Tips To Draw StumbleUpon Users Into Reading Your Post

By Nik Imran

If you have been using the Internet for some time, I'm sure you would have at least heard of StumbleUpon once. The site is one of the biggest social media on the net, along with Digg and Del.icio.us. But unlike Digg and Del.icio.us, it's very rare for StumbleUpon to be able to send tens of thousands of new visitors in a day. Though with that said, StumbleUpon is one the best way to bring in new visitors, especially for new sites. Do keep in mind however, that as the service describes itself as allowing you to 'channel-surf the internet', StumbleUpon users are notoriously fickle. They don't tend to stay in a site for long (usually within a few seconds).

The service describes itself as allowing you to 'channel-surf the internet' and I think it's a very appropriate description. Users flick through websites like you might flick through channels, often making a decision on whether to stay or leave your site before it has even had time to finish loading. In this post, I want to suggest some quick tips you can use to draw StumbleUpon users into your site before they stumble away.

1. Make your blog's core mission-statement unmissable - A core mission-statement as I define it is a one or two sentence description encapsulating what your blog has to offer. A good core mission-statement describes the kind of content you provide and broadly what your blog is about. It should communicate a lot of information in only a few words. If a stumbler can see straight away your blog is about something they're interested in then they're likely to stick around.

2. Insert powerful visual cues - When channel-surfing the decision to stick with a channel or move on is often largely determined by visual cues. Even with the sound off you can tell a drama from a news program, a travel show from a cartoon, because visual elements provide clues as to what kind of show you're watching. The same principle applies to blogs. If your blog's header contains an image of a pile of cash, we can reasonably assume the blog is about money (or making it). That's a lot of information communicated instantly by a single image.

3. Place important information above the fold - As StumbleUpon users does not spend long on a site, they are not likely to scroll down for more information on your site. Therefore, I recommend placing key information regarding your sites above the fold.

To place important information above the fold, you can use your blog's sidebar, header area, navigation menu and the post area to showcase your content. By doing so, it makes it easier for both your search engine visitors and StumbleUpon visitors to learn if they should stick around.

4. Get a unique design - To be precise, get a professional design. More often than not, internet surfers are hastier with aesthetic judgments. A professional looking blog encourages a stumbler to stick around and check whether the content is great, as well.

In the beginning of my blogging career, I make full use of Twitter and StumbleUpon in driving traffic to my site. Getting hundreds of unique visitors is easy with StumbleUpon. Make sure to give it a try. - 32606

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