Sometimes you get so caught up driving blog traffic through active methods that you forget about passive methods for attracting people to your blog.
While guest posting and effective blog commenting are 2 powerful traffic drivers you should align your blog top-down to optimize your traffic driving campaign.
Even if you drive steady traffic to your blog you leave visitors on the table by not aligning your blog top down, because you lose referral traffic. Confused readers will be hesitant to refer you to their friends because you will be a generalist, not a specialist. No Jack of All Trade types, thank you.
Align and shine.
Why does this work?
Watch this short video as I explain:
Why this Works
The world loves specialists.
People who give all of their attention and energy to doing 1 thing do that 1 thing well.
Bloggers who do 1 thing well – focusing on 1 niche – gain expert, or authority status in that niche.
Folks freely refer expert bloggers to friends who could use their content, products and services.
This leads to steady, passive, referral traffic (see below).
The clearest way to become an expert is to stay on topic with each blog post and to align your blog top down so it focuses solely on your niche.
Example; if you run a blogging tips themed blog every element on your blog should align with the blogging tips niche, top-down. From your domain name, to brand logo, to header to footer, all content in between should align perfectly. In essence, everything a reader would see should be clearly aligned with your niche.
Passive Referral Traffic
Passive referral traffic flows to the aligned blogger with an aligned blog.
How it works: one you establish your clarity, and this clearness reflects in your blog design, readers will refer you to their friends who seek the advice of a niche expert. Said referral buddies refer you to their friends, and the process continues, boosting your traffic exponentially over time.
Picture a blog referral version of the game telephone except the message does not return to you but keeps being spread far and wide, not unlike a huge content spider web stretching throughout your niche.
Passive referral traffic rocks. While you are guest posting, blog commenting and promoting other bloggers your traffic will steadily increase in the background, optimizing your blog marketing campaign.
Trim the Fat
Trimming the blogging fat is maybe the most uncomfortable part of the alignment process.
Attachments develop. Even if you feel you are super duper clear on your blog and overall direction there’s a chance you need to let go some widget, advertisement or other blogging element you are currently clinging to.
Trim the blogging fat. Be ruthless in letting go anything that does not align 100% with your blog and brand.
By deleting these non-aligned elements you send a loud, clear message to readers: you do 1 thing for 1 reader. Give people a clear image of how you can help them. Be a known commodity in your niche by letting go anything that does not line up perfectly with your blogging topic.
Align and Shine
Align your blog and shine.
In a blogging world of unclear, confused bloggers you will stand out like a sore thumb. In a good way.
Few bloggers establish enough clarity to both stay on topic and to create an aligned, clear, focused blog that speaks 1 message to 1 reader. Getting clear simply inspires you to shine brightly in your niche as a go to guy or go to gal that gets massive referral traffic on a passive, targeted basis.
Doing just a little bit of blogging legwork in the alignment department pays immense benefits in the blog traffic and profit-building departments.
Your Turn
Did you do your alignment homework today?