Archive for the ‘Traffic and Blogs’ Category
How do I get people to start posting on my forum
I have already discussed why linking to a forum is a great idea, but my intention here is to talk about how to get one started. Starting a forum can be intimidating and this is why many people never even try. It might be easy enough to create one and get it ready for posting, but how did you get people to post.
The bottom line is that getting people to post on your forum takes a bit of time and effort. Some people enjoy being one of the first members to join a forum. It gives them a bit of prestige once the forum becomes popular. These are the people you want to attract in the beginning. They will happily post and over time others will follow. Attracting these posters may require a bit of luck so don’t be too disappointed if things start off slowly.
Another way to get things started is to recruit your friends and family. Have them join your forum and start posting so things look active. I have used this particular method in the past and it was surprising how quickly other people found and then joined and became active on my forum.
There is a third option that many bloggers use to get their forum started. You can actually pay people to post on your forum. A flat rate for a predetermined number of words is typically charged. You can then choose how many times a day you want people to post. This is a great way to get things started, although I would consider this a last resort.
If you do go with this option, just take the time to monitor your forum and make sure the people are posting according to your agreement. Also make sure that the content of the posts matches the tone that you are wishing to portray.
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Filed under Blogging, Traffic and Blogs
Benefits of linking a forum to your blog
There are a number of reasons that make forums a great addition to your blog. If you have ever posted on a forum, you already understand their value. Forums are simply a great place for people with a similar interest to gather and discuss a variety of different topics.
There are plenty of free forums available that just about anybody can get up and running in a matter of hours or days. Popular forums even offer skins that allow you to customize the way they look in order to integrate it seamlessly with your blog.
One of the major benefits of adding a forum to your blog is attention. If you can start a successful forum with a number of active posters, you will greatly boost traffic to your blog. More readers can lead to more people clicking on your ads or buying things from your blog. If you aren’t trying to earn money by blogging, more readers also mean that your posts are seen by a wider number of people.
Adding a forum to your blog also has another great benefit. If you are placing advertisements on your blog, a forum will give you more landscape to tinker with. How many forums have you visited with at least one advertisement at the very top of it?
Filed under Blogging, Traffic and Blogs
Give new changes to your blog a chance to flourish
In the process of getting your blog up and running, you will probably make a whole list of different changes. You may change the color scheme, where you have placed your ads, how many articles are seen on the first page, and any number of additional things you can think of.
The problem with making a change to your blog is that it might affect how your readers enjoy the site. Now if you are making changes, you are probably hoping to increase your readership. Some changes will work while others will not.
In order to determine the effect of the changes on your readers, it is important plan accordingly. Make a list of the changes that you want to make on your blog and then implement them one at a time. Of course if you have a bunch of little changes like typos and things of that nature, you can go ahead and do them all at the same time. Changes like that are generally best corrected immediately!
For bigger changes, you want to allow each one at least a few weeks time before you can expect to see any differences. If your site is already very popular, you may notice differences very quickly.
Once you have determined if your change has been successful or not, you can move on to the next item on your list. If you implement all your changes at one time, you will never know which ones are successful and which ones have stunk!
Filed under Blogging Tips, Traffic and Blogs
How to start a blog from scratch: Don’t forget about branding
Bloggers should never underestimate the importance of branding. With successful branding, it is possible to greatly improve the success of a blog. I debated about where I should place the topic of branding in this series. Perhaps it should be one of the first things that new bloggers think about, but somehow it seemed better to firmly establish your list of blog ideas first.
After you have selected a blog idea to pursue, you are going to want to spend a bit of your time focusing on branding. This means you will need to create tag lines that will define your blog, and even logos. If you are particularly serious about creating a distinct blog, you may want to skip the previous step and hire someone to create a WordPress blog theme for you. Sometimes the free WordPress blog themes simply do not convey the message that you are trying to project.
Branding your blog is an intricate process. It should be woven in to the name of your blog, the domain name you select, tag lines, logos, and just about anything else that you want to associate with your blog. Take the time to really think about each of these things because they will perform an important role in distinguishing your blog to readers.
Make a list with fun tag lines that will grab the attention of your readers. Share these ideas with your friends and family who will be able to help you determine if they are catchy or not. They might also be able to help you generate blog ideas that you had not even thought of. Don’t be discouraged if this process takes time. Stick with it and you will be able to come up with plenty of innovative ways to properly brand your blog.
What are long tail keywords
Learning how to use keywords to improve your blog’s search engine ranking is useful. Many new bloggers assume that your basic keywords, such as “vehicle repairs,” are all you need to accomplish this task. While this is part of the process, bloggers also need to incorporate long tail keywords into their content.
Long tail keywords are essentially phrases consisting of at least three words that your readers are searching for. Something like “plant tomato seeds” could be a useful long tail keyword for a blog that focuses on sowing vegetable seeds. You want to make sure that you pick long tail keywords that more precisely define the content of your blog.
A great way to discover new long tail keywords to use for your blog is to reference the StatPress Reloaded plugin that I have previously talked about. The section called “Latest Search Terms” will have a list of exact phrases that readers are using to find your site. If you see the term “tips for green living,” it might be a good idea to add several new posts that contain this particular long tail keyword.
It is important to keep in mind that you are targeting a different audience with long tail keywords. Your general keywords are designed to target a broad audience. Your long tail keywords are designed to attract a very specific reader that will likely benefit from the content on your blog!
Always remember that if you are trying to build a quality blog, it is important to keep your content unique and useful. It is okay to write several posts that focus on the same long tail keywords, just differentiate the type of material that you include in each of the posts!
Filed under Blogging, Traffic and Blogs
The importance of linkbait articles
The concept of linkbait articles is not complex. Your goal is to create a post that will catch the eye of your reader. Hopefully the reader will send a friend the link to your article and bring new readers to your blog and so on.
So what makes a good linkbait article? There is no easy answer to this. Depending on your blog’s content, linkbait can vary quite a bit. If you are a gadget blog, perhaps you could post an article about a free giveaway that you are providing. People like cool free stuff and you could probably capture the attention of many new readers if you market your giveaway appropriately.
If you use social media websites, such as Digg, linkbait articles will also prove to be incredibly important. Great linkbait articles will land on the front page of Digg where many people will have the opportunity to read your content. Consider making a top 10 list of something crazy that is related to your blog. Remember, not every social media website is suited for every blog ideas. Do some research and target the websites that compliment your theme.
In order for you to improve your blog’s readership base with linkbait articles, you have to have strong content to back it up. If the only good information you have on your blog is the linkbait article, what is left for your readers? However, if you have lots of good information, the linkbait article will simply attract new readers and then they can investigate your other posts and come back for more if they enjoy it.
Linkbait Tips:
- Create something that is unique for your readers – a fun top 10 list, a giveaway, or an e-book
- Market your linkbait
- Have strong content on your blog to keep your new readers coming back for more
Filed under Blogging Tips, Traffic and Blogs
