Blogging Tips: Traffic Increases By Unique Writing or A Commercial Approach? (Politics Of Blogging)

In the beginning when I just started blogging, back in the month of February, it was all about drenching out what I experienced, how I felt about it, what I thought about it, my emotions related to those topics; everything was so personal, and so only "about me". Never ever I gave a thought about taking a commercial approach to drag some traffic to my blog.
Perhaps it was because I knew nothing about blogging. I wrote for six months without caring about traffics, or caring about whether my content was enough reader-attracting or not. I just knew, I felt so good whenever I wrote something. It was like creating own piece of yourself with words. How I feel about writing and what role writing can play in someone's life I guess I have already discussed it in my previous blog post, in Writing and Life.

But today, I am not going to show you the universal image of writing. Today we are here to re-think on what we think about blogging. And we will be discussing about one of the most important issues in someone's blogging career, that whether it is an unique piece of writing, or a commercial approach that brings you more readers, more traffic.


Traffic Is Important

I was sparing myself by thinking that I was only a beginner. Come on! It's been only eight months. But then I met a Travel Blogger, named Sharon Gourlay who said straight to me that you cannot reckon 8 months as a short period of time; you are continuing this for long enough and you have already earned quite maturity.
Then I started thinking about it.

I already mentioned in my first blogging post (5 Tips for the beginner bloggers) that if you are writing blog, then definitely you want a bunch of readers to read it. Otherwise you could have simply taken out a notebook and write whatever your heart says; pouring with words and emotions and filling up white pages after pages and no one would have bothered to read.
But when, only when you are giving all the efforts to maintain a full-going blog, working hard everyday on it, constructing and reconstructing, planning on what to write and what not, definitely it's not only for your private pleasure. You want someone to read it, appreciate it and moreover you want someone to share and learn from your experiences. Traffic is INDEED important.

So, as now you have got the point what to do about traffic engagement? Now here comes the politics about blogging; the mighty SEO v/s your writing ability.  

What Is Being Unique- What Is SEO- And What Is Politics Of Blogging


Being unique: In a simple way is to be yourself. Everyone thinks in individual way, they also have individual pattern of conveying their thoughts. Writing is always the mirror of your thinking, though you do a lot of adding, editing and omitting, but still, it is you. It's just like a presentation of yourself, whether you take a make-up or appear in naked face. Just like The Woman, Irin Adler said in Sherlock,

"Do you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr. Holmes?  However hard you try, it's always a self-portrait." 

So, it's not that hard, to be yourself. Challenge, is to come up with unique content. As in, pick a topic, like food. Okay, so if I am going to write about Pizza, what would be the special in my blog post that would make me get more readers than the other million food bloggers who already wrote other millions of posts on Pizza! Seems like roaming in a labyrnith isn't it? :P But again, the key is you. Just remember, the way you tasted pizza, would be your own individual imaginary, and definitely the way you would write about it, would be different than any other post just because you would not follow the typical way.        

    

Coming to issue regarding SEO: Your content is unique, your title is catchy and everything, but the traffic is zero. Why? Credit goes to mighty Search Engine Optimizer, who has definitely failed to provide your blog's link when someone was searching for Pizza! And why did it fail? Simple. Because your blog failed in the competition with other commercial blogs. You lacked key-words, you lacked a little bit money. But what did you just ask for? A bunch of readers, that's it!

Politics of Blogging: The only politics that is being played here is that you are continuously asked to be unique although you have to use fixed key-words, follow key-word density and also have to pay to improvise your SEO. Does that sound fair? No, politics is never fair. Here I think day and night, that how come I get a result by just using my writing capability? How would someone notice me just because I write well and I am sure, there are others who just write like me, or in some cases write worse than me still gets readers just because they are following the rules of key words density or have used a bit money. That is not a fault, but what about bloggers like us? Who has nothing but only contents to provide. They tell us to blog smartly, but with the smartness, our natural flow of writing and originality are getting lost. What about that? but well, that does not mean I am suggesting to quit. No, giving up is worse. 

Use Words As The Key Or Use Key-Words?

So what is key-words?
They said, "Keywords are words, phrases or a group of words. This is what you feed in a search engine, like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, to look for some particular information. Based on those key-words or keyword phrases, the search engine shows you the related pages."

Now the question is, you are playing with the words, or WORDS are playing with you? well I get apparently frustrated when I have to write on a 'fixed' key words maintaining all the rules of key word density. How can some one write good if that person is not allowed to write fluently? When you push the key thing into the head, it bugs you every moment you write a line. At least that happens to me.
Again, the use of Key-words takes you to a commercial approach of writing. Even you have to push a 'How to' or 'What to' in the title if your blog. It is like taking the freedom of your writing. You follow rules, you get readers; You don't, your blog will be ostracized.

Quality or Quantity?

I had a million dollar original quotation of my own : As you start being commercial, your quality of work falls.
And why not? Quality always depends on your dedication to writing, enough time to think and re-think, enough time to nurture and polish it by editing, and again some time off. Re-read and revision and rearrangements and moreover it's not very different than making a sculpture.
But what if you have to do it on a regular basis, taking loads of pressure on you? May be because it is related to your monetary issue or may be because you are losing traffic when you are not regular. Pressure causes much differences in your writing ability, even if you are a high skill-full writer, but you would be giving your average of potentiality in times of pressure. On the contrary, when you are posting one article in a month, a quality article using your full potentiality, then you don't get readers.
haha!


All Those Hypocritical Advises

Moreover, when you start a blog, do not get misguided by those hypocritical advises that continuously ask you to come up with unique content, high-class writing ability with catchy titles, attractive presentations because in the end, it is the SEO that plays the check-mate! Though, if you still want to continue with this fight of uniqueness v/s commerciality, then I have some ideas for you.

The Seven Solutions

1. Of course, be yourself
2. Networking would be your greatest weapon
3. With great skill of writing and no SEO politics you can only come to the lime-light by "self-branding"
4. Join communities, talk to other bloggers, share and show what you got, create space to make others appreciate your work
5. You don't have to write everyday, but you should deliver one post in every week
6. Go for more experiences, remember the more you know, the better content you offer to others
7. Finally, never quit. 

So What Do You Think?

This is my discussion sector, and I cordially invite you all to put your comments with your own logic and reasons so that I might add those to my blog and make the discussion a rich and fruitful one that can be helpful to other bloggers as well. And also other writers can learn something useful from our given efforts.
That's what it all about, isn't it? Sharing and Learning together, and making a bond through world-wide! Remember, blogging is a journey, and we are all sharing this road together. So, Happy Blogging!

Don't forget to enrich this discussion with your valuable comments.
Thanks in Advance!

(From next post I will again take you to my most adventurous trekking in Nepal, A journey to Australian Camp, with stories full of amusements and difficulties, don't forget to check out!)