In this article I want to help an absolute beginner become a better user of the opportunities presented by the Triond site. To do this I will draw upon my own experiences.

My experience with Triond is now in its third week. If you are like me, this is a point were your attitude to the site will change.

For the first fortnight I concentrated upon publishing a few articles each day.  I would recommend this because it builds up self-confidence and writing discipline.  I have seen my income rise from a cent every other day to a reliable few cents every day.  I have seen an article tank through lack of interest and I have seen an article gain unexpected popularity.   

I find it helpful to write about a wide variety of subjects during those early weeks.  This provides a good “feel” for the site. Using the dashboard I have worked out which articles pay well and which do not.  The rate per thousand views varies considerably depending upon the article.  I find that health and well being, science and travel articles earn at a higher rate than creative writing or writing about writing. I have also discovered the importance of a good title – this is the lure that gets the fish to bite! Titles with a format are popular.

I recommend that you cluster your articles.  My articles have fallen into a number of areas of common interest. A reader interested in one article is likely to have an interest throughout the cluster. Then cross reference, or link,  the articles across the cluster. If one article does well add other articles to the cluster.

The choice of topic and selection of a good title is very important for traffic generation. For the first fortnight I chose to ignore this fact of life, preferring to write broadly so that the creative juices could flow. From the third week, I want to consider readership.  When I chose a topic I like to compare the number of google hits for a keyword with the number of people searching for that word (using wordtracker). This indicates the popularity of the topic.  Wordtracker also shows which of a pair of synonyms is more popular. For example, I found that Global Warming is a more popular search term than Climate Change. Such knowldge could be useful when planning an article on Climate Change.

I use the ratio as a guide. It is not the full story.  It is a historic measure. When chosing a topic I like to consider whether there is an emerging interest in the topic, whether the topic is photogenic, whether it has been covered elsewhere and the ease with which I could research and prepare the topic. Articles written in the style are very popular. Articles written in a style which solves a practical problem, or provides a tutorial are sought after. 

From the third week I am going to become much more focused upon traffic.  Within each cluster, I am actively seeking friends and opportunities for social networking. Success in Triond involves developing a sense of community. I actively encourage dialogue and discusion of articles placed upon this site.    

If you have enjoyed this article, you might like some of my other writings :

Triond : Thoughts from a Beginner.