For my first time participating in a blog carnival...isn't it appropriate that this Works-For-Me Wednesday (hosted by Rocks in my Dryer) is backwards...in other words...I get to ask you what works for you to get something to work for me. Perfect!!! I have so many questions...from how do you make sure you get all of the spilled milk up so it doesn't sour in the carpet and smell nasty? - to - got any good stock tips? But I will start with a different question.
So...fellow bloggers...here it is:
How can I increase my blog's visibility? I've been blogging for a while now and would really like to grow my readership. Do I need a better design (I've got Summer working on a new header for me), are there blog search engines that I need to be on? What are your suggestions? What has worked for you?
I can't wait to hear what you think!!!
20 comments:
Good question. I don't have a lot of comments but ones I do have I've really enjoyed and would like to be friends with more. I have more hits than comments. It seems like there are "groups" of readers that sort of just stay in those groups. Maybe they just get too many blogs to read or something. And...a big one for me is that I'm not in the age group of most of the blogs. But that doesn't bother me because I love being a grandmother and sometimes talking about them. I've decided that my blog is some sort of strange therapy for me. Just me. Comments are icing on the cake. And I've loved keeping up with you. Thanks for that. And you know...we don't live that far away from each other. I'm at Gilbert and Brown and I think I read once you're in or around Sunny Mesa. I pass that all the time going to the mall. :)
I totally need the answer to the milk in the carpet question!
I have been trying to increase my readership and I have found the most successful way has been to find other blogs with similar interests, topics etc and comment on them. I've picked up a few regulars to my blog this way.
I tried participating in some carnivals but found that they did not increase my readership that much. Maybe on the day I participated but I was not getting return visits so I don't do a lot of carnivals anymore.
I just have a little blog with small readership so I am sure people with bigger readership could probably give you better tips.
I think I fall into that "groups of readers" category Lucy's talking about because for me blogging is all about the community and camaraderie. I'm always happy to add another to the group, though. :)
I would also agree with Jeanette. Really, the best way to get your blog noticed is to get out there and comment on blogs that you like and that are similar to your own style.
Or you could just write a post about sock monkeys--that will give you a good 25 extra hits a day, and maybe some sock monkey enthusiast who stumbles by will fall in love with your writing and tell all her sock monkey friends. Because, you know, there's a lot of them out there. Apparently.
Participating in a a blog carnival is definitely the way to start.
You also have to do a lot of blog surfing. Don't wait for people to find you, find them first and leave a comment. Then maybe they'll hop over to your site, like what they read and keep coming back for more.
Also, occasional giveaways certainly don't hurt.
I've been blogging for about 2 1/2 years and I've found that the best way to get more traffic is to comment, comment, comment. And not just on people's individual blogs, but on community blogs. Over half of my readership found me because of something I said over at a community blog.
But here's the catch: commenting on community blogs opens you up to the big ugly world of blogging contention. Not all community blogs tout this, but even places like MMW you will find debate. But honestly? Until I started commenting like a crazy person all over the blogosphere, I had 0 comments for about 1 1/2 years.
The other thing? Bloggers like to talk about themselves. When I started asking questions at the end of my posts (specific ones), people tended to leave comments --even the ones that would just lurk and read without commenting.
I have to agree with Jeanette and Bythelbs, too, because people always gravitate to those with similar interests and opinions. So, find them and comment.
Final warning: If you desire more traffic, you will have to spend more time online blogging. The plus side? 6-12 months of really trying will give you the readership you are comfortable with, and then you can slack a little on commenting. But you can't ever stop completely, because than people will stop commenting at yours, etc. Man, it's a vicious cycle. :)
Anyway, good luck! I like your blog; if that counts for something. :)
Good question. Looks like most of us who have commented are like you - looking for more readers. Maybe we should all band together? I just started 3 weeks ago and have no advice - but I will come back to your blog.
You know what's funny...you're doing EXACTLY what I did to boost my readership - participate in these carnivals! Seriously - my readership jumps from 30 to about 80 on the Wednesdays I participate in these WFMW. Make your carnival posts as engaging as possible, so people want to add you to their Reader.
Look around for other carnivals, as well. I have a cooking blog, and I get lots of hits on the days I post my Daring Bakers posts, or My Kitchen My World. (Write to me if either one of these sound interesting to you, and I'll point you in the right direction to join.)
It's kind of like my Dad used to tell me when I was a kid - I'd never get any mail if I didn't write to anyone!
PS - Oh, and there are some UBER absorbent towels on the market right now that ought to be able to pick up any spilled milk if it's still wet. Worth a shot!
