Have you considered creating a podcast, because images of high web traffic dance around your heads? Unless you're careful, though, all the promises of a stampede of web visitors may disappear like those illusory oases in the desert. Here's why...

"Wow! I'm getting tons of hits!" Are those real people accessing your site? Or are those the various podcast directories, rss feed robots, and other automated systems that try and download your mp3 files?

"Look at my subscriber/listener numbers rise!" Yes, you may have an increasing number of RSS subscribers, most of whom will probably be using iTunes. That doesn't automatically mean, however, that they listen to what they've downloaded from your site. That does not mean they'll even bother to visit your site.

So, is podcast traffic just a mirage? It will depend on what you record into your podcast episodes. For example:

  • Do you actively encourage your listeners to return to your site?
  • Do you place everything in your mp3 file?
  • Do you hold back a bit and place the missing portions in your site?
  • Is your audio content focused on current events?
  • Or are you recording "evergreen" content that will remain relevant for months to come?

If you're just chasing a web traffic dream and hoping that podcasting is the silver bullet, then yes, traffic derived from podcasting is just an illusion, or a short-term traffic surge at best.

But if you will take the time to plan your podcast content, and use some of those episodes as teasers to get your listeners back to your web site, then the increase in visitor traffic to your blog will surely be music to your ears.

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"Podcast Traffic: Just A Mirage?"
First Posted: November 30, 2007 | Filed in: Web Traffic

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