A pretty large number of bloggers who, in all honesty run some above-average to brilliant blogs all have the same complaint – “Why aren’t people coming??” After some research on this, we’ve come up with some tips that may just get the traffic coming to your space.
Here they are:
1) Get permalinks working. Dump your software and get something else if you have to, but get them working!
If you want to be taken seriously, get working permalinks!
2) Consider getting your own domain and a hosting service you pay for. Yes, free hosting is wonderful, but you can do better for as little as $5 a month. Your own domain gives you more control, makes it easier for people to find you and, frankly, it boosts your prestige a bit. This is not a huge deal, but you really should consider doing it if you can.
3) Allow public comments. A few high-traffic sites don’t have them, but most do. There’s a reason for this. Yes, you will certainly get trolls (i.e. nasty jerks who try to torque you off). Concentrate on the Zen of Blogging: trolls can only make you angry if you let them.
4.) More importantly, even though a lot of readers never bother with comments, a not-insignificant segment of readers likes them a lot. These will often be your more faithful readers. Embrace them. They will help keep you honest. Frankly, you’ll also be providing a way for other bloggers to make themselves known to you. I’ve found a lot of my favorite bloggers exactly that way.
Originally posted on May 30, 2006 @ 3:25 am
