Here’s what a lot of people think will happen after they launch a blog:Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
In reality, there may be no increase in traffic or a gradual increase in traffic.
You don’t simply need traffic. You need the right kind of traffic.
And what if youdoget traffic? Life is good, right?
Yeah, sort of. But what’s the point of having a blog? Is it really just traffic?
I’d argue that the answer isno. Most of the time, a business starts a blog in order to serve a higher purpose — marketing, brand visibility, more clients, higher conversions, etc. A blog does not exist for the sole purpose of publishing more content. The web doesn’t need more content.
A blog exists for conversions, revenue, information, etc. Traffic is simply an indication that your blogmaybe achieving its real goals.
Gaining traffic is not a good thing unless your blog is also achieving its other purposes. What if you’re getting traffic from all the wrong sources? That traffic is not going to convert, and your blog becomes essentially useless.
1. You Aren’t Sharing it Socially
We’re in the era of the social web.
The social web refers to the fact that the Internet is a place of social interaction and collaboration. As proof, consider this: 40% of all Nigerian adults use a social networking site.
When people “go online,” they are likely to do several things — research, email, etc. — but increasingly all these activities are integrated socially.
For example, someone doesn’t simply read an article. They share it, comment on it, tweet it, etc.
It naturally follows that an online strategy devoid of social sharing is missing out on the vast and viral potential of the social web.
Solution: Promote your content
Writing content is only half of content marketing.
The other half is spreading that content. Don’t expect the traffic to come flooding in after you click “publish.” Publish your content, and then promote it.
Here are some tips:
*.Add sharing buttons to your blog article.
*.Share content at the peak times for your audience’s social activity.
*.Share your article on Twitter with images.
*.Share content multiple times on every social site.
*.Keep up with your content as it circulates on social, and be sure to participate in the conversation.
*.Encourage blog authors, contributors, and team members to use their existing social networks to share the article.
2. You Aren’t Focusing on Any One Keyword or Subject
Much of SEOis fairly common knowledge by this point. Most people are at least aware of keywords, and title tags, and have at least a vague idea of how it all works together.
But in spite of the widespread knowledge, it can be hard to strategically apply it to one’s own blog.
Keyword optimization is one such shortcoming.
Often, a blog writer starts by assembling an editorial calendar, which is basically a list of blog articles with dates. She may select these article titles based on the fact that they are interesting or perceived to be relevant to the target audience.
Solution: Research and target long tail keywords
This approach described above is misguided. Content marketing should not start with articles. It should start with research.
*.Understand your marketing persona.
*.Understand what they are searching for.
*.Understand the intent behind their queries.
*.Understand the keywords that would gain traffic from these queries.
4. Your Blog Design is Horrible
Another user experience issue is blog design. Why does it matter? The way your blog looks, feels, and functions affects how users engage with your blog.
If the design is awful, then your users will not engage with the blog.
Solution
Based on my research and analysis, here are the ingredients of a great blog design:
*.Your website should be responsive. If your website is not mobile optimized, it won’t be featured in mobile search results. Use this toolto see if Google views you as mobile-friendly.
*.Feature blog snippets on your main blog page. Snippets are brief excerpts of a main article that people can skim through at a glance.
*.Make your main content prominent. Place it on the left side, where users are most likely to look first.
*.Use scrolling social buttons to encourage social sharing at any point in the article.
*.Use an 11px font or larger for the body text.
*.Use a 17-25px headline font.
*.Use a sans serif font.
*.Use a light colored background with dark colored text.
*.Use headers and short paragraphs to break up the content.
*.Use plenty of images.
*.Use headers, bullet points, short paragraphs, and easy vocabulary.
*.Include the name and possibly a brief bio of the author.
*.Provide a CTA for users to subscribe to the blog.
Improving your blog’s design can dramatically improve your blog’s quality, readability, and traffic.

