This post was guest blogged by Steve of IveTriedThat. They lose money so you don’t have to.
All startup blogs share the same two common goals: increase readership and promote valuable content. There are literally hundreds of ways to accomplish these two goals. Here’s one more that will help you accomplish both with just one post.
Most blogs normally don’t feature new material on Sundays. Personally, I like to take time off from blogging and just catch up with what’s been going on elsewhere throughout the week. You’ve probably seen a blog feature its popular posts from the past week, or sometimes they will share link love with others. Rarely will you find a blog that features both and this is where bloggers are blowing it.
Simply combining link love and featured articles in one post can work wonders to increase your blog’s popularity. If you use appropriate trackback URLs, a link back to your blog and a short snippet from your post will appear in the linked post’s comments section. Authors usually follow trackbacks and check out the referring blogs. It’s just human nature—we love to see who’s talking about us. Now here’s the evil of it all: when the author checks out your post, he or she will be greeted with your best work from the previous week. Toss in an RSS subscription link at the bottom of each post and you’re well on your way to gaining another regular reader…or a hundred!
If you link to similar blogs each week, at the very least, you’ll be sure to see an increase in traffic. Other perks can include shared link love, an increase in RSS readers, an exchange of guest posts, or even a developing friendship. I utilize these techniques each week on my blog and also watch others continually do it wrong by making poor use of their front page real estate. So combine the “Best of” and “Link love” posts into one; it’s a beautifully simple way for startup or struggling blogs to increase traffic.