Submit Your Website to Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Baidu, Yandex

The fundamental step to boost traffic to your site is the ranking your website on search engine result pages in higher places. To rank your site on the top of search engines, your website should be crawled by webspiders (which are also known as crawlers or bots). Spiders are programs, which crawl your site and make an Index. The spider of Google is known as Googlebot. For Bing search engine, it’s Bingbot. Also for Baidu search engine, it’sBaidu-Spider. In search engine optimization (SEO), indexing your website and web pages in the proper situations is very important.  If you think that you can boost traffic to your brand new website with low number of posts, sorry to say that you have to add more sufficient content which people love to read and find them informative.

How to get a Higher Page Rank in Less Time – 25 Easy Steps

Do you want to increase traffic to your blog? Well, Make Sure it gets a High Page Rank. Here are Some of the Easiest Ways to Improve your Blog’s Page Rank and well as Optimize it for SEO.

So here is a list of things you need to do to improve your blog/site and get a high page rank in the shortest possible time. Hope you would find them useful.

Improving Blog Traffic: 5 Must-Have Qualities

Back then, most blogs were daily ramblings of a personal nature with no high traffic or page views as target. Today, the situation is totally different as we see a variety of blogs created to achieve high traffic with many purposes such as monetization.

There’re many practical ways to achieve high traffic like creating detailed tutorials that readers eager to learn, or talks about certain hot topic which targeted readers are interested to read on and comment. These methods are actually basic knowledge for most bloggers, but only few are successful in achieving high traffic with them. This is simply because they not only know how to do it, but do it well.

In this editorial post, I will be suggesting a few critical qualities that I believe such blogs must have in order to retain their audience and attract even more, in other words, achieve high traffic. These 5 must-have qualities will be the least it will take to boost the traffic with consistency remained.

1. Consistency – Managing Expectations

The rule of the thumb for such blogs is to be consistent. By consistent, I’m not just referring to the content of the posts or your personal views expressed, but also the frequency of your updates, your writing style and so forth. We are, after all, creatures of habits who prefer things to be in order, in manners which we can anticipate a certain level of standards. At the very least, consistency would promote loyalty for your readers who have gotten used to your unique blogging style.

(Image source: Photosani)

The content of your posts should be confined within the particular theme which you have set for your blog. If it is primarily a discussion blog on concurrent social or political issues, stick with that. Chances are that the narrower your topic is, the more specific your target audience will be, and thus the more likely your posts would appeal to them.

Consistency in your views should ultimately create a personality for yourself and the blog, so that your readers can relate to it. Of course, this doesn’t mean all your opinions will be cast in stones; you are definitely free to switch sides as you deem fit. Just remember that when people are reading your posts on a regular basis, your blog gradually get personified as a human being with preferences, opinions and even values.

Needless to say, you would need to feed your loyal fans with a regular dosage of posts, lest they seek elsewhere to satisfy that need. If you post three entries a week, you can stick with that. If you post just one per week, that’s fine too. The idea is to maintain a steady rate of posting, so that readers will soon form an accurate expectation on the frequency of the updates.

Writing style shouldn’t be an issue if you are blogging alone, unless perhaps your writings frequently fluctuate along with your mood swings! If, however, you are working as a team with multiple writers for the blog, you should standardize a certain writing format so as not to confuse the readers.

Then again, if you decide that variety would do the blog good by offering readers more opinions, you’ve got to show the readers clearly who the author is, preferably with a portrait photo for them to identify with. In such cases, the consistency factor is being played on the individual authors rather than the entire blog itself.

2. Credibility – Ensuring Reliability

Nobody likes to read a blog full of erroneous or inaccurate information. Neither do they enjoy posts that don’t provide enough opinions to give them food for thought.

You need to establish a certain level of credibility in order for readers to take in what you have to say. To do that, you’ve got to fathom the issue raised at the tip of your fingers. How? Well, if you are working in a diverse team, topics can be assigned to editors with expertise in those areas. At the very least, their research efforts will be channelled efficiently on a limited number of topics which they are allocated with, such that they will eventually gain expertise. If you are writing alone, you might consider specializing your blog on topics which you are especially knowledgeable with.

Another way to show readers that your information is trustworthy is to cite sources. Doing this will not only give rightful credits to the sources, it will also provide readers a sense of assurance that you aren’t just assuming facts. As a matter of fact, citing sources is a standard practice in the academic universe to prevent plagiarism and such.

