Attract More Blog Traffic

This article is an edited excerpt from the soon-to-be-released newest edition of I’d Rather Be in the Studio.
This Quick-Start Manual outlines the key areas you need to work on if you want more blog visitors. And who doesn’t want more blog visitors?

Focus on Content

More than anything else, good content will attract people to your blog. Create a regular schedule – perhaps once a week in the beginning – of writing and posting images of your art. Readers need to know they can depend on you.

Feature other people on your blog, like loyal blogger Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson did (above image). It encourages those people to share with their followers. I was so happy to see this nice write-up of my visit with Elizabeth that I couldn’t wait to share it on Twitter and jumped at the chance to share it here.

Share

Make sure that people who need to see your post actually do see it.
I love this email I received from Brad Blackman after my last post. He was right. It would be helpful for my peeps to read (“How to Write Blog Posts Faster with a Checklist or Template“), so I was happy to tweet it out and share it here all because he reached out to tell me about it.

Here are three other ways you can share:

• It should go without saying, but make your blog very visible on your website. The link to your blog should be one of your major links.
• Add your most recent posts to your Facebook page and Twitter feeds. See that social media sharing buttons are available with your post to make it easy for other people to share.
• Collect email addresses with a sign-up form so you can send blog post updates to anyone who prefers email to an RSS reader.
• Use your newsletter to drive people to your blog. Don’t just include a mention of your blog in your newsletter, but give your newsletter readers a compelling reason to visit your blog.

For instance, let’s say you include a Top 10 list in your newsletter. Instead of giving away the final item on your list, post it on your website or blog. In its place: “And the number one reason people are coming to the art festival is posted at artbizblog.com.”

Get Keywords In Your Posts

I am not an expert at SEO, but I do know that it’s helpful to use keywords and phrases in your writing.
Use keywords and phrases throughout your blog posts. If you want to be found by those people searching for “American Indian sculpture” you’d do yourself a lot of good by using those three words together and linking them to other blogs and websites when the occasions arise.
Don’t forget your titles. A blog post title, or headline, can make or break a post’s popularity. For example, you might not have read much past the title if it had been “An Excerpt from My Book.”

Lisa Call got my attention with “Why I Didn’t Enter Quilt National.” (link no longer available) I knew it would have some good lessons that other artists could benefit from hearing.
People want to know why they should spend time reading what you have to write. What’s in it for them, even if it’s pure entertainment?

Ask & Respond

Ask people to leave comments on your blog. Whenever someone sends you an email about something that was on your blog, ask if they would please leave it as a comment on your blog. I had to do this when I first started the Art Biz Blog, as many of my subscribers were unfamiliar with how blogs work.
Another way to encourage comments is to ask questions at the end of your posts – like I do below – questions that are relevant to the posts’ content. People love to share their opinions and you often don’t get what you don’t ask for.
Be sure that you respond to comments.
The Bottom Line: You will attract more visitors to your blog by committing to rich, useful content and by being generous to others.
What’s worked for you?