Written on January 28th, 2009 at 12:01 am by Darren Rowse
An Interview (with Me) on Getting ‘Fast Traffic’ to a Blog
A couple of weeks back I was sent these questions as part of an interview that someone wanted to do in the writing of a book.
In the end the person doing the interview couldn’t use it – so I’ve decided that rather than waste the significant time I put into responding that I’d post the answers here.
The focus of the interview seemed to be going down the route of getting ‘fast traffic’ to a blog. You’ll see this theme coming up numerous times in the questions and probably sense a little of my frustration with the idea in my answers. I hope you find the interview useful.
1. Please introduce yourself to our readers…
My name is Darren Rowse, I live in Melbourne Australia with my wife ‘V’ and two boys (aged 6 months and 2 and a half). I’ve been blogging for a little over 6 years. It started completely as a hobby but gradually grew into a part time and then full time job (and then beyond). I’ve written a book on blogging (called ProBlogger), am the cofounder of the b5media blog network and over the years have started around 30 blogs (although only concentrate on 3 today). I’m also a keen photographer and love to read.
2. What blogs do you own, which one is your favorite, and why did you start it?
I personally own and edit three blogs today – ProBlogger (a blog about blogging), Digital Photography School (a blog to help digital camera owners get the most from their cameras) and TwiTip (my most recent blog – a blog focusing upon Twitter Tips).
I enjoy each blog for different reasons but I guess if I had to give up two and keep one the one I’d keep would be ProBlogger – simply because it is the oldest of the three (although not the biggest – DPS is gets more traffic) and one that I’ve put most time and effort into over the years.
I started ProBlogger simply because it was a blog I wanted to read myself. I was experimenting with making blogging a business but no one else was writing about that at the time – so I thought I’d start it and journal what I was learning.
3. what is the number one thing you learned about blogging that has impacted your bottom line, that thing that makes the difference between succeeding and failing in this business?
There are so many things and to isolate one is difficult (and perhaps not that helpful as great blogs are built upon many factors and rarely just one thing).
However if I had to choose one thing it’d be that successful blogs are ‘useful’ blogs in one way or another.
Blogs need to meet a need or solve a problem that potential readers have. The need might seem frivilous (the need to be entertained for example) or it could be a need for information, community, news etc.
Meet a need and you give people a reason to subscribe to your blog and to pass it on to others. Create a blog that doesn’t really prove useful in any way and you’re unlikely to build a successful blog.
4. If you have to bring instant visitors to your blog in the next 30 minutes, what steps will you follow?
If you’re expecting big traffic quickly you’re asking the wrong guy. My strategy has always been to write content that people will want to read now – but also for years to come. Some call this ‘evergreen’ content and it takes time to write. It might not bring traffic quickly but if you write something that is still relevant in a year or more you’ll continue to draw traffic to it.
I’m sorry if that doesn’t answer your question but to be honest there’s a lot of bloggers looking for quick traffic and quick money and a lot of people promising to teach them how to get it – but that’s not my experience of blogging.
Take a long term view, build something that matters and you’ll build a blog that grows in traffic over the long haul.
5. Most bloggers like to get passive traffic… What are the one time actions we can do which will keep on bringing traffic without any effort after that?
Once again I’m afraid my answer could disappoint…. I’m not really someone who has found too many actions that will bring traffic (or income) without any effort after you do them.
The only real exception to that is to write brilliant content. When you do this it has the potential to bring traffic to your blog (via search engines) for years to come. This in turn can lead to ongoing income.
Other than that I’ve not really found too much about blogging that is ‘passive’. It’s a lot of work over the long haul.
6. What’s your most effective traffic generating strategy which works every time for you and gives the best return in terms of traffic regarding to your time spent?
Outside of writing useful and high quality content (am I sounding like a broken record yet) I’d say it is engaging in social media communities. For me one of these has been Twitter (for others it’ll be sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, MySpace, Facebook etc). These social networking and social bookmarking sites have the potential to spread word of your site or posts on it virally through the network and beyond.
It takes a lot of time to build up these networks to the point that they are effective at driving a lot of traffic. Start building your networks now.
7. What are your top 3 traffic sources and how exactly do you attract traffic from each of those sources?
- Google – write good content, build relationships with other bloggers and website owners in the hope that they’ll link to you, learn basic search engine optimization techniques and stick at it for the long haul.
- 2. Direct Traffic – this traffic is largely from readers who subscribe to my blogs via RSS or newsletters. The key with this is to convert first time readers to your blog into loyal readers by interacting with them, displaying subscription methods prominently, calling readers to action and building anticipation in visitors to your blog that you’ll write something that they’ll not want to miss in future.
- 3. Social Media – this is about building your network over time, writing the type of content that goes well in these networks (research what types of stories go viral on these sites) and making connections with others on the networks.
8. Let’s say you lose your name, contacts and everything. You have to start from scratch as a “nobody”. What will you do then for the next 30 days so that your blog will start getting 1000 unique visitors each and every day?
