Traffic isn’t everything.

Looking to drive more traffic to your blog? Don’t sacrifice quality content for traffic generating “tricks” that make your blog look like it exists only to serve up Google Adwords. Here are a few of them that make me crazy:

Linking a business concept with a ridiculously unrelated pop culture reference. Really, does anything scream “I want clicks” more than a post entitled “14 Ways B2B Marketing Strategy is Like a Lady Gaga Concert”?

Numbers. I’m as much of a fan of writing (and reading) the “5 Things That…” and “17 Great Ways To…” list-style posts as the next blogger. This blog has it’s fair share. But when 90% of your post titles start with a number, you’re trying too hard.

Excessively long list posts. If you have 182 things to say on any topic, you should consider writing a book, not a blog.

Pop-ups. It’s so annoying when I’m midway through reading a blog post and suddenly the screen goes dim and I’m invited to SIGN UP for a FREE WHITE PAPER. It’s akin to being interrupted in the library by someone shoving a flyer in your face. Go away.

Keyword overload. To me, keywords are like black pepper. A sprinkle is enough. If I see it all over my food, I’m sending my plate back.

What traffic generating strategies drive you crazy?

Photo credit: EpoSos.de on Flickr