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If you’re looking to increase your blog’s traffic as a new blogger or an old blogger, read these ideas, they may work for you too.
Maybe you just started blogging or have been blogging for a while without making much progress. You may be wondering how this whole thing start to attract readers (traffic).
I know how you feel. A while back when I created my first blog, I was thinking the same, so “now what”?
Key to growing your blog is growing your traffic, even before you earn a penny.
First, I have to disclaim that there is a formula for everyone. There is no proven formula that works for every blogger. The reason is simply because every blog is different (even if it’s the same niche) and every blogger is an individual.
You need to use some tips and ideas from others, but you also need to discover your own formula, what works best for you. Do read the stories of successful bloggers, there are a lot on the internet. These are generally generous people who are sharing what works for them.
Personal blogging is a business based on personality (your blog’s voice, not your social media profile), authority and authenticity. This is the big reason why there isn’t a formula that fits all bloggers. However, because of this same reason anyone can create a blog.
If you are still a little unsure about creating your own blog, read my post on How to create a WordPress blog, now. It’s very easy in 8 steps.
How to increase my blog’s traffic/pageviews
First, don’t be afraid to show your personality and authenticity because these are very important in personal blogging and they also build authority. There may be hundreds of blogs similar to your’s, still you can carve your own and unique niche.
Second, don’t compare yourself to other bloggers. There is only one you and there is only one other. You can still read and listen to people who can help you with their experience. However, don’t compare yourself because you’re at different points in time in your progress.
So take your business seriously and read tips and ideas on growing your blog’s traffic, still creating a unique business and focusing on your niche.
Below are some common strategies I have found to increase blog’s traffic. Use them, see what works and what doesn’t for you and adjust accordingly.
I’m using page views as a measure of blog’s traffic. Pageviews can be unique and also from repeat users. They are both important sources.
Early in the life of your blog the size of the numbers doesn’t matter much. What’s important is the traffic’s trend or direction (up or down).
See below for my pageviews for April (when the blog went public) vs May (second month of blogging).
Source: Google Analytics.
1.Pay attention to Search Engine Optimization or SEO
It sounds scarier than it is. SEO is simply a strategy of optimizing a page for search engine or Google traffic. At the core of SEO are keywords. SEO is more than just keywords, but at the core keywords are very important.
You don’t have to become an expert on SEO, you just need basic use of it. Keywords can be short, for example “healthy food”. They can be long, like “healthy food to help you lose weight”. This is called long-tailed keywords.
It is recommended to use long-tailed keywords because they are more specific to what people are searching for on your niche.
Where can you find keywords to increase your blog’s traffic?
You can find keywords using the KW finder, Google and Pinterest. What people search for on the internet is not a mystery, it’s all there. For example on Google you can enter your keywords and at the bottom of the page results, you’ll see other words people are using.
On Pinterest, it’s much easier. You can enter a word and see a list color coded of related keywords. Use keywords to write your post’s titles and inside the subtitles and text. Also, use them in the Tags section of your posts and on images descriptions.
Don’t over use keywords inside your post. Find a balance.
Like most strategies to grow your blog, the use of keywords is a long term game. Expect your content to “marinate” for a few months to a year before you see big results on the search engine.
See, blogging is not difficult, but you have to see it as a long term endeavor. More on this on my post How to crate a WordPress blog.
2.Find blog’s traffic on Social Media
The usual social media networks; Facebook, Twiter, Instagram and Pinterest can help generate traffic for your blog. So far, I’ve decided to focus on Pinterest for social media traffic. Even though Pinterest is more like a visual engine. The choice of main social media platform depends on you and your niche topics. Once you master one platform, move on to learn and use a different one.
Pinterest helps grow blog’s traffic at a faster rate than Google. This seems to be for a few reasons. Mainly, Pinterest is a discovery destination and it is geared towards blogging. People on Pinterest want to hear from bloggers. Also, note that Pinterest is a women’s world. Over 90% of users are women.
Do use Pinterest and see your results. Also, write your posts with SEO in mind to get Google traffic. Pinterest audience loves DIY posts. So, how you solved a particular problem can be a successful post on Pinterest.
For Pinterest use bright images and fonts. Also, use keywords. Review your analytics on Pinterest and see what is working. Try different images and evaluate your results. Pinterest is very good at communicating to you via emails or analytics what people are sharing from your pins. Use all that information, it’s free.
Caution on social media. Don’t over rely on a single platform for traffic sources. Both Google and social media can be unpredictable when it comes to generating traffic. Try to create as many traffic sources as you can, specially organic traffic.
3.Write related content on your blog’s posts
This is something that should work for everyone. If you write a post on “healthy food to lose weight” and another related posts on “healthy food low in carbs”, readers would be interested in both posts. Related content is a big one to increase your blog’s traffic.
Readers generally want more information related to their search. This is something you can evaluate on your analytics results.
I use my related posts inside the text of a new post to increase pageviews. Simply by adding related content and providing the link you can increase the blog’s engagement and views.
Also, to increase traffic I simply continue to write new content as well.
Related Content: 15+ SEO tips for Beginner’s Blog
Other strategies you can implement to grow your blog’s traffic
I haven’t use these strategies on this blog, yet. However, I would definitely experiment with them in the future.
One is to use paid advertisements. You can use FB ads and Google adWords to promote your content.
Another strategy is to leverage other bloggers audiences. You can write posts for other bloggers with more traffic to generate traffic for your blog. This is called collaboration and it’s highly recommended as a way to grow traffic.
Writing content with SEO in mind, using Pinterest and leveraging related content have been my strategies so far to increase my blog’s traffic. You can try them all and see what works for you.
Evaluate your traffic in terms of direction (up or down), not in absolute numbers. As long as you’re making progress, you’re doing good. If your traffic numbers go down, and it will happen, just evaluate what’s not working and what else you can do to improve.
Related content: How to create a WordPress Blog.
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