I’m not sure it’ll make 1000 visitors a day within 30 days the way I’d do it but I’d probably spend time investing into
- writing great content
- offering to guest post on other blogs (linking back to my own blog)
- networking on social media sites
- and even investing a little money into advertising on sites like Facebook and StumbleUpon (where you can advertise fairly cheaply).
Other than that I’d be wanting to take a longer term view than 30 days and concentrate on building a useful blog with lots of content over time.
9. What else would you like to share, something that our readers can immediately apply to their blogs and see results fast?
Forget the word ‘fast’.
Really – forget it.
You can probably use some techniques to get fast traffic but a more profitable strategy over the long haul is to build a blog that people become loyal to and proud to belong to over the long haul. Do this and they’ll pass on word of your blog to others for you and in the long haul you’ll see bigger growth.
In my experience – the only times I’ve had ‘fast traffic’ to my blog is once a blog has been going for significant time and after I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into it. While the traffic might come in fast – the reality is that it was only as a result of a lot of hard work in building the foundations of the blog.
133 Responses to “An Interview (with Me) on Getting ‘Fast Traffic’ to a Blog” - Add Yours
TechMata
January 28th, 2009 12:27 am
Forget the word ‘fast’ – Agree with you Darren.hehe With millions of blogs out there, there is no way on getting “fast”. May it be fast money or fast traffic.
http://pinoyingermany.blogspot.com/
Rajeev Edmonds
January 28th, 2009 12:28 am
Darren, this is one of the gems you have produced. Straight, hard hitting and so true. Unfortunately, large number of newbies want quick success without putting the amount of effort that is needed.
They only need to read your biography and learn how you have worked hard consistently for years to reach here. Great post.
Writer Dad
January 28th, 2009 12:29 am
I too loved the line, “Forget the word fast.” Brilliant, perfect, and true. Lot of fun to read the interview with yourself Darren, Thanks.
Stephen D
January 28th, 2009 12:33 am
Hi Darren,
Great interview! I can see why the guy didn’t use it – you didn’t answer the questions correctly, but you did answer them truthfully. Time, time, quality content and more time.
Monthiel
January 28th, 2009 12:36 am
Great interview, good questions good answers. It s very true on you say “Forget the word fast.”
Sam
January 28th, 2009 12:38 am
Thank you for your honesty and realistic attitude!
Don M
January 28th, 2009 12:43 am
Agree with @StephenD, it’s pretty clear why the guy didn’t use it and why it makes a good post for your site.
The people that say making money online is dead and AdSense is dead and affiliate marketing is dead and blogging is dead are the same people that can’t “forget the word fast”.
DM
Chris
January 28th, 2009 12:49 am
The interviewer may not be able to use your answers, Darren, but I sure can. Thanks again for great content!
Nick
January 28th, 2009 12:51 am
What a funny and awkward interview.
You should have just said: “OH! You want a fast way to get traffic? All you need is to wear pink suspenders while writing. Works every time.”
-Nick
http://www.macheesmo.com
2020Traveller
January 28th, 2009 12:55 am
Hi Darren,
You had some success with “fast traffic” see http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/01/24/the-day-250000-people-showed-up-at-my-blog-case-study/
But you are right blogging is not a fast rich scheme, you need to work hard and then on the long term you will see the benefits.
Thanks again for the great post.
arshad
January 28th, 2009 12:56 am
Isnt that a spelling mistake “interterview” in title of the post ?
John
January 28th, 2009 12:57 am
Nice post, Darren. Like the others above, I love the “fast” putdown, as well as your honesty and clarity. I don’t understand why you’ve cluttered your site with Hendry Lee’s meanderings — they are tedious, obvious and poorly written. But it was a pleasure to read Jenny Cromie, a real pro.
Jensen | CS-Weekly
January 28th, 2009 12:58 am
It seems that the interviewer is really obsessed about “fast” traffic, good luck to him!
rikin
January 28th, 2009 1:06 am
Man this interviewer is really hacking away at the whole “fast-traffic” thing.
It’s nice to see that you stuck to quality content because at the end of the day I think going viral is somewhat out of our hands. I’ve heard you and many others say that if you’re in blogging for quick money you’ll most likely be very disappointed. Great interview.
Daily Trains
January 28th, 2009 1:13 am
A great little article. I always want instantaneous traffic but I know, waiting is the best game.
Olivia Mayer
January 28th, 2009 1:14 am
Another insightful post. Hard to argue against the draw of great content. In fact, I’d say Problogger is the perfect example — useful content is why I subscribe and read faithfully.
Tracy
January 28th, 2009 1:14 am
Excellent answer and not falling for the interviewers questions. Bloggers must think long term and your site contains years of advice that all of us have to together.
There is no fast buck. Everything has to be earned.
Starwrite
January 28th, 2009 1:18 am
Yeah iam agree with you.. No body can get rich without using they time..and i like it about make your network..like me use friendster and twitter. To get more traffic.
