by Ana Hoffman 84 comments

My Favorite Bite-Sized Web Traffic Tips: Reader’s Digest Version



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blog traffic tips digestEvery once in a while I share content that I’d like to think of as timely and evergreen.

After all, even your evergreen content requires some upkeep or it’ll be forgotten just like every other post you labored hours writing.

And so I shared one of such posts through my social media channels a few weeks back.

My fun, awesome, and too overwhelming to be useful 202 Bite-Sized Tips To Insanely Increase Your Blog Traffic.

It was good to learn that someone actually read my blurb on Google Plus (after all, we all have two mouths and one ear, right?)

Not only that, but Robert Sams  also asked me some to-the-point questions that prompted me to to separate the wheat from the chaff.

So here we go.

Which Tip Is Your Favorite One?

My favorite tidbits are the ones that focus on finding your own voice.

This is one of the most regrettable things that I see online day in and day out.

VOICELESS blogs.

I visit them on a daily basis.

And here’s the harsh reality – YOUR blog might be one of those blogs.

I often come by my commentators’ blogs as my way of saying “Thank you” – I find that a comment or a tweet do just that.

However, many times I struggle to find a post that I can share with my social media circles or even leave an honest comment on that doesn’t involve anything like “Stop regurgitating same old, same old, and find your own voice!”

Take a second right now.

Am I talking to you?

Hope you don’t feel like it’s a slap in the face, because most of us are not born bloggers.

We become bloggers as we learn from our experiences (good AND bad), as we practice what we preach, and as we finally discover what it is that sets us apart.

When Failure Is a Good Thing

You may or may not know the story of my first blogging failure.

I started my first blog in 2009.

I did it because I was told “it was good for business”, but I really couldn’t figure out why I needed a blog or what to write about or how to make it work for my business.

I wasted my time writing about this and that – mostly just talking about what everyone else talked about.

After all, if THEY are talking about it, I should write about it too, right?

WRONG.

Trust me, blogosphere will survive just fine without yet another “10 tips to use your Facebook page” or “Why guest posting is so vital to your success“.

I learned that from that first no-direction faceless blog.

And it was great.

You know why?

Because one day, I had an epiphany.

I needed to separate the wheat from the chaff.

I needed to solve people’s problems.

I needed to… start all over.

And I did.

I decided to

  • focus on traffic generation as my core topic;
  • got a new domain name;
  • hired someone to design a great header and customize my Thesis theme (money very well-spent);
  • and stopped writing what I THOUGHT my readers wanted to hear.

I went back to being myself and it turned out to be the winning recipe.

Traffic Generation Cafe proved to be a success within a few short months.

Yes, it took a failure to get there, but that’s also the encouraging part.

If you have that gut feeling that your blog is nothing special, or you think it IS special, but have no readers to prove it, it might be a good time for a new season.

And if you want my brutally honest opinion about your content, ask me to come and check out your blog in the comments below.

Just be prepared to hear what I and my other readers have to say and be prepared to act on it.

With that said…

My Favorite Bite-sized Traffic Tips

…have to do with setting yourself apart from the crowd.

36. Post with personality.

127. Don’t try to be all things to all people.

164. Use a human voice.

174. Be a comedian – “They’ll be standing in line for that old honky-tonk monkey shine!”

22. Make readers depend on you by sharing your expertise generously.

What Are Your Top 10 and Why?

That was Robert’s next question.

As I went through the original bite-sized blog traffic tips and pulled out the ones that were in the running to be my top 10, I realized that all of them had to do with:

A. Networking

B. Engagement

Assuming that you discovered your “IT” in your niche and started churning out great content to match/rival other blogs competing for your readers’ attention, all you need to focus on now is spreading the word about it.

Network with Other Bloggers

Leo Dimilo recently wrote a great guest post for Traffic Generation Cafe, where he talked about why we should stop building links for SEO and focus on networking instead.

The post was actually written and published BEFORE Google’s recent war against link building, which made it even more current and actionable.

In that post he said:

“A networker will start with their existing network and determine who in their network can push their message across other channels.

