How to increase traffic on blog?

Announce news.

Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.

Include polls, meters and other eye candy.

Link to other’s Article : Linking in and out helps a lot. Firstly, it helps you in providing proof about your thoughts as well as helps you get people link to you for providing a resourceful article.

Sign up for pinging services
It seems pretty obvious, but many bloggers, even those who are more experienced, don’t sign up for pinging services. If you’re new to blogging, pinging means that when your blog is updated, a “ping” is sent out by the service to let pinging sites know that your blog has been updated. People who are visiting sites with pinging services will then see your blog flash across the side of the screen as “newly updated.” Pinging services include Yahoo’s blogs, weblogs.com, Google Blog search and ZingFast.

Sign up for Technorati
If you go to technorati.com, you’ll see an option on the left side of the screen to “Claim Your Blog.” Doing so allows you to get updated link counts, add your photo or branding to Technorati and see your Technorati link. Having your blog claimed on Technorati helps to increase traffic because the millions of people who go to that site will have a chance to see your blog listed there.

Sign up for FeedBurner, an RSS service
FeedBurner basically helps you to promote your blog’s content, and to build and measure your audience.

Bookmark your blogs at places like del.icio.us
You can set up an account and profile at del.icio.us. From there, you can add links to your blog, as well as excerpts. When a user visits your profile on del.icio.us, they will see a link to your blog and excerpts. There are other social bookmarking sites that you can use in much the same way. All of these social bookmarking sites can help you increase traffic.

Post comments at other blogs
Here, you should visit similar blogs to your own, post legitimate comments and then sign your name(along with a link to your blog). This way, people know you aren’t there just to promote your site—you’re there to post a good piece of feedback and also say where you’re from.

Use keywords in your blog
Like regular Web pages, having a good keyword density on a blog is a terrific way of getting search engine spiders to notice your page. (FYI: Search engine spiders are programs from search engines that browse sites and report back their findings to the search engine database, which then lists that site. The more keywords on your site, the more likely it is for a search engine spider to pay a visit)

Spend some time seeing how you can post in one place and have it appear via RSS feeds and widgets on the different locations. This way you will end up doing less work - always a good thing

Write. Write stuff. Write stuff people like to read.Most often blogs end up being abused by people who think the world is waiting to know what happens to them every second (I don't deny them this right...they have it!), however the same thing can be presented in a way that forces the reader to continue reading. Simple check! read as though you didn't write it. Funny? worth posting? go ahead post.

Make friends. I don't mean going around shaking hands with people and expect a sudden spurt in your traffic, instead post reciprocal links on your blog. Yes people do read others links and if you are there, people will visit your blog. Its an easy way to piggyback on some good blogs.

Articles!!!!Take some of your posts, tweak them a bit, add a snazzy caption and Presto! you have your own article ready. Now take that article and post it all around you (on the net please....i don't expect people to walk around with faces stuck with paper muffling away....thish is smy aaarticle!). There are quite a list of websites that do this.

Check your Site title and description ( I think this should have come in second in order....lets just forget the order for now)Get a cool title something that makes people go, "oooohh thats hhhhhhooooootttttttt" (if not that much atleast.......a "i think this might be interesting"). And remember to give a matching description (the funnier the better). This will also help you get better results on search engines.

Submit to Blog Search engines.Most people search for blogs not on the major search engines, but on blog search engines. So make sure your blog has been submitted to these engines. The more the merrier. Search on google for blog search engines and submit your blog to all of these.

PHOTOS ROCK!!!!Face it, most people do search blogs to see something interesting and what best but a photo to give them a 24million color view of something. Yes photos rock, and they do bring in traffic. It kinda gives a coolness to your site. Its like wearing colors while everyone else is in uniform. Most blogging providers support photoblogging, but if you need a place to host photos photobucket.com is a place as good as any.

Get original ! Showing others content may bring people to your site, but it would not make them stay. all they would say is . ...."another smartass trying to keep his blog updated by somebody else's work". So keep the blog original with what you would like to say.

Publicize!!!I am not talking about banner exchanges ( not only do give free advertising on your site, you also have to put up with ugly graphics that can be out of place on your beautiful site.) Think up creative ways. Get a bumper sticker on your car, your boss's car, your company delivery truck...the works. Another easier option, get it on your company's email signature or atleast on yours.

Evangelize!!! No i am not a religious nut and i'm not expecting you to be one. Write stuff that would make people go on and talk about you without you threatening them or paying them. And refer to "the blog" in common discussions, parties etc.... wherever you find people.

Define your customer first. Whom you want to write blog for? How many people in this world would be interested in reading your blog? If you are clear with it. You will come up with a good idea which will attract large number of people towards it.

Make your blog having some global issues/ current issues like "go green" , "global warming" , "terrorism". These are some topics of very much concern. You can think more , aren't you?

People want to go through those blogs which you also love to go through. Neatness, clarity , beauty are some of the basic requirements.

Would you like to visit those blogs which are updated first taking care of your choice? If yes, then why can't you do it for others!!!