Jeremy
January 28th, 2009 1:19 am
I think you can get fast traffic, but it requires a fast blog, with multiple posts every day. That’s a lot of work, and usually requires and ‘in’ in whatever niche you’re blogging about. I’m much more comfortable with the whole ‘evergreen’ tactic. I’d much rather take the time to write something that can be read over and over and for years than some quick news post nobody will care about by the end of the day.
Tracy
January 28th, 2009 1:20 am
LOL I just noticed your title.
“Interterview”!
Steven-Sanders
January 28th, 2009 1:25 am
Great replies to all the questions!
I wonder, in reading this, if his thoughts might have been geared towards strategies that will bring a large amount of traffic to your blog just for the purpose of being seen.
Obviously it takes hard work and great content over a period of time. But it does help to get those big bursts in traffic to assist you in even starting to be seen.
Then once that traffic gets there, it’s up to the blogger to already have the content in place to keep those visitors.
Farrhad A
January 28th, 2009 1:26 am
Lovely interview.
I loved your answers. And hey! You don’t sound like a broken record :p
http://www.twitter.com/farrhad
Farrhad A
January 28th, 2009 1:33 am
@Tracy To err is human…..
http://www.twitter.com/farrhad
Tracy
January 28th, 2009 1:46 am
Yes. He’s human!
It makes Darren even greater!
Danielsmonde
January 28th, 2009 1:46 am
Quote: “I’m sorry if that doesn’t answer your question but to be honest there’s a lot of bloggers looking for quick traffic and quick money and a lot of people promising to teach them how to get it – but that’s not my experience of blogging.”
This is so so true. Almost everywhere you see people that want to teach you how to get traffic quickly or make money quickly. I totally agree with you, the content is what brings people to your blog, not some magic trick you don’t know about.
Great work with this post! I love it.
Daniel.
mike
January 28th, 2009 1:55 am
No fast traffic is right. You have to write good content and it takes months if not years to get it going. I spent all my time at first just writing. Traffic will come sooner or later if your blog is good.
chris
January 28th, 2009 2:04 am
Darren – what an interview! haha.
I can feel that it was getting awkward towards the end but why didn’t he use it? I thought that he should have. These are the correct answers to his questions. :)
Will Lowrey
January 28th, 2009 2:22 am
Darren – Thanks for sharing. I have just launched my blog and I actually started with a case study on launching a blog. It revolves around the idea of building good content (I hope!), getting involved in the blogging community (comments), and other efforts to start driving traffic.
I am only at it for a couple of weeks now, but it is exciting to see when people come, leave comments, and engage. They can’t do that if you write crap. Thanks for taking the time to write high quality content for us all.
StretchyDollar
January 28th, 2009 2:37 am
Great stuff – it’s good to keep this in perspective as a beginning blogger. Good advice never fails!
Andy Polaine
January 28th, 2009 2:44 am
I don’t know anyone who has really made fast money whilst at the same time doing/selling anything worthwhile. Good for you for clamping down on that.
I think the key is writing content that remains readable for a long time – the evergreens that you mention. And that should be the mantra for anyone writing almost anything, even tweets and e-mails. It’s a good way to approach editing your words.
- Andy
http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com
Erika Berry a.k.a. CleanyBeany
January 28th, 2009 2:51 am
You are a true craftsman v. girlsgonewild junk pusher! I would like to know if you get lots of hyper traffic, what is it really worth? I’m sure there must be some formula for how many hits for $$, like 100:$1. Loved how you kept taking that pony back to the corral. Content Content Content
Albert
January 28th, 2009 2:58 am
“Fast” does not really work. I have had the experience (like I know most peopla have). I find google sends me most of my traffic and that comes because of the content. Over time, every blog becomes an archive of good content if the owner is good enough. At that time, the search engines cant get enough of refering people there. Thats when the traffic starts. It sure takes time.
Mark Mac
January 28th, 2009 3:07 am
This advice is encouraging for me as someone with a relatively new blog. Everyone wants some form of traffic or they wouldn’t post publicly, and understanding that it could take time to generate readers helps set realistic expectations.
I think out of all the social networking tools, Twitter is fast becoming the most pwerful for driving traffic.
Corinne Edwards
January 28th, 2009 3:13 am
Well, Darren, I am glad you included this for us.
The people who did not include it are just plain nuts. Maybe they are not ready for the “Rowse Straight Talk Express.”
You are one of the few who encourage the smaller blogs to stay in there – do good work – enjoy it – and not expect to be a millionaire.
(At least for quite a while)
Justin Wright
January 28th, 2009 3:16 am
Great Interview, I loved your answers because you didn’t tell them a bunch of fluff to make them happy. Instead you told them the truth and probably opened their eyes a little about their book idea of fast traffic.
Supermance
January 28th, 2009 3:17 am
great interview :), yes, there’s no fast track
Todd
January 28th, 2009 3:28 am
Bravo! My blog has been steadily building over the last two years to the point where I’m starting a company. Slow and steady is the only effective way. It’s nice to hear someone say it like it is!
