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10 Ways Drive More Site Traffic | Blogging Done Right

10 Steps to Driving More Site Traffic Blogging Done Right

10 Ways Drive More Site Traffic | Blogging Done Right

Your dealership is ready to start blogging. That’s great news, because almost half of Americans read blogs from their favorite brands, to gather product and industry information and stay in touch with you. Before you put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, you should create a structure for your blog. It’s like building a house – you need a framework before you can fill it with furniture.

Following this 10-step process will ensure your blog has all the structural elements necessary to successfully drive more site traffic.

  1. responsive designChoose a template and style.

Every blog article – and every page of each article – should have a consistent look, so it’s easier to navigate and read. Keep the design simple, so readers focus on your content rather than your visuals.

  1. Organize your listing page.

This is the summary of your blog posts, so put it on your blog’s home page where it’s easy to find. Include the title, author and a short preview – just enough to whet your visitor’s appetite to read more. You may want to also include an image with each listing, and you’ll need to decide if you want to show social sharing buttons on your listing page or just on each blog page.

  1. Identify your tags.

wordle-tag-cloud[1]Using tags help readers find blog articles by category. Pick the fewest number of tags you can to cover your major topics rather than going wild here. For instance, if you’re a construction equipment dealer, attachments makes more sense as a tag than using the name of every possible type of attachment. You can add more tags later, but it will difficult to delete any because that will interfere with past tagged content.

  1. persona1Create blog author profiles.

Attribution adds SEO value to your blog posts. A brief bio tells readers something about the author and how to reach them on social media, and it helps build their reputation as a thought leader within your dealership. If possible, connect the author’s Google+ profile to blog posts, so it will appear in Google search results.

  1. Determine your comments policy.

Here are some options:

  • Allow people to comment on all posts, without your moderation.
  • Allow comments after you approve them.
  • Close comments after a set time limit.
  • Receive notifications when comments are posted.
  • Set comment levels that allow you to engage individually with comments that are part of a thread.

You also need to decide who will respond to comments, and how quickly.

  1. Create a subscriber form.

2398Readers can provide their email address (a sales lead for you) in return to receiving notification of new blog posts. Let them choose instantly, daily, weekly or monthly. Invite readers to subscribe with a call-to-action on each blog post as well as your blog home page.

  1. Create subscriber emails.

When someone subscribes to your blog, you’ll want to send them a thank-you email. After that, you’ll need a different message for each type of subscriber (instantly, weekly, etc.). Remember to:

  • Send emails from a name they recognize, so they will open your message.
  • Include a short preview that tempts them to click through to read the entire post.
  • Give them something to click – use a CTA or make the blog title clickable.
  1. Organize your subscriber list.

You cannot legally send emails to people who don’t want them (nor do you want to irritate someone), so make sure your list is clean and up to date.

  1. PEER Strategy | Evolve | Social Media | Loyalty BoundAdd social sharing buttons.

Make it easy for readers to share your articles by putting buttons on every blog post. Sharing enables you to reach a broader audience.

  1. Create calls-to-action.

Always include a next step for readers to take, with an accompanying CTA. Suggest another article, another content page, a download of your infographic, etc. This is crucial for engagement and lead conversion – ways to drive more site traffic.

Now that you’ve completed these 10 steps, you’re ready to furnish your template with attractive articles your audience is anxious to read. It’s time to start blogging to drive more site traffic.

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