Can Stumbleupon Boost Your Blog Traffic?
Have you every used Stumbleupon? Its sort of like a social network, but not quite. Wikipedia defines it as a "discovery engine", (and that sounds so cool and steampunk).
Regardless of what the technical name for it is, StumbleUpon is a good source for driving blog traffic.
Regardless of what the technical name for it is, StumbleUpon is a good source for driving blog traffic.
Currently, it is my top source for pageviews, which means that at the moment, I love it more than I love cheesecake (almost).
It takes a bit of work, and there are some pros and cons you will have to balance for yourself. If you want an extra few hundred page views per week, keep reading!
This post is all about how to harness the power of the "discovery engine" and let it pull some weight for you.
Using Stumbleupon
Like most social networks, you can join for free. Once you have your account set up, you can start "stumbling". This means you hit the orange button and flip through pages and pages of content from around the web.
See something you like? Give it a thumbs up!
Want to add your own post? That's easy too. You can do this by copying and pasting your URL directly to the site via the "add a page" feature.
You can also install the toolbar, which makes stumbling a lot easier. With the toolbar in place, you can add any page to the site. I'll get to why that is important to blog traffic in just a minute.
Lastly, you can add your page or another blogger's page to StumbleUpon through the post's share buttons if they are enabled.
When you add a page, you will be asked to select a few categories that are a good fit for your topic. Be honest here. You want people who are searching for your topic to find you, right?
Stumbling, Liking, and Adding Other Content to Boost Your Pageviews
You can add your blog posts to Stumbleupon all day, every day and not see a single pageview, if you don't "share fair".
I can't tell you any deep dark secrets about how the engine works, but I have experimented with this. If you share other people's content, stumble daily, and like posts that you read...you get good-guy points and your stuff gets seen by more people.
I guess you could say they are using an anti-jerk algorithm. Or at least, that is the popular theory. (and it seems to be true.) Its also assumed that the more up-votes your post gets, the more it gets shown.
To break that down:
1. Interaction with other people's content gets your posts to show up.
2. The more votes your content gets, the more it stays visible to other users.
That still gives you a bit more power than sites that base your visibility on other people's actions. If someone searches for your topic, and you are an active user, it appears you have a good chance of being shuffled to the top.
Pros of Using StumbleUpon for Pageviews
Here is what makes StumbleUpon awesome for gaining views:
1. Full Page View
When you use SU, readers aren't shown links to your article with a snippet. They see the whole page. That's one less click they have to do.
Its like peeking through a lense at your whole blog. They see your sidebars, ads, everything. So if you have something else interesting, they may decide to click around and explore.
2. Shares
You can have followers on SU too. Just like on Twitter and Facebook, you hope that someone will share your post with their thousands of followers, who will then reshare to theirs, etc.
It may not happen a lot (and it's not as easy to find people to follow on SU) but some posts can go viral pretty quickly if they fall into the right hands.
3. It Only Takes a Few Minutes Per Day
I love to share on Twitter and Pinterest, but I want to make sure that what I am sharing is good. That means clicking the link to go to the full post.
I don't mind, but it can be time-consuming, and sometimes you lose your place in your feed when you return.
With StumbleUpon, you get the whole page right then. The photos and content are easy to read and scan, and you can hit like and stumble again.
That means it takes only a few minutes a day to "share fair" on SU. You can set aside 10-15 minutes per day and hit lots of pages.
4. You See Some Fantastic Content
While you are flipping pages, you are going to come across stuff you might not have seen on other places. There are bloggers and websites who primarily use StumbleUpon!
I've found some really fantastic blog posts by flipping through pages! Even if you don't add your own posts, I recommend checking StumbleUpon out just to find great content to share.
5. Posts Don't Age Out
A post lives on Twitter for what? 3 seconds? StumbleUpon is a bit different. Your pages are always in there somewhere, and can show up anytime someone is stumbling.
Cons of Using StumbleUpon
Sorry, but nothing comes without a downside. There are a few drawbacks to using this site:
1. Time
Its fast to stumble pages that are already posted, but it does take a bit of time to add a page manually. The toolbar helps, but it is not yet as efficient as the "pin-it" button.
2. Its a Bit Slow
This is a huge site with tons of pages and images. Millions of users reportedly stumble every day. It's no surprise that it has a bit of lag sometimes.
TIP: Use the mobile app when possible. It drains the battery, but you can stumble a lot more pages in a short amount of time.
3. Bounce Rate
Since users see your whole page appear before them at random, there is a likelihood that they will hit the stumble button without ever reading your page.
This might not have anything to do with how your title and images look. It could just be that it wasn't what they were in the mood to read that day.
Lots of users just randomly stumble when they are bored.
Because of this, your pageviews go up, but so does your bounce rate. If that worries you, then you might want to either avoid SU, or research the topics that are most likely to be popular before you share.
4. Low Engagement
Most StumbleUpon users are just randomly flippin' pages looking for something to amuse themselves. They only expect to read what they are shown.
Because its really easy.
Although all that random flipping means your posts are likely to be seen, it also means that once they've read your post, they will move on.
Most stumblers don't come to SU to click through to certain blogs, comment on posts, buy products, or sign up for newsletters.
BUT...
Sometimes they do.
Its up to you to decide whether sometimes is worth it for you.
A Few Tips
Here are few tips that can help your page on StumbleUpon get more notice:
So Easy to Get Traffic to Your Blog!
And that's it! StumbleUpon can drive traffic to your blog, without any sweat! You don't have to buy anything in order to get a better chance of being seen, either.
All you need is an engaging post, a sexy image, and a few minutes of time to spend sharing, stumbling and liking other people's content.
See? Almost better than cheesecake.