One thing to note though, is that facts are to be separated from opinions. It’s not wrong to voice your own judgments and arguments on matters, but it is a deadly sin to be inaccurate in what you proclaim to be facts. In the latter case, it amounts to misleading your readers. It is hence your responsibility as a blogger to get your facts right first. Do your research well before you start writing.

3. Focus – One at a Time

Have you ever had a group meeting where each member compete to give their take on the situation, fail to compromise with each other, and ended up going nowhere with the discussion? It’s kind of how it is when your posts becomes too diluted with too many issues at one go. Having too many arguments or questions in a single post overwhelm readers and render them clueless about what to discuss.

Yes, perhaps the purpose of your blog was to address a broad societal concern that encompasses quite a number of potential issues. As a whole, your blog should rightfully cover all of that in fair amount. However, when it comes to individual posts, try not to cramp too much info into a single entry. Imagine how messy the comments will be like if they do not refer to the same issue within the post. The discussion will be a very distracting one where everyone only wants to talk about the part which they are most interested in. It would be like the group meeting scenario I had just mentioned.

So, be clear of the agenda behind each of your post. What exactly do you wish to bring to the table? What personal opinions and views do you want to bring across to them? How do you want readers to engage in the discussion through the points you’ve made? These are only some of the more generic questions to ask yourself before you decide on the approach for your piece of writing.

Fortunately, you can still moderate the discussion to some extent at the first sign of digression. If the comments seem to drift off to an unrelated topic, you can always post a comment yourself to bring the focus back on track. A superb way to do that is to post an intriguing question about the post and challenge everyone to comment on it.

4. Creativity – Trial & Error

This might seems like a contradiction to my point about being consistent, but it doesn’t have to be so. Your blog can be consistent, and yet not rigid.

Think of it this way. There is a boundary which you should adhere to, and that is where you maintain your theme of the blog, writing style, etc. Within the border though, there is a large space for you to roam and experiment with your blog. So long as you don’t go beyond that and obey the fundamentals of ensuring a reputable blog, you are free to think out-of-the-box and shakes thing up a little.

Write in a controversial post, put yourself in the context of those who disagree with you or come up with a new design every once in a while. Play with ideas like these and see how your readers respond to them. If they react negatively, not to worry, because you would’ve already establish yourself as a consistent and reliable blogger. You can return back to the safe zone for your blog and abandon the concept altogether. If you sense that they like it, then you are one step closer to understanding what makes your blog ticks.

As they always say, you’ll never know until you try… within limits and in small doses though.

5. Engagement – The Community Spirit

A blog is pretty much a social gathering of like-minded people interested in the topics presented. I’m sure your idea of such a blog is that of an online community, where everyone gets information and ideas from your entries and share their personal thoughts with the rest. Everyone benefits as they learn from each other through posts and comments, and think critically about what were brought up.

Yet, sometimes we see that readers get a little passive and seem hesitant with discussing. Why is that so?

Well, it could be the way you write your post. In order for a lively discussion to occur, you need to provide some form of stimuli or trigger for the readers. It’s good practice to post thought-provoking questions at the end of your post since it will let readers know what to comment on and ensure that they don’t stray off-topic. If, however, you prefer an open discussion rather than directing it in any way, you can at the very least include in a line asking them to comment on what they think or feel.

Another way to incorporate the online community spirit is to give readers themselves a chance to post entries. As I emphasized on creativity in the previous point, you might try something novel and engaging for your readers by setting up a contest. As we all know, some blogs have the ‘like’ function for each comment posted, and that potentially indicate the popularity of a certain perspective or opinion. Readers can be asked to post a complete entry about their views on a specific issue, and the comment which garnered the most number of ‘like’ votes will get to be featured on the blog.

Also, make it a point to provide a convenient channel for the readers to feedback to you. In your blog, the readers are essentially your customers, and you as the blogger will need to address their needs and complaints. Put in your email address for them to contact you. Let them connect with you through social media like Facebook. Let them feel they are part of your blog community.

