Ask any blogger, and they’ll have plenty of tips on how to increase your blog traffic. Depending on your niche, they might suggest anything from holding a contest to going on an aggressive guest posting campaign. While these may be effective ways to get traffic, it’s best to start with the basics. Here are three simple tips to help you get more blog traffic.

Write more often. In simplest terms, the more posts your blog has, the more traffic you can expect to receive. Each post should appear in search engine rankings for different terms, so the more posts you can write, the wider a net you can cast over the keywords related to your subject. If you only write once or twice a month, you’re not doing much to increase your traffic.

For best results, you should try to post to your blog as much as possible; at least once or twice per week is ideal. Your posts should be written around information people are looking for on your topic; using keyword research tools can help you find out what keywords people are using to search. Posts of 350 words or more are usually easier to rank for their given keywords.

Promote your blog. This is one area where it doesn’t pay to be shy. If you want to receive more blog traffic, people have to know you exist! Speak up for yourself and let them know you’re out there. Place links to your site in your signature on forums you’re active in, especially those that are related to your blog’s topic. Hand out flyers or business cards, or start an article marketing campaign. Write up articles on topics related to your blog’s subject, to show readers that you know your stuff. Place links to your site at the end, and invite readers to come read more about your subject.

Network. Another important component to promoting your blog is networking. Not only should you network with other bloggers, but also with people interested in your subject matter. Use social networking platforms like Facebook or Twitter to find like-minded people who might be interested in your site. Try making some YouTube videos about your subject, and post links to your blog in the sidebar.

Visiting other blogs can also help boost your blog traffic. Leaving comments on other sites will show readers your expertise, and will often give them a way to click back to your blog. Guest posting on more successful blogs related to your niche is also a great way to get swells of traffic from other blogs.