This article, which I am sharing with you today, was originally written by "Steve Pavlina" in 2006 on his website stevepavlina.com. Surprisingly, even after all these years, it still ranks high on Google. Although the article's original language is English, a friend from Khamsat kindly translated it for us. So, I leave you to enjoy reading it:I received many questions about how I managed to start this website from scratch and build traffic to over 700,000 monthly visitors in about 15 months - without spending any money on marketing or promotion. Building traffic is not based on tricks or techniques that deviate from the norm. It is built on providing genuine value. What I'm about to present may differ from what other places and websites offer regarding building traffic. I did not rely on or create any advertising campaigns for this website. The visits came from individuals' need for the website's content and their desire to access it.
Today, I will offer you ten of the best suggestions for building a highly trafficked website on the Internet:
- How to attract visitors to your website: Create valuable content.
Is your content worthy of being read by millions of people? Remember that the purpose of content is to provide value to others. Do you genuinely provide value, and is what you offer the best?
When I sit down to write, I imagine myself standing on an open-air stage in front of an audience of a million people. Then, I ask myself, "What do I say to this audience?" and wonder why a million people wouldn't spend five minutes on this website. I make every effort to ensure that my writings achieve this goal. I may not always succeed, but this mindset helps me create powerful and valuable content.
Think about the impact you want your writing to have on people. As I write about personal growth, I want my writing to change people for the better. I want to expand their thinking, raise their awareness, and help them overcome the fear in their lives. If my writing doesn't change people's thinking, behavior, or awareness, then it didn't provide enough valuable content.
When you focus on providing genuine value from your website's content, your readers will notice. Others will refer to your website. I typically see at least ten new links to my site every day without requesting them. Other bloggers appreciate the content and recommend visiting my site because of the benefit it provides. It's wonderful to see this kind of response.
Building powerful content is hard work, but it has high global value. In the long run, good content generates a lot of traffic. I prefer one high-quality article over 25 smaller ones. Quality is more important than quantity. Creating large quantities without focusing on quality is easy, and that's what drives many people to follow this strategy. The internet already contains more quantity than any individual needs in their daily life. However, there will always be a place for good content and quality that distinguishes you from all this clutter.
If you have something of genuine value to offer to a large audience, you need to create a high-traffic website. If you lack such valuable content, you don't need to create a website, and you might not get any visits. Every time I write, I focus on creating the best content possible. The more effort you put in, the better the results will be. Always give your best effort. There have been many times when I wrote some articles exceeding 2000 words and then deleted them without publishing because I didn't feel they were good enough.
Everything on this website is original content created by me. Rarely do I include links to other people's writings. Original content requires more effort, but it's the best long-term strategy. I have no interest in making this website a mere intermediary that points to other sites. Instead, I want it to be the ultimate destination for visitors, where they don't need to go elsewhere afterward.
Consequently, when people visit this website, they spend a lot of time here. There's a great chance that if someone enjoys one of my articles, they will read another. The site now contains hundreds of articles to choose from. You can explore the site's sections or the archive to discover more of my distinguished articles, making it easy to navigate between them.
Yes, there's a lot to read on this website, more than most people can read in a day. However, there's also a lot of value (see Rule #1). Some have told me that they read for hours continuously and felt transformed after reading. I believe that someone who spends several continuous hours reading my original and content-intensive material will be impacted by it. I write this content with the intention of assisting your personal growth.
Although I'm not competing with others, it's difficult to compete with a site that produces original content. Anyone can start a personal development website on the internet, and each site will have its unique flavor since no one has gone through the exact experiences as I have.
I believe that websites publishing other people's content may build traffic faster initially, but websites with original content can maintain traffic in the long run, making them more resilient over time. Not everyone wants to create original content, but it's the only truly valuable way, and there's no alternative.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Creating Evergreen Content.
I don't write content that is tied to specific time events; the majority of my content is meant to be timeless. I am aware that what I write today will still be read by people even after I am no longer alive. People continue to quote Aristotle to this day because his ideas have timeless value, even though he died 2300 years ago. I contemplate how my practical teachings might influence future generations. What should I instill in my grandchildren?