Peter Carey
January 28th, 2009 3:43 am
LOL! No wonder he couldn’t use it! He definitely asked the wrong person for a fast fix.
Protoscopic
January 28th, 2009 3:49 am
Was the reason he couldn’t use it simply because he was going for the whole “fast” nonsense? I.E. If you won’t sell my readers unrealistic goals, then no thanks?
darya
January 28th, 2009 3:51 am
Darren, your dedication to quality is always what keeps me coming back here. Thanks for not being a sell out ;)
Kevin
January 28th, 2009 4:08 am
Darren,
Awesome post as usual… There is a big difference between quality traffic and quantity. Both have their own objectives but I’d go for quality since it creates a long lasting readership or revenue stream if that’s your goals.
Cheers!
Kevin
SEO Tips
January 28th, 2009 4:19 am
Good answers to some very awkward and unrealistic questions. Great response.
Jerry
January 28th, 2009 4:34 am
Maybe somebody who has already built up a network can get traffic fast. But I’ve found that building that network and that traffic is a gradual process. It’s about making real connections with people, one at a time, day by day, just like you would do it in the offline world. The “fast” traffic, like I’ve gotten occasionally from StumbleUpon, doesn’t stick. The slow traffic, on the other hand, comes back.
The point being: Connect with people, take a real interest in them and what they do, and they will often return that interest. If there’s a way to do that fast, I don’t know it.
Robby G
January 28th, 2009 4:37 am
“I started ProBlogger simply because it was a blog I wanted to read myself.” I think that’s key in starting a blog. Imagine what you would like to read, learn as much as you can on the subject, and write about it yourself. Chances are, there are a helluva lot of people out there that want the same thing.
http://www.shiteilike.com
Ben Moreno
January 28th, 2009 4:44 am
It sounds like the interviewer is kind was persistent in finding ANY way of getting quick traffic.
There is one way of getting fast traffic and that is via traffic exchanges, but the problem is that the traffic is not quality traffic.
p@r@noid
January 28th, 2009 5:04 am
This is very true…
Article tagetting social media are entirely different then article targetting search engines and I appreciate that you have not mention any thing out of box for getting high traffic rather you wrote the most important point “Quality content and unique content”
oh amanda
January 28th, 2009 5:21 am
Great post…surprisingly encouraging even if there aren’t any “fast” answers!
Ash
January 28th, 2009 5:53 am
Loved that Interview. Can see why the guy didn’t use your answers though, he was looking for something that doesn’t exist.
Forget the word”fast”…classic!
sarah mae
January 28th, 2009 6:25 am
I am grateful for this article because I always thought great blogs happened “fast.” I have been working hard, and I am seeing a payoff, but it has been slow and steady – two steps forward, one step back.
Thank you for being so encouraging!
roentarre
January 28th, 2009 6:32 am
It is the content like this one that draws me to read your blog regularly.
Thanks and great to know about melbournian!
Ashley
January 28th, 2009 6:59 am
Darren;
I just started a new blog – and I don’t have a lot of contacts or networks on any social media site. He asks how to get fast traffic, I’m curious what you think is a realistic goal for a new blog over 1 month, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. I’m concentrating on good content and doing all the normal stuff (guest blog posts, article submissions, building networks on Twitter) but what sort of numbers would you say are reasonable? What should my traffic look like?
Ashley
Descartes
January 28th, 2009 7:34 am
We would all like to start a blog today and retire tomorrow, but I think your approach is much more realistic for most of us. One post at time, just make sure it is a good post.
Living A Whole Life
January 28th, 2009 7:37 am
Thanks for the VERY usesful information! As a new blogger I appreciate all the helpful insite this blog has to offer!
Karla
Rebecca Geiger
January 28th, 2009 8:29 am
Hi there. I just wanted to say Thank you for your advice. It is always nice to read proper things to do on the internet. I am really loving the community I am becoming a part of. From what I can see in your post and what you indicated is to participate in the world of online is to provide something good and to do your best.. and clearly that shows in your blog. Thanks again for giving great advice
Denise
January 28th, 2009 8:47 am
ProBlogger is the place to come to for both daily postings and to search the archives for more. I can count on the no fluff, quality content; endless amount of helpful and honest information. Appreciate your hard work and efforts Darren.
qt money
January 28th, 2009 9:03 am
Great tips , i think its true that you have to build steady traffic , yhere is no quick fix
Mark Daymond
January 28th, 2009 9:04 am
No shortcuts then!! Damn! Must try and learn patience………
The Knowledge Lady
January 28th, 2009 9:11 am
Darren if it only took you 6 years to get some “fast” traffic (LOL) then I only have 5 years to go!! Yep, successful blogging takes time, energy and talent.
ThemeGrrl
January 28th, 2009 9:16 am
It sounds to me like the interviewer did not really understand Darren’s approach to blogging. The pragmatic, realistic, long term approach is probably in contrast to the thrust of his book (or so it appears).
