From time to time, I receive messages or talk to a blog owner who is unhappy with low traffic. They often lament how their new blog does not provide much traffic improvement and, apparently, provides no value to their business. As such, some of them even go so far as to explain the above is the primary reason why they no longer spend time developing content. But wait, how do things get so bad that your blog becomes a rusty tool? What happened that has perhaps, demotivated the blog owner? As a business owner myself, I take a strong belief that regardless of any issues at had, we as business operators take ownership of all issues. “Share the credit, shoulder the blame”.
Successful blog owners have a positive attitude, they try to be constructive, cooperative and well informed. They work with the community, not for the community. They understand that the benefits a blog can offer are bestowed by the community, as they are earned. Again, it’s about good attitude. If you’re going to burst on the blog scene all wild eyed, posting reams of comments on every forum or blog in sight – regardless of the subject matter, all tough and authoritative, pushy and aggressive, posting low quality content on your own blog… You’re not going to get far. You need to find the golden middle way.
Don’t get me wrong, in my younger blog years I on occasion, did do much of what’s listed below, and I’m posting the following (tongue in cheek at times) to help. Do you have a comment or suggestion? Feel free to add it in the discussion comments.
Only use the default design template (theme) that came with your blog package.
There’s nothing better than advertising your blog as not important enough to spend time obtaining an esthetically pleasing, usable and inviting, functionable interface; with simple to use (and intuitive) navigation.
Readers like looking at poor quality designs and they love to spend extra time treasure hunting for your content. Have a blog that looks poor? That potentially suggests your business is also poor.
Besides, it’s nice to know that your blog looks the same as the rest of the herd, blending in and getting lost.
Never ever respond to comments.
Remember, this is your blog! You don’t have time to respond to visitors, your time is valuable, so they will have to wait for someone else to provide an answer. Remember, you’re providing free information and tools so visitors will just have to wait for a convenient time. They don’t mind that you’re not really interested in providing valuable input.
Additionally, sometimes someone posts a reply that you may not agree with; leave your ego behind and respond professionally.
Never comment on other blogs, forums or web sites.
Don’t waste your time helping other blogs with your valuable input, after all, your blog is the priority. Quite frankly, if you have anything of value to say, people should read about it only on your blog. Don’t worry that less exposure makes you harder to find.
Post new content whenever the need arises.
That’s right, you’re very busy, you’re a mover and shaker. Post content whenever you get around to it, that way your readers will have to keep checking if new content is posted.
Visitors will always wait for quality content, it’s free and they have nothing better to do. Besides they appreciate that your blog may therefore not address current in demand content.
In today’s rapid mobile world, do you really truly think people will keep returning to check if there’s new content yet?
Repost content you find elsewhere.
Readers like reposted content, that way they don’t have to go to the original web site to find it. Readers enjoy seeing the same Creative Content licensed articles shared over and over again on different sites – Why should you be any different?
If you want to be particularly saucy and daring, add your own copyright to the material. Readers love to find it as it gives them a reason to notify the original author. So what if the author takes legal action, files a DMCA notice, or Google removes you from their search results – You can blog about it and your readers have something to talk about.
Reposted content clearly shows that you may be focused on current subjects but lack the genuine skills to develop original, valuable content. This suggests that maybe your business is the same (lacking in skill, experience, etc.)
[message type=”success”]Involve the people in your target niche. Get their advice, get their help, invite them and let them contribute. It’s the very community your business is blogging to that will ultimately guide your blog to success. Doing such things helps to create a win-win scenario for businesses and clients[/message]
You are the master of your subject.
You know your products, services or subject matter intimately. You don’t need to field information from someone else. Similarly, you should never spend time reading other related blogs, as that is not worthwhile. Your content is better than any one else and your traffic will prove as much (once your blog gets busy).
You don’t mind that failing to read content can in the long run demonstrate how uninformed you may be. And certainly demonstrates to the online marketplace, that you’re not engaged.
Don’t waste time developing quality content.
The content on your blog is free, don’t waste extra time making it worthwhile to read, helpful or inform. Everyone else is talking about the same information, so what’s the point of focusing on quality? These day’s readers want just a line or two of explanation and a few links, they don’t have time to sit and read. Keeping posts short and curt can show people how low your blog priority may be.
Focus on your specific niche, this helps you to create better quality content just for them. It aids in better marketing and improved Google search results positioning.
Smother them with ads and excessive calls to action.
Readers love splogs (spam blogs). They in essence, enjoy three lines of content and 500 lines of irrelevant and unrelated advertising. They will return time and again to see if anything has changed. Of course they will enjoy clicking all the ads that have no relation to the information they are looking for.
Stay focused.
Always lead your readers on.
Make all sorts up promises to your readers. Always tell them what you think they want to hear and read. That way they will be sure to return, time and again. As with any business operation, professionalism and integrity are negatively impacted by empty promises.
Never listen to professional advice.
When a professional web developer, designer, blogger, etc. gives you advice, never listen to it. After all, you’ve read all there is to read about the subject. You even attended seminars where the opposite was suggested. You asked someone else and they agreed with you.
Web professionals…? What do they know about my business? (They just know about web stuff). This clearly demonstrates to readers that you may be foolish. Particularly when a blog feature is considered useless or “bloat” or not the best web solution for your industry.
When a genuine web professional provides advice, listen and compare it to advice from other professionals.
Use the cheapest web hosting package you can find.
Nothing is more fun that trying to access a blog and receiving error messages in your web browser. Visitors will keep trying until the problem finally gets fixed. After all, the content is free, so visitors will wait for the site to become available again. You can actually save money by using cheap hosting. This clearly suggests to visitors that maybe your business is cheap and unreliable.
Never ever participate in social networks.
You may on occasion read that social networks like Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are big time wasters. You’re a professional and are wise to that. Social networks don’t provide enough traffic as they are only for hip, savvy web users. Therefore, you don’t mind your blog being less visible.
Google page rank is where the action is, if you could just spend a little more money on advertising, to get a higher ranking.
In my opinion, not participating and enjoying the benefits of social media is arguably one of the biggest factors limiting blog growth! (Or for that matter any type of site). I often get the impression that many people don’t realize the Internet is just as social as the brick and mortar world. In fact, Internet based social media most often empowers business owners to interact with a larger visitor (and potential client) base, than physically possible.
By: Roger Wheatley