As their reach grows, so does their influence in the social clusters within their ever-expanding network.

The majority of their time is spent adding value and helping others get what they want.”

To maximize your networking effort, you need to find and build relationships with the “gatekeepers” in your niche.

THEN have those gatekeepers spread the word about you and your awesome content.

The last part happens automatically, by the way.

When people love what you do, they can’t help but talk about you.

My Bite-Sized Traffic Tips on Networking

So here are my bite-sized tips on how to draw other (preferably more influential) bloggers’ attention:

9. Write about other bloggers’ best posts.

10. Make your own “best of the best” list.

The two web traffic tips above might sound counter-intuitive to many bloggers, just as they did to me when I first started blogging.

Why would you want to send you precious traffic you work so hard to get to your competitors’ blogs?

Well, because it’s good for business.

If you don’t believe it, just take my word for it.

Or even better, here’s an example.

This is the third time in the past couple of weeks that I mention Tom Ewer from LeavingWorkBehind.com.

His blog is barely 4 months old.

When it was only about 2 months old, Tom compiled a list of the blogs worth reading: It’s Here: The 100 Blogs You Need In Your Life.

As a result of mentioning 100 great bloggers, Tom pretty much recruited 100 influential blogging ambassadors to endorse the post and Tom’s blog.

Not bad for a new kid on the block…

Mine was one of the blogs mentioned.

Since there was so much traffic driven to the post by other bloggers, some of that web traffic ended up following the link to Traffic Generation Cafe.

That caused Tom Ewer to become one of my top ten referral traffic sources for the month of March and he got a link from my March income report.

Then he popped up on CurationSoft as I was doing research for a post about other blogs that publish income reports.

Since I already knew of Tom and trusted his content, I included him in my Make Money Blogging – Who, How, and How Much.

And now that I was thinking of a good example of “give and you shall receive”, his name immediately popped up in my head… AGAIN.

Now that’ the way to make an impression!

51. Pioneer a great topic and then encourage others to blog about the same thing.

Here’s how I implemented it at TGC:

59. Write a post that creates controversy.

Example:

153. Make friends with power users on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, etc.

154. Make friends with forum and message boards addicts.

Make Your Readers Fall in Love with You

No amount of traffic in the world matters, if you can’t do that.

Your readers are the ones who’ll spread your content, provide your blog with all the social proof you need, sign up for your email list, and buy the tools you recommend.

Love them and they’ll love you back.

Get them involved. Show them that they matter.

44. Crowdsource your next post idea to your readers.

67. Answer your readers’ questions in a post.

126. Write something to inspire and motivate your readers, especially if you don’t do it on a regular basis.

184. Ask your readers to email you links to their best resources and make a post about it.

Examples:

What Tips Do You Recommend for Those Who Are Just Starting Out?

Be Encouraged

90. Treat every day as a new beginning, because you’ll always have new readers.

We all had to start somewhere.

Make Sure You Are Worth Sharing

See the tips in “Which tip is your favorite one?” section above.

Network Like Crazy

In addition to networking tips above, here are a few more ideas to draw attention to your new blog:

100. Aggregate ideas, tips, etc from numerous places/blogs into a blog post.
106. Alternative to link exchange: get a group of bloggers together and write reviews for each other’s blogs.
116. Write posts that includes tons of trackbacks to other blogs so that other blogger will notice you.
160. Put together a list of the most tweeted/dugg/shared posts in your niche.
162. Collect inspirational quotes from other bloggers in your niche; compile them in a post.
166. Ask other bloggers (preferably more influential ones) to review your blog and make a post about their findings.

The Cornerstone of Your Success

200. Be undeniably interesting for years.

201. Write stuff people want to read and share.

202. Pray (always a good idea)…

traffic generation cafe

PS Please share this post with your readers.