Top three qualities of a successful blogger

The qualities of a blogger should be attended at all times in order to become someone popular on the internet, a blogger should have plenty of ideas for creative writing, along with a truckload of motivation. The results sought will not come overnight, there's no guarantee that this will be easy. What we need first are two things in order realize your dream of running a successful blog: a lot of exclusive content and readers' loyalty. In each case, time is required to develop the success. This is a process and not a short-term event.

Top Qualities To Become a Successful Blogger 

Here are three qualities of a blogger who as a site administrator will need to have, if his goal is to manage a successful blog.

Patience

A successful blog is a product of time and effort and as a site administrator, you will need patience. As I said before, the results will not arrive quickly overnight, therefore, it is important to realize this from the start. If you are constantly trying to develop new and creative ideas for writing on your blog and at the same time you are worried if you will see any results, this will only make things more difficult. The building of a blogging platform is a "long term" effort, so, you must decide whether to accept the challenge or not. This is one the most important qualities of a blogger.

Credibility

Much of the traffic of any successful blog is based on publishing unique content, as well, its credibility. In fact, the quality of what is in the site will have a direct impact on what will become viral visitors that are coming to your platform. If you will provide quality content, then people will talk about your blog, and if they do, others will come to see what you have. Depends on you to publish useful and accurate information, your readers will do the rest. 

Consistency

Maintaining a steady stream of creative writing ideas is vital to be able to constantly update the blog. The frequency of publication to a proper schedule is related to the amount of time you have available and your level of motivation. However, it is important to establish a sort of consistency, so that people can schedule their own visits accordingly. Just remember that the more often you write, the more people will visit, so their loyalty will grow faster and their referrals will be extended.

 

For becoming a popular blogger is important having a healthy source of creative writing ideas, along with a lot of patience and motivation. Ultimately, it will be reduced to you as the system administrator to provide the three qualities of a blogger that we discussed above, who is searching tirelessly his goal of having a successful blog. In the end, your own motivation and patience will be the glue with which all the elements will be put together so that your dream will come true.

Top Local SEO Tips for Large Businesses

According to broad definition, local search engine optimization (SEO) involves any practice, which aims to enhance traffic quality and quantity obtained through geographic search queries.

“Geographic search queries” – now, what exactly does that mean?

In simple terms, it means that the users include their keywords with locations. Assuming that you are offering baby products in London, taking on local SEO techniques can help your site rank in search engine result pages (SERPs) whenever potential customers use search terms like “baby products in London” or “London baby products”.

How To Drive More Traffic To Your Blog

If you want to attract a strong readership for your blog, it’s obvious that you need to create great content. But that’s not sufficient: amazing content that doesn’t get read might as well not exist. To build a thriving blog, you also need to learn to drive traffic to it.

So what methods do the experts use? We’ve compiled a list of 13 tried and true ways to build your audience.

