How I Get Traffic To My Blog- A List You Can Use

 

Article by Wendy McCance
Secrets of a Blogging Professional Part 3

 

How do you get more traffic to your blog?

 

What are the “secrets” to getting more followers? These are the questions every blogger wants to know.  It’s only natural to want to see your blog explode.  Images of becoming something of a legend for your insight and wisdom has passed through many bloggers minds at one time or another.

I would like to just put out there that I have researched this topic to death.  There are many people out there that swear they know the secret components to getting crazy amounts of traffic overnight and devoted followers to flock to their site.  I don’t have what I would label a “secret method.”  I don’t promise to make you an overnight sensation.  My blog is still growing at what I consider a healthy rate, but it definitely isn’t exploding.

After that letdown, if you are still reading this, I will tell you what I do to get the readers and to gain followers.  Hopefully within this article there will be something that you will find valuable and will take you to that next level of traffic.

  • I will assume you write good content that others consider valuable, inspiring, funny or just thought-provoking.
  • I will also assume that you write a post at least 3 times per week.
  • I will also maintain that you have a blog that visually impresses the reader with easy ways to share your content and comment on a post.  

 

If you have all of the above, what I have to share might be of benefit to you.  

 

Basically, you must have all your ducks in a row before you can worry about increasing traffic and gaining additional followers.

 

Submitting your links to valuable social media site is the number one way to expand your reach.

 

The more you advertise, the more your name gets out there and the more visits you will have.  It’s as simple as that.  If you have a health blog, find sites dealing with health and submit your articles there.  If you are a mommy blogger, there are a million mommy blogger sites to add your link to.  Basically you want to add your links to sites that are relevant to your blog’s topic.

Here is the list of all of the sites (I can think of) that I submit articles to or have a link to my blog under my profile.  I’m sure I will forget a few, because I am always searching for new sites to link up to.  Anyway, you get the point.

  1. LinkedIn (and relevant LinkedIn groups)
  2. Twitter
  3. Facebook (personal and Facebook page)
  4. Google+
  5. StumbleUpon
  6. Tumblr
  7. Digg
  8. Reddit
  9. Pintrest
  10. FriendFeed
  11. Diigo
  12. Delicious
  13. Instapaper
  14. LiveJournal
  15. Plurk
  16. Paper.li
  17. Sverve
  18. Bloggy Moms
  19. The SITS Girls
  20. Mom Central
  21. Pingler
  22. Twyla
  23. Slideshare (just signed up)
  24. Blog Engage
  25. The Oakland Press
  26. The Macomb Daily
  27. Grand Traverse Insider
  28. Daily Tribune
  29. Heritage Newspapers
  30. The Morning Sun
  31. Zemanta
  32. Technorati
  33. Networked Blogs
  34. Blog Top Sites
  35. Blog Monitor
  36. Blog Log
  37. Mommy Blogs
  38. Bebo
  39. Blog Catalog
  40. Mom Bloggers Club
  41. Bing
  42. Yahoo
  43. Google
  44. STIK
  45. Quora
  46. Klout

 

There are two things I need to point out:

 

1.  The best thing I ever did was get my blog in the paper online.  All of the papers listed are through the same company, so the newspaper has used my blog in all of their local papers.

If you see that your local paper has an online blog section, you can write to
the editor and ask to be included.  Another good source is the local Patch
newspapers.  They are always looking for bloggers.

2.  Another way I got a jump in traffic was when I signed up for all of the product
review sites.  Sverve for example allows you to post your articles and will even
retweet what you have posted.  They have been a fantastic site to deal with.

Besides using social media sites to get my blog noticed, I have done a few quest posts and will occasionally comment on other blogs.  I will only comment on an article that moves me and many times will share that article within my social groups.  It’s the quality, heartfelt comment that gets traffic to my blog.

Other bloggers have noticed me sharing a great article of theirs and will oftentimes begin to follow me on Google+, Twitter or follow my blog.  This brings with it some great connections and some additional traffic from them.

I hope this breakdown of my blog and what I do to capture additional traffic has sparked an idea that you can use.  As always, please feel free to share your experiences, ask a question or share this article if you found it helpful and relevant to you.

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 6 local papers online, including the Oakland Press.The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

4 thoughts on “How I Get Traffic To My Blog- A List You Can Use

  1. Thanks Wendy for all the good advice. You have quite a list there — some I’ll have to check out. You’re doing a great job with attracting traffic and thank you for sharing your tips.

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