If your blog has traffic, you can begin converting some of those people into regular readers and then some of those regulars into customers. When you surf the net, you will see many services that offer traffic for relatively little money. The problem with them is that they are usually sending low quality traffic or, in other words, traffic that is non-targeted and irrelevant. Thus, you will end up paying for traffic that is largely worthless to you. It is better to avoid such services as they are not focusing on qualified visitors, i.e. visitors who have shown no interest in your domain or subject matter… they’ve just clicked because of some incentive.
Getting traffic, and that too relevant and targeted traffic, is an on-going task. Here are some ways to get traffic without having to pay for it:
1. Guest Blog
With just one post on a popular blog can give your own blog a great jumpstart. Apart from getting people to know of your blog, guest blogging is also a great way to earn early links and references back to your site. This can help in driving direct traffic and boost your search rankings. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ are great places to find guest blogging opportunities. You would have to contact blog owners and follow the guidelines for creating content for their blogs.
2. Promote Your Blog’s Url
Keep an eye open for different ways of making people aware of your blog’s URL. The most common way is to be active in forums and include the URL of your blog in your signature. You may also include the URL in your email signature and even on your letterhead. If you know of any blogs, websites and social media communities where discussions and content are being posted on your topic, you may popularize your blog there. While commenting on other blogs or forums, be sure to post something interesting and unique, so that you may grab attention and therefore draw attention to your blog.
3. Search Engine Optimization
Almost 85% traffic to any website is directed by search engines. Making sure your blog is optimized for search engines is therefore essential. It is probably difficult to witness any change in traffic initially, as search engine optimization yields results over time. Therefore, be patient in the near term and you are sure to enjoy huge dividends as your blog becomes more and more content heavy. You still need to do your homework around keyword research and optimize your posts, so that your blog ranks higher and higher for targeted traffic. Don’t forget to submit your blog to as many search engines as you can.
4. Incorporate a Theme
The power of a beautiful, usable and professional design can’t be overstated. But a majority of bloggers do not design the themes for their blogs. Sites that use default templates or have horrifying 1920s design will receive less trust, get fewer pages per visit, suffer from lower time-on-page and have a lower likelihood of being shared. Those that feature a stunning design that clearly indicates quality work will experience the reverse and reap amazing benefits. Thus, the demand for good themes is very high. If you can create a good theme that other bloggers start to use, you’ll begin seeing the links to your site really start to pile up.
5. Interrelate With Other Bloggers
Commenting on other blogs is a great way to get noticed, both by the blogger and by people reading the comments. You’ll get a special benefit from those who maintain a Top Commentators list too. Also, the sooner you comment on a post that later becomes very popular, the more visibility you’ll end up getting. Be conscious of the name you use when commenting and the URL you point back to. Consistency matters, particularly on naming, and linking to internal pages or using a name that’s clearly made for keyword-spamming rather than true conversation will kill your efforts before they begin.
Earning traffic isn’t rocket science, but it does take time, consistency and perseverance. Stick to your schedule. If you use the ways discussed above and apply them properly, you are sure to see a marked increase in the traffic to your blog.
About the author: Aliya Martin is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on luxury and technology. In her free time, she plays games on her cell phone. Being crazy about cars, she aims to own a showroom of automobiles sometime in the near future.