What might have looked like a fad a few years ago is now a phenomenon.
A few years ago you might have been guaranteed a readership just because blogging was so new.
These days there are thousands of blogs to choose from.
If you want to be read, if you want the traffic, you have to spice things up.
Here are seven simple ways to spice up your blog and increase your traffic.
Be entertaining Ask yourself: why do people read blogs? They don't read them to get the news.
There are other internet news sources available that provide news far faster than any blogger ever could.
Your brand A brand is a promise, a promise to your reader.
When a person is familiar with a brand, that person knows exactly what to expect.
A devoted reader expects a certain level of quality.
Tools Get the right tools.
If you don't already have it, get WordPress and a good analytics tool.
Both are free.
Find your niche Stick to what you know or what you're passionate about.
Sure, always try and stay in tune with what the readers want, but don't let your audience analysis go too far.
Stay informed If you're going to keep your words of wisdom fresh and clever, you have to know what's going on around you.
Don't rely on gimmicks Stay away from the hackneyed done-to-death gimmicks.
No one wants to read another blogger who refers to himself in the third person.
Join the community Don't go as far as buying links, but do occasionally link other blogs, acknowledge other bloggers, and post guest blogs.