Right off the bat I’d like to apologize for the obvious link bait title however, I promise that by the end of the post I will have made it up to you.

What I’ve done here is compile a list of different techniques that can be implemented to drive more traffic to your blog. There are many popular “Top Ways” to increase blog traffic or numbered list of whatever blog posts available online.

The numbered posts are very attractive because they promise us something and immediately set our expectations.  But I have to be honest, although they may have a higher click-through rate when compared to other article titles, I’m tired of seeing them.

Why I Rarely Read Them

The market is flooded right now with numbered post titles such as Top 10 things, 3 Best Ways to and 6 Great Reasons You Should. Some bring up very good points, examples and tips while others are just link bait designed to get you to visit a site. In addition, a lot of them mention the same techniques throughout each post; I mean, how many different ways could there be to bring in new readers?

How I did My Research

Very popular among SEO’s  are Google’s search operators which are often used to fine tune results we’re looking for. These codes added to search queries reduce the amount of results that are returned making is easier for us to find something specific.  The following are a list of search operators and queries I used to find that data used to write this blog post:

• increase traffic to my blog
• “increase blog traffic|traffic to your blog”
• * ways to “increase blog traffic|traffic to your blog”
• * ways to “increase blog traffic” with

Using only the results found on the first page of Google I found the following 19 titles:

Once I had the URLs and titles from each of the above I compiled a list of the total amount of ways to increase traffic to a blog, which is how I got the number 249. After I read each post and finished my list, the next step was to fine tune the results and remove any duplicate or similar techniques.

I removed suggestions such as submit press releases and create a posting schedule as presses releases should be reserved for product launches and big announcements and while posting schedules will help with organization, they will not directly impact traffic to your blog. Some other suggestions I removed were non-specific ones such as post your link throughout the internet.

While Google Analytics is very important to have to measure our blogs success, it too will not directly affect traffic to our blogs. But seriously, add Google Analytics people! It is important to see why and how one blog out performs another so that is another reason to set up tracking.

What was left was the following list so, without further ado, I present 125 ways to increase traffic to your blog.

You can stop scrolling now

As promised, here is the complete list of 125 ways to increase traffic to your blog.

