Bloggertone

This post originally appeared on Niall Devitt’s blog, Niall is a regular contributor to Tweak Your Biz. 

Are you struggling to increase blog traffic for your business? My group blog, TweakYourBiz.com, reached the milestone of 100,000 unique visits during December, 2012, and in a blogging niche that is very competitive. Here are 10 critical tactics that you must do if you really want to increase blog traffic for your business.

Increase blog traffic for your business

# 1. Discover what works, then repeat, improve, repeat….

There is no silver bullet to growing blog traffic:

• It requires hard work and new bloggers need to have a long term mind-set. The more you are prepared to put in, then the more you will eventually get out.
• The graph is exponential, or, in other words, it’s slow at the start but gathers pace over time. Be assured that consistency does pay off and success will breed more success, and more traffic.

Again, there is NO silver bullet to growing blog traffic. You need to discover what works, repeat, improve, and repeat again. Your blog is Rome and if you don’t understand that – don’t blog.

# 2. Define your audience

It amuses me that so many bloggers who write for “no one in particular” are disappointed when no one reads their blog? If, on the other hand you would like actual people to read your blog, well then you will need to define who your audience will be:

• Some niches will be very competitive and others less so.
• And you will need to factor this in to your blogging strategy. Who are the competitors for your audience? How good are they? And what can you learn from them?
• I define a sub-set of my audience for every post I write. Are you part of this sub-set? 

# 3. Find out what customers need to know, not what you’d like to tell them

Many business bloggers struggle with coming up with ideas for blog posts, but what they don’t realise it that it’s not them that should be coming up with the ideas in the first place. I’m never stuck for ideas for content because I have a simple, but very effective, tactic for deciding what to write about – I LISTEN to my customers!

If you really listen, you will never be stuck for ideas for blogs. In fact, you will always have too many and the challenge will instead be deciding on which one will give the greatest ROI for your business.

# 4. Answer your customers’ questions and do it REALLY well!

Now here’s where the skill and dedication come in. When you search for answers to your questions, problems or challenges online, what content and which bloggers make the most impact?

1. Those bloggers who partially answer your question?
2. Or those, that might know the answer if you were to become their customer?
3. Or those that give you the best answer?

Visitors to your blog will only consider becoming your customers when your content proves that you’re the best. Bad content is not better than no content, it’s worse! If it looks like it took you five minutes!

Writing content that will get you customers takes time, skill and dedication.

# 5. Plan to publish often, not just when you feel like it

Remember Rome?

• To grow a large audience, you will need to publish at least 3-4 times per week.
• Frequency can be counter-balanced, to an extent, by increasing quality, but frequency remains a critical element in achieving growth.
• One way to increase frequency without increasing writing time is to select and invite guest bloggers.

# 6. Do keyword research and SEO, and do it for every single post you write

Keyword research and SEO are skills that all bloggers can learn and become proficient at.  There is very little rocket science involved (See our guide on blogging).

So why don’t many bloggers do it?

Probably because SEO is an extra task and the results aren’t immediate. That said, unless you want to blog with one metaphorical leg and hand tied behind your back, it’s another critical element of blogging success.

Not doing SEO on one post is silly, on ten, it’s stupidity and on fifty, consider yourself insane!

# 7. Research every single post you write

If you’re like me, and you prefer to read those bloggers that give the best answer, or do business with those companies that will give the best solution, you’ve probably already realized that our customers will expect the same?

I know lots about my space, but its still only a fraction of what’s to know.

• Therefore when I answer my customers’ problems through my blogs, I realize that researching every post is key to me in doing so.
• I don’t want to steal other people’s ideas, or content, and of course I will credit where appropriate (see networking below)
• My research not only makes my content better but it also educates me so that I become better at what I do.

Google can become the greatest teacher you’ve ever had, so use it. And wait for it, it’s free!

# 8. Learn how to create great headlines

Your headline is the first (and possibly only impression) you make on a perspective customer. They’re really that important.

Rather than me take you through how to create great headlines (Research, Google, again). Let me ask you a question, would you be reading these words, if not for my headline?

Related: Have you used the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator?

# 9. Format your content for the Internet

The online reader discovers and reads content differently.

• They don’t read top to bottom, they scan first.
• Therefore you need to learn how to format your blog posts for the internet.

(Again, see our guide on blogging)

# 10. Network like you mean it!

Great content will only get you so far, networking will take you the rest of the way!

Make sure to build a blogging strategy that includes:

• Leaving comments on other blogs.
• Linking out to other blogs and bloggers
• Engaging with and sharing content from bloggers on your social media channels.
• Guest posting and inviting people to guest post on your blog.

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