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Getting More Traffic for a Blog
BornToHula
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm not going to link spam, but I'm sure there's a few guys and gals on here that have their own blogs. My problem is a simple one in theory. I really just want to increase the traffic flow of my blog, but I don't know if I should take a stab at getting my own domain with no programming experience or simply staying with Blogger's sort of craptastic interface. The concept of writing about games and stuff like that appeals, but I'd really like to have a broader base than something like that. Anyways a few questions for bloggers:
How have you increased your traffic?
Is it worth it getting my own domain?
Should I be begging my graphic design major friends with help for a logo and design?
Does the internet really need another stupid gaming/writing blog?
Really, my intent is to have something to act as a sort of gateway for potential employers. I've been acting as a freelance writer locally and would love to branch out and reap the benefits of working for new clients online. However, I have zero experience with acting as a webmaster. Can anyone out there give a programming challenged nerd writer some advice?
How have you increased your traffic?
Is it worth it getting my own domain?
Should I be begging my graphic design major friends with help for a logo and design?
Does the internet really need another stupid gaming/writing blog?
Really, my intent is to have something to act as a sort of gateway for potential employers. I've been acting as a freelance writer locally and would love to branch out and reap the benefits of working for new clients online. However, I have zero experience with acting as a webmaster. Can anyone out there give a programming challenged nerd writer some advice?
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
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Continue to search for new twitter friends every day, and keep following them, you want to get as many to follow you, as you can. Get twitter people involved in your blog.
The most important rule of a blog, and I can't stress this enough, is that nobody gives a shit what you think. But if you give them a platform, to tell the rest of the world what they think, they'll regularly visit your blog, hoping to impart upon the world, their vast and endless wisdom.
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
Susie Bright sometimes writes about internet self-promotion as a writer. She does podcasts (some subscription-only) and a facebook page and I think Twitter. Writers tend to go all out on social media because these are desperate times.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the tips folks, I greatly appreciate it.
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
On your blog, I see posts about Saw, Silent Hill, that weird-ass Snickers commercial, and Google Chrome, but no links to anything related to those. Try linking to various related sources/websites/blogs/whatever (aside from Wikipedia entries) that you enjoy or think can add to your post, or whatever.
In those examples, perhaps someone wrote a really sweet essay about why the Saw movies are the best thing since pockets on jeans. Or, maybe there is a Silent Hill fan movie that you think is utterly ridiculous and want to share. Perhaps the Snicker's writer has a twitter account with a post that specifically brings up that commercial? Unlike the Penny Arcade blogs, try and link text/keywords that make since (i.e. here is a great "essay on Saw"). The idea is to choose words or phrases that you think people will search for to find the content you are linking to. Hopefully, people will eventually begin linking to you in this manner.
That is all pretty basic stuff ...but it can get pretty complex, and you can spend all day trying to fine-tune your SEO efforts. Put links to your blog in your sig at any forum you visit (like you have here), on Facebook, YouTube, etc etc. Actually, the link text in your sig here is a perfect example of how to get more specific. Your link text is just "blog." Why not make it "visit my [funny game review blog]," or whatever words you think fit for your blog?
Also, encouraging user content of some kind (a contest, comments, etc etc) is always a plus.
edit: Also, since no one has responded yet, is it the content of a link that matters or the group of words? Meaning, does Google (or whoever) index on each individual word in a link or the entire text in the link? Anyone know?
I get what you're saying to some extent, by using the external links there's a better chance to aggregate hits through a search engine's indexing, right?
I'll tell my co-author and myself to do some linkage to external sources, certainly can't hurt. Thanks for the advice at any rate, I've already had a pretty decent hit with traffic over the past few days discounting self-views to make sure my publishing software is working correctly. I've got something like a hundred hits over the past two days which really beats when it was like two hits per day.
Edit:
My latest post includes some links to outside sources and I've added little headlines for the body of the text to divide it up. Figured it was worth it to avoid the hassle of large blocks of text. I'll talk to my co-authors today and see what needs to be done about the comments, I'm thinking using a clever way of asking readers to comment may work out pretty well instead of the droll 0 comments.
Any thoughts?
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
For example: how many other blogs out there can you find that are also about obscure games, awful movies, etc? How many of them do you actively leave comments on with your blog link in your sig? Are your comments insightful, do they attract attention, spark a discussion, or generally make people want to hear more of what you have to say? Have you ever asked another semi-popular blogger to join you for a special guest article, linked to from their more popular blog? Have you ever directly responded to a relevant blog post from a reviewer with a completely different point of view? Have you ever thought to start a thread on a game you reviewed (perhaps a big complaint you have) in their official forums? To go a step further, can you score any small-time interviews with, say, EA's forum Community Manager about a particular obscure title? How about a brief, user-made, video counter-review for relevant Gametrailers reviews to put on their site?
...things like that. Again, there is a methodical, search-indexing foundation here, but it also relies a lot on your creativity. Lay the right foundation (keywords, links, good content, etc) and be creative (spur discussions, comment on other blogs, befriend other bloggers in your situation and collaborate, etc). You and your co-authors have an opinion to share. Your blog isn't the only place for you guys to house your thoughts and ramblings, although it makes a good HQ. Get them out there! Find allies! Find enemies!
[edit] your linkage in your recent post is great. Perhaps make it more obvious so people don't have to mouse over each word to see what is a hyperlink?
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.
Origin is the exact same as my Steam, in case you're needing a Support or Assault in BF3.