A quick look at my website traffic lets me know where my bread is buttered – with my content.  Adding high quality, keyword-rich content to a site on a regular basis is the best way to increase traffic and ensure repeat visitors.

Write Regularly

Set a goal for yourself, say a post per day or three posts per week.  I actually find that I’m better at keeping my commitment to blogging if I go ahead and do it every day. 

If I set a schedule of once a week or three times per week, I’m much more likely to give myself an out.  For instance, if I say, “I’m going to write three posts this week,” I may set my days for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  When Wednesday comes around, I’ll tell myself, “I’ll just push it to Thursday.” 

What happens is, I end up falling short of my goal because of too much flexibility in my schedule.  If I commit to posting daily, I may tell myself, “This is going to be a short post,” but more often than not, I go on and write a regular post.  Wiggle room tends to give me just enough space to wiggle myself right out of writing.

Another tip is to write early in the day.  Otherwise, you might get busy and forget to do it.

Write with Purpose

Select your topic carefully, taking time to consider your ideal and target reader.  Ask yourself, “What does my target reader want to know?”

Develop a catchy, descriptive, and keyword-rich title.  You either have them at “Hello,” or they skip right over you.  Make sure your titles will stand out in the crowd.

Write thoughtful and keyword-rich articles.  Think like your readers think.  What terms would you use to find a post like the one you’re writing?  Be sure to use those terms throughout the text.

Write Like No One Is Watching

A glance at my site’s popular search queries shows me that even those posts that seemed like they might go unnoticed have still contributed to my traffic, and I’m actually surprised by the terms that have led the most people to my site.

For instance, in the past month, the most popular search engine query that led people to my site was “todoodlist.”  Variations of the search term were also used, such as “gtd todoodlist” and “todoodlist planner.”

In moment of newly-found infatuation with his easy-to-use-and-implement productivity system, I made a post about the Todoodlist ebook by Nick Cernis.  It’s not something I would normally have written, but this one post has contributed more than ten times the traffic of any other search term this month.  Sometimes it pays to do something unique.

Driving significant and consistent traffic to your website or blog doesn’t have to be such a challenge.  All it takes is a little effort and a lot of commitment.  Keep at it, and you’ll begin to see your traffic gradually improve.