In my 10 months of blogging, I’ve noticed certain topics generate more traffic than others. Of course I’m sure there are many I have not covered in this blog, but here are the ones I’ve written about that seem to always generate the most traffic. If I need a boost in views, I find writing about these things seems to do the trick every time.

1. Psychopathy/sociopathy — people love reading about bad people. I guess it satisfies the schadenfruede in all of us, or gives expression to our shadow side. Better yet, write about serial killers/mass murderers, or at least include a photo of one.

2. Malignant narcissism — see #1 (not quite as effective though)

3. Cats — it can even be a single picture of your own cat. Cats are like sex in the movies. They sell.

4. Furries — They’re both cool and strange. They are also polarizing (people either love ’em or hate ’em)

5. Desserts/recipes for desserts — we are all still sugar addicted little kids at heart.

6. Sex and romance — use the word “sex” in the title and watch your stats soar.

7. Pretty much anything about Aspergers — because Aspies abound on the Internet. Online, it’s cool to be a socially clueless introverted geek.

8. Anything controversial — You can have unpopular opinions, but be prepared to have haters if you express them. Between the haters and curiosity seekers, your stats will soar. If your blog is monetized, your haters increase your income. Try telling them that. 😉

9. Numbered lists — They’re called “listicles” and they will boost your traffic because people like easy to digest “soundbites” rather than walls of text. It’s one reason why Cracked.com is so popular (besides being an amazingly hilarious website).

10. Cuteness — anything that makes people go “awww” and feel like they have to punch a kitten to feel manly again is going to get you more hits. Cuteness is as addictive as crack. (see #3)

11. Humor — be careful with this one. Your joke has to be genuinely funny. If you’re not a funny person, skip this one.