Some people think a blog is a magic traffic generator. There's nothing magic about it. You should treat it just like you would any website - update it often with useful, unique content. Bloggers that succeed have no secrets, they just produce good content.

You shouldn't blog if...

1) Your blog content is an exact duplicate of what's on your site.

In other words, it should be a nice addition to your site...not a duplication. Offer unique, relevant information that people won't necessarily find on your site. For search engine optimization, you should frequently link back to pages on your Web site (if applicable).

2) You don't plan to blog often.

If you want your blog to become popular, it's important you update it often...otherwise, what's the point? Just like a website, you want to keep it fresh with new content so it doesn't become stale and forgotten.

3) You have unrealistic expectations of what a blog will do.

Don't get me wrong, there are some very savvy bloggers out there getting thousands of visitors per day. However, that is not the norm for most bloggers. So many people think can just throw up a free blog and floods of traffic will come.

The majority of heavily trafficked blogs are owned by Webmasters who already have sites with decent traffic. A blog can be a nice traffic generator if you come up with a creative theme that offers relevant content to your audience. However, don't expect miracles overnight.

4) You don't plan to promote it.

Just like a web site, a blog needs to be submitted and promoted. There are tons of blog directories out there that will allow you submit yours for free. But don't stop there. Link it to your web site so search engines can spider it, submit articles and add it to your signature box, etc. Treat it like a website and promote it any place you can.