How To Use Blogs For Driving Traffic

Blogs are fertile grounds for driving qualified traffic to your site. Here are 10 way to use blogs to drive traffic.

1. Make use of Technorati – Technorati allows you to ‘claim’ your blog, which can be great for social networking and gaining traffic.
2. Don’t forget about SEO – blogging is, essentially, SEO article writing. It is much less informal and much more fun- however, it still follows the same rules surrounding content, links and keywording. So make sure you re-read the above tips on “Article Marketing” and “SEO Marketing” when writing your blogs.
3. Blog often – blogging is not necessarily a full time job; however, you should always set aside some time during the week to contribute to your blog. While some people blog two or three times a day, it’s probably best to blog one day a week. Stay on a regular schedule to create a following and give your readers something to look forward to.
4. Blog on and away from your site – there are several different ways to use blogging as a way to generate traffic. Many people choose to blog on a different website such as HubPages and then link to their website. This works. However, another good way is to include a Blog section on your website. People who are interested in your website content may subscribe to your blogs, which means even more hits and traffic generation to your sites.
5. Yahoo Answers – whenever someone types a question into a search engine, Yahoo Answers usually comes up. Check out Yahoo Answers and see what questions have been asked in your niche category. Then, answer them and include a link. This is a great way to gain free publicity and market yourself as an expert. Another good resource is Wiki Answer.
6. Stay within your Niche – another important thing to consider when blogging is that you will need to always write about something related to your website. Sure, it might be fun to write about the latest Michael Jackson scandal, but how is that helping your website on massage therapy? If you can find an angle and link the two together, then you have just uncovered a great traffic generation secret.
7. Include blog interviews – interviewing someone in the field of choice is a great way to gain traffic to your blog. Sure, it may not be an interview with Brad and Angelina, but a well-known figure in your niche market will get the traffic you want. Interviews are unique and they are informative. They make great blog material.
8. Write something controversial- there’s nothing like controversy to get the traffic flowing in. Write something controversial and then ask for comments, questions and concerns about what you have said. This will help to get the cyber conversation going and ensure traffic to your site.
9. Make friends with other bloggers – ask other bloggers to review your website, in exchange for a link of course. Blogging is a community thing and the more you participate in this community, the more successful you will be at generating traffic.
10. Add your URL to all posts – make your link like a signature. Anytime you make a post (relevant to your website of course), add a link at the end. Many people will read the comments, the forums, and the discussions for additional information. If a link is included, they will click on it.