Image source: Surreal Underwater Women Photography By Mario Peraza


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{ 84 comments }

jawad zaib November 18, 2012 at 7:24 am

Hi ana You give me an idea to look at how I make blog post for my blog. I’m trying to absorb all these great ideas, I’ve been changing up my blog’s design lately, but After reading this post I can see the value to developing my own voice for the niches I have websites in,anyway thanks for these great point and keep up the good work…

Marc Helman October 17, 2012 at 6:14 am

Hi Ana,

Stumbled upon your blog when looking for traffic tips. I appreciate the tips as I get started with creating a blog for my company. The top ten type list is something I will try – and I will definitely be adding your posts to one of my lists!

Thanks!

Ana Hoffman October 17, 2012 at 9:27 am

You are so very welcome, Marc; look forward to seeing you around.

Rob Calhoun September 4, 2012 at 7:13 am

Hi Ana,
I was writing about content generation and had to include your take. This article and the original post (Plus the clip on Famousbloggers) make great examples to point people to as “what to do.”

I like that you pointed out the importance of networking along with some examples of how to do it. I’m realizing more and more the need to do this myself.

Speaking of content generation, I just your newsletter (I’m a little behind!) and I’ll be leaving a comment on that post as well.

-Rob

Ana Hoffman September 5, 2012 at 6:38 am

Really appreciate the mention, Rob!

Gera April 24, 2012 at 9:50 pm

Ana lots of tips to assimilate again :) When you deliver special content, no the same theme again and again, then you’re closer to the success, but isn’t easy.

The #36 shares your own personal stories, are unique and nobody will have the same, this is a bonus!

And the #203, makes polls and surveys to have a clearer landscape of your readers about what they are looking for :)

Cheers,

Gera

Ana Hoffman April 25, 2012 at 7:07 am

Thank you so much, Gera, and always a pleasure to see you around.

HP van Duuren April 24, 2012 at 3:15 am

Thanks Ana,

As a Writer I am frequently thinking about things like ‘Finding my Voice’
I even have thought about possibly actually using my real Voice for creating things like Podcasts, Teleseminars or Speaking on Stage.

For people interested in Speaking on Stage, on the Events Page of my – Writer’s Lifestyle – Blog you can find some great Info that can help Inspire you to Speak on Stage. (you can find a link to this Blog near the top of my – Home Business Lifestyle - Blog.)

Ana Hoffman April 24, 2012 at 5:51 pm

Good for you – I prefer to remain silent. lol

Lanre April 23, 2012 at 4:11 pm

Hi Ana,
You don’t need to tell me, I’m so late in reading this post.

I quite agree with your points. Hearing about your success with TGC in such a short time really makes me wonder what I’m doing with my blog. Maybe I’m just not putting much effort into it.

I think networking is more effective in some niches than others. For example, I find that blogs about social media (like yours) are usually more interactive than blogs in my niche. Your kind of bloggers always seem to “love networking”. When I tried building a relationship with top bloggers in my niche, I felt my words were falling on deaf ears. Yes, these guys had massive blogs but the blogger to reader relationship just wasn’t there (they hardly reply comments) so I wonder how they got so big. After trying a few times, I felt, “what the heck?”

Your blog is really a big success and from your previous posts, I can see that you’ve really invested a lot into it (time and $$$ alike) which I think I need to do more of. As you suggested in one of your posts, I need to be more of a DOER, the same goes for other future TGC’s who are just not there yet. I believe I have great content (my readers have told me that) but something doesn’t feel right. A lil’ audit would help (Hey, I don’t mean the one you do on Fridays, I need to work harder to get that one). It’ll go a long way and I’ll appreciate it a lot.

Thanks.

Ana Hoffman April 24, 2012 at 8:18 am

Continue to flip a broken switch is never the smartest thing to do, Lanre.

If something doesn’t work, we have to figure out WHY, and I can see that you are trying to do just that.

I think you are on the right track wondering why your competitors are so successful. You need to dig deeper into that.

See what their readers like to read. Watch their most active commentators. Network with THEM, if the bloggers themselves don’t care about you and your comments. I am sure you are not the first/only reader who feels that way.

Figure out how to steal their readers and introduce them to better content – YOUR content.

By the way, some tough love: what is your blog about?

When I come for a visit, I can’t quickly figure out if it’s for me, and if I can’t do that, I end up leaving just as quickly as I came by.

