What’s it about? Who’s the target demographic?

There are so many blogs out there, that if it’s bland it’s unlikely that it will “catch on.” Consider hiring a professional web design person/creative writer (or talented friend) to spice it up a bit? In general if there are pictures and the posts are short people are more likely to stick with it.

The target demographic is college kids, the blog is an alternative history / science fiction one that is dedicated to producing one fabricated historical document per week (fictitious old articles, letters and the like). The premise is that the War of the Worlds actually happened. As you can tell, this presents problems with accessibility.

Here’s the link: http://themarsanthologyproject.blogspot.com/

@Sandman How does this have accessibility issues?

@papayalily Oh? Did you enjoy it? Hmm, I guess I’m just concerned with it maybe being not interesting enough to overcome its potential dryness. Unless you think otherwise perhaps?

@Sandman No, I mean, are we talking accessibility like other people won’t like it, or accessibility like it’s hard to find and doesn’t show up on a Google search, etc?

More like because of how “in a niche” it is.

@Sandman I think it’s a cool idea, but it is too much of a specific niche (and not hugely popular one like the Templar Knights) to get a huge following. Is getting a big following really important here?
It would make for a very cool college history class project, if that’s an option.

After looking at your blog it appears you are more of a casual blogger, using a free site and all. Are you a member in any forums on the web? You could start by promoting yourself there. Maybe you could also make flyers for college bulletin boards. The problem is getting people interested in your concept and content. I would devote a part of your blog to explaining the site more and what its concept is, so people are not lost when they come to it. This will also help the google ranking over time I am sure. Also, be sure to check spelling and grammar, people will refuse to read if there are many obvious errors.

@glenjamin Very true, I can’t stand it when blogs don’t have an “About” page.

@papayalily Hmm, having a huge following isn’t greatly important but I would like to develop some kind of readership for it. I will look into adding an “About” page.

@glenjamin You also make a very good point about it being a little hard to follow. I also like the idea of doing college bulletins. It’s tough because I’m abroad right now but I’m sure I could enlist some help.

Cross-pollinate with other bloggers. Most of my blog’s traffick comes in from a couple of friends who have well read blogs. One of them also suggested to me that doing guest posts on other peoples’ blogs is good publicity.

Just keep at it, and make sure you pay attention to who’s checking out what you do and what aspects they like the most. Checking your various logs/analytics and such are great for this. Know your readers and take time to keep them coming back for more… they will tell the world about ya eventually.

Oh! You have one more reader. I’ve bookmarked this – I love all the steampunk stuff.

Hmm… are there any special-interest forums for writers of steampunk and science fiction? If you can find one maybe you can publicise it there. Even if it’s only putting a link in your signature.

Oh yea, apparently writing short to medium length entries a few times a week, as opposed to very long entries a couple times a month or less, is good for attracting people.

And that’s where I fail.

There are several things that you can do to drive traffic to your site. I suggest that you look at www.chrisbrogan.com and www.happiness-project.com for ideas about blogging. Chris Brogan has a lot to say about page content, layout, graphics, etc. and how to position yourself as a trust agent for your subject. If people trust your content, they will come back. Also, mentioning other people and linking to their sites or an article will increase your traffic.

I mention www.happiness-project.com because it is an excellent example of use of an editorial calendar to keep content fresh and drive people to your site. Gretchen Rubin adheres to a consistent content calendar: She has tips, quotes, quizzes, mentions other people. There’s new content of some sort just about every day. The blog came first, the book second.

Make use of hashtags to keep the site searchable right from the start. Cross promote with FB and Twitter.

Physically, I found your font a little too small and too dense to make reading easy, You might want to try some different spacing. Also, your photo captions should tell a story. Very often, people skim content, and will read captions and subheads first. Make sure that there’s enough there to pique a reader’s interest.

On a side note, you may like How To Be A Retronaut

@downtide Great to hear! Thanks so much for taking an interest! It does have a steampunk bend to it and who doesn’t love Tesla? Thanks for your advice as well, a good suggestion!

@BarnacleBill Thanks for the links! Super helpful and I appreciated your tips too. The pictures are a tough one because it requires photoshop manipulation beyond my capacities, but I’m currently working with some graphic designers and artists to change that.