I tend to overlook current events in my writings, such as wars, natural disasters, or corrupt politicians, as these things have been happening for thousands of years. Many others are compelled to write about such matters, so I leave that space for them.
Creating Content with Real Value in 2010, 2100, and 4000:
Writing for future generations helps me stay on track and focused on the essence of my message, which is to help people grow. As long as there are people, there will be opportunities for growth, so some of what I write today will likely remain relevant. If I can create content closely connected to future generations, then I am certain I will have relevance and meaning to those who exist today.
In terms of building traffic, people connect on a deeper level with evergreen content compared to time-specific content. Time-specific content gets forgotten, but evergreen content remains memorable. We forget yesterday's news, but we remember things that hold meaning for us. That's why I strive to write about meaningful concepts rather than events.
While I acknowledge that news and current events are important, in the grand scheme of things, much of what the media covers is trivial and irrelevant. Very little of today's news will matter even a week from now, let alone a hundred years from now. There might be some crucial events, but at least 99% of what the media covers lacks value when viewed against the backdrop of human history.
I ignore the less valuable content and focus on building something of real value. I write for my children and grandchildren.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Writing for Humans First and Computers Second.
Many have written about optimal strategies for strong search engine rankings. However, I largely ignore those tips because I write for humans, not computers or search engines.
I write when I have something useful to say, and I write as much as necessary to convey that message. On average, I publish five articles per week, but I don't adhere to a specific number. Some of my articles are much longer than most bloggers'. I have no restrictions on length. While many successful bloggers advise writing shorter articles (250-750 words) and more frequently (20 times a week) to generate more search engine traffic, such a strategy might conflict with my goal of providing real value and creating evergreen content. I have no interest in compromising the quality of content just to please computers or search engines. Anyone can print an article and read it later if it holds real value for them. Even though fewer people might read these longer articles, they will have a more significant impact.
Due to these decisions, my traffic from search engines is relatively low compared to other bloggers. Google is the number one search engine, yet it represents less than 1.5% of my total site traffic. The majority of my traffic comes from links on thousands of other websites and direct requests. Nevertheless, my website continues to grow in visits because people recommend it to others, either online or in person. I've also been successful with social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, digg.com, and reddit.com, as they rely on personal recommendations. Several of my articles have been among the most popular on del.icio.us over the past year.
I prefer this strategy of building traffic because it makes me less susceptible to fluctuations in technology. Google ultimately wants to make it easy for visitors to find valuable content, so my current strategy aligns with Google's long-term strategy. This alignment comes naturally as my focus is on providing value first and foremost.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Know Why You Want High Traffic and Visitors.
I write because my life's purpose is to help people become more conscious and aware— to grow as human beings. I have no other job or separate profession from this purpose. It's the driving force behind my work, and I have a compelling reason to build a high-traffic website. More traffic on the web means I can have a greater impact by reaching more people. Over the next few decades, this impact has the potential to create positive change that could alter the future course of humanity. Most importantly, I want to help humanity overcome the fear of the past and stop treating each other based on mechanisms of fear. I may fail at times, but I won't give up, no matter how challenging it gets.
These are ambitious aspirations, and I might seem to exaggerate, but this is the level at which I contemplate my work today. Everything else I do, including building a high-traffic website, is merely a means to achieve this goal. Today, I sow the seeds, and most of these seeds have not yet grown and blossomed. This high-traffic website is just one of the buds that has emerged as a result of following my purpose. But it's not an end in itself.
What will you do if you manage to build a high-traffic website? If you find yourself one day in a unique position to influence millions of people, what would you say to them? Would you appreciate this position by using it as a channel to serve the greater good—for the benefit of all? Or would you throw this opportunity away in pursuit of fleeting fame or personal wealth while offering your audience trivialities?
Although I started this website in October 2004, I have been writing articles since 1999, and feedback has allowed me to understand the long-term impact of some of my writings on people. After reading something I've written, many have left their jobs and started their own businesses. This level of impact warms my heart and reinforces my sense of personal responsibility for my writings. I've seen that I have the power to influence people, so I always aim to reach for the best and produce good writings.