Making my mind work for me? Is it self-development niche? Is it for everybody? Is it for philosophy, psychology lovers?

Lanre April 24, 2012 at 9:16 am

Hi Ana,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, it’s in the self development niche and it’s on philosophy. From your tone, it seems I’m not as streamlined as I thought. It also seems you don’t understand the tagline too (I guess that also needs work).
The blog simply concentrates on the human mentality and how to direct it towards achieving your vision, purpose or just a more empowered mind.

Thanks, you’ve given me some homework to do.

Ana Hoffman April 24, 2012 at 5:52 pm

That’s what I was thinking as well, Lanre.

Sounded like you were going for a more mainstream approach, yet someone like me who knew nothing about the subject, couldn’t quite figure out where you were going with it.

Anne April 23, 2012 at 3:18 am

Great tips, Ana. I read lots of blogs (perhaps too many) which I keep coming back to. Once in a while I do top 10 or 11 posts and link up to other blogs. I do this mainly because I think they’re worth sharing to my readers – not for the possibility they’d link back to me.

I guess with this one you have to make sure you pick your blogs well (if you’re hoping for a reciprocate link) because some bloggers – especially if they’re bigger than you, tend to just ignore you. It’s difficult to get this one right.

As you said, for me the voice is one of the most important things for the success of a blog.

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:27 am

That goes for many bloggers, Anne – even for me.

I mention a lot of names and at least about half of them never notice it, even if I let them know via email.

Still a good practice, IMHO.

Larry J April 20, 2012 at 7:30 pm

Ana,

You inspire me to look at the way I make blog post for the niches I am in. I have been told to determine what people want and give it to them through the website. Even though this has work to a degree I believe your advice in this post is valuable and refreshing. Not being a good imaginative writer I have always found myself rewording information I find on other sites and posting it on my site. After reading this post I can see the value to developing my own voice for the niches I have websites in.

Thanks

Larry

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:34 am

I do see the point in “giving readers what they want”, Larry.

A couple of possible problems with it:

1. Your readers don’t always know what they want until you show it to them (i.e. hook them with your personality and angle).
2. You don’t really know what your readers want.

Karens April 20, 2012 at 4:04 pm

I’ve been following your web site for several months as well. I’m trying to incorporate the suggestions that you so generously make available to all of us trying to achieve the level that you have. I love your blog but I have to admit that it makes my head spin. All of the information is wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. I think I’ll pick one tip each week to work on.

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:51 am

I do understand overwhelming, and I’d like to say it gets easier, but it doesn’t.

There’s always more we can learn about running better businesses.

Amanda April 20, 2012 at 9:47 am

I had to rethink my blog as well, in fact I seem to be constantly doing it. Making sure what I’m doing is right for me, my family and the readers. Thanks really interest article.

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:52 am

That’s the sign of a good blogger, Amanda – always make sure that what you are doing actually works for your audience.

Azam April 20, 2012 at 9:41 am

Hello Ana
Your progress is because of your failure. When you faced failure , you become points of failure and you deviated from this path and finally got your destination.

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:54 am

Failure definitely makes us who we are, Azam.

Lisa April 20, 2012 at 9:26 am

I find it so inspiring that you started over again when you realized you hit failure. That’s a hard thing to do. Realizing you hit failure and then to start over from scratch. And a lot of hard work too! Love the tips you provided here. Thanks for sharing them.

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:22 am

It surely can become a stumbling block for many, Lisa. Once we fail at something, our tendency is to walk away.

Thanks for coming by!

Ricky April 19, 2012 at 8:48 pm

I would be honored if you would check out my site and tell me what you think. I know it is a bit plane. However, I am working on it and I am not exactly a css or php expert. So, it might take a bit. However, I do have a ton of great content, it is often very controversial and I am trying to make it into more. It would be great if you had the chance to check it out and tell me what you honestly think and be very, very picky. That way I learn a bit more from you. I am going to start working on the networking of my site more tomorrow, but for now I need sleep.