1. Incorporate social influencers into your blog posts (where relevant). Writing about, say, social media? If you cite a prominent example like Gary Vaynerchuk, it’s a win-win: your post has more credibility because you’ve cited a specific example, and the thought leader in question may be inclined to promote the blog among his or her communities, since it mentions them favorably. Same goes for any niche community, whether you’re citing socially-savvy surfers or sushi chefs.
2. Add a link to your latest article in your Twitter bio and ask for retweets. Use your Twitter “real estate” by linking to your latest article in your Twitter bio. You can also drive social sharing by specifically asking others to retweet it. (If you create huge amounts of content, you can’t do this all the time, but it’s powerful when used sparingly.) Indeed, a study by Social Bakers of thousands of brands on Twitter found that users who asked their followers to “RT” their tweet received 73.48 average retweets per tweet. Compare that with just 2.09 retweets for those without a call-to-action.
3. Send your article out in a blast email or newsletter to your contacts. If you have an e-newsletter (and it’s still one of the most powerful marketing tools today), include links to your blog posts. Your subscribers already like what you do; this nudge can remind them to check out your blog.
4. Add a link into your email signature inviting people to read your latest blog post. Think about how many people you email on a daily basis, new and old. This simple practice reminds them you have a blog, and may intrigue them enough to click the link.
5. Send your blog post to relevant people/organizations/blogs that would be interested in reading it and sharing it with their networks. You can simply send a message such as, “I recently published an article on the top apps for entrepreneurs and thought your readers might find it interesting.” Offer to reciprocate by sharing or linking to a relevant post of theirs. Daniel’s writer friend Brian Honigman occasionally emails him with a specific ask: will Daniel share an article Brian has written on social media? If Brian were to merely tweet out his article, many people (including Daniel) might miss it, but an email request cuts through the clutter.
6. Send your blog post out to any person or entity mentioned. It’s not just social influencers – if you mention a local bakery or car dealership or a software company in your post, send them a link and alert them. It’s likely they’ll be interested in reading and promoting it, as well.
7. Share your article on other social networks. Pinterest, Vine, Storify, Digg, Quora, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Care2 are just some of the many options for sharing your work.
8. Share your article on social bookmarking sites. Plenty to choose from here, as well: Newsana is a new, good site, and you should also consider Paper.li, Delicious, Ebaumsworld, Newsvine, Scoop.it, Technorati, and more.
9. Tweet your post multiple times, with different teaser quotes. The first time you tweet about your new post, merely make it the title of your article (“13 Innovative Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog”). The second time, you can quote from the article or summarize key points (“Tip to increase blog readership – send a link to anyone you mention in your post”). For your third, you can pose a question (“Do you want to dramatically increase your blog readership?”). This prevents you from looking like a spammer, and different headlines may capture different readers.
10. Leverage Google Authorship. As SEO expert Jayson DeMers has discussed, signing up for Google Authorship allows your author profile to appear by your posts and connects it with your Google+ profile.
11. Utilize LinkedIn groups. Post the blog via relevant LinkedIn groups. You can join up to 50 groups and many have thousands upon thousands of members—dramatically increasing your potential reach. For instance, if you’re a woman in social media who lives in New York, you might consider joining the “Social Media Marketing” group, with over half a million members.
12. Include visual content and videos. Study after study has found people engage more with images, infographics, videos, and the like. It’s a powerful way to get readers connected.
13. Make your blog SEO friendly. Include a headline that users might search for in Google, such as a “how to.” Repeat keywords from your headline in your post (but not too frequently, or you’ll look like a spammer). And make sure to link to credible outside sources and think about how you can truly add value to the reader. What Google and other search engines seek to prioritize is quality information.

As you can see, it takes actual work to promote your article. But the good news is that there are more resources today than ever before.

Have you effectively used these methods to drive traffic to your blog? Do you recommend other strategies? Let us know in the comments section below.

Dorie Clark is a marketing strategist who teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Learn more about her new book Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future (Harvard Business Review Press) and follow her on Twitter.

Daniel Vahab is a journalist and social media community manager. His writings have appeared in Mashable, Yahoo! News, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and more.

10 Ways to Increase Your Business Blog Traffic by 227 Percent

The goal of any professional blog is to get people to click, read, engage and share -- in that order. Enticing them to do so can vastly increase your business visibility and drive exponential future sales. While there is no substitute for writing quality, human, dynamic content, knowing how to maximize blog traffic can make all the difference between attracting a big crowd online... or just hearing crickets.

I've worked with multiple companies as content marketer, measuring the traffic to their company's blog posts before and after I took over, and here's what I came up with: these 10 tips increased their blog traffic by at least 227 percent. Of course a specific percentage of growth can't be guaranteed, I assure you that instituting these practices into your blogging will help your business, too.

1. It's all in the title. 

The title of your blog is THE most important factor in getting your blog opened. Since it's the first thing a potential reader sees, a good title catches the viewers attention, creates some controversy, plays off a common saying, mentions newsworthy keywords or names, hints at conflict, delineates action, and maybe proposes a question that the reader now wants answered. Oh, and it has to be short! Remember that it should fit well within 140 characters (for Twitter, with room for it to be retweeted and the link.)

Be clear, concise, and direct, but also propose a new angle or creative take on a topic in order for your title to get clicked. Remember that people are bombarded with choices, so choose a title that jumps out at them!

2. Add value. 
A blog should have a purpose, a main directive. It could be just to entertain (I love "fluff" pieces every once and a while), provide education, tell a story, or to solve a problem. But the information should always add some sort of value to the greater Internet conversation, never just recycling exactly what's been covered before. Keep the reader in mind when writing your blog, addressing an issue, challenge, or universal experience they have. Remember to keep it super simple - blogs that try to do too much or are hard to follow don't get read or shared.

