Introduction:

At this stage (January 2008), this blog is about a month old and has had about 10,000 visits, if not more. I begin to ask myself… What constitutes a ’success’? Why is it that a blog, almost identical concept to this one, only has 20% of the traffic I do? My daily Alexa ranks are now under than 100k, so my rank will be steadily improving every week.

Why do some blogs succeed?

There is a monstrous splattering of reasons why a blog succeeds over another. The basics, of course, would include back links, SEO, directory/rss submissions, social networks (such as Stumbleupon/Digg/Reddit/Technorati). Contests, Carnivals, Forums, Commenting on Competitor Blogs (or better yet, popular blogs). Commenting on Do-Follow blogs are important, Link baiting, Article Marketing, Advertising through PPC/CPM, etc. This is only the beginning. It’s a pretty simple guideline; you have to work at it and things can possibly go your way.

Why do some (if not most) blogs, fail?

This is a bit more complicated of an answer. As time passes and as the internet grows more and more, the guidelines upon success will get harder to achieve. Why? The internet is slowly becoming saturated with the same websites or styles of blogs. There are numerous blogs that are created daily for the sure goal of trying to become a success as an internet marketer and by being able to make a healthy income from it. (You know what, its a good idea, but don’t tell anyone )

Some of the Reasons why Blogs Fail Do Not Succeed:

1. Giving Up Too Quickly. Guess what? Most bloggers quit before they are ‘big’. The majority of successful blogs (unless the owners are extremely lucky or know what they are doing), do not hit their steady explosion for at least 6 months into their blogging career.
2. Letting Other Bloggers get the Best of You. I have had a few comments from other bloggers about me giving advice and I am a “noob”. Never, under any circumstances, let them get to you. The reason why they do this is so they can weed out the weak. (That and commenting rudely and promoting back to their blog is a form of link-baiting - It can be quite beneficial, though I tend to stay away from it as it is annoying when others do it, so I will not even try).
3. Not updated enough. We all know it: it is hard work to come up with fresh material that people will cling to and drool over. Do not give up. Also, do not let blogging that next entry cloud your mind. Take an hour and let yourself be free from blogging, to give yourself a breather. Come back to it with a fresh perspective.
4. You write, but do not read. What do I mean by this? I mean that you are focused on your own blog to the extent that you do not even bother checking anyone else’s blog. It’s good and dandy if you have 10,000+ RSS subscribers, but until you get to that point, chances are you need some help. Commenting on other blogs also gives a bit more visibility (and the possible click through) while imprinting your presence on their blog or in the readers mind.
5. Ur Writin’ Skills. Believe it or not, if you cannot write professionally or in a dignified manner, you will struggle to promote your blog. Reading something that is horribly compiled is rather annoying on the eyes.
6. Readers ARE important. I have seen some bloggers taking their readers for granted - not only not replying to their comments but almost completely ignoring their presence as a whole. The ego of some bloggers (as can be seen with their rudeness) has grown so big that they forget that the readers are what makes them who they are.
7. Focus. Many bloggers (and webmasters) spread themselves out too quickly into too many fields. I did this myself, prior to Thinkblogger. I had about 12 projects going at once and managed to make little to no money. I then sold off a few sites (while just dropping the others). This managed to help me focus what I had to do, not only with my blog, but with my other websites, too.
8. Your Good Luck Charm. Sadly enough, it is not all about skill (though it does play a heavy factor). It does seem that luck plays a factor. You have to embrace the opportunities in front of you and make them your own. Missing an opportunity can hinder your blogs progress. (Mind you, I have done this a few days, miss an opportunity - This was done purposely, however, I could have had much more traffic and many more RSS readers by now).
9. Poor Visual Design. The successful blog also depends on how you present your well-glorified information. Getting a proper layout that is not only unique, eye catching, and easy is on the eyes, is a sure way to get more traffic and subscribers.
10. Unwillingness. Just because you start a blog, does not mean that you should automatically peg yourself as an expert or talk down to other bloggers in your competition. You must have a willingness to learn as you blog. The fine details of becoming a successful blogger ($2500/mo+ income and 1000+ Genuine RSS Subscribers) is much more complex than most people realize before they get into blogging.
11. Content is King. You’ve heard that before, and you know what? It is true! Most defitinitely true. Not only do you have to be unique in your posts, but you have to stand out and provide quality content in order to succeed.
12. Traffic is Queen. If Content is King, then Traffic is Queen. If you aren’t willing to get your hands dirty and promote your blog, then it will never live up to its potential. Join social bookmarking sites and become regular commentators. BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog are really good for that. There are techniques that you can do to increase your web presence. There are also many communities you can join which are beneficial.
13. Building a Community atmosphere is President. People do not want to just read and go away anymore. This is the way that blogs and sites are beginning to shift to. People want to interact with fellow “followers” and be part of something in the making. You have to make sure and provide the atmosphere and facility to get that going. - Added by Phillip

Conclusion:

What bloggers forget is that readers do not owe you anything. They do not have to leave comments; they do not even have to look at your blog. This is not something that can just be given to you; you have to work for it in order to achieve the readers you wish for.

To put it the shortest summary that I possible can, patience is not only a virtue, but is the key. Not only that, but you have to seize the opportunities that present themselves in front of you. You cannot go into the blogging community and expect to get 1000+ RSS within 2 weeks. It’s not really possible anymore. Some have tried but have cheated in order to attempt to achieve this. They get caught and they are then permanently marked as cheaters. Its that simple.

There is not much else I can say, except to keep trying and keep looking for those tips in order to help you succeed. *coughs* keep reading this blog *coughs*. Seriously though, it does take a bit of work though if you are really serious about blogging, then keep at it. When that opportunity shows up, go for it! Seize it!