I spent the majority of the day reading your blog (did not intend to), but you have so much great stuff here. I learned long ago to use what works and then and only then do you refine it. Trying to shove a circle into a square shape will only work if there is a huge difference. I like difference, but there can still only be so much and still retain the functionality of the original purpose. Again, thanks for all the great ideas. You have a wonderful blog here and it is no surprise that it is succeeding. It is definitely at the top of the creme of the crop. Do not be surprised when I write a few posts on my site and send a shout out too you for all the great ideas to get my blog where it needs to be. You definitely deserve it. Goodnight, Ricky Strode

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:18 am

Thank you so much for the compliment and encouragement, Ricky.

Your site: I don’t mind the fact that it’s “plain”. Plain works well these days; it’s just referred to as “minimalistic”. lol

A few things I’d change:

1. Make your content more narrow – it’s best to have your entire blog between 900-950 pixels.
2. Too much bold font; very hard to read.
3. You need a better tagline to let people know why they should stay and read.
4. Too much writing on your home page; too many dashes. No one is going to read it; they’ll just leave.
5. Tell your readers what you want them to do. Is it to sign up for your list? Is it to buy something? Services?

Those would be the main things I’d address before anything else. Good thing they don’t require any programming skills…

Hypnosis can be controversial?

Ricky April 23, 2012 at 8:17 pm

Thanks for such a quick response. I really appreciate it. Once I am doing better, if you are for hire, then I will definitely be buying. I just want to say that since I have started doing some of the stuff I have found throughout many of your posts, I have noticed a ton of difference. For starters, this blog is about a year old. During the majority of the time my Alexa scores set at about 1,000,000 (world wide) and 120,000 (USA). Two days of just doing some simple stuff I got from this site my Alexa scores are as follows 929,525 (world wide) and 77,626 (USA). When I say simple stuff, I am talking about the super simple things. Like the first few steps Ana goes over in her “MY SEO Report” and a few things I found throughout some of the blog posts she has here.

I have been to a ton of SEO and traffic generation websites and I have to say this one blows each and every one I have been to completely out of the water. They should definitely come over here and get a clue, because this stuff is gold. I have not even begun implementing the basic overhaul on my website and I have noticed quite a bit of change in traffic and my search engine rank position. I just want to say thanks you so much Ana for being so super awesome. It is truly hard to find people as awesome as you who truly want to help people. After I am done overhauling my site you are going to get a huge shout-out from me. You will definitely be known in the close knit hypnosis niche and you deserve every bit of it.

Thank You Ana,

Ricky Strode

Ana Hoffman April 25, 2012 at 12:14 pm

You are so very welcome, Ricky, and it’s very encouraging to hear how my posts and SEO report are helping your site. Nice to know I am not talking into the vacuum! lol

David April 19, 2012 at 3:02 pm

Hi Ana, nicely done. I think that if I write a post about successful blogging in the future, i might as well tell them to come look at this post! Thank you for the ideas and for confirming what I suspected was true all along…. good post.

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 8:05 pm

lol, David – sometimes that’s exactly what I do: just send people to the posts that said it best way before me.

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 11:32 am

I wonder who was counting… lol

Robert April 19, 2012 at 11:19 am

If you trackback to a big blog, and you’re still a very small blog, do you think you’ll get the same response as if you were a bigger more established blog?

Ana Hoffman April 24, 2012 at 6:59 pm

Definitely not, Robert.

Doesn’t hurt to try though. lol

Misti Burmeister April 19, 2012 at 9:10 am

Ana, I love your REAL approach – you’re talented and teaching… teaching others how to let their authentic selves surface … not always an easy feat. Check this out: http://inspirionllc.com/article.php?post_id=189

Ana Hoffman April 24, 2012 at 6:55 pm

Thank you so much, Misti, and loved the post!

No one can tell us what we are good at…

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 8:22 am

Well, you should speak up more often then – seems like you’ve got some pearls of wisdom to share with us!

Bobbi Miller April 19, 2012 at 12:57 am

I just found you tonight — and am very glad. I am one of those newbies, yep, and still working at “finding my voice”. I have many varying interests and so far haven’t settled on any one. There are three things that interest me most, and two of them can be controversial. Perhaps throwing caution to the wind and just going for it is the way to be.
Again, thank you for this post. I will be following you now.