1. Add Graphics, Photos and Illustrations (with link-back licensing)
2. Add Value to a Popular Conversation
3. Add your blog URL to your email signature
4. Add Your Blog Website to Your Pin’s Descriptions
5. Aggregate the Best of Your Niche
6. Allow People to Print, Share, Embed, and Download Your Presentations
7. Allow Sharing and Embedding of Your Videos
8. Also include guest posts on your blog
9. Always follow those who re-tweet your content.
10. Always use relevant alt tags and titles for your images.
11. Answer emails!
12. Ask and Answer Questions
13. Attend and Host Events
14. Attend (blogging) conferences and any “gatherings” related to your niche. Throw business cards around with wild abandon. Network like crazy.
15. Be Active
16. Be Human
17. Be interviewed
18. Begin commenting on other blogs
    • Be careful with this one, don’t overdo it. Too much of a good thing…
19. Break news
    • Create a post about something that just happened
20. Check Google Trends
21. Comment on other people’s Facebook pages to drive traffic back to your own.
22. Complete Your Profile Strategically
23. Connect with People
24. Connect Your Web Profiles
25. Consider Guest Blogging
26. Consider Including Annotations
    • This will keep your content relevant and fresh
27. Contact the press directly
28. Create “link love” posts and let each blogger know that you are linking to them.
29. Create a “Frequently Asked Questions”
30. Create a 6-Second Preview of Your Post with Vine
31. Create a Facebook fan page
32. Create a SlideShare Profile Overview of Your Post
33. Create a YouTube channel.
34. Create an infographic.
35. Create an interactive experience
36. Create and post to your RSS feed frequently
37. Create and Upload Videos that are Relevant to Your Blog Audience
38. Create articles on controversial topics
39. Create both a “For Experts” and a “For Dummies” section
40. Create Circles (Google+)
41. Create pages on Squidoo and Hubpages
42. Create Playlists (Podcasts)
43. Create the Best Content you Possibly Can
44. Create Your Own Groups
45. Create your own local periodical meet up for bloggers or for your blog’s niche.
    • Meetup.com is great for this
46. Don’t Be Shy – Talk to everyone about your blog
47. Embed Your Presentations on Your Blog
48. Enable Subscriptions via Feed + Email (and track them!)
49. Ensure All of Your Pages are Being Indexed
50. Find Friends – Ask them to share your content
51. Find out who’s linking to you
52. Focus on One Specific Topic
53. Focus on problems – offer a solution
54. Frequently Reference Your Own Posts and Those of Others
55. Get on Blog Catalog.
56. Get on the RSS feeds of the top 3 blogs
57. Get Rich Pins for Your Blog
58. Give and Request Recommendations
59. Give Your Readers a Reason to Visit Your Blog
60. Guest Blog (and Accept the Guest Posts of Others)
61. Hashtag Optimization
62. Hold a competition or contest. The prize doesn’t have to be huge!
63. Host Hangouts
64. Host webinars with other bloggers – tap into their audience.
65. Host your images on flickr
66. Include a link to your blog in any and all online profiles you complete.
67. Include Keywords in Your Video Descriptions
68. Include Presentation Transcriptions
69. Include Your Blog URL at the Beginning and End of Each Video
70. Incorporate Great Design Into Your Site
71. Instagram an Image From Your Post
72. Install the related posts plugin.
73. Integrate and Cross-Promote
74. Interact on Other Blogs’ Comments
75. Interact with peers on forums – Join & Post
76. Interlink your pages.
    • Link to older posts as well as static HTML pages
77. Interview other bloggers and tap into their audience.
78. Invite guest posters.
79. Jump on the Google+ bandwagon and create your own page.
80. Keep Consistent With Your Posts
81. Keep in touch with bloggers you know – nurture relationships.
82. Keep Your Blog Current to Increase Blog Traffic
83. Keyword Research
84. Leave trackbacks on other blogs.
85. Leverage the power of “versus”
86. Link Your Uploaded Pins Back to Your Website
87. Make It Interesting
88. Make sharing simple – include highly visible social media buttons on your posts.
89. Make Sure Your Presentations Include Your Blog URL
90. Make your blog beautiful.
91. Make your blog easy to navigate.
92. Make Your Videos Public and Allow Comments
93. Mention other Facebook pages on your wall and you will show up in their feeds.
94. Never stop trying new things.
95. Nominate Yourself and Other Blogs for Blog Awards
96. Offer Free E-books
97. Offer yourself up for interview on other bloggers’ podcasts.
98. Participate in Q+A Sites
99. Participate in Social Sharing Communities Like Reddit + StumbleUpon
100. Participate in the Communities Where Your Audience Already Gathers
101. Pin Your Post to a Pinterest Group Board
     • Provide amazing content that influencers want to repin
102. Print some business cards. Hand them to everyone and anyone.
103. Produce a video course.
104. Promote Outside Your Blog
105. Promote Your Facebook Link
106. Provide Full Presentation Descriptions with Keywords
107. Reach out to bloggers you like – build relationships.
108. Referring To Your Posts And That Of Others Frequently
109. Release a free product and ask your readers to “pay with a tweet”.
110. Remember Search Engine Optimization
111. Repurpose Your Presentations Whenever Possible
112. Respond to your blog comments!
113. Reveal pricing
114. Search out and follow likeminded people on Twitter (search by keyword, or by hashtags, etc).
115. Sell Things via Your Blog
116. Share Blog Posts On Your Fan Page
117. Share Your Best Blog Content Links
118. Share Your LinkedIn Profile Link
119. Showcase your top articles
120. Start a newsletter
121. Start a periodical newsletter to bring visitors back to your blog on a regular basis.
122. Start producing a podcast and tap into the huge iTunes market.
123. Submit Your Blog to Search Engines
124. Submit Your Posts to Social Bookmarking Sites
125. Submit your site to major directories

There you have it, 125 different techniques we should all start using to increase traffic and readership to our blogs.

My Two Cents

Using all of these methods may not be an option for some but there are plenty of new ideas here to try. I for one am excited to try several of these starting today! I sincerely hope that whatever methods you decide to use, they are beneficial to you and bring you success!

Please let me know if this was helpful to you and which new techniques you plan on using.