Technorati or Traffic: Which is more important?
Is anybody else as amazed as me to see that so many bloggers put such a high stake on their Technorati ranking? Maybe I am missing something, but in my opinion I think that increasing traffic is much more important than a silly ranking based on backlinks. But of course, maybe I am wrong.
At the time of writing this, my Technorati rank is 124,330. We all know what this is supposed to mean, but does it really hold any credence? With an authority of 48 I am way behind the most well known bloggers. But of course, this is only based on backlinks; not the amount of traffic that I actually receive.
But I will say this. There is definitely a direct correlation between my Technorati ranking and the increase in my traffic stats. While this may not hold true for every blog, it has for this one for the most part. Since being mentioned on John Chow’s blog last week, both my Technorati ranking and traffic has skyrocketed.
So you tell me: should I be concerned with my Technorati ranking, or spend my time working on increasing traffic? I think I know the answer, but I don’t want to overlook something simple.
August 11th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
As I understand it, the Technorati ranking is based (in whole? in part?) on the number of people that link back to you.
Traffic is good. Traffic is necessary. We all need lots and lots and lots of traffic.
But, at some level, linkbacks are more important than raw traffic. You can generate lots of traffic, but if its not qualified traffic, it may not do you much good. If someone links back to you, that usually means they found something of value on your site to share with their readers. That sends you qualified traffic. And that can lead to more links which can lead to more traffic.
In other words, the Technorati rank is a measure of the quality of your site. It establishes your blog as a blog that other people like. So, if other people like it, they might like it too, so they check you out. It means you have content that is so good that other people are motivated to write about it to tell others about it. (Or so bad that they do the same…)
Building your Technorati rank and increasing your traffic go hand in hand. You can do one without the other, but it’s best to do both.
And, Technorati rank isn’t always accurate either. As you know, people have contests and giveaways to get people to link back to them. So, Techorati rank is something that can be manipulated, so it loses accuracy there. It’s not a perfect system.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Definitely focus on traffic because traffic is ultimately what you want. You want people to come visit and read your blog. You want them to participate and maybe click some ads. Rankings such as Technorati, Alexa, Pagerank, etc. are just different ways to measure different things which may lead to traffic. Ultimately you just want an audience, so traffic is directly what you want, but Technorati is an indirect way to exposure/traffic.
August 12th, 2007 at 2:02 am
Traffic is what should be focused on BUT a high ranking and recognition through linkbacks by a site that focuses on blogs is also important I think. At least it is more accurate than Alexa ^_^ but thats a whole other topic.
August 12th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Technorati is the recognition in the process of your work.
Traffic is the end result of your hard work.
Getting relevant linking is also encouraged by Google so that they can give you the kind of attention you need… Check Google’s Link Scheme out at http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356
August 12th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Traffic is more important to me because I don’t really understand all the implications of the stuff I see on Technorati. I’ve only been blogging for a few months. And my reader has been complaining lately that I don’t pay him enough to read every post I write. So I need more traffic to make him understand he can be replaced. Threatening him with Technorati would make him laugh so hard he could be out of commission for weeks.
One other point. Senior citizens like myself enjoy blogging but don’t enjoy all these little side streets that tend to lead you away from the direction you are trying to go. Because we forget about the main road and end up in a cul-de-sac somewhere looking at a mailbox or the sky and wondering why life is so short.
Lead me to the story! There are so many ways to go sideways and never get to where you are going. And that’s why traffic is so important. Stick to the main road! Follow a semi! Be home by five. And don’t forget to kiss your wife and take a nap.
Do I hear crickets chirping? I didn’t tell you to take a nap, reader. Dammit. I’m going to stumbleupon your head with my cane if you do that again.
August 12th, 2007 at 10:44 am
You’ve only been blogging a few months. The backlinks will come, especially if you are generous in linking to other people.
August 12th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
I spent a lot of time on Technorati at first, but now I don’t frequent it but once a week.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Thanks for all the replies! From your comments thus far, it is obvious that Technorati has its place within the blogosphere. But at the same time, it is important to not get too caught up in your ranking!