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 1:19 pm

Controversial has a lot of potential when done right, Bobbi.

Bobbi Miller April 19, 2012 at 10:14 pm

Thanks for the comment, Ana. After reading your article on finding your voice, I wrote about that very subject today myself. Even mentioned your blog in the post. Appreciate you following up on comments given you!

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:19 am

Very kind of you, Bobbi, and you are very welcome.

Jack April 19, 2012 at 12:30 am

Great article Ana!Voicing out should be the top notch priority! It is necessary for one to be very successful!

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 11:44 am

Thank you, Jack.

Mariano Viloria April 18, 2012 at 1:49 pm

“Love Your Readers” and they will love you back!

… so True!

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 1:17 pm

Thanks for coming by, Mariano.

sandy April 18, 2012 at 2:04 pm

One other exemple of someone who learned from Failure Anna.
and Failure can sometimes really become a Good Thing.
Thanks for your great list here.

Sandy

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 7:58 pm

Failure is many times the best medicine, isn’t it, Sandy?

sandy April 21, 2012 at 10:20 am

Haha that’s so true Ana.I agree 100%

Kindest,

Sandy

Craig April 18, 2012 at 10:58 am

Great post as always ana. I love reading your posts as they are always full of useful information. Going over to visit the main post you referenced now (202 tips)

Thanks again great post

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 7:58 pm

Always my pleasure, Craig.

Will April 18, 2012 at 8:47 am

Thank you, Ana, for a great post, packed with ideas that are dead-on, practical and actionable. It’s a great to-do list in disguise. And I was glued to every word!

When you say ‘find your own voice’, I think of just being ‘genuine.’ I believe people visit (and re-visit) blogs because they like finding out new things, new viewpoints or new voices. All the elements needed to make a good conversation can also make a good blog.

Thanks Ana!

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 12:35 pm

“Genuine” is definitely a great word, if I had to come up with one, Will.

Kenny Fabre April 18, 2012 at 7:47 am

Ana

Number ten “Make your own “best of the best” list” Ive seen many bloggers do this and their readers seem to love it, its pretty engaging

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 8:04 pm

I am not a personal fan of those kinds of posts, Kenny, but you are right, the readers seems to eat them up.

Andrea Hypno April 18, 2012 at 12:04 am

Surely networking is a must these days, and also it’s great to talk with fellow bloggers, especially those who know more and are happy to share their knowledge, with honesty. :)

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 8:00 pm

Since I am assuming I am one of those bloggers, Andrea, I really appreciate the compliment of you taking your time to read and comment around here – always.

Daniel April 17, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Another great post, Ana.

Actually I thought Tom Ewers site took off around the 6 month mark, which would have already been a great achievement.
I did not know he had got the ball rolling, so early….

There is a quote(line) that was used by a well known blogger(webmaster) which was something like ” Become a voice of influence within the Blogging world”! well, something like that, anyway….

I think that just about sums it up…

What I think many people struggling with, is what has been mentioned already in other comments….and that is basically trying to put a NEW SPIN ON…subject matter that in many cases, may have already been done to death….

Though, to be honest, no matter which topic we choose to build our blogs and websites around, it will be the same situation, as well.

Getting the balance right by infusing our own style(personality—uniqueness) into our site and our posts, plus trying to find some fresh angles within our topic, would be highly beneficial….

There is no need to try to reinvent the wheel….and why would we even bother wasting our time in doing so?
Instead, we can always just spruce up the mode of transport we currently use(our site and topic)….to make it more road worthy so as to help us reach our destination…..

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 11:31 am

You are right, Daniel – putting a new spin on something that everyone else already wrote about is not an easy thing to do.

However, I discovered that sometimes simplicity is the key.

For instance, here at TGC I right about topics that many a blogger have written about before; however, I write about them in an accesible, easy to understand and apply way.

That’s how I knew I was on the right track to begin with – I was getting a lot of comments letting me know that this was the first time for many of my readers to understand topics like SEO and how essentially simple they were.

