I have yet seen on this seemingly overwhelming subject. This is exactly the kind of practical advice I was looking for. THANKS!
Thank you for your advice. I love my new hobby of blogging and the outlet of expressing my thoughts. I am new to blogging and your shared information is greatly appreciated. I wish continued success.
I am very poor in time management. I have some hope after reading your post..
Well, it all sounds good in theory but…..
Killer articles.? Yes, most people can knock these off every day. Sure!
Great practical tips and good to get a view on the hours we need to put in!
Great tips. Yes I need more visitors and this tips give me a lots ideas. Your step by step article is really help me. Thanks
Looks good to me. I follow them.
I am privileged to be the 100th commenter, i do write killer articles and my site traffic has averaged at around 300, i will take you up on the other tips, but i believe in blogging “Content is King” MANTRA
Have a good day!
The best blogging post I’ve ever seen.
Thanks!
Wow! I really need these tips. I want to increase my site’s traffic to the next target of 1,000 unique visitors daily. Right now, I’m just getting half of it.
I like the structure that your article provides. As with any business, time management is the key. In most cases, the amount of time spent on a product (article) will only improve the end result.
Thanks a lot for the post,i was checking all over internet to find a solution to get a solution to increase my blog traffic.I have recommended readers in my blog to read this post of yours,keep rocking
Some pretty good tips. Hopefully they work for me.
Daniel Scocco,
Thank you for your short yet really easy to understand method of increasing blog traffic. I already in progress of making my blog, this will be great early step should I make to ensure my blog getting traffic later. Anyway Thanks so much for your some ideas. Hope to drop in again for another great but simple blog tips!
This is why I signed up to your newsletter.
Some people are asking how long it takes to write a killer article. bear in mind that it does not have to be about an hour or two of writing. if you are superman who can write very high quality article in 30 minutes, then that’s it.
Do not pressure yourself in writing a quality article in 1 hour.
Hey, I like the idea of the “killer article.” Already, I’ve managed to do this on my blog without actually be conscious of it.
I’m trying to get 10 visters a day to my new blog now.I now mainly use article marketing and comment on other blogs to promote my blog.From now on,I will try the “killer article” tips and use article marketing to promote the “killer article”.I hope it will work.
If a newbie in this blogging sector. Trying my best over here! Some of the advice and tips comes quite handy. Thanks lots!
I like this post and I think every new blogger should see this! Time management is a huge issue because it is so easy to get sidetracked and lose focus. The way you have laid it out and easily understandable is great!
I agree with Jason, you have to have very good time management skills. If you don’t you can spend plenty of hours and not get much accomplished.
It is a constant struggle if you don’t develop some type of schedule and have the self discipline to stick with it.
Hi You have mentioned in your post “Killer Articles”, This is wonderful idea and i have to keep things in mind while Blogging.
I’m not sure that article marketing cuts it anymore. I think that there are more time friendly ways to market your web business than writing articles and also, unless you have a killer author bio that will compel people to click on your links then your article could be futile, whether that is 20 words or 2000 words.
I have been using this method. I do not know where is i found it. But it really drive traffic to my blog.