How to Persevere with No Traffic!

So, you've started a new blog. You've got some great ideas and you've posted a couple of articles on them...

...but no-one's reading your masterpieces!

You've followed the advice from every traffic-building site out there and submitted your links to every directory you can find...

...but there still isn't anyone reading your genius creations!

The problem?

Content. Plain and simple.

Why you need lots of great content

Just think about the blogs you've read in the past. Which ones do you go back to, time and time again? Which ones keep cropping up in searches and which ones did you just glance through, never to return?

Put simply, you need great content, preferably the kind of content you might go back and re-read for reference or general inspiration, and enough content to keep people interested with a range of points.

The alternative to having lots of content is the promise of content to come - which requires regular updates - but again, the updates need to be good quality for people to want to come back and read them.

What to do if you don't have enough content

I wrote the following article about how much content you need to start generating any real kind of traffic: http://business-life-success.blogspot.com/2009/06/reaching-content-critical-mass-when-to.html, and it's clear that for a while when you first start out, you simply will not have enough content. There's no escaping it, and the only way to get enough content is to get writing!

A few people visited this blog recently and it's a great feeling - but I know that I need to write a lot more before people are going to have any real reason to visit - or more importantly keep coming back - and I know it's important to persevere and keep writing - despite the strange feeling that at the moment I'm writing things and there's no-one there to read it!

So, how to get over that sinking feeling that you're hammering away at something that isn't going anywhere?

The key thing here is: SET A TARGET.

My target is to reach 50 good-sized posts (not including the brief ones where I've posted recommended links I've found). This number is based on the rule-of-thumb figures I mentioned in my previous post.

I have signed up to various blog catalogues etc, but by setting myself this (admittedly quite high) target, I will not be disheartened if I don't get much traffic before then - moreover I'm not going to put any major effort in getting any serious traffic until I hit that target, so if people come and see my site before then it's all a bonus.

By using a target in this way, you can change your mindset about your blog and focus on what is important - the content - so that when you do start promoting your site, there is lots of good stuff up there for people to read and you're not just shouting about a virtually empty site.

If you're struggling to motivate yourself to write or have a similar challenge, set your own target today to change your attitude towards it and get motivated!