PureBlogging

If the growth of your blog has stagnated you’ll need to focus on bringing in new visitors to the site. Developing a base of loyal, consistent readers is of course important, but attracting new readers is a requirement if you want to keep growing.

Here are some tips for attracting first-time visitors:

1. Comment on other blogs.

One of the most common methods of attracting new readers is to leave comments on other blogs. Leaving an intelligent, relevant comment on a post that gets decent traffic can help to give you some quality exposure. However, commenting on smaller blogs can be just as beneficial. When you comment and leave your URL at a blog that doesn’t receive a lot of comments the chances are very high that that blogger will visit your blog. If you comment on other blogs in your niche you can easily get some targeted traffic to your blog. The numbers of visitors you draw may not be huge, but it’s a great method for newer bloggers to start to get noticed. If you always comment on the same 3 or 4 blogs, expand a little bit and start commenting at some other blogs for the first time.

2. Social media.

Every day thousands of social media users visit websites and blogs they have never seen before. If one of your blog posts becomes popular with social media you’ll quickly reach a large audience of first-time readers. Yes, it’s difficult to convert a visitor from a social media site into a subscriber or regular reader, but it can be done. And if you’re looking to reach new visitors there is no faster, cheaper way. If you’re not currently a social media user, the easiest way to get started and attract some traffic is to sign up for StumbleUpon and start networking and making friends. With just a few thumbs up your pages could get hundreds or even thousands of visitors.

For more information, see Join Social Networking Sites to Promote Your Blog.

3. Participate in blog carnivals.

A blog carnival is a collection of links on a specific topic hosted on one blog. Other bloggers can submit a link to one of their posts to be included in the carnival. This is an easy way to get some inbound links and bring some new visitors to your site. While carnivals do not usually draw a lot of traffic, in just a few minutes you can submit your links to 5 or 10 carnivals. That could give you a handful of links each week that bring new visitors to your site and help your search engine rankings. Visit BlogCarnival.com to see a listing of upcoming carnivals and start participating.

4. Write guest posts for other blogs.

When I first started promoting my blog one of the most effective strategies I used was writing guest posts (and PureBlogging was one of the first blogs that I wrote for). By getting your articles published on other blogs you can get your writing in front of large audiences, start building name recognition, work on developing your network with fellow bloggers, and build links to your blog.

Many bloggers put off writing guest posts because it requires some extra work, and others think that it will be too hard to find blogs that are willing to publish their articles. Yes, it does take some extra work, but how else can you spend an hour to reach hundreds or thousands of targeted blog readers for free? And you may be surprised at how many blogs are willing to accept guest submissions. I think I’ve written for about 20 other blogs and I can only remember contacting one blogger that did not wind up publishing one of my posts. There are more than enough bloggers who are willing to take your quality articles.

I’m not the only PureBlogging author that has benefited from writing for other blogs, I know Michael Martine has as well. If you are interested in learning more about the subject, I’ve written a guide to promoting your blog through guest posts. For a list of some places to market your articles, see 9 Ways to Reach New Audiences With Your Articles.

5. Create linkbait.

Most experienced bloggers have realized at some point that inbound links from other websites and blogs are necessary to really grow. As a result, many have created some type of content intended specifically to draw new links. In most cases, linkbait is combined with social media marketing to get attention from potential linkers. With one great idea you can quickly get hundreds of inbound links.

For more information, see Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and SMM.

6. Run a contest.

Many blogs have used contests and giveaways to gain some attention, links, and new readers. If you’re willing to spend some money on a prize and willing to put in some time for promotion, a contest can be very effective. Contests, however, are rarely the best method for a blogger to use, as many visitors will be more attracted by the potential prize than by the opportunity to find and read new content. My opinion is that a contest can be successful at attracting new visitors when the contest is just one of the methods used by the blogger, not the only method.

7. Participate in contests.

You don’t have to be the one running the contest to benefit. A few months ago I participated in two contests that included links to blog posts written by the participants. Everyone then read each other’s articles and I gained a number of new readers as a result. In this case you don’t even need to be the winner to get some valuable benefits.

8. Participate in forums.

There are a number of good forums for bloggers, including Authority Blogger and Bloggeries. This is a great way to meet other bloggers and start building a network. Many of the bloggers you meet there will visit your blog, and it’s always good to have other bloggers as visitors and readers. Most forums also provide a thread for you to introduce yourself and get some feedback on your blog from members.

For more information, see Using Forums to Grow Your Blog.

9. Order a paid review.

If you’re willing to spend some money, ordering a paid review is another option. Services like PayPerPost match bloggers up with advertisers. As an advertiser you can pay someone else to write a review of your blog. If you choose to do this be sure that you’re prepared so that the review presents your blog in the best light possible.

10. Change your design.

Sometimes a new design can create a bit of a buzz. Other bloggers may write about it or review the new design. Additionally, a new design may make your blog more attractive to new visitors once they reach your site.

11. Advertising.

Another paid option is to buy some advertising spots on other websites or blogs. Advertising can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Many smaller blogs sell ad space for very reasonable space. Obviously, the success of your advertising campaign will in part depend on the ad itself as well as the audience to whom you are advertising. Finding the right place to advertise is critical. If you are looking to advertise I believe David is accepting ad submissions here at PureBlogging.

What other ways have you been able to draw new visitors to your blog? What methods have worked or not worked for you?

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