Writing posts that will generate traffic

October 11, 2007 | 7 Responses

Why do I need to write a post that will generate traffic? - You have a great blog with some great posts. The people who know about your blog absolutely love it. And any reader that crosses your path is drawn to surf your content, subscribe and comment as much as they can. But how do you get those readers to cross paths with you? The answer is simple. You need to write some posts that are guaranteed to bring new traffic to your blog.

Viral posts, traffic generators, and pillar posts are an important necessity to any blog worth its’ salt. But if you don’t know how to write blog posts that will bring traffic in, you will likely be disappointed with your early attempts.

• How do I write for traffic? As Connor Wilson points out in How to write link bait for viral traffic, the best place to start is with the four essential parts of any article. The headline, which should bring the readers in, The opening paragraph, which should should serve as a description as it will likely get read by everyone, The Copy, where you need to cram in the keywords and write for the web, and the Conclusion, where you want to seal the deal. Connor also mentions that it is a good thing to research the site you want to get traffic from. What are the top clicks on either Digg, Stumble ect? Read Connor’s article for more.

• What type of post will bring them in? Once you have your article format, the next thing to do is look at the different types of posts that are going to really bring in the traffic. In 5 types of blog posts that generate traffic, Nate Whitehill looks at each of these surefire blog traffic generators. The How-To post, The controversial post, the round-up post, the Hot-Topic post, and the Motivational post.

• Writing lists for blog traffic - Lists may seem cliche to you. But when properly written and executed a good list can go a really long way. Especially when its a social media site that you are aiming to get traffic from. Shorter paragraphs and easy to digest sentences all in a related topic just flood the reader’s in for some reason.I guess it comes from lazy eye syndrome that readers simply gobble up lists. Including a number in your headline will let the user know immediately that this will be a nice and easy read and they are twice as likely to clickthrough.

• Picture Posts - Picture posts are always great for viral traffic. Including (pic) or (pix) in your headline seems to really get the user’s interest when they come across your article on a social networking site like Digg or Thoof. Thoof users especially seem to love seeing (pic) in the headline for whatever reason.

• I’ve got a format, a type of post and its’ written… now what? - Don’t just post your work and go eat a sandwich. It may generate a little, but you didn’t just do all that work to get a few hits did you? Now its’ time to sell your post. The first thing you should always do after a good post or two is ping. I prefer to use blogflux because they simultaneously ping several services for you at once. After a couple good posts (or even one really good one) it can also be very useful to go out and start posting on other blogs. The best time to go on a comment spree is just after your best work has been published. You also need to submit to the social media and networking giants, some people Stumble themselves but it would be best to wait on this one. Get a friend to Digg, Stumble or save to delicious for you. Thoof is one that I would recommend submitting or yourself as you need to write the description.

There is no right way to write a post to bring traffic to your blog and posting certainly isn’t the only way to get traffic either. Nor should it be. These rules are simply here to serve as a guideline for you when you are looking to write for traffic.

Use This MyBlogLog Badge Free

October 11, 2007 | 2 Responses

In light of the lack of any badges of graphics made available to us loyal MBL users, I popped open Google Image Search and typed in MyBlogLog. The first thing that caught my eye was a little familiar in a weird way.

It was a shiny, sleek little MyBlogLog ‘Join My Community’ badge. It was exactly what I was looking for, but I couldn’t figure out why it seemed so familiar.

When I clicked the graphic it took me to a place that I knew I had been before. I was on Nate Whitehill’s blog. Surprise. It seems he is the only one who was clever enough to do up some free MyBlogLog badges so far.

Nate’s only terms are that you join his community and write a post to let your users know where you got the graphic. That seems fair to me. But it got me in the mood to zap up my own little graphic for my MBL reader community. I wanted one that fit to my theme a little better.

My result was not unlike Nate’s but it was something I could call my own. Since there is nothing like this available through MyBlogLog, I feel inclined to allow my readers to use my graphic as well if they wish.

I don’t need every single person who uses my MyBlogLog graphic to link back to me, but joining my community would be nice. If my graphic doesn’t suit your needs, do up your own or ask Nate to get you a custom sized version of his graphic.

Update: 10/22/07 - I have added a new badge as you may have noticed.

Alternative energy solutions paving the way

October 10, 2007 | 0 Responses

Did you know that an area 200 miles square covered with solar panels could provide all the electricity the world needs? Thats’ pretty heavy stuff.

Its’ no secret that I spend many waking hours worrying about the environment and what the future holds for it and the children of tomorrow. So when an event like the BP Solar Decathlon comes along, I take notice. Continue reading Alternative energy solutions paving the way…

How to keep your coding skills from getting rusty

October 3, 2007 | 7 Responses

How many HTML elements can you name in five minutes?

Alright so it wasn’t my first try but I didn’t realize the timer started right away at first. I’m pretty ok with how I did. You really should try this HTML quiz. The answer might surprise you. I’m an old hand at HTML. I learned it, practiced and memorized elements for years, never even knowing about the other scripting languages (besides javascript) that were popping up everywhere.

On that note, I thought it was time for a post about keeping your coding skills sharp. This is especially important for us Wordpress users because we often don’t get into our code for months at a time.

• Hanging around tech support/tutorial forums is a great way to keep your coding skills from getting rusty. As people are generally going there to ask for help with their code that isn’t working. Not only do you get regular practice with troubleshooting codes, but you are making new friends and contacts who will likely visit your site (always link your site in profiles/sigs:)
• Handcode in notepad every once in a while. GUI coding software is fantastic. Especially when you are pressed for time. Having the editor finish your tags for you is always good for your sanity, but coding with this kind of software is like an open book test. Sure you still have to do the work, but you aren’t really honing your skills. Every now and then (if not always) put the blinders on and code out some stuff in notepad.
• Peak at the source code of other blogs you visit. This is mostly just for fun. But when you see something you like, right click and hit “view source” and see how it was done. Even if you think you’re sure. You may be surprised.

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