3. Shorten your website URL. 
Make sure you have a short URL that's easy to spell and remember! I've made that mistake before with my website URL, NormSchriever.com. The problem was that no one on earth could spell 'Schriever' properly (including me before I've had coffee in the morning.) I suspect I lost a lot of people to Maria Shriver and Justin Beiber's websites when they were really looking for my last name. So I added the domain URL NormWrites.com, which is easy to remembered when I'm reciting it on a radio show, via social media, or yelling it at someone before I've had my coffee.

You can also shorten your long blog link to a shorter URL through TinyUrl.com, Hootsuite, etc. which makes it easier to share and retweet.

4. Photos.
Let's do a little test. Are you more likely to read this version...

4. Photos.
...Or this one? Use photos with every blog you write, without fail. They catch our eye, anchor our attention as we process what's in the photo (see mind mapping below) and blog links are far more likely to be clicked if they have an engaging photo. The same concept applies for sharing your work on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook to attract an audience. Remember what they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

5. Stamp your photos. 
Subtly stamp your name, company name, website, etc. in the bottom corner of your photos. No matter where that photo appears it will serve as a mini billboard for you and your company, and help sites like Instagram and Pinterest market for you. There are plenty of cheap or free photo stamping apps that work from your laptop or phone.

6. Give something away.
Offer the readers something for free in your blog, but don't be afraid to surrender control of your content without asking for an email or any other strings attached. People are savvy. If you give people quality content that provides value, they'll reach out to you, spread the word, or come back to order more in the future. If they don't like what you have to offer, then having their email address doesn't do you any good. Give 'em the good stuff and leave 'em wanting more - the first rule of show biz.

7. Write evergreen information.
Sometimes you want to be on the cutting edge of breaking news but don't neglect writing blogs with "evergreen information" that isn't based on current events so it won't become irrelevant quickly. Blogs with evergreen information never become outdated so they can be read, shared, and grow an audience over time without limitation.

8. Post around notable dates. 
Timing is everything when writing your business blogs, so keep informed of notable dates, events, and holidays. There are also plenty of whacky days (National Peanut Butter Day) and months to raise support for a cause (Breast Cancer Awareness Month.) Planning a blog around an upcoming holiday or season change (like back to school, spring cleaning, etc.) gives you plenty of time to get it posted and gain exposure with readers as the date approaches. The media also starts looking for these stories on short notice and may pick up your blog.

9. Write content rich in links and key words.
Incorporate plenty of key words into your blog, the same ones a reader might type into a search engine like Google. Mix it up with some quotes from notable people, clickable links to other articles (or blogs you've written) and mentions of famous people, organizations, companies, etc. But don't go overboard until your blog is no longer organic and easily readable -- "Do it, but don't over do it," is the general consensus of social media and SEO experts.

10. Utilize mind mapping.
Mind mapping is a concept that tracks how our eyes and then our brain views, perceives, and processes information, and assigns it context. In the field of blogging, mind mapping will help you incorporates physical cues to keep your audience engaged, like photos, headers, sub headers, bullet points, indents, and even changes in color or font. Remember that a blog of just text is less likely to be read and shared than a blog anchored by a photo and broken into clear, logical sections of information, easy for the brain to follow and process.

If you’re looking for a new way to make money blogging, then you’ve come to the right place. Running your own blog can get pricey overtime, so it’s important that you find some way to make money off of your blogging skills in order to generate some kind of revenue. Many of the methods used have been around in the business for a while, and new systems are always being created to stay ahead of the curve. To make money blogging, your approach has to be unique and creative so that your readers keep coming back while the income from your blog keeps pouring in.

How To Make Money From Blogging

There are lots of reasons why you may have written ablog. You enjoy writing. You want to share your views. You want to promote your business. Or maybe you want to make money. Yes, you really can make money from writing a blog. Increasingly people are realising blog writing can in fact be quite a profitable venture, whether it enables you to give up your part-time job, help you finance your studies, or provide extra income to fuel an active social life.  You can even earn a full time income from blogging, but remember there is no such thing as “get rich quick” but by following these simple steps you’re be monetizing your blog in no time. When you start making enough money, you can budget it using personal finance software and even write it off in your taxes. And even if your goal of blog writing is not making money, it’s a nice perk.