I’ve been in interview situations before (as an interviewee) when it’s become apparent that the interviewer had decided what they wanted from me before I had given any answers.
This is a good lesson for anyone considering approaching someone for an interview. Know a little about your subject and be open to answers you did not expect.
Alison Kerr, Earthonaut
January 28th, 2009 9:46 am
LOL! Sounds like that guy just did not want to listen to the reality. Too much fast food and such in his life maybe? He should read about the slow blogging movement.
I guess I might get a full-time income from this then if I stick around and keep writing while my kids homeschool high school and then make their way through college. No problem, as long as I get a little encouragement along the way. After all, I’ve been coaching one, other, or both of my kids in daily music practice at home for the last 10 years; anything after that is a walk in the park :-)
Ryan McLean
January 28th, 2009 9:56 am
Darren,
I know where your head is at when you are aiming for the long term and that is an important strategy.
But there are a lot of things you can do to build a blog fast, so you could have mentioned some of them.
But people who want to ‘get rich quick’ are in for a nasty surprise.
Matthew
January 28th, 2009 10:00 am
I have to admit, I want fast traffic! Of course, having said that, I don’t expect to receive it. I am trying to focus on creating great content, networking, and waiting.
htnmmo
January 28th, 2009 10:03 am
“but simply that after sending me all these questions he then wanted to send me another 7-8 followup questions “
The guy obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He got it all wrong starting from the premise of his book.
Good thing you didn’t waste any more time.
Gloson
January 28th, 2009 10:24 am
I really enjoyed he interview and find it very useful. Oh…you forgot to mention that successful blogs are over a year old…
Allison
January 28th, 2009 10:28 am
Thanks for this. I really appreciated all the tips in the article. It’s taken me over a year to realize this isn’t an overnight thing, that it takes a lot of behind the scenes work to get good results. Thank you!
Joel Brown
January 28th, 2009 10:40 am
I can see why they maybe thought they couldn’t use it. It appears that they wanted answers how to get rich quick blogging, which in itself is a flawed concept. While you are offering the quality content how to create a blog that people want to visit.
I have only recently come across your blog, and it was actually through twitter, and your tweets that i found it, and very glad that i did.
Ray Martin
January 28th, 2009 11:07 am
I’m guessing the 7-8 follow up questions were different versions of “How can you get fast traffic?” Kudos to the writer for being able to come up with 20 ways to ask the same thing!
Jonathan
January 28th, 2009 11:30 am
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing
Mike
January 28th, 2009 11:44 am
Darren,
I am surprised you even took the time to answer these questions. I personally would have been too annoyed to take it seriously. I suspect that the reason he couldn’t ‘use’ your answers is because they were too truthful.
Thanks nonetheless. It was definitely good for a grin.
Later
chris
January 28th, 2009 12:24 pm
Darren, I knew that your most favorite of the three blogs is Problogger ;)
Though, I was a bit surprised to find out that DPS has more traffic.
Anita
January 28th, 2009 12:55 pm
Congrats on sticking to your ideals!
And the author was totally about *his* idea and not listening to you, the expert! A book that may make him some money (fast money) but not stay on the shelves for long. I for one appreciate your quality content and care for writing! Keep up the good work.
Travis
January 28th, 2009 12:58 pm
Darren,
This is what I love about your posts; you are old-school. Nothing in life is quick and easy. Anything worth doing takes a lot of hard work and time. All we see is a wonderful theme and posts so we sometimes forget all the hours you put into your posts. Basically, what I am trying to say is thank you for giving us all this great information and advice.
Brad
January 28th, 2009 1:02 pm
Great interview! Thanks for posting your answers, Darren! I have always been amazed that you started blogging as a mere hobby, and then it blossomed into this awesome career you have. Very inspirational!
William Todd
January 28th, 2009 2:09 pm
No wonder they didn’t use it, they evidently were trying to put something out there that would attract the fast money crowd and you didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. Good for you.
JOE GELB
January 28th, 2009 2:55 pm
I am suprised that there is not more mentions of viral marketing. I am like the interviewer looking for the quick fix
Gennaro
January 28th, 2009 3:02 pm
It’s nice to have a short cut, but hard work is almost always better for long-term results. Who cares if a bunch of people quickly arrive at your blog if they won’t stay? Slowly building an audience who wants your content is much more desirable.
Ferdi
January 28th, 2009 3:27 pm
Thx fro the excellent blog. I find myself reading your articles on a daily basis. I only hope that I can also get my blog this successful.
I also beleive that a blog needs to be “useful” I hate it when I get to a blog and all it is focused on is to make money, all the content is RSS feeding from somewhere else. Online communities are the future of the internet, it has been proven again and agian. They should all take their que from you.
Cheers.
Janith | Blogussion
January 28th, 2009 3:44 pm
Interview with yourself?
This truly shows how their isn’t anyone above you in the blogging niche :P
Nice read there Darren, a lot of helpful pointers! The point on 7) Google has got to be the best way of securing traffic in the long run, it will always work until Google starts going crazy with power :)
Janith
http://www.blogussion.com/blog
Sjay
January 28th, 2009 4:03 pm
That explain a lot about you and why these blogs are successes. In web they always talk about
make millions in one day.
get 1000 users in one day.
