This document provides tips for growing traffic to a blog. It recommends choosing a clear niche and target audience. Content should be compelling through brevity, graphics, questions, and regular posting. Headlines should be short, draw readers in, and provoke curiosity. Links and comments help build relationships and authority. Guest blogging, contests, webinars, social media sharing and promotion can increase visibility and engagement. The keys to success are to keep blogging, promoting, and engaging with readers.

1. KLCK Bloggers Network October 11 2010Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny

2. How to Grow Traffic to Your Blog

3. Why Blog? Starting a blog shows commitment and passion Establishes you as someone who has something to say, teach, and learn.

4. Characteristics of a Great Blogger Passionate Patient Helps others Adds value Writes regularly compelling content Engages audience

5. Have you chosen your niche? Is it your passion? Is it clear what your blog is about? Stay focussed

6. Determine Your Audience Craft your posts based on your target audience’s needs This will help you stay focussed What valuable content can you provide them with?

7. Create Compelling Content Brevity Guest Posts Ask open-ended questions that invite comment Google loves updated content Good graphics - screen captures, video Post frequently but remember quality wins over quantity

8. Start with a Great Headline “On average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money.” - David Ogilvy, founder of the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency Google: “Recent research suggests that users decide to stay or leave your site in 8 seconds or less — in that short amount of time, headlines are the one piece of copy that users will actually read.” Source: Denise Fay: How to Write Killer Headlines – denisefay.com

9. Top Tips for Headlines Short and simple Draw in the reader with your headline Ask a question 10 ways, or 7 easy steps headline How to headline

10. Ask Yourself Does your headline touch a nerve? Does it make a unique claim or statement? Does it provoke curiosity? Is it credible? Is it specific? Does it have a news element? Does it offer a compelling benefit for reading? Source: Clayton Makepeace teleconference, 12/20/06. (Courtesy of The Blog Squad)

11. A Note on SEO Use your SEO terms in your first line, and throughout blog post. Rule of thumb – use 2-4% (i.e. 2-4 times per 100 words) Anything more is called keyword-stuffing, and is frowned on by you know who! Use your SEO terms subtly when you post messages in other blogs. Respond or guest post often.

12. Links Are Web Currency Google considers each link to your site a vote for the site but Where those links come from is important. The more reputable links are better votes

13. Creating Links Comment and post your url on other relevant blog posts Guest post on other peoples blogs or sites. Add a hyper-link to your bio to help increase links.

14. Build Traffic with Comments Adding value – if you can’t add any value to the post don’t post links Push the conversation Ask questions As I leave comments on other peoples' blogs I am building relationships and getting to know other people Try to post comments on blogs that have influence

15. My Top Tip Email directly and/or comment on the blog of those that leave comments for you

16. Host a Webinar Demonstrate an aspect of your expertise. Remind your audience they can continue getting the same great content by subscribing to and reading your blog.

17. Run a Contest Social Media Examiner offers this excellent idea. Run a contest based on the content of the blog. Have an “answer hunt” where the answers to win the prize(s) are found within the blog posts. That will get people reading the quality, content-rich posts while attempting to win a prize. Then use Twitter to post questions and the winner(s).

18. Guest Blog Posts Inviting other bloggers to guest post on your blog Offering to guest post on complementary blogs. Both ways can generate visibility for your blog. Creates connections with colleagues Value to bloggers and readers

19. Tips for Building your Community Sharing knowledge Communication Engagement Spend time educating, entertaining, engaging your audience It’s not about broadcasting yourself, it's about conversation. Develop a strategy to have them WANT to become part of the community

20. Promote Your Blog Submit your blog to blog directories Write and post a media release Send an email announcement to your mailing lists Create a video to promote Your blog Release videos through YouTube Publish a blog post from your own website with the video on it Google loves combination of video AND WordPress

22. Share the Love Make it easy for readers to share your posts Share the love – return the favour

23. Stumble Upon Easy to register and post your blog If the page has already been submitted by another user, the "I like it" or "thumbs up" icon will appear If the page has not been submitted you will be asked to complete a brief review of the post Include information in your review that will help others determine the content of the post Add Stumble Upon buttons to your posts. Encourage those who read to Stumble your content

24. Promoting your Blog on Twitter Write a strong bio Add a link to your blog Promote your posts to Twitter Don’t be a spammer! Engage with your Twitter community Use a Twitter management tool such as HootSuite, Tweetdeck to monitor conversations by setting up searches for particular keywords.

25. Where are the conversations around your area of interest happening?

26. Maximising LinkedIN Create a group Join existing groups Provide helpful answers to questions Also Yahoo Answers

27. LinkedIN Answers Sign into your LinkedIn account. Use search bar, select Answers from the dropdown and enter your keyword. Why not try answering some? Use the Advanced Search option to find keywords specifically in questions only, and check the option to look for only open questions.

28. 3 Keys to Success Keep Blogging Keep Promoting Keep Engaging