Most of us never have enough blog traffic. We want more, and more, and more site visitors.

But the real value in blogging comes from 1.

How can you get 1 more person to visit your blog, engage and build a relationship with you?

1. Write to Get More Comments. Turning a visitor into a commenter is a key way of building a relationship with someone. Here are some blog writing tips to get more comments.
2. Reply to Comments. Unless you get hundreds of comments per day there’s no reason you can’t do this. Even if it’s to say “thank you, come again!” People who comment are more interested in building meaningful relationships; in a way, through commenting, they already have.
3. Visit Commenters’ Sites. Most people leave a link when they comment. Click on it. Visit their blog and see what’s there. You never know what you’ll find.
4. Email People a Thank You. If you see real possibilities for extending the relationship between blog writer and reader, email the person a thank you. Ask questions and extend the discussion.
5. Email People Links of Interest. Don’t be shy about emailing people a link of interest from your blog. Or, it might be from another site, with a small note, “You might also find my blog interesting at http://www.instigatorblog.com. I’m tackling topics such as…”
6. Track The Most Popular Content. What are the most popular posts on your blog? And how did people get to them? Answer those two questions and you start to paint a picture of what people are looking for. Give them more of what they’re looking for and new and old readers alike will become more engaged. I’ve used Google Analytics for awhile and just started using 103bees (which has some interesting reports and metrics.)
7. Make Content Accessible and Readable. Don’t over clutter your blog to the point of hiding content. A blog is nothing without content; it needs to stand out and shine through. You don’t need a blank sidebar or the ultra-cleanest Web 2.0 theme in the world; but de-clutter when you can, make headlines prominent, and keep content easily readable and inviting.
8. Participate in Online Communities. The further you reach beyond your blog, the more potential you have to connect with people. It’s a pro-active versus passive approach to building your blog community. Comment on other people’s blogs. Join MyBlogLog.

Your blog community will grow 1 person at a time. Your network of meaningful relationships will grow as well.

The most powerful thing about the approach is that new community members will become evangelists for you. If each person you build a blog relationship with goes out and tells 5 other people about your blog, and they become engaged only to tell 5 more people…well, you get the picture.

Successful blogging isn’t about having the biggest audience, or constantly growing traffic by leaps and bounds. Those are great things, but they don’t get at the heart of successful blogging.

Successful blogging is all about the power of 1.