I am active in a forum called Website Babble, and while I’m not an expert on many subjects, I try to help out others where I can. Recently, however, I noticed a post where a member was getting fed up with his web sites since he was having trouble getting visitors.
For many people it can be frustrating when starting a web site or blog. It is usually slow going in the beginning, but for most people they seem to quit before their site generates a substantial amount of visitors.
Starting with no Traffic
Starting a web site or blog can be a time consuming process. You must pick a niche, find a host, write unique content, and promote your site. Most people expect many visitors to their site to happen quickly, which isn’t the case. When they realize they can’t generate the traffic, they usually quit.
When I started Technically Easy, I had maybe 5 visitors a day. This was about 13 months ago, and today I am receiving between 700-800 visitors a day, and this increases with each passing month. What did I do? I didn’t quit.
It was very difficult for me, at times, to feel the desire to write another post. I was always thinking that no one was reading the posts anyway. I decided to push myself and continued to write at least 3 posts a week. I found that as I wrote more posts, I started to see more traffic, and the desire to write was growing stronger.
When I wrote more, Google and the other search engines began to index my content and I noticed that more of my posts were displayed in the results. This provided a large increase in visitors, but even Google provided ups and downs.
Everyone online knows about Google – the large, powerful search engine. Most that start out building web sites always try to get their pages listed in Google. When their pages do get listed, they seem to be in a state of euphoria. They quickly come crashing down when their pages are no longer displayed in the results. What happened?
I experienced this with Technically Easy in the early days. Google at one point listed my posts in the results pages. Then when I performed the same search in the following days, my posts were no where to be found. This was a huge letdown as I felt I had achieved a great accomplishment by being listed, only to find that it wasn’t the case.
This is the way Google operates. For new sites, it lists them in the search results, but then will take them out or push them down in the results. You will see this several times when you first start out, however, it won’t last forever. Keep writing good, unique content, and as your site gets older, Google will once again list you in its results. Google likes older sites more than newer ones.
Now my blog isn’t very old (13 months), however, Google is the largest provider of visitors to Technically Easy. I can do a search and easily see my posts in the results. As your site grows and ages, you will begin to show up in the results on a regular basis.
Socializing
Web 2.0 is the new buzz word for all the social networks that you see online. Each day there appears to be many new sites trying to entice you to join. I have joined several, but only regularily use a few. Time doesn’t permit me to use too many.
For my blog, Entrecard has definitely helped a lot with generating traffic. I joined in December 2007, and since then, I have received thousands of visitors a month. If you have a blog, I suggest you check out Entrecard, however, ensure that you have a least 5 posts before you do.
As mentioned above, I am active in Website Babble. I was never a fan of forums, however, for those starting out in web sites this is a great forum to join. The members are all nice, have a broad range of experiences, and are willing to help out anyone with a question. There are no stupid questions in that forum. As I said, I try to provide answers to the best of my ability.
The more you participate in different social networks, the more you can help generate traffic to your site. The web is a social medium, so get out, socialize, and network.
Traffic Exchanges
I haven’t tried these with Technically Easy, nor do I have a desire to. Many who start out with web sites, join these sites to generate traffic. The problem with these sites is that the visitors aren’t there for the content, but rather are there to generate points or credits.
The traffic you need for a web site has to be targeted, not random. Targeted traffic are visitors that visit because they are interested in your content. These are the visitors that will return or subscribe to your site. They are also the ones that may provide a link back to your site from theirs, which may also generate traffic for you. For me, I would stay away from traffic exchanges.
Give it Time
There are many ways to generate traffic, but I found the best method is to write great content and give it time. It takes time for a web site to become established – it doesn’t happen overnight. I didn’t notice significant traffic until my blog was 6 months old. Since that time, it has continuously been growing. I don’t do anything different now then I did in the beginning. I just have more content, and my blog is older.
When starting out, don’t get discouraged about traffic, and search engines. Just keep writing and everything will fall into place with regards to visitors.
Have Your Say
- How old is your site, and how long did it take you to generate noticeable traffic?
- What has been the largest traffic generator for you?
- What tips can you provide about generating traffic?
- Was it difficult for you in the beginning to keep going with your web site?