Yes, you read that right!
You can write content that “drives” traffic.
There are very few words that can deeply affect the emotions of a blogger and one of those few words is the word “traffic”. The unfortunate thing is that when it comes to getting traffic to our blogs we’re all used to the idea of using tactics, with little concern for the kind of content we create.
In my experience the best way you can generate traffic to your blog isn’t by guest blogging, it isn’t by blog commenting but it is by something I call “writing for traffic“. If you’re ready to start writing for traffic then read below to get a few tips to help you write content that drives traffic.
If you’ve been in business for more than a few days now then you will have heard the phrase “benefits sells, not features” at least twice, and that statement can’t be far from the truth.
It doesn’t matter how great your article is. It doesn’t matter how many points it contains and it doesn’t matter how many features your article has or how many reasons you give to your readers to make them read it. Ultimately, there is only one thing that matters and that makes your readers decide to even click to read your content – that one thing is the “benefiting factor” they perceive in it.
In case you don’t know yet, I follow only 51 people on Twitter and I see hundreds of post titles in my Twitter stream alone everyday, I’m subscribed to almost 50 blogs via RSS and I also follow people via Facebook. There is just too much content out there than I can read and to make me a reader you need me to read your content.
If you really want to write content that drives traffic then you need to start spending more time on writing great headlines that stand out. Having the perfect headline not only entices a lot of people to click to read your article, it also results in more retweets and shares which results in more people seeing it and more people sharing it.
Old advice, eh? But it works!
In fact, I have written 2 great list posts this month already and both have been viewed by thousands of people.
List posts will always work, as long as you follow my formula to writing it.
Be Smart With Your Title: I know I made a point about having the right title above, but it is very important to pay more attention to it here if you really want your list post to go viral. Don’t just write a list post titled 10 ways to be a better blogger. A lot of people have read countless articles on being a better blogger so there’s little to no chance they will pay attention to it but by having a title like “10 little known ways to be a better blogger” or “10 outstandingly effective ways to be a better blogger” you will be able to get more people to read your list posts.
One thing about my examples though is the use of “key words”. These key words, if used effectively can make a huge difference in people reading your articles or not and a great example of key words in the titles used as examples are “outstandingly effective” and “little known”. You also need to make sure your article delivers on the promises of your headline – don’t tell people you’re giving them little known ways to do something and then give them common tips. The more unique your articles are and the more you over deliver, the more traffic you will be able to get to your list posts.
Format Your Articles with Eye Catching Images: Another tactic I have noticed works well with list posts is the use of effective, eye catching images in the article. The more attractive your images are, the more results you can get from using them.
You should also know that an image speaks a thousand words so don’t for once underestimate the importance of using an image in your article. It doesn’t matter if it took you 30 minutes or 1 hour to find the right images, you will be very happy you spent that time choosing the right images.
If it is great content people will share it, right?
What if they don’t?
This is something especially important depending on your niche. Sometimes we enjoy an article so much that by thinking about taking action on it we forget to share it. A little reminder to share your post might make a whole lot of difference in whether it drives traffic or not. Make sure you have a clear call to action encouraging people to spread the word about your blog post so that others will benefit.
It is also very important to be careful with how you tell people to share your articles. If you tell them to share every single article you write then it would soon become a common thing and they will start giving your call to actions less attention.
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