This is what drives me to go to my computer and write something from 3:00 PM until 10:00 PM, occasionally even receiving inspiration. The primary reason I want more traffic and visits is that it allows me to help more people. So, I direct my ambitions toward this website, which is part of the purpose I want to achieve and plays a significant role in taking any action.
My life and writing are intertwined in a complex way, making it impossible to separate the two. When someone reads this website, they eventually get to know a lot about me as a person. However, this often creates an inaccurate impression of who I am today because I've changed significantly over time – I am not the same person I was last year, though there are similarities. Sharing my journey makes it easier for people to understand the context of my writing, which means conveying more value in less time.
I have published many personal stories on this website, including some of the most painful and challenging experiences I've been through. There is a reason why I do this; these stories help visitors understand who I am today. Everyone always has the opportunity for change and growth, even if it's gradual, it can lead to profound lifelong development. This is a lesson we all need to remember.
When I find ways to turn some of my toughest experiences into helpful lessons for others in similar situations, it truly transforms those painful memories into something meaningful. It gives me a new perspective, and I can see a positive reason for enduring such trials – they can light the way for others.
As for privacy, it's not something that concerns me much. I respect the rights of others to privacy, so when people share personal stories with me via email, I don't publish them on my blog. However, I share only my personal experiences. The need for privacy comes from a desire to protect the self, and that desire is fueled by fear – something I don't need in my life. It's natural that some may disagree or reject me in the public eye. Trying to present perfection is a facade that will ultimately crumble.
I believe that allowing people to know the real me makes it possible to build a relationship with my audience based on intimacy and friendship. I don't like seeing people build statues for me or use labels like "teacher" or "our leader." Such labels create distance, making communication more difficult, and they emphasize our differences rather than our similarities. Communicating as equals – as friends – is more effective.
More genuine communication means better connection with your audience, which translates into more traffic and referrals. However, excessive self-centeredness without a purpose and value will always have counterproductive results. The reasons for sharing stories should always be about benefiting your audience. Traffic will naturally come as a consequence of your desire to help them.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Write what is true for you and learn to deal with the consequences.
Some things I write on this website might prevent me from running for a political office, but I can live with that. I am willing to write what is true for me, even if it conflicts with social norms. Honesty is more important to me than being popular or well-liked. Paradoxically, because of honesty, I gain trust among civilized people, and in the long run, it might be the best strategy to build traffic for everyone.
People often warn me about writing things that might alienate some visitors. However, I continue to do the opposite, and still, the visits increase, they don't decrease. I don't deal with issues out of fear, even if they are related to religion or other sensitive topics. If these topics are relevant to personal growth, for example, it's not a secret that I am a Catholic vegetarian. It might offend people when I say that torturing and killing animals for food is wrong? Perhaps. But the truth is the truth. It happens to be that I think it's a bad idea to feed cattle cement dust and bovine growth hormone, or put live chickens in warehouses where ammonia from their waste is strong enough to burn the skin while 70% of the grain we produce goes to livestock while tens of thousands of people die of hunger every day. I also think it's a bad idea to persuade people to carry out these practices on my behalf. I don't care if 999 out of 1000 people disagree with me. Your disagreement with me doesn't change what happens in your burger production. There is a sick cow being injected with chemicals, living a terrible life because you want to eat a burger. And you are responsible for your role in this suffering, whether you like it or not.
The last paragraph is a good example of these kinds of things. My writings might make people want to put me in a cage, pump me with hormones, and feed me cement dust. I won't be surprised if my fate ends up like that.
I write what is true for me, regardless of public opinion. Sometimes I align with the majority, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I know my opinions are unpopular or unsupportive, but I am okay with that. What I don't condone is putting truth up for a vote.
I take the time to form my opinions rather than simply holding on to what I learned in childhood. I am aware that there are people who spend billions of dollars to make you believe that the burger is not a very sad, sick cow being injected with chemicals. However, I will continue to write to help you stay informed about such things, even if you hate me for it. My defense might lead you to doubt, which can lead to change and growth – something I am skilled at handling.
I don't worry much about hurting people's feelings. Harming your feelings might be a step in the right direction for many. If I can easily upset you, it means you already acknowledge some truth in what I wrote, but you were not consciously ready to confront it yet. If something I write triggers an emotional response, then I have planted the seed.
