Unlike e-zine subscriptions or autoresponder mailings, it's not quantity of visitors that counts, it's quality of visitors as well as how often they return to continue reading your blog.

Quality, in this case, refers to how often they click on revenue-generating links in your blog and how often they buy something that you're blogging about. Of course, if you're operating an altruistic blog that has no revenue-generating features, then you are only concerned about how often readers return to bask in illumination of your knowledge, expertise, biting sarcasm or humor.

Either way, those are two measurements of a successful blog. Now don't get me wrong, number of readers is important, of course, but it's better to have 1,000 faithful readers who return regularly than it is to have 5,000 readers who come once and you never see them again after that.

There is no free traffic!

I love when bloggers say "I won't pay for traffic. I can get it for free". Nothing is "free" my friend. You will either pay for traffic with money or you will pay for traffic with your time. Neither way is "free".

1. What is this site about? 2. What can I see or do here? 3. How do I go about doing it?

If they can't answer any of these, then site’s design has failed.

1. What is this site about?

It’s important to realise that most people visit a Web site with a specific purpose in mind - for example to learn latest news, or to buy a particular book.

A Home page should make it immediately clear what site’s owner would like you to do there. At Amazon they’re selling you books, amongst other things; at news.bbc.co.uk you’re being offered up-to-the-minute news on a variety of subjects. Within a couple of seconds it's clear what these sites are about.

2. What can I see or do here?

This should be answered in part by site’s navigation. This should be in a clearly defined area with clearly worded links or buttons that give visitor some idea of what to expect when they are clicked on.