There are three main ways you can make money from blogging:Advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling products/ services.There are many different ways of how you can make money from blogging within these three categories. Which ones are the best? Well the truth is there is no single way to get rich from blogging. First you need to establish your niche. The techniques you chose will depend on your niche, as well as on your own skills and preferences. But as always not all techniques are equal and there are some highly effective methods that are worth knowing. So here I am going to reveal some excellent ways to make money from your blog. And soon enough you will be pulling in the cash from your blogs.

1. Google Adsense – This lets you chose a number of ads that are within your blogs niche. You will be paid according to the number of people clicking on the ads. Their normal ads are excellent. 250×300 pixel ads are the most effective. Ads that are placed above the fold or blended with content generally get higher click-through-rates.  www.google.com/adsense
2. CPM Advertising Networks are also worth a look. Here you get paid for the number of page views that your ads on yourblog generate. To get a higher CPM: Put your ad at the top of the page, and use a bigger format in terms of number of pixels. Check out http://tribalfusion.com/,http://www.cpxinteractive.com/ 
3. andhttp://www.burstmedia.co.uk/.
4. Affiliate programs – By helping others to sell their products through an affiliate program, you can earn some money too. How? Your blog provides information or mentions another’s product. Your readers click on the advert from your blog to obtain further information. A great way of generating more income from this method is write a review so your readers can get to know more about the product.  You need to be honest and highlight the pros and cons of the product.  If they proceed to purchase, you earn as well. To find an affiliate program, you can go to companies directly or tryhttp://www.clickbank.com/index.html.
5. Amazon associates – The Christmas period, especially, is a brilliant time for the Amazon associates program.https://affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk/
6. Ebook sales – Write and sell your own ebook. You could also use your blog to sell hardcover books.  http://www.lulu.com is a great website if you’re interested in self publishing.
7. Develop premium content or a membership program – Earn frequent income from those subscribing to your services. Create a membership site where you can earn regular income from your members. Develop free content that has lots of value to your users. Once they are impressed by your basic offer, you can entice them with access to premium content and exclusive material for a small fee. Membership programs are a fantastic way to have a recurring income as unlike purchasing a one off product, generally membership sites have monthly recurring fees which means more money for you!
8. Direct banner advertising – Selling your own advertising space is an excellent money-making method. But in order to get qualified advertisers ensure you have a large audience.
9. Review products -  If you get a lot of traffic to your blog there are many companies that would happily pay you to write a review of their product which in turn drives traffic back to their website.  Not to mention reviews add credibility to a product.  Look out for new products launching and approach them with your offer.  Better still create a page offering this service. If you’re just getting started http://www.postsgenius.com/  is a useful website.
10. Create job boards – To create a profitable job board you need a blog on a specific niche and a reasonable amount of traffic.
11. In-text advertising – Sponsored links will be placed in your text content of your blog. A user may roll their mouse over the link. If the user clicks, you will make some money. Check outhttp://www.kontera.com  and http://www.vibrantmedia.com/.
12. Speaking – If you’re an expert in your niche why not share your knowledge and experience.  From only doing a couple of events, you can generate a very nice addition to your income from speaking plus it raises your credibility and promotes you in the offline world.
13. Host live webinars – This is a great way to not only build your list but also you can charge people for attendance or up-sell them your products/services at the end.  The key is to provide a huge amount of value and offer the opportunity for questions at the end.  I use http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar to host mine.
14. Promote your services. Your blog will build your profile and show your experience in your niche.
15. Ask for donations – If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Try adding a PayPal button and ask for a beer or a coffee.  Alternatively you could donate the money to a charity instead.  Check out these great WordPress plugins to help you http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/donation-widget/, http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/donate-everywhere/,

Remember your blog is unique, so experiment with the techniques and see what works best for you. Most importantly, have fun!

10 Ways to Increase Your Business Blog Traffic by 227 Percent

The goal of any professional blog is to get people to click, read, engage and share -- in that order. Enticing them to do so can vastly increase your business visibility and drive exponential future sales. While there is no substitute for writing quality, human, dynamic content, knowing how to maximize blog traffic can make all the difference between attracting a big crowd online... or just hearing crickets.

I've worked with multiple companies as content marketer, measuring the traffic to their company's blog posts before and after I took over, and here's what I came up with: these 10 tips increased their blog traffic by at least 227 percent. Of course a specific percentage of growth can't be guaranteed, I assure you that instituting these practices into your blogging will help your business, too.