But i am wondering why there are only few rich people and few websites with good traffic.
it is always hard working, slowly but steadily progress will work better and last longer.
Great post!!!
Rondi
January 28th, 2009 5:38 pm
“In my experience – the only times I’ve had ‘fast traffic’ to my blog is once a blog has been going for significant time and after I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into it. While the traffic might come in fast – the reality is that it was only as a result of a lot of hard work in building the foundations of the blog.”
Great response! I have learned so much from reading your post…thanks for sharing!
Simona Rich
January 28th, 2009 8:07 pm
That’s a great reality check for some people who think that they can instantly build a blog with thousands of visitors.
Bruce
January 28th, 2009 8:18 pm
Great post, I think you got your point across in the end, great content, great content, great content!!
Mary@goodlifezen.com
January 28th, 2009 8:34 pm
Very funny, Darren! No wonder the guy or girl decided not to use the interview. I was chuckling all the way through. Your best lines were:
“Forget the word ‘fast’.
Really – forget it.”
Fast food, fast blogging, instant traffic, instant friendship…as you indicated – life doesn’t work like that!
Ravi Ahuja
January 28th, 2009 8:47 pm
Great post Darren, there is no such thing “becoming successful fast”. As main focus of this interview was building traffic it is important to have visitors to your site. If there is no visitors then there is no use of your great content.
emi
January 28th, 2009 10:32 pm
Thanks these are very useful tips….I have started a new blog emi and will follow all of your advice in order to bring traffic to my blog. I would rather say it again that these are great tips.
Rob Woodward
January 28th, 2009 10:44 pm
Another person obsessed with instant success. They obviously didn’t include this in their book since it went against what they were going to try and sell later.
Their loss, our gain here!
Saludos
Tamar
January 28th, 2009 11:17 pm
I must say this is a really good interview. Apart from the fact that he doesn’t offer any fast ways to get traffic, I’m pretty impressed. I myself believe in writing good and original content but he said it correctly, it takes time before the traffic will come. Thanks for the tips though.
http://www.eznetbusiness.com
BlogMonies
January 28th, 2009 11:55 pm
I agree. It is time, patience, perseverence. Hold your goals up high and strive for them. And don’t stop.
Fast blogging? I don’t think so. Getting traffic to sell an ebook or a clickbank offer is not long term. Writing timeless valuable content is. Good work Darren.
The Geek Entrepreneur
January 29th, 2009 12:07 am
This post is a shining example of why I have followed your blog for so many years- you are honest.
I think this interview should be mandatory reading for anyone either thinking about blogging professionally or someone who is new to pro blogging. There’s no “magic bullet”. There is only writing great content which people WANT to read or helps them in some way.That should be the focus no matter how successful or new your blog is.
Wesley
The Geek Entrerpreneur
Michelle
January 29th, 2009 12:29 am
Through this great blog, I found your other great blog, the digital photography blog! I need to read that more than this one! LOL! Don’t stop doing either one! Thanks for the great blogs!
ZK@WebTrafficROI.com
January 29th, 2009 1:01 am
I always like when successful people share their story with us. This one is like showing the path of success to followers. When you are the top than you should show the path with the light of your experience to others and I am glad and happy that you are doing same here.
Thanks a lot.
Make Money Online Tips
January 29th, 2009 4:03 am
Fantastic interview this. I think Darren every blogger needs to answer some of the questions to themselves.
Robyn Durst
January 29th, 2009 7:12 am
Thanks for being honest Darren. So many people these days want instant gratification, but that’s just not realistic. A “quick fix” never works in the long run. I have found that two things help me succeed: hard, honest work and patience.
MooreOnStyle
January 29th, 2009 7:29 am
Darren – I thoroughly enjoyed this Q&A and am so glad that you decided to post it – as usual rich, authentic and useful content. You’re right, it would have been a waste to not utilize the interview that you took the time to participate in. Great lesson – to remember to think of ways to make the most of any situation (ie. it may have started out going in one direction as content for someone else but instead of perhaps feeling like you may have wasted your valuable time you turned it around and decided to share it with your readers who may find it helpful.) I sure did. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Dan Massicotte
January 29th, 2009 9:47 am
I like your emphasis that nothing can be done fast.
Some of us tend to forget that…I need to be reminded all the time.
Frank Carr
January 29th, 2009 9:58 am
If you want fast traffic go to Google Trends and write a decent “in your own words” paragraph or two about the top 5 or so items. Do this a minimum of 20 times a day for at least 30 days. You’ll get traffic and it may be considerable. If you have a certain flair for it like Perez Hilton or Matt Drudge, you can do well with it although you’ll probably wear your self out quickly.
This is, of course, a very different type of blogging than what’s done here by Darren. There are many different approaches to take to achieve great traffic results on the Internet as long as you take action.
