Blog readers don’t just fall from the sky… well that’s only partly true. A lot of readers come via Google. And they may as well fall from the sky.
To significantly boost your traffic you can do one of two things – you can write google friendly copy, or you can try to steal other people’s readers by getting involved in their blog community.
I don’t know how many readers I’ve pilfered from Ben and Simone – but I’d suggest the link love I score from them was a significant factor in my moving to more than 500 unique readers a week.
500 readers a week isn’t a significant number. I’m certainly not about to quit my job and become a full time blogger. But I’m comfortable with that. I think if I wanted to increase that figure dramatically I’d take one strategy – I’d comment on popular blogs. Particularly popular blogs that cover similar topics to mine.
Readership is only part of the picture. Blogging regularly can be tough. I think that’s why so many blogs falter. One of the things that makes it easier is the support of people who leave encouraging comments, and post links to stuff they like that you’ve written. You don’t get this sort of support unless you know the person in real life and as such want to see their blog continue, or you comment and share the link love elsewhere.
That’s my theory anyway.
Comments
I don't know about you, Simone, but I feel used.
Dreadfully so.
But Nathan's atheist friends are visiting me now, too.
*sniff* You really like me?
…
I'm quite fascinated with the concept of meta-blogging. Blogging about blogging. Is it the ultimate case of navel gazing, or a science that ought to have hypotheses and repeatable experimentation applied to it?
Ah, the social sciences. So un-sciency.
By the way, loving the work you're putting into your blog design Nath. It keeps on improving, and if you continue to work this hard on it, it'll be a very, very sweet web page at some point.
What I'm enjoying about it at the moment is the feel that Ben's comic gives it, combined with the background colour. The flash-thingy with images behind it is tre chic too.
Apologies for the invasion Simone. It's created some interesting email discussions though.
I tried to counter the "using" with a link though Ben… surely that goes someway towards placating you…
Thanks for noticing the changes Kutz, I have been enjoying tinkering. I'll no doubt post some sort of meta-blogging commentary on the changes I've made… I could just do it here, in the "meta" and then it would be meta-meta-blogging.
come now. can I be bought so cheaply? It takes more than a simple bunch of flowers, Nathan.
Hi Andrew,
Asking a question is not a blogging sin. It creates the impetus for further comments.
I know how many readers I have because I use google analytics. I can track my subscribers – but the feedburner stats seem a little bizarrely all over the place.
Is asking a question in a comment section a blogging sin (like making a comment in a question time). But anyway, how do you know you have 500 unique readers a week – are you just counting the unique visitors to your site, or do you know how many people who are subscribed to your blog but don't actually go to your site?