My point: many bloggers look high and low for “the angle”; meanwhile, it can be as simple as… making it simple.

Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca April 17, 2012 at 5:08 pm

Fantastic, Ana!

You know I’m a huge fan of the original list and I appreciate it.

I also appreciate your answers and Robert Sams questions!

I love how you lead with Find Your Voice and Stand Out — I went through a similar journey :) (I’d also recommend a thorough search of CopyBlogger + Firepole Marketing for anyone interested in knowing How To Find Your Voice and Stand Out (- or look into Ryze’s How To ‘Be Real’ Blueprint) :P

I also went through the same deal with networking… Actually I network slightly differently, but it’s the same principle

Definitely an evergreen post, and I’m thrilled for the second look.

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 9:53 am

Always great to know that my posts serve as a springboard for something even bigger and better for other bloggers, Jason – loved your 493 tips!

Being authentic is definitely the key no matter how you look at it.

Alan April 17, 2012 at 1:25 pm

Hey Ana,

I liked that post so much the first time I read it. Great idea to bring it back and break it down like this.

You’ve got so much valuable content, I’m glad to see you putting together posts that reminds people where to find it.

The only thing is I can’t help being a little bit skeptical of list posts, particularly congratulatory ones listing other bloggers. If it’s really genuine then I guess that’s OK, but I just can’t help thinking that tactic is a little over-done lately.

I suppose it’s still working though…

thanks again for another wonderful post Ana,

Alan

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 8:26 am

I suppose it truly depends on how you use it, Alan.

For instance, I always love the “My top 10 favorite blogs to read” type of posts because it gives me a chance to discover great blogs I haven’t heard about.

There are definitely great ways to use list posts as long as they are meant to provide value and not to get other bloggers to come to your blog.

Bobby Thomas April 17, 2012 at 9:23 am

Hey Ana

Been reading your blog for some time, but this is my first comment.

I have learnt a lot from you, especially how important it is to network with others which I am now doing.

I have been trying to build an audience on my site for a few weeks now and have been struggling. Could you take a look at it to see if you can see something that needs to be improved – which I’m sure is a lot.

Thanks

Bobby Thomas

Ana Hoffman April 19, 2012 at 9:56 am

From what I see on your blog, Bobby, my main suggestion would be to breathe in some life and color into your blog.

You have a lot of good content, but you need to catch your audience’s eyes with better header/tagline, more images related to the topics you are writing about.

Other than that, it comes down to finding your target market and working on redirecting it to your blog.

Bobby Thomas April 20, 2012 at 9:17 am

Thanks Ana

I definitely agree with all of your suggestions.

What tips would you give for creating better headlines etc?

Thanks

Bobby

Ana Hoffman April 23, 2012 at 6:21 am

Much of that comes from writing a bunch of bad titles first, Bobby. lol

http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/blog-titles/

becky wallis April 17, 2012 at 6:23 am

Hi Ana, I totally get what you’re saying about remarkable content but as a company we sell furniture and I find it almost impossible to write anything interesting related to that! I just have no idea about what furniture related topics would generate a following, any ideas are much appreciated!

Thanks

victor Dairo April 17, 2012 at 3:41 am

“Make your readers fall in love with you” Great Point!!
can I add something Anna?
Take them out on date. Build a theme park on your blog instead of a shoppiing mall. That way they love you the more.
once again, your traffic tips got me rocking and rolling.

Ana Hoffman April 18, 2012 at 1:26 pm

Interesting analogy, Victor; although, if the audience is mostly women, then a shopping mall will do just fine. lol

Oliver Tausend April 17, 2012 at 1:51 am

Hi Ana,

love that digest although it’s long for a digest ;-) (just kidding).

I couldn’t agree more with you that finding one’s voice is truly important – in other words: Being authentic.

I also second you on your piece of advice to network with bloggers. This is the part where most people fail who think that blogging is just about creating “content” which it is not, of course.

Thanks for sharing your insights.

Be blessed

Oliver

Ana Hoffman April 18, 2012 at 1:25 pm

For an introvert, I do talk a lot in my posts, don’t I? lol

Thanks for coming by, Oliver!

