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One of the biggest keys to creating a successful blog is gaining new subscribers (and of course retaining the ones you already have). Even a small increase in your conversion rate can really make a big difference. Here are 10 ways you can start increasing the number of readers that become subscribers.

1 – Write quality content

The best way to convert readers to subscribers is simply by providing content that they know they will want to read on a regular basis. Give them information that can’t find anywhere else and you’ll have no problem gaining new subscribers.

2 – Ask for the subscription

You may be surprised at how much you can increase your subscriber numbers by simply asking for the subscription.

3 – Make your subscription link prominent on every page

Visitors should easily see your subscription link as soon as they enter any of your pages. Many bloggers use the top of the sidebar for the placement of this link. Wherever it will attract your readers attention is where it should go.

4 – Remind readers at the bottom or the top of your posts to subscribe

Simply having the subscription option on the sidebar may not be enough. You can effectively gain more subscribers by including a brief request for subscriptions at the beginning or the end of your posts. WordPress users can do this by editing the single.php file. You can see an example of this at my blog.

5 – Display your subscriber numbers (unless it’s low)

Showing your readers that others are subscribing to your feed can be a good source of motivation for them to subscribe as well. There’s no exact number that you should start to display your subscriber count, so you’ll have to look at some other blogs in your niche and see what’s typical.

6 – Offer a free bonus for new subscribers

Giveaways can be used very effectively to draw new subscribers. In order for this to work you’ll need to offer something of value for free. Ebooks and other types of downloadable products are common giveaways.

7 – Have an about page

Many of your new readers will want to know a little bit more about you. Provide some background information on an about page and they’ll likely feel more connected to you once they become familiar with you.

8 – Offer an email subscription option

Some of your visitors will still prefer to use email instead of RSS. By not offering email subscriptions you could be losing subscribers. FeedBurner offers a free service for email subscriptions.

9 – Use buttons or widgets

Buttons and widgets can make it easier for your readers to subscribe to your feed with one click. Many readers won’t use them, but some will. You can get a free widget at AddThis.com.

10 – Use a pop-up window

This one is controversial, and personally I wouldn’t use one, but they do produce results for some bloggers. You run the risk of annoying your visitors.

Try some of these 10 tips today and see how it impacts your subscriber numbers.

Independent Thought

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A cluttered sidebar is a big turnoff to your readers. If there is too much in your sidebar, irrelevant items, and especially if the visitor cannot locate what they’re looking for, then you’re in trouble. Today I’m challenging you to just one simple thing: clean out your sidebar (or at least add it to your to-do list).

Step one: Clean out your blogroll. Narrow it down to only a few sites that you think are fantastic and definitely shouldn’t be removed. If you’ve link exchanged with anyone, let them know if you’re removing their link. Not everyone does this but I think it’s polite. Your blog should be less of a mess already, and you’re also saving some of your Google juice by removing all those outgoing links!

Step two: Remove other irrelevant links, banners, and affiliate images. If you have a big image showing off your PageRank, it’s only in the way. Not that many people are interested in how your page is ranked except for future advertisers, so add the PageRank button to your Advertise page instead. Also, remove any affiliate images you have up and change them to links if you have too many of them. Remove the ones you’re not using anymore. Take out as many irrelevant links and pictures as you can.

Step three: If your readers can’t find what they’re searching for, you’re in some serious trouble. You don’t want to lose them to some other blog that is more organized and navigable. To solve this problem, make sure your categories section in the sidebar is sorted well, and that you have a search bar.

Step four: Don’t display whatever else you don’t REALLY need. Think about it. Surely there’s something else you could take out of your design/sidebars that’s not useful to you. If there’s no need for archives on your blog, remove them. If you think you could do without a certain widget or plugin, take if off. Think about it carefully - removing close to everything is bad, but having too much clutter is worse. Aim for the right amount of items in your sidebar.

Not only will your readers appreciate it, but your site will be better at an SEO standpoint without all those outgoing links and extra clutter. But remember: While keeping a clean sidebar is definitely important and necessary, it is only one tiny part of making your blog look great. I’ll touch on some more points soon that can improve your site even more. Good luck, and happy blogging!

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You want everyone to like your blog. Therefore, you’re afraid to disagree. You don’t want to voice your own opinion when it could possibly go against what another (maybe even more popular) blogger thinks. You want to become an a-lister, but yet you’re afraid to stand out. If this sounds like you, keep reading.

Nowadays it seems there are more “rules” that bloggers have to conform to, more molds to shape their blogs. But in reality, there are no rules. Your blog can be whatever you want it to be. And nowadays it seems even more bloggers, especially the new ones, are being intimidated by the more successful bloggers. Many bloggers fall behind in the shadows and are never noticed because they’re too afraid.

