How to generate the INITIAL traffic?

[rickyou]

I think that the hardest part of starting a blog is to generate the initial traffic. I wonder what do you all do to generate that traffic. I submit my blog to social bookmarking sites, but it seems that the traffic is very low.

Rick

[pcsourcepoint]

I participate in a few forums (e.g. pc world NZ), where I can leave a link. I have had visits; Also I have a link to my main site, which also brings visitors...

[bbrian017]

Originally Posted by rickyou

I think that the hardest part of starting a blog is to generate the initial traffic. I wonder what do you all do to generate that traffic. I submit my blog to social bookmarking sites, but it seems that the traffic is very low.

Rick

Have a look here, Blog Engage (Bloggers Only)

[freediver]

You want to write a really useful article about something you are passionate about. Then you want to submit that article to niche social media sites. If it is really good it will pick up.

[Ferox]

Directories work if your subject is special or unique in some way. I get some traffinc to my vet student blog because there aren't a lot of them, and lots of people like animals or want to be a vet.

Forum posts/signatures work in the right niches or if you say 'Please look at my blog and give me feedback'.

Social networking sites are volatile and a bit random. some days they work, some days they don't. Midweek seems to be better.

Having firends post links on their sites also helps, because your firends will help get you started!

[Inhibitor]

Comment, comment, comment...leave comments sprinkled liberally on other blogs in your niche.

Just make sure they're not of the "good post" type; actually join the conversation, or ask a question, or give your view on the post topic you're commenting on.

You'll be amazed at the traffic you get from comments. (And if you become a regular commentor, you may wind up with some blogroll links on some of the sites as well...it's happened to me)

[JeremyMorgan]

as much as I hate to say it, sometimes you have to play the waiting game.

I was a "closet SEO" for years, meaning nothing about me being an SEO, or anything of the sort was online for anyone to read. Now, I've decided to create a blog. Not to sound egotistical or anything, but I know I am giving out really good info here, and I'm only getting a few hundred hits a day.

My strategy is going to be to wait it out until a lot of people discover it. I am submitting to major directories all over the net, and submitting my RSS feeds, but for the most part I'm just going to continue putting out good content until the people notice. Sometimes this is the best way.

Utilize directories, and social bookmarking sites as best you can. It's free, and just takes a little time. Eventually if what you are providing is good enough, people will come in waves. I have had clients who hired me for SEO, and I gave them counseling, directing their focus on the content, and watched them blow up. One of them literally had over 10,000 visitors a day after only being up a month and a half.

Focus on your content and making it best, and make sure your site is out there in the directories, and soon traffic will follow.

[Bloggeries]

I'd make sure your blog is 100% ready for the general public then get aggressive. John Chow was talking about a RAMP to traffic. If you increase in small increments each month it could also decrease by the same as members come and go. Try and get on front page of a social media site or somewhere really high traffic o kick start it and then hopefully you can maintain the level you got to in a short time by making quality posts etc... Risky for sure but it's tough.

If not everyone here has given you great advice. Forum posts, social media, commenting, commenting commenting.

Also see if you can guest post at larger blogs.

[evelester]

ditto on guest posting, that helps a lot.

I also submitted a sitemap to google webmaster tools and got it all verified to make it get indexed sooner. There is a great plugin for wordpress sitemaps- makes it VERY easy to make one for a beginner- Google (XML) Sitemaps Generator for WordPress

good luck to you!

[rickyou]

Thanks for the overwhelming response. here are some of my questions :
1)what is sitemaps?
2)how can we get on the first page of social media? get lots of digg?

Thanks
Rick