The mystery of gaining and sustaining blog traffic
April 2nd, 2009 | 
Author: Over the almost 2 years of blogging, I have been told many things to try when it comes to generating traffic. Each person that tells me something new swears by what they say. The 
problem with most of them is they just seem to never stick. The main reason for that is that most of these suggestions are based on one thing and they never really come out and tell you. Well, I am actually going to tell you from the beginning. If you want to increase your blog traffic with traffic that will stick around, then you have to write good sound content and do it consistently. This is the biggest thing that I have discovered.
Many people rely on traffic to be sent to them from social media sites like digg, reddit, or stumbleupon. Other bloggers use sites like LinkReferral, Entrecard, or Adgitize. Then there are the programs that promise you thousand to billions of visitors. Some of these programs are Billion Blaster, Amasses, or TrafficSwarm, to just name a few. Out of all of the ones that I have named and tested, Entrecard has really ever been the ONLY one that has given me consistent readers. The issue with the others that I have named is that most of the traffic that is sent to you is artificial and does not stick no matter what you do. Before you get any ideas about what I am saying, I am not telling you to not use any of these programs. I think that they have their place, but after time, do not get caught up in them being your personal traffic generators.
I sent an email out to 10 of my favorite bloggers. All 10 of them responded to me, yet it seemed that only one actually took the time to write 
an honest answer. Lin over at duck and wheel with a string was that person. The first thing that she told me is that she is blogging to get interaction from her readers. She gauges her success by the amounts of comments that she obtains when writing an article. She also looks at the quality of those post. Frankly, I think that she must be on to something there as she is consistently getting comments daily. With that said, there is one thing that sticks out to me than anything else and it is one of the biggest things that I mention to new bloggers when they start out. I call it reciprocal commenting. If you want people to comment on your blog, you really should think about commenting on theirs. Also, while you are at it, when someone takes the time and effort to comment on your article, at least acknowledge their comments by responding. The last thing someone wants to do is write a comment and be completely ignored. You might as well just delete the damn thing.
I found Lin through Entrecard and I am glad that I did. I stick with her blog not because of Entrecard but because of her post, not because of Entrecard. I truly believe that is what all of her readers stick around for. By engaging her readers, she accomplishes her goals, and that is what blogging is about. As Lin told me in her email, setting goals for yourself also helps you determine what it takes to help you get started. But, remember this if you remember nothing else; these programs are meant to help build your traffic in the beginning, not to sustain it.
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Being new to blogging, I’m still getting a fluctuation of traffic but it does remain in a certain pattern. To create a good content is definitely a plus especially when that article catches the attention of a specific reader. Sometimes we disappoint, but still, there are those we can please with the thoughts that we share whenever we get the chance. I wish I had started earlier with blogging (like you) but it is what it is. I just hope I can continue with what I’ve started and finally have a stable traffic.
Good luck to us!
Jared, one of the great things about blogging is that it allows for a learning curve. Over time, we learn what our readers want to read about and we learn also what subjects we write well on.
You have a very niche topic and I think that in time, you will build a great readership.
You make some great points here, especially with regard to early traffic generation and the sometimes problematic issues (ie, bounce rate) with regard to some of the social media sites. I do appreciate the spikes and boosts in traffic however that many of the social media site can give but I have found that reciprocal commenting is more pervasive in network and community environments.
We all know about something and that knowledge should be leveraged to generate readers; it would be difficult to write with any authority about a subject one has scant knowledge of.
Rich, I agree that many people have some knowledge. Knowledge is a great thing to share.
How very flattering a post, Danny–thank for being so kind!!!
Okay, so I don’t have a huge following or hundreds of comments each day, just a few regulars–but I like that!! I love the interaction of bloggers on mine and other blogs. Doesn’t it make you feel good when someone comments? The same goes when someone responds back to your comment. It becomes a fun place to check, re-check, and check again. Okay, so those 2 or 3 visits a day don’t “count”, but it’s so much more rewarding.
There are pros and cons with all those traffic generators, but EC has brought me in contact with some truly fab blogs and incredible bloggers that I consider friends. And that includes you, Danny Thorton! I am grateful for that!
Lin’s last blog post..
Lin, when I started blogging, I never knew all the wonderful people that I would come across. With that said, there are also many people that I met that I wish that I never had. However, that is part of it.
I look forward to the comments that people leave because I want to see what they think of what I said. I also like to go and read what they write. I feel like that is where the bond starts. It continues to grow when you repeat those steps over and over.
Thanks Danny. Do keep on updating your blog so we can have a reason to keep on coming here everyday.
Cheers!
Jared|Speakwealthnow’s last blog post..Credit Card Debt
Very good advice given. And you made a good point about content. I visit 300 blogs or more every day, and actually read them. I try to comment when I can, and the content is the reason.
Joe’s last blog post..Saturday Shout Out
Joe, coming from you, I take that as a great compliment. Visiting that many blogs in one day would just make my head explode.
Jared, I plan on it. I have had to move some things around so that I can get back to adding content to my own site. Thanks for the comments and I hope to see you around these parts more often.