Thanks for this post. I am in the same boat you are. I have been blogging exactly one year, and my traffic has increased but it is pretty stable. I think I will start commenting on group sites. That is a great idea. I think posting regularly and about topics that will appeal to a wide audience helps.
Also, I get about 10 percent of my total traffic from one photo of Jean Claude Van Damme that I posted like 8 months ago. People come from all over the world to see him, but alas, they never stay or ever come back. So, I guess, my advice is, post random photos of celebrities. Which isn't very good advice!
Participate in things like Works for Me Wednesday, go to other blogs and comment and host giveaways. Also just remember that it takes time, that you need to write well so that people will want to come back and don't obsess too much about your numbers.
I was going to say almost the same as Summer. Carnivals help. When I started reading blogs, I found a lot that I am still reading from WFMW. Now that I have my own blog, I try to comment a lot. Don't be afraid to tell some one you like their blog, even by email. It makes it more personal to get to know them then just a comment. If you find a blog you like, add it to your feed reader so you can comment often and hope they will reciprocate. Also, if someone does comment, either visit their blog and leave them a comment, or if they have an email available, send an email reply to their comment. It is nice to know your comment has been appreciated. I have a lot of blogs that I don't comment on as often, because they have never responded.
Obviously content counts. Some say that you have to blog every day to keep a good readership. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. I never have quite that much to say. :)
I know I don't have that huge of a readership, so take it for what it is worth. :) I know that Scribbit (.blogspot.com) wrote a few posts about this. You could probably search for them on her site. She is someone who has a very decent size readership, but yet every time a leave a comment, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, she has sent me an email reply, and commented on my blog a few times.
Hey ya'll thanks so much for taking the time to give me some awesome comment love! I'm for sure feeling it! I love your bloggy wisdom!!
1. Register your blog on Technorati.
2. Link to people. It makes them happy and link back to you.
I'm in the same process as you, trying to increase readership. One way that has brought in more traffic is to increase a Twitter tool on my blog so that whenever I do a new entry, it automatically gets sent to my Twitter as a Tweet. I've gotten a few hits from there. Other ways is to do more relevant posts, like reviews of stores, articles, etc. I'm still learning too!
Comments on other blogs, but the downside is the bigger your readership the bigger the number of people in your google reader, so more time reading blogs!
So...little girls are all about layering and accessorizing? Umm..so, when I have my boy around Christmas...will he be the opposite? Will he be all about taking it OFF?! Oh dear. Come to think of it, I HAVE heard horror stories about naked little boys hiding in houses, just waiting for the doorbell to ring.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear....
I agree with everything everyone's said. There's forums at Blissfully Domestic that you can join and comment, and there's a blog called Blog Coach that has all kinds of info on growing your blog. Also, I think that all us little blogs should just band together and vow to comment every time we read! I am trying to do better at this...I'll let you know if it ups my numbers! I linked here from the WFMW, so keep those up too!
There's GOT to be a better way to respond to all your sweet comments over at Bubba Bubbles! (Some comments, when I hit "reply" in my Gmail account, an e-mail address gets automatically plugged in. Yours doesn't have one. :-( )
Glad you like the Princess stories. :-) it's been MONTHS since I wrote one, but I'm hoping to start collecting them into a book when I get the blog ready to print. (it's all for BBJ, anyhow. ;-)
Thank you sooo much for asking this question. I was waiting for Wednesday to roll around so that I could ask the same exact thing. But then the day got away from me, and by the time I signed on, links were closed :(
These comments are all really helpful, and I'll definitely check a few of them out.
On a side note, I've looked around your blog a bit and think it's great. You're a great writer! So while I have no words of wisdom to offer, I can at least tell you that I'll be back! :)
Great question that I wish I had an answer for.
I get most repeat hits when I comment a lot. But the time spent reading and commenting on other blogs is definitely not cost effective if all I'm trying to do is get hits on my blog.
I think content is king over blog design - as you'll see if you look at the lack of design on my blog! But that's just me.
And the carnivals and Mr. Linkys do get me hits - I have a schedule that gets me on some each week. But most of these are not repeats - if I don't link up, I never see those visitors again.
Probably my best investment has been Scribbit's writing contests. I wish I could find some more writing contests to enter.
Hi, I'm not sure what links I followed to get here, but it looks like you have an interesting blog, and I'll be back. As far as getting milk out of carpet, my best advice is to get rid of the carpet! Not necessarily practical, I know, so I just used lots of water and elbow grease, and was grateful when my kids grew older. Have a great day!
Post a Comment