The seamlessly never ending quest for getting traffic to your blog will truly, in fact, never end! Most bloggers have been schooled in the ways of obtaining traffic in the more traditional methods, but there are other techniques that live outside of the box of normality, and can have some serious gains if executed correctly.
Below are five ways that should get you thinking in the right mind-set.
1. Create a Controversy. While this method is not uncommon, I don't think it's used as much as it should or even could be. From the earliest days of traditional advertising, slamming your competitor or opponent with valid claims was always a way to draw attention. The same theory applies to bloggers. With so many bloggers out there and competing in the same niche (think "make money online") it's rather easy to find someone to pick on. Now, keep in mind there are ethical and even legal lines you dare not cross (defamation of character, slander, etc...), as it could land you in some real trouble. However, when there are x amount of people in the same room trying to compete for your attention on the same subject, there are bound to be a few that mess up, which gives you an automatic license to pounce on them like a cheetah on a gazelle. By tactfully slamming someone, or proving them wrong, it can bring you a flood of traffic, backlinks, and all kinds of long term rewards. Again, be careful not to get in too deep, and definitely, most definitely expect retaliation!
2. Post Series This one may not be new, but again, it's a method that isn't used as often as it should be. By saying "post series", what I mean is pick a topic (preferably something you're an expert at) do the extra research, and come up with enough content to post 30 days worth - yes, a whole month! Assuming your topic is interesting enough, by creating one new post per day on it, you've effectively turned your blog into a mini-series. Readers will "tune in" religiously every day to read it. Search engines will love it, and if you can actually pull this off, it may be one of the best moves you ever made for your long term success. Note - if you plan on doing this and you announce it to your readers, make sure that you follow through with your promise!
3. Break Web Related News. We all know that news sells, but average, regular bloggers don't have the time, resources, or money to break actual newsworthy news. There are, however, countless opportunities to break web related news on an almost daily basis. With an estimated hundreds or even thousands of startups going online every day, there are plenty of interview opportunities ripe for the picking. It's kind of like a lottery, as most startups fizzle out fast, but imagine if you were the first to interview the founders of a "MySpace" sort of site? Interviews can never hurt you, and if you get lucky and pick the right one, it could build you massive professional credibility over-night! The traffic rewards would be nearly un-imaginable.
4. Don't Re-Invent the Wheel. While some people might disagree with this theory, I personally know that when something works, it's best to run with it. I hate to sound cliché, but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". What I'm getting at is - write what people want to hear about. Web 2.0, gadget reviews, life hacks...this is all massively popular stuff for a reason. People love it! Most readers can't get enough of this type of content, and even though everyone and their grandmothers are blogging about it - that only means that it's obviously working for them. My only suggestion is to stick with what's popular, but try and put your own spin on it. Writing about what's hot works, think about the news that you watch at night; notice that every channel basically covers the same stories? See what I mean?
5. Write off Schedule. What I mean is, post articles when no one else is posting them. I'm talking about late nights, weekends, and holidays. A lot of bloggers follow that traditional time clock, and while this works for them, you want to give readers fresh new content in different time slots so you aren't competing with the big dogs. This is especially important if you're reporting on similar material. Take a chance and put your best stuff up on a weekend and see how it does. You may be surprised at the traffic boost you receive by doing this. I've done this many times in the past, and although I was hesitant to waste a good article on a weekend, it never failed that the page views were a lot higher than the weekday posts.
hope these tips, at the very least, helped to jump-start that thinking module in your head. There are many more creative ways to boost traffic, but these work, and they work with deadly greatness.