15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Are these tactics still relevant? How do people blog nowadays?

by asc
15 replies
Setting up a blog in a niche that is close to my heart, I can blog all day about it really.

Last time I did this to gain traffic I utilised market samurai, identified long tail keywords and then aimed fot those words, a webpage per keyword, all relevant to the main domain.

They I posted on ezines and a few other blogging sites to use the bio and get visitors.

I also posted on relevant forums and got visitors in that way.


But...this was around 3-4 years ago. I also used EDMs for the domains and ranked quite quickly for the keywords. However I think this has long gone.


So, question is really, do all of the above tactics still work to get traffic to a blog? For now I am deciding NOT to monetise it until it can offer decent value and information.

Also, how do YOU get traffic to your blog nowadays?

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.


Kind regards

Alan
#blog #nowadays #people #relevant #tactics
  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    Were I starting from scratch, I'd find an active forum in my niche, answer questions to develop my authority persona, and include direct links back to my blog in my signature.

    Hope that helps!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577038].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author asc
      Originally Posted by barbling View Post

      Were I starting from scratch, I'd find an active forum in my niche, answer questions to develop my authority persona, and include direct links back to my blog in my signature.

      Hope that helps!
      ...so this answers my question about if forum posting is still a healthy traffic source...thanks!!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577048].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author melons
    I basically became a PR person.

    - Emailing anyone related to my content regularly
    - Tweeting at everyone who would be interested the in the content
    - Creating long-form content specifically for thousands of views on Reddit
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577042].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rjd1265
    I would set up a FB page on your niche and gain followers to your page and in doing so i would advertise my page. I would also create FB ads about your topic as you an get cheap clicks.

    Reddit and Pinterest would be a perfect place to start as well,
    Signature
    You Are A Snowflake
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577050].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sarikan
    Writing posts targeting long tail keywords of course is valid today too. Posting articles in article directories does not work any more, but as pointed out by barbling, participating in forums can get many eyeballs to the website in your signature. These days you should add Twitter, FB, Pinterest and Youtube to your marketing strategy to get inexpensive targeted traffic.
    Signature
    Maternity Point
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577085].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      The Ezines and EDM not so much.

      More inclined to what Barb says. I think Blog and Forum Commenting with really good insight and helpful contribution is still a very viable way to start capturing and maintaining an audience


      - Robert Andrew
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577095].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author danieldesai
    You've already gotten some good answers regarding a couple of traffic methods, so I'll just add another one.

    Guest blogging is still a powerful way to build authority and get targeted traffic back to your site.

    More on that here:

    The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging

    Regards,
    Daniel
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577130].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author asc
      Originally Posted by danieldesai View Post

      You've already gotten some good answers regarding a couple of traffic methods, so I'll just add another one.

      Guest blogging is still a powerful way to build authority and get targeted traffic back to your site.

      More on that here:

      The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging

      Regards,
      Daniel
      Yes thanks loads of great advice...setting up pinterest and a few others as we speak

      I will check out your link...thanks !!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577195].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author redtiger
      Blogging has not changed that much although it seems that there has been a shift in the sense that more people are setting up their blogs as "communities" nowadays. Blogs have become a tool for hanging out and building relationships more than anything else.
      The selling you do by placing links in the content and sending e-mails. The big trend is connecting to people and joining in conversations.

      Check out media management tools such as Hootsuite or Buzzbundle. They can help you find targeted traffic.

      Providing value, keywords and SEO is as important as ever.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577230].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mattdawg841
    What you did a few years ago will still work today….there is definitely a lot more competition for every keyword today than there was a few years ago however.

    Forum marketing is a great way to gain visitors and I would suggest utilizing social media like Facebook and Twitter as well. Simply start a fan page about your niche, post some content on there several times per day and people interested will start to see it, like you page and you can start pulling them over to your blog. It's extremely similar with Twitter as well…post great content, get followers and start pushing them over to your blog!

    I hope that helps and good luck!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577240].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kurttasche
    For me, I rely mostly on social media for my blog traffic.

    Optimizing your posts for the search engines still works. The one thing that doesn't work anymore, are exact-match domain names, where your main keyword is part of the actual domain. Google saw people abusing this, and took this out of their ranking algorithm.

    The reason I prefer using social media, is because you get actual real visitors, and usually pretty fast. Ranking in Google is fine. But, just because you're ranking well, doesn't mean people are visiting your blog.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577245].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author redtiger
      Blogging has not changed that much although it seems that there has been a shift in the sense that more people are setting up their blogs as "communities" nowadays. Blogs have become a tool for hanging out and building relationships more than anything else.
      The selling you do by placing links in the content and sending e-mails. The big trend is connecting to people and joining in conversations.


      Check out media management tools such as Hootsuite or Buzzbundle. They can help you find targeted traffic.

      Providing value, keywords and SEO is as important as ever.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577249].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SiteNameSales
      "exact-match domain names, where your main keyword is part of the actual domain. Google saw people abusing this, and took this out of their ranking algorithm."

      I don't know if they took it out of their algorithm or even if it was there to begin with. It certainly seems to have some value in Bing and Yahoo. Also, it's really difficult to see how these kind of domain names are abusing anything, unless you are talking about speculators parking these domains and getting ad revenue. It's a practice that's still going on, and not illegal,by the way. It usually is effective for one-word and/or names that have been registered for 20 years or so. But for the vast majority of sites it's going to be content that determines a ranking in the search engines.

      Be that as it may, keyword domain names have value above and beyond SEO strategies. It can define what you and your business is about. Sure, you can create a business called Yelp or Uber and, along with millions in start-up investment money, build a brand.

      For the rest of us, it's useful to think about what the average surfer (who knows nothing about you or your website) sees when they scroll down the page to click on a link.

      I will always go for a keyword domain name for any online business I become involved in. It may not always be a one or two word premium with value in aftermarket sales, but it will certainly help people know and recognize what my site is about.
      Signature
      Borrow my Business!...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577268].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Most of my blog traffic comes from my frontend email subscribers. It's purpose is to sell my lead-in product. To push promotion to my SITE, i use paid advertising - and very little free marketing (like here on Warrior Forum). And of course, i promote my site here on the forum too in my sig.
    Signature
    Get in contact with me
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577385].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author vishwa
    Blog promotion tactics haven't changed so much. Bloggers use Social media sites, SEO, link building and off course list building as their best promotional strategy. forums also plays a major role to drive traffic to your site or blog.
    Signature
    Bloggershook.com- Blogging, and Digital Marketing
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10577580].message }}

Trending Topics