Heather Hapeta
January 29th, 2009 12:55 pm
Great stuff — have put a quote from this blog on my blog . with of course a link back to you cheers heather from down under
T Edwards
January 29th, 2009 2:32 pm
Excellent post. With a blog as large and successful as Problogger, how in the world can you find the time to focus on your other projects, Darren? I’ve met a lot of bloggers that have multiple blogs and I just don’t see how they do it. I’ve got enough to do just working on one!
T
Michael Aulia
January 29th, 2009 4:01 pm
It’s always good to hear genuine comments that come from you in regards to traffic and blogging in general. You really are an honest person and not saying anything to impress your readers :) (well you certainly still impress us)
MoneyAside
January 29th, 2009 11:15 pm
Nice post!
No fast traffic is right. You have to write good content and it takes months if not years to get it going. Do your best and the traffic will come!
Thx
MoneyAside.com
Ashwin
January 30th, 2009 1:54 am
Really useful post all aspiring bloggers. A nice perspective of the term – “fast traffic”.
Thanks for sharing
Krystal Anderson
January 30th, 2009 6:45 am
Couldn’t agree more! Most of the ”fast traffic” techniques either cost you mega money or end up getting you delisted for search engine clutter.
jane
January 30th, 2009 11:42 am
I started http://www.handmade-jewelry-club.com about 7 months ago. I cannot disagree with you that content and time is the key to bring traffic! We need to be down to earth. There is no free lunch and fast traffic!
Jamesgillesp
January 30th, 2009 2:32 pm
Hi Darren,
I have been reading Problogger for almost 2 years now and have fairly quiet in my participation, but this interview really reasonated with me.
People have this idea that blogging is easy and that huge amounts of traffic and money fast are can be achieved with no effort.
They want a shortcut to this and everyone seems to think it is possible. Other people perpetuate the myth and make money out of those who are fooled.
In the end I have come to realise that blogging is about providing something valuble to humanity and that should be your primary reason in running a blog.
Mitchell
January 30th, 2009 7:45 pm
Good reading your blog. Your tips and advice, through your various websites, continues to help me drive traffic to an ever growing number of sites. It’s good to come back here and re-focus on the core stuff.
Christian
January 31st, 2009 7:09 am
Thanks for keeping it real. Why is everyone so fixated on shortcuts? Just get to work.
Chris | HealthyGaming
January 31st, 2009 1:20 pm
Nice interview Darren!
Thanks for reminding us to focus on great content :)
Looking forward to read your other blogs.
An Avid Reader
January 31st, 2009 4:08 pm
Would you say that social media works as well for sites that have static content, where compared to blogs, blogs are continually being updated (in an ideal world). How do we give static sites a leg up?
trida
January 31st, 2009 5:18 pm
im a newbie and blogging about a year, i always read your articles and see opportunity on your blog, thanks for u and i wonderring who am i gonna be in next 5 years?
Work From Home Free
February 1st, 2009 5:13 am
The need for Immediate gratification is the true reason that so many fail in their online business pursuits. To many think that success is suppose to happen overnight. No matter the program, opportunity, or plan for success, most people fail to diligently and patiently work it to manifest success.
http://work-from-home-free-today.blogspot.com/
Ms. Johnson
February 1st, 2009 2:03 pm
Definitely good information. I just started my blog this month (totally new to the set as I was busy developing my product/craft) and can already see the time and attention that is required to be effective, without being cheesy greedy… for lack of a better term. Thanks Darren!
Alcides Fialho
February 2nd, 2009 4:52 am
Hi Darren,
I’ve started a blog 3 month ago, about a technical subject, as I’m an SAP consultant, and at that time, from the searches I’ve done of ‘SAP Blogs’, ‘SAP’, etc…there wasn’t any blogs about the biggest enterprise resource planning software, commonly know as ERP, in the web….well, in fact there where some….updated 2 years ago, or with useless content.
When I decided to write a blog about SAP and all the subjects near to it, as well as some technological areas, I knew this would be first of all with one intent -> To avoid others to have lack of information as I did 10 years ago when I started….
Some would say that I’m selling, or writing my own experience, and i agree. But this will not bring fast traffic to my site, but will bring in the future, ”devoted” readers. It will bring money ? …. I don’t know !! If it does its welcome, If not, I’m happy with writing my experiences, helping other consultants to achieve excellence…… and this makes me happy !!!!
And it’s always comfortable to know that there are still some people ….so called old school……
Keep going with the good work
Alcides Fialho
Mike
February 2nd, 2009 4:54 am
Hard Work is the only short cut. Youtube also helps get me traffic, if used correctly!
Mark Harrison
February 2nd, 2009 5:19 am
Joy of joys. I wish other so called blogging experts will read this interview and stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes with this whole ‘fast track to success’ garbage. Any business takes time to develop and an online business is no different so thank you for stating the truth and the reality.
Jez
February 2nd, 2009 7:52 am
It is possible to get sustained traffic fast, my blog/forum at sammynetbook.com picked up to 2000 U/Vs a day in month one and has now grown to around 4000 a day 3 months later from a standing start.
