Put Your Blog On The Reader Radar

Tips For Blogging Success (Part One)

Relax, this advice won't make your head spin like Voldemort.

As a novelist, photographer and career journalist, one of the most common questions that I get asked by bloggers is ``how do I increase traffic to my blog?'' Since I started mentoring a group of bloggers from various places around the world, I have answered many variations on this query. I have responded to emails, to comments on my own blog and to public-forum queries at Google Blogger Help and maybe this is the time to address the issues, one at a time, on my own blog.
Everyone wants to increase their readership. Newspaper editors want to. Magazine editors want to. Bestselling autors want to. So it's only natural that bloggers want to. Bloggers are the pioneers of a new media form. Whether your blog gets five hits a day or 125 hits a day, you always want to know how to increase that number and widen your reach.
Straight up, let me tell you there is no ``Excalibur Factor'' when it comes to increasing traffic to a blog. No one is King Arthur here, and there is no all-conquering sword to wrench from a rock. Nothing comes easy. Increasing circulation or market share in any field is the lodestone to which everyone aspires.
Is there a golden rule to increasing traffic? Yes - and it is breathtakingly simple. You must post well and you must post often. Why? Because readers will only come back to a site if they are a) assured of quality and b) aware that you post something every day. You can't post twice a week and expect to get a huge number of hits. (But, hey, if you do post twice a week and you get 1000 hits, let the blogging community know!)
So it's going to need focus. You don't need to write `War and Peace' every day. You can write short posts, long posts, witty posts, pithy posts, thought-provoking posts or emotion-evoking posts - but the bottom line is that people will only read your blog if it's a quality product. Do you enjoy writing blogposts? If the answer to that is ``yes'', chances are that readers will enjoy reading them. If you find that it's a chore, then you readers will sense that very quickly.
If you have a good editorial package and you update it regularly, then you're on the right track. Soon enough, the Domino Effect will take place. Readers start coming back every day. And words starts to spread among the internet community that your blog is a decent product. Ergo, readership starts to increase.
Not everyone is a Bill Bryson or a Wilbur Smith. But if you write honestly and from the heart, you will win an audience. Ask any newspaper editor and he or she will tell you how hard it is to increase readership without resorting to gimmicks. Different medium, same message.

Bloggers don't win any easy points when it comes to maintaining an upward readership graph. Finding the right mix to attract readers is a lot like playing roulette. The numbers can come up when you least expect success. A subject that you are passionate about might not hold the interest of readers - and vice versa. Readership growth happens slowly, in most cases. Be patient. Don't get discouraged. You won't be the first blogger to wonder why people are taking so long to recognise the quality of your work. And believe me, you won't be the last, either.
Blogging isn't a sprint. You, as a blogger, are committed to the long haul, whether you realise it or not. Be honest with yourself and choose your subjects carefully. If you are verbose, pedantic or unnecessarily long-winded, readers will swiftly choose to visit other blogs instead.

One other thing, too. You can ping as many update services as you want, but readers are extremely discerning. They will only come back to a site if it promises them quality. That's the best advice I can give you. Take care of the basics and the rest follows. Give 'em a knock-their-socks-off blog of daily quality that they can't ignore - and they'll beat a path to your door.
I hope all of that makes sense. If you have any queries, you can contact me here. You will always get honest, straightforward feedback - and I will always give you constructive advice on how to improve.
Good luck and happy blogging.