Have you used StumbleUpon? Have any success stories? Share below, I love a good success story!
It takes a bit of work, and there are some pros and cons you will have to balance for yourself. If you want an extra few hundred page views per week, keep reading!
This post is all about how to harness the power of the "discovery engine" and let it pull some weight for you.
Using Stumbleupon
Like most social networks, you can join for free. Once you have your account set up, you can start "stumbling". This means you hit the orange button and flip through pages and pages of content from around the web.
See something you like? Give it a thumbs up!
Want to add your own post? That's easy too. You can do this by copying and pasting your URL directly to the site via the "add a page" feature.
You can also install the toolbar, which makes stumbling a lot easier. With the toolbar in place, you can add any page to the site. I'll get to why that is important to blog traffic in just a minute.
Lastly, you can add your page or another blogger's page to StumbleUpon through the post's share buttons if they are enabled.
When you add a page, you will be asked to select a few categories that are a good fit for your topic. Be honest here. You want people who are searching for your topic to find you, right?
Stumbling, Liking, and Adding Other Content to Boost Your Pageviews
You can add your blog posts to Stumbleupon all day, every day and not see a single pageview, if you don't "share fair".
I can't tell you any deep dark secrets about how the engine works, but I have experimented with this. If you share other people's content, stumble daily, and like posts that you read...you get good-guy points and your stuff gets seen by more people.
I guess you could say they are using an anti-jerk algorithm. Or at least, that is the popular theory. (and it seems to be true.) Its also assumed that the more up-votes your post gets, the more it gets shown.
To break that down:
1. Interaction with other people's content gets your posts to show up.
2. The more votes your content gets, the more it stays visible to other users.
That still gives you a bit more power than sites that base your visibility on other people's actions. If someone searches for your topic, and you are an active user, it appears you have a good chance of being shuffled to the top.
Pros of Using StumbleUpon for Pageviews
Here is what makes StumbleUpon awesome for gaining views:
1. Full Page View
When you use SU, readers aren't shown links to your article with a snippet. They see the whole page. That's one less click they have to do.
Its like peeking through a lense at your whole blog. They see your sidebars, ads, everything. So if you have something else interesting, they may decide to click around and explore.
2. Shares
You can have followers on SU too. Just like on Twitter and Facebook, you hope that someone will share your post with their thousands of followers, who will then reshare to theirs, etc.
It may not happen a lot (and it's not as easy to find people to follow on SU) but some posts can go viral pretty quickly if they fall into the right hands.
3. It Only Takes a Few Minutes Per Day
I love to share on Twitter and Pinterest, but I want to make sure that what I am sharing is good. That means clicking the link to go to the full post.
I don't mind, but it can be time-consuming, and sometimes you lose your place in your feed when you return.
With StumbleUpon, you get the whole page right then. The photos and content are easy to read and scan, and you can hit like and stumble again.
That means it takes only a few minutes a day to "share fair" on SU. You can set aside 10-15 minutes per day and hit lots of pages.
4. You See Some Fantastic Content
While you are flipping pages, you are going to come across stuff you might not have seen on other places. There are bloggers and websites who primarily use StumbleUpon!
I've found some really fantastic blog posts by flipping through pages! Even if you don't add your own posts, I recommend checking StumbleUpon out just to find great content to share.
5. Posts Don't Age Out
A post lives on Twitter for what? 3 seconds? StumbleUpon is a bit different. Your pages are always in there somewhere, and can show up anytime someone is stumbling.
Cons of Using StumbleUpon
Sorry, but nothing comes without a downside. There are a few drawbacks to using this site:
1. Time
Its fast to stumble pages that are already posted, but it does take a bit of time to add a page manually. The toolbar helps, but it is not yet as efficient as the "pin-it" button.
2. Its a Bit Slow
This is a huge site with tons of pages and images. Millions of users reportedly stumble every day. It's no surprise that it has a bit of lag sometimes.
TIP: Use the mobile app when possible. It drains the battery, but you can stumble a lot more pages in a short amount of time.
3. Bounce Rate
Since users see your whole page appear before them at random, there is a likelihood that they will hit the stumble button without ever reading your page.
This might not have anything to do with how your title and images look. It could just be that it wasn't what they were in the mood to read that day.
Lots of users just randomly stumble when they are bored.
Because of this, your pageviews go up, but so does your bounce rate. If that worries you, then you might want to either avoid SU, or research the topics that are most likely to be popular before you share.
4. Low Engagement
Most StumbleUpon users are just randomly flippin' pages looking for something to amuse themselves. They only expect to read what they are shown.
Because its really easy.
Although all that random flipping means your posts are likely to be seen, it also means that once they've read your post, they will move on.
Most stumblers don't come to SU to click through to certain blogs, comment on posts, buy products, or sign up for newsletters.
BUT...
Sometimes they do.
Its up to you to decide whether sometimes is worth it for you.
A Few Tips
Here are few tips that can help your page on StumbleUpon get more notice:
- Use a cool photo. Something that catches people's attention. (unlike other social sites, the size of the image doesn't matter, since it is displaying your whole blog page.)
- Make sure your title tells what the post is about. Some people randomly skip through titles until one seems interesting.
- Add a variety of different topics. (if you write in different categories, share them all. You don't have to be niche on SU.)
- Keep your blog looking updated and "modern".
So Easy to Get Traffic to Your Blog!
And that's it! StumbleUpon can drive traffic to your blog, without any sweat! You don't have to buy anything in order to get a better chance of being seen, either.
All you need is an engaging post, a sexy image, and a few minutes of time to spend sharing, stumbling and liking other people's content.
See? Almost better than cheesecake.
Have you used StumbleUpon? Have any success stories? Share below, I love a good success story!
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