DON’T be afraid to do something with your blog that is out of the norm! When Kumiko removed comments from her blog, she got a lot of crap from people telling her that a blog isn’t a blog without comments. I used to think like that, but I don’t anymore. I don’t restrain myself to a certain level of thinking like that anymore. Your blog is completely, 100% yours. Don’t be scared to step out and do something that not many others have done.

If there is a conversation going around in the blogging world between other bloggers, join in if you have something new to say. If someone else agrees on what’s being said, and you disagree, don’t hesitate to let your opinion be known! Not everyone will always be pleased with what you have to say all the time. That’s impossible. There will always be someone that’s not on your side. But if you voice your own opinion and aren’t afraid of doing that, you’ll have my respect and surely that of many other bloggers.

If you do something unusual with your blog or state your honest opinion on a debated topic, not only will you gain respect but you will cause controversy. Controversy is something many bloggers try to avoid because they don’t want to be in the spotlight, but honestly, it is a good thing. If a blogger hides in the shadows and doesn’t step out, they will not get any attention or links as if they did otherwise.

Do not chain yourself down and don’t be nervous about what others might think of you. Break free and do what you want to do, say what you need to say. I’m definitely not telling you to go around insulting others, but I am telling you not to be afraid to step out.

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Before I talked about why you should write a pillar post. The content of pillar posts is often put into list format, but pillar posts are also a whole lot longer and their content should usually be timeless. Pillar posts in the form of lists are a lot more popular and successful. In fact, any kind of list post, long or short, is more popular overall. People like lists more! You might be wondering why, and if you are, I have some answers.

1. People are lazy. You know it’s true. I’m very lazy, and I can safely bet that you are to at least some extent. Everyone is. And since people are lazy, they often scan posts. Who wants to read a post full of huge, chunky paragraphs? People much more prefer to be able to read a list, which they can skim through easily while still taking in all of what you’ve written.
2. Lists are more organized. With a list post, your blog looks clean, organized, and professional. And again, I can make a safe bet: Most people will like reading a blog that isn’t messy and boring. I’m one of them.
3. You seem like you’ve worked harder. When you write a list post, it makes you look like you put a lot of thought into your topic. Lists clearly state all your ideas and they make it seem that you’ve come up with a lot of reasons to support what you’re talking about. In paragraph form, it just doesn’t look as impressive.

And those are only some of the reasons why people like list posts more. And of course, if you write a post that people are going to like and it’s proofread and of good quality, then think about the great linkbait it will be. People love linking to list posts, myself including!

I definitely think at least one out of ten of all your posts should be lists. But don’t overdo it! Too much of a good thing is bad.

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When you use other programs like Smorty, PayPerPost, and ReviewMe, you’re either following someone else’s strict rules, having a huge percentage of your earnings taken from you, or hardly making anything at all in the first place. Why let some company control your advertising, reviews sales, AND how much you’re paid for it? My advice: cut out the middle man.

Basically, that means that you shouldn’t use these other programs (or at least, they shouldn’t be all you use). What you SHOULD do is set up your own advertising system. Set up a contact or payment form and offer links for sale at the top of your sidebar. Do a review system where you offer to review a person’s site and create a buzz and get traffic for them, for a set price.

When you use ReviewMe, they take half of the money you make and put it in their own pockets. Think about it: with your reviews and advertising, you could be making twice as much!

So instead of relying on those money-hungry companies, cut them out altogether. Offer the advertising on your site and set up a Paypal button and form for payment. Here are some suggestions for advertisement you can sell on your site to make you some cash:

Reviews. Everyone loves having their site reviewed by a good writer. When you review, describe the site. Tell what it’s about and list what you like about it and what could be improved. If your site is small, ask for no more than $20 for the review. If your site is average, $40-$70. If you have a site with a high PageRank and a lot of traffic, you can demand even more.

Banners. You can set up a banner space in your sidebar where you either feature either one larger banner or around four smaller ones. OR, you can add a banner somewhere in each post, like the bottom, and sell that out to one person. You can make the banners last a week, two weeks, or a month. The bigger the banner, the exposure of its placement, and how long it is up on your site determine the price along with your PageRank, traffic, etc.

Links. The cheapest of all but in my opinion, easiest to sell and manage. Set this up in the top of your sidebar (or some other very prominent place). Decide how many slots will be open (5 links at a time, 10 links, etc.) and also decide how long they’ll be up. One week? A couple? Then sell the links for anywhere from $5 to $20, and even more if your site is big.

Be creative and come up with your own advertising ideas. After all, that’s why you’re cutting out the middle man: so you can do it your way! And even if you’re managing your own ads and reviews now, it’s still okay to do a PayPerPost opportunity every now and then. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. And remember, be reasonable and don’t charge too much!

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