The secret in my opinion? Being at the right place at the right time. It didn’t take any particular great effort on my part, it was just a subject that hadn’t been covered and there was a demand for it.
It didn’t hurt that I also loved building the site and enjoyed chatting to every new member – it’s been a lot of fun :)
Karen
February 2nd, 2009 12:47 pm
I completely agree with what you’ve said. It’s similar to my response when asked about website SEO. Content, content, content. If you don’t have good content (and changing content), you will never be ranked well and visitors will have no reason to return to your site. No fast-acting marketing scheme will get (and keep) visitors to your site if you don’t have anything worth reading!
JGaynard
February 3rd, 2009 2:29 am
Darren, thanks for the valuable self-interview.
I can see why the person who put you to so much trouble may not have wanted to use it. “Slow and steady wins the race” isn’t a palatable message to a writer who wishes to make fast money out of the nirvana of “fast traffic to a blog”. The presentation of the two mindsets, his or hers and yours, reminded me of Guy Claxton’s book “Hare Brain Tortoise Mind”.
Max Answer Analyst Video
February 3rd, 2009 10:50 am
Speed kills. Lack of persistance kills even more. Thanks for the encouragement on just putting up good content and becoming part of the internet community.
Max
Mike
February 4th, 2009 10:58 am
Youtube is the fastest way to get free traffic…trust me on this!
Shaun Rosenberg
February 4th, 2009 5:31 pm
Great Post.
It seems like your interview wasn’t hyped up enough to be in that book, but what you said was so true,
joshi daniel
February 7th, 2009 12:51 am
Hi Darren,
this is a great post.
seth
February 10th, 2009 9:34 am
Fast traffic is right! 6 months, a year that is fast traffic if you want it to be quality! I’m in the starting stages of my blog about blogging tips for political bloggers. I don’t want to saturate the blogosphere yet with links and social media sites until I know that I have tons of quality content. This way when they do come it will be targeted and hopefully the visitors will return. Long-term is the only way you can think about blogging successfully. Thanks for the thoughts… You were right about the interviewer not really getting the point!
Sas
February 10th, 2009 10:34 pm
This blog is the perfect example of doing it consistently with a steady pace. Blogging can have a different meaning for different people. Ideally it should be an interaction and engagement with the reader.
Mohammad Afaq
February 26th, 2009 2:37 am
Great post, it really helped answer my questions. I am a 15year old blogger that started blogging some 1 month ago. I am not getting any search engine traffic but this article really motivated me. I will keep trying until one day I make money from it.
——————————————————————
Mohammad Afaq
http://afaqtrafficblog.blogspot.com
BVM
April 1st, 2009 11:08 am
hi there do you know what kind of social marking that i need to gain more traffic visitor into my web page, ???
DanoSongs
April 15th, 2009 7:07 am
I have to disagree, if you write a blog post with keyword competition with no competition because of your blog PR, you can get a number 1 spot in Google as soon as the post is indexed. This can increase traffic as soon as the post is indexed.
Dan-O
http://www.danosongs.com
Curtis
April 21st, 2009 8:48 am
Thanks for posting this; I enjoyed it.
But man, you were right. It sounds like the interviewer was only interested in doing research for how to get rich quick blogging.
You had great responses!
Inchirieri Masini
April 22nd, 2009 1:01 am
I like this idea. I will recommend this article to my friends. Thank you
Alison Moore Smith
April 22nd, 2009 12:55 pm
Given the line of questioning I’m so surprised the interviewer found he couldn’t use your answers. So. Not.
I appreciate the honestly and straight-shooting here.
C.A. Simmons
May 5th, 2009 2:22 pm
Darren, you’ve finally done it. I’ve been following you for a long time and it hit me with this post. Like so many others, I’ve been looking for a “fast” way to generate traffic to my site but when I think about it.I notice that no matter how much I follow the trends I get all my hits to my best content.
Hmmm… I have planning to do.
neon
June 9th, 2009 4:39 am
information is very clear. good and understandable explanation. super-topics. Thank you for sharing a very nice web site.
Marc
June 12th, 2009 10:49 pm
Completely agree with the long term view and that to be succesful you need to add value.
Sean Davis
June 19th, 2009 6:10 am
You would think that by the time a blogger was able to interview someone like you (Darren) that they would already understand this process.
I haven’t been blogging for very long but it took all of like 2 days to realize that this wasn’t going to be a fast process. I am currently reading your 31DBBB eBook and I was just studying some of the other blogs in my niche. There were blogs that I saved, subscribed to, or immediately dismissed. I later found that absolutely every one that I saved had posts dating back to May of 2006 or earlier.
Whoever did this interview is trying to sell something to their readers. They know that people want results with no effort… so they thought they would come to you and get some goodies to take back and sell… like it was the next big thing.
I’m extremely happy to hear that “broken record.” I couldn’t imagine better answers than the ones you gave.
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