Comments on: Increasing Blog Traffic

By: Thomma Lyn

Thomma Lyn — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:26:44 +0000

Hi, Shelly! I’m a member of Blogging Chicks and Blogger Chicks and because of that I’m on two great big ol’ cool blogrolls, but I don’t get much traffic from either place. The blogrolls make my Technorati rank go way, way up, but a high Technorati ranking is not an indication of heavy traffic. Truth Laid Bear is much like Technorati but they rank according to an “ecosystem”, which gives a cutesey widgety watchamacallit to put on your blog. I get traffic from Technorati but virtually none from Truth Laid Bear.

And Google searches — I get traffic from Google searches because Google seems to like my blog quite a bit. Optimizing your blog with search engines is super helpful.

I’m also a member of StumbleUpon, but I have yet to figure out what the heck to do with it, LOL!

I don’t put a link to my site in my regular emails, but anybody I email regularly knows about it. I get okay traffic these days (for me — I don’t care about being Dooce or anything), but my current readership, I believe, has been garnered over the long haul by visiting blogs, discovering new ones I like, and leaving comments. That seems really to be the best tried ‘n’ true method.

I think the trick with Stumble Upon is to get someone to NOMINATE one of your posts lol! Tried and true, but slow. I wouldn’t mind being Dooce (I think I mentioned that I lost a gig because I was too busy blogging, so I’m on my way ROFLMAO). But, mostly I just want to be able to write and eventually get it to pay for itself. Thanks for more info on Blogging Chicks. I really DO like the new look at your site. And YOU did it all by yourself!~skt

By: MommaK

MommaK — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:11:59 +0000

Wow! What a great design!!!!!!!! Leanne is amazing, isn’t she??

Yes, she is! I had seen the designs she did for you, and was impressed by them as well. I like YOUR blog!

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:49:40 +0000

Great comment from Leeanne, it’s true about the writing though. It is getting the “you” out there. At this point, I am all over the place, but at least I think I got my by line right. I am in a transitional place with so many changes immediately in front of me, not just years away. I like writing because I am sharing what is affecting me today, love the comments b/c it means someone is reading. And if I get some pearls of wisdom from others going through the same thing or those “t-shirt” wearers (been there, done that…), then I take their comments into the mess going on in my head.
Thank you for writing so eloquently the questions about readership.

Thank you, Jen. You are the one who has helped me brave up to facing trying to get more readership. I know that you are feeling a little stress about getting your blog posts out there. You have so much going on right now with the kids and a new job. Just take a deep breath and keep writing. People are commenting, and more will. Your post tonight made me weep. I hadn’t seen the news. ~skt

By: Thomma Lyn

Thomma Lyn — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:38:52 +0000

I’ve been blogging since June of last year, and for the first few months, except for my friend Wylie (Hi, Wylie! ) and my dear mother-in-law, my hit count was pretty much flatlined. Over time, it’s gotten better (though still very modest), but I can’t point to any one technological widget that’s caused the improvement, i.e. Technorati, The Truth Laid Bear, Feedburner, etc. Participating in Thursday Thirteen has been the most helpful thing I’ve done to get more traffic as is being a regular, posting member of a popular writers’ board (Absolute Write — I have a link to my blog in my signature file and participate regularly in its blogging forum).

Thanks for a great post! Good food for thought — after all, we bloggers are all in this together, and all of us want to increase our traffic.

Thank YOU, Thomma Lyn, I have never hear of the Truth Laid Bear. Is anybody a member of Blogging Chicks? I am told I should investigate that. I know what you mean about the flat line. You are a writer, so you understand that need for a readership. On just your regular e-mails do you put a link to your site?~skt

By: Comedy Plus

Comedy Plus — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:28:25 +0000

Leanne is right. It’s work, but you can do it. I cannot add anything to what she said. Just a big good luck. Your new site design is awesome.

Thanks, I am really enjoying it. In fact I sit here admiring it instead of writing, tee hee. I kinda have my Scarlett O’ Hara thang going on today: “I’ll think about that tomorrah, for tomorrah is anothah day.” If you tell me “Frankly, My Dear I don’t give a #^*!…”you are in trouble! Thanks for stopping by. ~skt

By: Kristy

Kristy — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:37:30 +0000

With a full-time job it’s really hard to post, much less work on getting traffic. I’m going to print out this post though and see if I can use it when I get some time. I really don’t care if I get a lot traffic, but it’s nice on those days you feel like you are just talking to yourself. LOL. I just try to think of my blog as a work in progress – a public journal.

That’s OK, too, Kristy. It will grow of it’s own accord. Some people like me, though, have no patience at all (lol) Thanks for the visit!~skt

By: Wylie Kinson

Wylie Kinson — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:08:05 +0000

I wish I could keep up with all this technology!! You’ve done a good job trying to explain things, but honestly RSS sounds like a foreign language (wahhhhhh!)
Can’t I just stick to the “I blog, therefore I am” philosophy?

Wylie, you don’t have to feel that you need to build your blog with technology. Content is the key. But, for me it’s hard to keep coming up with content if there isn’t a readership. It’s that storytelling thing in me that likes the instant feedback! RSS is pretty wonderful for reading all the blogs I want to read, I’ll tell you that—and I only discovered how to do that today!