How to Attract Traffic to your Blog
Yesterday I came across a link to this excellent article: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/19-tips-for-driving-traffic-to-your-blog/
The timing seemed apt as until recently I hadn't paid attention to my blog statistics, and when I did, I was in for a big surprise. The top two countries of origin for visitors to my blog are, not surprisingly, the UK and US. But the third... I expected Australia. It's an English-speaking country, it's a big place, and I have a number of friends and acquaintances there. But it's way down the list at number eight. Number three is in fact The Netherlands. Why? I have no idea!
Less surprising was the fact that February, despite being a short month, scraped in as the month with most blog hits ever. In February I guest posted on Michelle Zurlo's blog as part of her Valentine's week romance promotion (strategy #8) and was more than usually active in reading and commenting on other blogs (strategy #7). But the biggest change in traffic came about as a result of just one post entitled What is it about 'The King's Speech?'. Which I guess demonstrates why strategy #2 is 'Pay Attention to the Headlines'. Because just after I posted about the surprising popularity of this sweet British film, it swept the board at the Oscars and was catapulted back into the media spotlight.
After my accidental success with strategy #2, I'll be interested to see whether harnessing it deliberately is as effective. I suspect if you're not careful, it can come across as contrived, but when, as this time, there's a natural fit between the blogger's interests and the current media storm, it has to be one of the most effective strategies around.
The timing seemed apt as until recently I hadn't paid attention to my blog statistics, and when I did, I was in for a big surprise. The top two countries of origin for visitors to my blog are, not surprisingly, the UK and US. But the third... I expected Australia. It's an English-speaking country, it's a big place, and I have a number of friends and acquaintances there. But it's way down the list at number eight. Number three is in fact The Netherlands. Why? I have no idea!
Less surprising was the fact that February, despite being a short month, scraped in as the month with most blog hits ever. In February I guest posted on Michelle Zurlo's blog as part of her Valentine's week romance promotion (strategy #8) and was more than usually active in reading and commenting on other blogs (strategy #7). But the biggest change in traffic came about as a result of just one post entitled What is it about 'The King's Speech?'. Which I guess demonstrates why strategy #2 is 'Pay Attention to the Headlines'. Because just after I posted about the surprising popularity of this sweet British film, it swept the board at the Oscars and was catapulted back into the media spotlight.
After my accidental success with strategy #2, I'll be interested to see whether harnessing it deliberately is as effective. I suspect if you're not careful, it can come across as contrived, but when, as this time, there's a natural fit between the blogger's interests and the current media storm, it has to be one of the most effective strategies around.
I haven't figured out a way to connect my Western historical to any headlines yet, but I'm still looking! It seems like a good strategy, and I'd love to see if it works.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I love that our world is shrinking thanks to the Internet. Here I sit in Southern Virginia reading a delightful post by a British writer. We're so used to this connectedness now that we don't often stop and think, 'Wow, isn't this the coolest thing?' Write on, dearheart.
ReplyDeleteAlison, any Texans in your story? 'Texas independence day' is Google's top trend right now, but I guess that's not exactly Western...
ReplyDeleteVonnie, I know - I often forget about the distance until I bump into the time difference! But it's so much fun getting to know writers all over the world.
Great post. To date, my biggest one day hit and most popular blog post was last October during breast cancer awareness month when I posted about my personal battle. Don't think I can top that one. Then again, I don't think I want to. lol!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Stephanie! Those are some excellent tips in that article. I'm going to pay more attention to my own blog and try to use some of those tips. Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteTricia, thanks for commenting. I hope you find the tips useful.
ReplyDeleteLilly, LOL! No, I don't think you'd want to top that one either. But yes, I always like reading personal stories on blogs. There's no point in a blog that sounds exactly like everyone else's in an effort to be 'successful'.