Have you ever seen the term “blog party?” A blog party may be a good way to gain traffic to your blog.

Photo credit: FidlerJan from morguefile.com

 

Blog Parties to Boost Website Traffic

What is a blog party? Blog parties, also called link parties, are online link sharing opportunities. They’re usually hosted on DIY or “mommy” type blogs but may be on any type of blog.

On a blog party or link party, you’ll have the opportunity to share your blog post via a tool called InLinkz. It’s a WordPress Plugin favored by blog party hosts because it offers an easy opportunity for participants to share links.

With InLinkz, the blogs shared on your party are automatically added and updated as participants their blog posts. You can add one post, but some parties allow you to add more than one. You can add any post — an old post or a new one. I like to add one new post per week and then trot out an old favorite from my blog for other parties.

Whatever post you choose to share, it should feature a good quality photograph that you have permission to share. The more eye-catching the photo, the better. The photos are displayed in a tiny thumbnail, so they should be bright and big. Little details tend to get lost in the smaller pictures.

Once you share your link, what happens? Well, with each blog party, it’s different. Some party hosts request you to leave a comment or share other participants’ posts. Read the instructions on the blog party itself. Hosts set their own rules. Most ask you to follow the blog party hosts on social media, and comment and share at least 1 or 2 other party posts. Some ask you to add a graphic or code to your sidebar.

Where to Find Link Parties

The best place to find link parties is on your favorite blogs. Start looking for them, because most bloggers in the DIY and “mommy” space (those catering or writing to people who have children, families, craft, garden, etc) participate in at least one or two per week. I’m a co-host for the #HomeMattersParty or Home Matters Link party, by the way, over on my home and gardening blog, Home Garden Joy. You’re welcome to add your blog post to this week’s party or the new on happening each Friday if you fit the profile of party participants: DIY, crafts, recipes, homemaking, etc.

You can also search for link parties online. There are also groups on Facebook dedicated just to bloggers promoting link parties.

Why Participate in Link Parties?

Link parties are a good way to generate traffic to your blog posts, but they can be a lot of work. There are numerous pros and cons to participating in link parties:

Pros/Advantages

  • Can generate traffic
  • Network with other bloggers
  • Find other parties to participate in
  • Share on social media and have your posts shared

Cons/Disadvantages

  • If it’s not the right niche, it may not generate enough traffic.
  • Co-hosting a party is a lot of work and requires time.
  • The traffic you get may not be the ‘right’ kind of traffic. In other words, it may be lookie-lous but not people who are truly interested in reading your blog posts.
  • It’s useful for consumer blogs…and may not work well for business related blogs.

I have included blog parties in my toolkit this year to boost traffic to my gardening blog, Home Garden Joy. One of my goals for the blog this year has been to boost page views and lower the bounce rate.

I’ve been participating in a link party as a co-host consistently now for six months and have seen my blog traffic double. More importantly, links are being shared. One link to an old blog post went viral last month, causing my traffic to soar. There’s been a continual uptick since then, probably due to the search engines taking more notices of my little blog. At least I hope so.

The bounce rate on my blog, however, remains stubbornly high. I think it’s due to poor naming conventions on my blog from years ago when I considered my blog more of a hobby than a true website. I am still revising many of my old blog posts to make them better optimized and more professional.

My participation in the Home Matters Blog party takes about 3-4 hours per week, which is a considerable amount of time to invest. However, the audience for the party of mostly women in their 30s, 40s and 50s is perfect for my blog and I have met and made many new contacts thanks to the party activities. If you’re trying to reach a specific DIY demographic, participating in blog parties and link parties may be a great opportunity to boost your blog traffic.

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Marketing Writer Jeanne Grunert
Marketing Writer Jeanne Grunert

 

by Jeanne Grunert/Seven Oaks Consulting. Jeanne is a marketing writer and freelance writer specializing in business, marketing, technology and lifestyle content for clients worldwide. She’s the author of several books including Pricing Your Services: 21 Tips and Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden. Learn more about her work or hire her to write for you at Seven Oaks Consulting | Marketing Writer Jeanne Grunert.