My goal is not to convince anyone of anything in particular. I am not an animal rights activist. My goal is to awaken people to live more consciously. This requires raising awareness in all aspects of their lives, so they can make significant decisions for themselves. It involves breaking social conditioning and replacing it with conscious understanding. It's a big task, but someone has to do it. If I don't, I must admit that I'm just part of the problem like all the other bears hibernating.
I might write about the importance of transparency in blogs, where truth and transparency are best for everyone. Truth builds trust, and trust builds traffic. No games, no tricks – just honesty. Even people who claim to hate you will come back, and those same people might become your most enthusiastic supporters. Even if they disagree with you, they trust you and your good intentions, and trust is more important than agreement.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Treat your website visitors as real human beings.
Though I'm sitting in front of my computer as I write this, I know there's a real human on the other end reading it. My apologies to those who will read this after years have passed. You are not just a number in internet statistics. Despite the technology used and the time difference between my writing and your reading, there's still a human-to-human connection that transcends time and place.
While imagining myself on a stage in front of millions of people, before starting to write, I imagine having a one-on-one conversation with a friend. This means revealing some of myself, as mentioned before, but it also means genuinely caring about you as a person. Perhaps this is one of the secrets of my success as a blogger. I genuinely care about helping you grow. I want you to become more aware and conscious. I want you to be less afraid in your life. And you don't have to love me in return for that.
I believe there is more similarity between us than disagreement. Based on what I know about myself, I imagine that you want your life to be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. I imagine you want to be happier and more at peace with yourself. I also want you to imagine living up to your potential and being able to use some assistance to overcome fear and solve specific problems, so you can make the most of this potential. I know you won't believe me if I tell you it can all be achieved for just $19.95 (definitely don't believe that).
The reason I work hard to create original content and publish it for free is that I want to help as many people as possible. I genuinely care about what happens to this beautiful planet and the people living here. I value your life more than you do. This is the kind of motivation that will never diminish. Sometimes, I lose sight of it when caught up in the details, but as long as the connection remains, it provides me with an endless source of creative ideas and passion.
I don't need to play silly marketing games or sales tricks with you. There's nothing for you to buy here. Even if I add some products in the future, I won't try to manipulate you into purchasing something you don't need with a bunch of false promises. I might earn more money in the short term by doing so, but it would create a barrier to genuine connection and reduce the level of influence I can have. Ultimately, this approach would lead to failure for me, at least in terms of defining success. I can't help you grow if I violate your trust.
I cannot force anyone to grow if they are not willing to do so. However, there are many people on this planet who are now ready to leave a life of low consciousness and start pushing themselves to the next level of human existence. They need help getting there because it's a challenging journey, and there are powerful forces working against them.
The real human helps others in their growth process. This is precisely connected to the idea of referrals on websites. So, make what matters to you sincerely helping people, and you will find yourself attracting heavy traffic.
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: Keep Money in Its Right Place.
Money is important; there are bills to pay. I pay for my computer, high-speed internet connection, my home, and my food. I just returned from a vacation where I spent money. My wife and I had a great time, partly because we had no financial worries during the trip. We did everything we wanted without being hindered by money issues.
It's important for me to earn some money from my work, but it's not necessary to make every possible dollar. I am still in the process of building this website. Money is just a means to achieve a goal, not the goal itself. Making a positive contribution to the world is more important to me than money. Money can be helpful in achieving this goal, but human connections are much more important. It's funny; the less I rely on money, the more I seem to earn from it.
I am already earning more money than I need to pay my bills, and my income from this website continues to grow every month. If I continue doing what I'm doing, I will be somewhat wealthy. However, money is a very weak motivator for me. Very little of what I do today is driven by the profit motive, unless that money will be used for more significant purposes. Some of my decisions align with making money, but many others don't. Money, for me, is merely a tool to enhance and expand my contribution.
Many entrepreneurs focus on money for the purpose of getting rich, but I chose a different path. I sought to make money to increase my freedom. I don't want to find myself trapped in a work-for-money pattern, so I continually avoid opportunities that could limit my freedom. For example, I don't do any consultations or coaching. As a result, my schedule contains very few fixed appointments. This doesn't mean I'm idle; it simply means I spend my time doing what I choose rather than what others tell me to do.