Wow.. this thread is bomb. Don't know why I'm the only one here

FrenzyBlogger:
Here’s what a lot of people think will happen after they launch a blog:Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
In reality, there may be no increase in traffic or a gradual increase in traffic.
You don’t simply need traffic. You need the right kind of traffic.
And what if youdoget traffic? Life is good, right?
Yeah, sort of. But what’s the point of having a blog? Is it really just traffic?
I’d argue that the answer isno. Most of the time, a business starts a blog in order to serve a higher purpose — marketing, brand visibility, more clients, higher conversions, etc. A blog does not exist for the sole purpose of publishing more content. The web doesn’t need more content.
A blog exists for conversions, revenue, information, etc. Traffic is simply an indication that your blogmaybe achieving its real goals.
Gaining traffic is not a good thing unless your blog is also achieving its other purposes. What if you’re getting traffic from all the wrong sources? That traffic is not going to convert, and your blog becomes essentially useless.
1. You Aren’t Sharing it Socially
We’re in the era of the social web.
The social web refers to the fact that the Internet is a place of social interaction and collaboration. As proof, consider this: 40% of all Nigerian adults use a social networking site.
When people “go online,” they are likely to do several things — research, email, etc. — but increasingly all these activities are integrated socially.
For example, someone doesn’t simply read an article. They share it, comment on it, tweet it, etc.
It naturally follows that an online strategy devoid of social sharing is missing out on the vast and viral potential of the social web.
Solution: Promote your content
Writing content is only half of content marketing.
The other half is spreading that content. Don’t expect the traffic to come flooding in after you click “publish.” Publish your content, and then promote it.
Here are some tips:
*.Add sharing buttons to your blog article.
*.Share content at the peak times for your audience’s social activity.
*.Share your article on Twitter with images.
*.Share content multiple times on every social site.
*.Keep up with your content as it circulates on social, and be sure to participate in the conversation.
*.Encourage blog authors, contributors, and team members to use their existing social networks to share the article.
2. You Aren’t Focusing on Any One Keyword or Subject
Much of SEOis fairly common knowledge by this point. Most people are at least aware of keywords, and title tags, and have at least a vague idea of how it all works together.
But in spite of the widespread knowledge, it can be hard to strategically apply it to one’s own blog.
Keyword optimization is one such shortcoming.
Often, a blog writer starts by assembling an editorial calendar, which is basically a list of blog articles with dates. She may select these article titles based on the fact that they are interesting or perceived to be relevant to the target audience.
Solution: Research and target long tail keywords
This approach described above is misguided. Content marketing should not start with articles. It should start with research.
*.Understand your marketing persona.
*.Understand what they are searching for.
*.Understand the intent behind their queries.
*.Understand the keywords that would gain traffic from these queries.
4. Your Blog Design is Horrible
Another user experience issue is blog design. Why does it matter? The way your blog looks, feels, and functions affects how users engage with your blog.
If the design is awful, then your users will not engage with the blog.
Solution
Based on my research and analysis, here are the ingredients of a great blog design:
*.Your website should be responsive. If your website is not mobile optimized, it won’t be featured in mobile search results. Use this toolto see if Google views you as mobile-friendly.
*.Feature blog snippets on your main blog page. Snippets are brief excerpts of a main article that people can skim through at a glance.
*.Make your main content prominent. Place it on the left side, where users are most likely to look first.
*.Use scrolling social buttons to encourage social sharing at any point in the article.
*.Use an 11px font or larger for the body text.
*.Use a 17-25px headline font.
*.Use a sans serif font.
*.Use a light colored background with dark colored text.
*.Use headers and short paragraphs to break up the content.
*.Use plenty of images.
*.Use headers, bullet points, short paragraphs, and easy vocabulary.
*.Include the name and possibly a brief bio of the author.
*.Provide a CTA for users to subscribe to the blog.
Improving your blog’s design can dramatically improve your blog’s quality, readability, and traffic.

nice one op!