4 Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Blog

Are you constantly blogging but the numbers you see in your traffic logs are embarrassingly low? It can be maddening to check your stats and realize that no one is actually stopping by. Don't give up yet, because there are four great ways you can get traffic fast.

Traffic Tip #1: Do Your Keyword Research

Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking they can just throw some posts up there and expect to get traffic. There is a lot more to it than that! You need to make sure you are looking at the keyword data to find terms that are getting a lot of searches. Ideally, you want these terms to have low competition so it's easier for you to rank. Once you start basing your posts around these kinds of keywords you should find that you're getting a lot more traffic.

Traffic Tip #2: Write Enticing Articles Off-Site

Submitting to article directories isn't just a good way to get backlinks to your site, it's also a great way to get readers! Sites like EzineArticles.com have their own readership of people who are looking for the exact topic you're blogging about. If you write a compelling article that leads into your resource box, people will be enticed to visit your blog.

Traffic Tip #3: Give People a Reason to Come Back

Getting traffic in the first place is one thing, but what you want to do as a blogger is have them coming back over and over again. The best way to do this is to create special offers or exciting events. For example, you can give away a prize each week to the new people who subscribed to your list or your feed. You can also run a contest for people who leave answers as comments on your blog posts. Make your blog a happening place to be and people will want to visit often and tell their friends.

Traffic Tip #4: Create Linkbait

Linkbait is when you write a blog post that is so exciting or controversial it gets people to come to your blog, comment, and link to the post. You may share some shocking news or offer an opinion you know is bound to stir people's emotions. You do need to have thick skin when you write linkbait! Don't expect everyone to agree with your opinion.

An example of linkbait is going the opposite way everyone else goes. For instance, imagine you have an electronics blog and you decide to review the iPhone. After reviewing the product you decide you don't like it. You then write to tell your readers why. Since this was a product everyone was gaga over when it first came out the chances are good you would have gotten a strong reaction right off the bat.

There you have it! These are four solid ways you can start to increase the traffic on your blog as soon as possible. When you put these methods to work you'll realize that the secrets to getting great traffic were in front of you the whole time.

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www.turnblogstocash.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - 4 Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Blog

Effective Ways To Get Your Blog Indexed

Getting your blog indexed in the search engines can seem impossible sometimes. It can often be so random! One blog gets indexed in a matter of minutes, while another one takes weeks. While the search engines don't reveal their exact formula for indexing, there are some methods that have been proven to work for many bloggers out there.

Of course, many people decide that the first thing they should do to get their blog indexed is to submit it to the search engines by hand. There is actually a lot of disagreement on this point! Some people think the search engines look upon this favorably, and other people think that hand submission can hurt you.

The bottom line here is that it really doesn't seem to hurt your rankings, but it's best to keep in mind that the search engines "know it's you" who is submitting the site. What they want are votes of confidence from other established sites out there. That's why it's better to concentrate on those.

If you already have a network of sites then you have a huge advantage. All it takes is a relevant contextual link on one of those sites and you'll often get indexed very quickly. This is especially true If you have access to a site that gets indexed often.

Not everyone has established sites, however! The good thing is that there are sites out there that allow you to put your content on their site. Article directories are one example. If you write an article for a site like EzineArticles.com with a link back to your site in the author's resource box, the chances are good that you will get indexed fairly quickly. You can also add your content and links to sites like HubPages.com, Squidoo.com, and others.

Another thing you can do is make sure you submit your RSS feed to directories. There are RSS directories out there that alert people (and spiders) that your content has been updated. This can increase your chances of getting indexed. Some examples of sites you can submit to include Feedagg.com and Feedage.com.

Yet another piece of the puzzle is writing great content and updating often. There is no exact formula for this, but we do know that Google likes content! If you can write a few posts right off the bat to show that you're going to be a great, relevant site, there is a larger chance that your site will get indexed.

If you still haven't made it into the search engines it is going to take a bit more effort. Usually a combination of a few of these will work well. Also, a little bit of patience goes a long way. It's not unusual to wait a week or more for the magic to happen! Still, by following the suggestions above you'll find that you get indexed fairly quickly and often.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Effective Ways To Get Your Blog Indexed

7 Things You Need To Do To Optimize Your Blog For The Search Engines

Optimizing your blog for the search engines is crucial and very important! There are so many different blogs out there on the net that you'll quickly sink to the bottom if you don't optimize. Follow these seven tips below and you'll be well on your way to high rankings.

#1 - Create the Right Permalink Structure

The permalinks Wordpress uses by default are not search engine friendly. You can make this simple change by inserting %postname% instead of the default that is already there. This will successfully create URL's that include your post name which should include your targeted keywords.

#2 - Install All in One SEO Plugin

This is a must-have plugin which allows you to specify a title, description, and the keywords for the search engines. It can really help you boost up and reach the top of the listings, whereas the standard WP installation can fall short.

#3 - Install Related Posts Plugin

Search engines love it when they get content pages that are interlinked. It also works very well for the search engines. It will automatically include links to other posts that are similar. Very convenient!

#4 - Research your Keywords

When people search, they search by keyword. It is vital that you know what these keywords are if you want to rank at the top of the search engines. Your posts should be centered around these keywords.

#5 - Include Your Keywords in the Title

In the title of your blog you need to include your main keyword. Also, include your main keyword and select others in the titles of your posts and sprinkle throughout your pages.

#6 - Make Your Blog Easy to Navigate

Easy navigation is essential for your guests and the search engines as it makes it easier for the guests. That means including your blog's categories, recent posts (to make sure they get indexed) and pages. Easy navigation is also part of choosing a good design.

#7 - Expand the Ping List

When you make a new blog post Wordpress will "ping" the blog search engines. This alerts them that content on your site has changed and ready for guests to view. This can help you get indexed fast so you can start making money even faster. Do a Google search to find an expanded ping list you can include in your wp-admin so you make sure you get as many of these sites to update you as possible.

Using these seven plugins will make your job of ranking highly in the search engines easier than ever. If you're new to blogging with Wordpress then these terms may seem incredibly strange to you right now. As you study them and go over them a couple times, put them into action and it will start to feel like second nature!

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www.turnblogstocash.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - 7 Things You Need To Do To Optimize Your Blog For The Search Engines