I give my best content for free. My strategy for building traffic resembles the flow of a river. It wasn't difficult for me at all. Once you have enough traffic, you can easily implement anything without becoming a hard-selling monster.
We've all heard the expression, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." We've also heard from marketers that you have to market and sell that mousetrap effectively. I say they're all wrong. My approach is equivalent to "Build a better mousetrap and give it away for free, and they will come – and they will bring their friends too."
How to Bring Visitors to Your Website: If you forgot the first nine suggestions, just focus on genuinely helping people, and the rest will take care of itself.
The only thing that bothers me about the self-help industry is that many authors and speakers in this field often portray themselves as superior to their audience. They say, 'I am successful, but you're not. I am wealthy, but you're not. I am fit, but you're not. You need something that is missing in your life, and I have exactly what you lack. If you pay me, I'll show you how to have what I have. And if it doesn't work for you, then you must be one of the dumbest people who read my writings and seek my help.'
I'm sure you've heard this kind of nonsense many times before.
It's foolish to believe that reaching a certain stage is the end of the journey and that after reaching that stage, you can take a break without further growth. There's always more in life. For example, transitioning from being single to being married or from non-millionaire to millionaire is nice and amazing. Becoming a parent was a significant step for me, but it was just one day in my life. What about the rest of my days?
Personal growth is what I work on every day. I am very passionate about my personal growth, and it's natural for me to want to share this part of the journey with others. If I marketed myself with the phrase 'I am successful, and you're not,' then I would wish for someone to rescue me from misery, as that would mean I'm finished and ready to die. I don't expect there to be an end to growth and improvement as long as I exist as a human. There are always new insights to discover and new experiences to enjoy. Yes, there are plenty of mistakes to make and correct.
One of the great benefits of focusing on helping others is that it drives fear out of your way. Without fear, you become free to be yourself fully. You can take some smart risks because the entire journey is more important to you than some specific stops along the way. For me personally, the continuous process of discovery excites me more than the destination. I love wondering what lies beyond each new turn.
And if we want to help each other, we'll need to be partners in the quest for growth, not opponents. So, there's no sense in putting fake walls between us. The ego needs walls to protect itself, but if we can rid ourselves of the fear that comes from the ego, we'll make more progress.
There's a lot I could do with this website to make more money or grow its traffic faster in the short term, but I won't do those things because they'd create more distance between us. I'll be on my side, you'll be on yours, and we'll both be somewhat afraid of each other. I'll worry that perhaps you won't buy what I'm selling, and you'll worry about getting the best deal. We'll both take another dose of fear, and that's precisely what we don't need for growth.
One of the biggest challenges in my life now is figuring out how to help enough people and switch their orientation from fear to love. Our emotions are the energy source for us, and most of the world is still driven by the energy of fear. Watching news broadcasts on television is a good example. You can feel energized by watching others suffer. Animal cruelty is another example; we're eating their fear for breakfast. But there's another fuel for human consciousness, and perhaps the best way to describe it is unconditional love. It's not the emotion of romantic love – it's a sense of connection to everything that exists and a desire to serve the highest good for all. When unconditional love becomes one of the primary fuels for humans, that's when you still have a fight-or-flight biological response, but you're driven by some emotional feelings like the fear of failure or the fear of rejection. You feel completely safe regardless of external circumstances. And when you have that sense of unconditional safety, you're truly free to be yourself, embrace new experiences, and grow rapidly.
Personal growth isn't a zero-sum game. If you grow as a human, your growth as a person won't hurt me. In fact, ultimately, if everyone grows, it makes this whole planet better for everyone. When a sufficient number of people shift from fear to unconditional love, the planet will become a real paradise. This is good for all of us, and it's more important than all the money in the world.
Perhaps you have a less ambitious goal of building web traffic than raising human awareness and working for world peace. That doesn't matter. You can still make helping others your primary focus, and if you do that, you'll find that it's relatively easy to build a high-traffic website. If you bind yourself to serving the highest good for everyone, you'll receive plenty of help along the way, and it's well worth it for everyone involved."
Note: The original text had some repetitive paragraphs, which I have omitted in the translation for clarity and coherence