Hope you are out of snow and into spring in Germany; my family in Russia tells me it’s still cold in their neck of the woods.

Oliver Tausend April 18, 2012 at 11:51 pm

Yes, snow has gone but it’s too cold. But certainly not as cold as in Russia

Cheers

Oliver

Sean April 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm

Hey Ana!

Great post as always! Your Favorite Bite-sized Traffic Tips are really very true. I hope I’m following those in my SEO Hacker blog. Unfortunately, my comedian voice is not as loud as yours. SEO Hacker might seem a bit too serious – but again, you’re not writing for everyone.

I’m always a fan of your writing :)

Susan Bewley April 16, 2012 at 7:46 pm

Wow, that was a lot of good ideas! I think I’m overwhelmed with all of it as a new blogger! I think I’m going to be spending more time on your site tomorrow.

Ana Hoffman April 16, 2012 at 9:29 pm

Look forward to seeing you around, Susan.

Marius April 16, 2012 at 2:08 pm

Yes I agree with that. You have to have a voice if you want to be successful.

By the way Ana, this tick box to subscribe to your list above comment box looks weird to me… First of all I was looking, what is it for and only the I saw the message bellow iviting to subscribe.

This box looks alone here. And I think it should be inline with the invitation message :)

Regards
Marius

Ana Hoffman April 16, 2012 at 3:57 pm

Thank you for the suggestion, Marius.

Elizabeth Saunders April 16, 2012 at 1:04 pm

I’m trying to absorb all these great ideas, including Daniel’s tip last week about content. I’ve been changing up my blog’s design lately, but the content is pretty consistently “me.” However, I worry that the topics are too varied and would appreciate an honest opinion if you’d like to visit.

This is a big networking month with the Platform Challenge I’m following. It’s good, but a bit overwhelming.

Ana Hoffman April 16, 2012 at 4:33 pm

Hi, Elizabeth:

I think there are two main issues with your blog:

1. It’s hard to know what your blog is about visually, i.e. the name of the blog, the tagline; I found it a bit confusing.
2. You are right: the content didn’t help. I still had hard time figuring out what your topic is. If this is just a personal blog, then of course you can write about whatever you want to. However, if you are hoping to gain readership, then I’d definitely suggest you zero on what your readers might like to read the most on your blog.

Hope this helps!

Elizabeth Saunders April 16, 2012 at 6:02 pm

Thanks very much for the feedback, Ana!

Leo Dimilo April 16, 2012 at 10:19 am

Trust me, blogosphere will survive just fine without yet another “10 tips to use your Facebook page” or “Why guest posting is so vital to your success“.

You are starting to sound like a grizzled veteran, Ana. And everything you say is true. When bloggers just start off, they are told to build pillar posts. Ironically, most bloggers choose the same topic when it comes to pillar posts and they all sound eerily alike.

Take SEO guides as an example. There is absolutely no reason in the world that anyone should take out the time and effort to write such a post because typically they are mirror reflections of content found on hundreds of other websites. Wouldn’t the better alternative be to simply link up to one that you are in agreement with? Or maybe use pictures instead to illustrate points or something a bit more creative if you are deadset on doing it.

I dunno. Most new bloggers (and even some old ones) simply think that more of the same is a way to establish trust.

But that’s the grizzled cynical veteran coming out of me as well. ;)

Ana Hoffman April 16, 2012 at 12:15 pm

When we first start out, we don’t know great content if it hits us in the head, Leo.

I think it takes a grizzled cynical veteran, title is earned through experience and tenacity, to finally start making sense and blogging about topics that actually make difference.

And that’s OK; just a part of growing up, right?

Chikara April 16, 2012 at 8:11 am

Excellent points for us to remember. Having a voice is something that would seem natural but many blogs forget to do it. Thanks for the reminders!

Ana Hoffman April 16, 2012 at 12:20 pm

Many blogs post great content, Chikara; however, readers keep coming back to those who they feel the most connected to. THAT’s the real mark of a great blogger.

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