This is a guest post by Nick.

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It’s an easy misconception to have when you are blogging that you need traffic NOW and it doesn’t matter where from. It’s an easy trap to fall into when your mindset is constantly to generate content, design and manage your page, and promoting your blog to get maximum exposure.

But it does matter where your traffic comes from, and if it’s not targeted towards your niche then its a waste of the viewers time and yours.

Here are some tips on why you need targeted traffic to become successful.

Why You Need Targeted Traffic to Succeed

  • Be Aware of Common Mistakes
  • Make sure however you’re promoting your blog, it’s reaching the intended audience. For example if you were using Yahoo Answers and answering questions in any category and using your site as the source. That’s a total waste of your time if you aren’t strictly responding to questions related to your niche. Since that’s a pretty simple example, let’s try another. Say you’re on Twitter and you are mass following to gain followers at a rapid rate. Sure, you’ll get some exposure from that, but unfortunately whatever number of followers you may achieve doesn’t compare to 10% of that number in targeted followers.

    Don’t fall into gimmick traffic traps, either. I’m of a strict no spending on advertising philosophy, and even if that isn’t true for you, be careful. The best way to garner targeted traffic rather than paying for it is simply networking with bloggers in the same niche as you. Also be aware of the forums you frequent. While a forum itself that is related to your niche is good, some are so sprawling that you can wander out of it and not post in the optimal sections to see an increase in targeted traffic from interested people.

  • Monitor What Kind of Traffic You’re Getting
  • I suggest using Google Analytics to monitor how long people stay on your site, how many pages they view before they leave, etc. This is very important to watch as your blog grows, because ideally you want to see certain things increase (pages viewed, how long they stay) and certain things decrease (bounce rate). These are indicators that your traffic is targeted and not just from massive promotion and irrelevant backlinks/keywords. A lot of people underestimate how valuable of a tool this is and it’s really surprising. If you can see the statistics you know what you need to improve on to provide a better blog.

    In Conclusion…

    In conclusion, strive to be relevant in every aspect of your blog’s promotion! If you do this, traffic will be very steady and quality at that!

    10 comments

    1. Kate

      Reply

      I totally agree with this article, to be honest and based on my experience before starting up your own business all we should bear in mind is the niche, it is important to understand the current situation, for example thinking about the niche that will attract the readers.

    2. Reply

      Google Analytics is a great resource to kind of ‘rate yourself’ – and see how you’re doing, how you’re progressing, and where you’re going.

    3. Reply

      Yes, I have found time and again that the traffic quality is much more important than the quantity. I have several blogs and sites which get varying amounts of traffic. I put affiliate programs on them and always find that the number of sign ups is greater on the ones that are more suited subject-wise to that particular program, even if they doesn’t get much traffic compared to others I’ve put them on.

      • Reply

        That’s great Matt… I wish you all the best in your blogging journey

        Please I am asking you to also leave a comment on the article link below… Thanks 🙂
        5 Important Questions Every Blogger Should Be Asking Themselves

    4. Reply

      With targeted traffic you will be more successful because those are people interested in your “product” and you will require of less work to convey them to “buy” your product.

      If you just get un-targeted traffic you will have a harder time converting, not to mention your bounce rate will sky rocket.

    5. Brankica

      Reply

      NO better traffic than targeted one. That is why I don’t go for the numbers on Twitter and get nice number of RTs and visits. I connect with like minded people that are interested in things I blog about. They are always more likely to help and eventually spend money on your blog.

      • Nick

        Reply

        That is the right way to do it, Brankica. It’s very easy to get obsessed over how many people are following you and whatnot rather than focusing on quality, not quantity. Thanks for commenting!

    6. Sam Ayodeji

      Reply

      Nick, this is a very short but informative tips on targeted traffic. I think i need to know more of Google Webmasters Tool. Thanks for sharing. Great Article.

      • Nick

        Reply

        I try to make brief, but informative posts and I’m glad you got something out of it. Google’s webmaster tool’s are a must for tracking your traffic and getting statistics on it. Thanks for the comment Sam 🙂

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