how to build

bloga Successful

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list & Popular Content

Blogs need tra!c to survive. If nobody’s coming to your website, you’re not making any money!

Blogs need tra!c to survive. If nobody’s coming to your website, you’re not making any money!

You could have a great piece written for the purpose of tra!c generation (often referred to as “linkbait”) and execute the marketing properly and still fail. Don’t let that get you down; it will happen and the only thing you can do is move on and try again.

There are a few types of content that are known for their ability to get a serious number of people to your site in a short period of time. The content isn’t the only factor: how well they are promoted using social media is a big one, and as with all things, some luck is required.

RolesLET’S LOOK AT:

lists &Popular content

The List:

The list article is pretty much the exemplar of linkbait in the blogging industry. When people think of linkbait, they think of the list article, and it’s one of the most commonly published types of content.

This is partly because it’s incredibly e"ective when done properly. The truth is that many list articles on the Internet don’t succeed very well. That’s not because the list post isn’t e"ective – it truly is – but because it’s approached as the “easy way” to get tra!c and executed without much e"ort or consideration.

First you need a topic that’s going to work well with the format. The list is often used as a format for humor content to great e"ect, but it really shines with practical information, such as “50 Ways to...” pieces. Second, every point on the list needs to be there for a reason. Because the longer lists often attract more tra!c than the short ones, people end up including filler points to beef up the count. Don’t do it! You’re better o" writing a short list with great points than a really long list with a bunch of filler.

The Tutorial:

Tutorials and how-to articles are always very popular. Web surfers love to find out how to do new things, even if they never end up doing them!

Some tutorials work better than others.

If nobody wants to know how to do something, nobody will want to read about how it’s done! That said, sometimes the most popular pieces teach obscure (but awesome) techniques that nobody reads about simply because nobody knows they existed in the first place. Don’t be afraid to publish things nobody else is publishing. Unique content is the best content you can ever publish.

The Interview:

Interviews can do really well, but they’re more of a challenge to get right than the list or tutorial.People love celebrities (even if the person is only a celebrity to the niche of people reading your site) and those doing exceptional and unusual things. However, if you interview run-of-the-mill professionals, the reaction is generally pretty dull. It might sound a little elitist, but people generally don’t care to read about someone else unless there’s something that significantly separates them from the average individual.

Journalists are trained to interview subjects in a way that produces good stories, not transcribed conversations. They have an advantage in that they’re trained to bypass their fear of being rude to or provoking the subject, and are willing to ask the tough questions that create entertaining pieces. If you’re going to use interviews on your blog, read a few books on interview technique and practice regularly. Interviews can be really dull if done badly, and entertaining if they’re done with the right subject and the right interview techniques. Take the time to get it right.

Breaking News:

News is not an easy niche to get into because competition can be fierce. However, if you’ve got some breaking news in your niche and can get it published before anyone else, you’ve got a great opportunity to generate tra!c and build your credibility. All you need to do then is drum up some interest on a variety of social media sites and hope that nobody with bigger marketing muscle steals your thunder!

Controversy:

Controversy works because it gets people coming to your site to defend their position on a topic. For the blog owner, it can be a fine line to walk: on one hand, it could bring a whole bunch of new readers to your site, but if you go too far, it could alienate even more readers than you end up gaining.

Controversial posts take many forms: opinion pieces, exposés, and humor, are just three of the most common controversy starters.The strength of controversial posts is that they generate comments and links. You want your readers to defend their point of view or expand on your argument. Other post types may bring in heavy tra!c without adding to your comment count or inbound links at all.

Polls:

Polls are not something I’d classify as linkbait in themselves, but they do generate a lot more activity than I would have thought before I started publishing them. Readers love to be included and give their two cents, especially if they can do so without taking the time to think up their own answer.

Polls tell the reader that you assign importance to their opinions and the interaction solidifies their relationship with your brand. While they don’t generate much more tra!c from outside the site, they’re still a type of popular content that makes your existing readers happy.

Blogging as a Business Opportunities in Blogging Risk and Reward A Sketch of a Blog Business Your Role and Blogging Experience Setting Up as a Business Capital and Investment Co-founders Your Mission and Vision Business Planning

Planning and Researching NichesResearching a NicheCompetitive AnalysisUnderstanding the Niche Planning Your ContentYour Overall Strategy

Creating a Brand What is a Brand? Naming ConsiderationsDomain NamesVisual BrandingWeb DesignOther Elements of Branding

Sta!Freelance and Salaried Sta"Freelancer BasicsEmployee BasicsFinding and Identifying Good PeopleWhat to PayWorking with Remote Sta"Setting Parameters and Focusing on ResultsOther Sta" IssuesRolesRole: Site Editor/ManagerRole: WriterRole: Web DesignerRole: Web DeveloperOther Roles

Planning ContentWriting for the WebMaking Content ValuableEditingThe Editing ProcessQuick Editing TipsKnow What You’re Talking AboutLists and Popular ContentFrequencyQuality Evergreen ContentNews ContentFiller PostsImages and DiagramsHeadlinesHeadlines Galore!Style and Tone

Long Term StrategiesBuilding a Long Term BusinessFrom One Blog to ManyUsing a Blog to Build Other BusinessesValuing and Selling a Blog

Case Study 1: FreelanceSwitchHitting On a TopicCapitalizing on a Good IdeaThe Road to ProfitabilityTra!cLessons Learned

Case Study 2: Psdtuts+

Case Study 3: AppStorm

Appendix: A Blog Basics Crash Course

Generating Tra"cGoogle AnalyticsBasic Techniques for Generating Tra!cSocial Media BasicsGuest PostsContent AggregatorsBuying Tra!cKeyword ResearchGiving Away Free Stu" Leveraging Your Existing Network and AssetsConsistency and MomentumLinking Out to Generate and Keep Tra!cSearch Tra!cA Basic Guide to SEO

Monetization Tips General Tips on MonetizationAdvertisingA!liate SalesPremium ContentSupportSelling ProductsAd ServicesSelling Your ExpertiseCreating and Selling Web AppsOther StrategiesBlending, Iterating and Experimenting

Inside the book:

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about the author:

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about the author:Collis has authored three books, written dozens of the most popular tutorials on the web and is an accomplished entrepreneur, designer and blogger. He is the creator and cofounder ofEnvato and Tuts+, producing blogs and sites that serve over fifty million pageviews a month.