1. It's all in the title. 

The title of your blog is THE most important factor in getting your blog opened. Since it's the first thing a potential reader sees, a good title catches the viewers attention, creates some controversy, plays off a common saying, mentions newsworthy keywords or names, hints at conflict, delineates action, and maybe proposes a question that the reader now wants answered. Oh, and it has to be short! Remember that it should fit well within 140 characters (for Twitter, with room for it to be retweeted and the link.)

Be clear, concise, and direct, but also propose a new angle or creative take on a topic in order for your title to get clicked. Remember that people are bombarded with choices, so choose a title that jumps out at them!

2. Add value. 

A blog should have a purpose, a main directive. It could be just to entertain (I love "fluff" pieces every once and a while), provide education, tell a story, or to solve a problem. But the information should always add some sort of value to the greater Internet conversation, never just recycling exactly what's been covered before. Keep the reader in mind when writing your blog, addressing an issue, challenge, or universal experience they have. Remember to keep it super simple - blogs that try to do too much or are hard to follow don't get read or shared.

3. Shorten your website URL. 

Make sure you have a short URL that's easy to spell and remember! I've made that mistake before with my website URL, NormSchriever.com. The problem was that no one on earth could spell 'Schriever' properly (including me before I've had coffee in the morning.) I suspect I lost a lot of people to Maria Shriver and Justin Beiber's websites when they were really looking for my last name. So I added the domain URL NormWrites.com, which is easy to remembered when I'm reciting it on a radio show, via social media, or yelling it at someone before I've had my coffee.

You can also shorten your long blog link to a shorter URL through TinyUrl.com, Hootsuite, etc. which makes it easier to share and retweet.

4. Photos.

Let's do a little test. Are you more likely to read this version...

4. Photos.

...Or this one? Use photos with every blog you write, without fail. They catch our eye, anchor our attention as we process what's in the photo (see mind mapping below) and blog links are far more likely to be clicked if they have an engaging photo. The same concept applies for sharing your work on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook to attract an audience. Remember what they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

5. Stamp your photos. 

Subtly stamp your name, company name, website, etc. in the bottom corner of your photos. No matter where that photo appears it will serve as a mini billboard for you and your company, and help sites like Instagram and Pinterest market for you. There are plenty of cheap or free photo stamping apps that work from your laptop or phone.

6. Give something away.

Offer the readers something for free in your blog, but don't be afraid to surrender control of your content without asking for an email or any other strings attached. People are savvy. If you give people quality content that provides value, they'll reach out to you, spread the word, or come back to order more in the future. If they don't like what you have to offer, then having their email address doesn't do you any good. Give 'em the good stuff and leave 'em wanting more - the first rule of show biz.

7. Write evergreen information.

Sometimes you want to be on the cutting edge of breaking news but don't neglect writing blogs with "evergreen information" that isn't based on current events so it won't become irrelevant quickly. Blogs with evergreen information never become outdated so they can be read, shared, and grow an audience over time without limitation.

8. Post around notable dates. 

Timing is everything when writing your business blogs, so keep informed of notable dates, events, and holidays. There are also plenty of whacky days (National Peanut Butter Day) and months to raise support for a cause (Breast Cancer Awareness Month.) Planning a blog around an upcoming holiday or season change (like back to school, spring cleaning, etc.) gives you plenty of time to get it posted and gain exposure with readers as the date approaches. The media also starts looking for these stories on short notice and may pick up your blog.

9. Write content rich in links and key words.

Incorporate plenty of key words into your blog, the same ones a reader might type into a search engine like Google. Mix it up with some quotes from notable people, clickable links to other articles (or blogs you've written) and mentions of famous people, organizations, companies, etc. But don't go overboard until your blog is no longer organic and easily readable -- "Do it, but don't over do it," is the general consensus of social media and SEO experts.

10. Utilize mind mapping.

Mind mapping is a concept that tracks how our eyes and then our brain views, perceives, and processes information, and assigns it context. In the field of blogging, mind mapping will help you incorporates physical cues to keep your audience engaged, like photos, headers, sub headers, bullet points, indents, and even changes in color or font. Remember that a blog of just text is less likely to be read and shared than a blog anchored by a photo and broken into clear, logical sections of information, easy for the brain to follow and process.

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