Let’s be brutally honest for a moment. If you are a blogger or writer of any kind, the word “traffic” is everywhere you look! The truth is that if you want to use your blog for more than just a hobby, blog traffic is essential. If you wish to ultimately monetize your blog or use it to sell your product or utilize affiliate links, then you are going to have to dedicate some time to focus on blog traffic and blog content. It takes some work, but it can be done. I have seen 1000 views a day (or more) with putting in some work and effort. Here are my tips to get major blog traffic.

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Tips To Get Major Blog Traffic

Best Foot Forward

I am going to start off by saying, blogging isn’t easy! Yes, it might sound simple enough. However, you need to have the drive and passion if you want blogging to be more than just a hobby. I understand that most of us aren’t able to give 12 hours a day to this, especially if you are like me and are also a stay-at-home mom with 2 little ones. However, I just remind myself that my readers will pick up on a lack of interest or passion on my part.

Whatever it is you create, whether it be a new blog post or social media post, give it your best. Put your best foot forward, and your readers will notice that. Treat your blog with the utmost respect. For me, personally, I look at my blog as my resume. I am also a virtual assistant and social media manager, so my blog and social media accounts are my resumes. My blog and social media will be the first things my potential clients look at.

Consistency is Key

Consistency is key. It is important to remember this, especially when it comes to your returning readers. They will be on the lookout each Monday for your new post. However, when I say consistency, that doesn’t mean you have to post EVERY DAY! In fact, I urge you not to, unless you just have an unlimited amount of time on your hands.

This was actually a harsh lesson to learn for me early on in my blogging days. I assumed my numbers would just go up if I put up a new post each day. And, to be honest, this had some truth to it. However, it was not something that I could keep going long term. I started to feel burned out when it came time to sit down and write a post. Did I see an increase in views? Yes. However, most would not return, and most did not sign up for my email list. That tells me that my content wasn’t exciting enough to keep bringing them back. I pushed myself so hard to get a post out every single day that the quality of the post was taking a back seat, which in the long run was costing me long-term, returning readers.

Quality over Quantity

Like I said above, quality over quantity is essential in blogging. For example, this Valentine’s Day, my number one post for almost 4 weeks straight (averaging 500-800 views a day) was a post about staying at home dates for parents that I had written an entire year before!

What was the trick? I started promoting that post on social media, including new pins daily on Pinterest right after New Years’. So by the time Valentine’s rolled around, I had already been gaining views/shares on Pinterest, and it got me a lot of notoriety for that single post! It is always about quality over quantity. Pay attention to what your readers love and build from there. Also, instead of rushing to get a post finished in 1 day, take the time to research, make beautiful graphics, etc…even if it takes you 4 days to finish up a post. It will be worth it. I promise.

Network and Network Some More!

I have never understood why some bloggers tend to shy away from networking with other bloggers. If your content is on point and you have informative information to share, it is imperative to network with other bloggers. It’s like a domino effect. Other bloggers will share your blog posts and then you will have the attention of their followers, which can lead to more views, shares, and followers for you and your blog.

Networking is easier than you might think and doesn’t require a lot of your time. If you aren’t a fan of cold-emailing, which I completely understand, you have many other options. Here are some more options for networking:

• Write guest posts and accept guest posts
• Social Media (reach out-send a DM)
• LinkedIn has a lot of bloggers that you can connect with
• Facebook Groups for Bloggers (Top 10 for 2020)
• Comment on other bloggers’ posts!

Commenting on other bloggers’ posts is super important because it will often lead to them checking out your blog.

Social Sharing Buttons

I have heard/reread this time and time again. However, it is so very true. If it isn’t easy for people to share your blog content, then they WON’T! It’s that simple. Readers aren’t going to spend minutes upon minutes searching your page for a way to share your post.

So, how can you make this easier for your readers? Make sure you have social sharing buttons on your page. I am currently using Grow by Mediavine (which use to be Social Pug.) Also, you need to make sure you have a PinIt button on your Pinterest images so that it makes pinning to Pinterest super easy for your readers!

Make your social sharing buttons VISIBLE! For example, I have my social sharing buttons on the left side that move when you scroll and at the very top of each post.

Utilize Social Media Platforms

Promote your blog! I am sure this is an obvious one! However, it is essential to growing your blog, so it has to be mentioned! I share my new content on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest. However, I learned long ago that I can’t spend equal amounts of time on each social media platform. It only burns me out, and I feel like I am spending more time promoting instead of working on excellent blog content. I do use/share on many social media platforms. However, I tend to spend more time on Facebook and Pinterest because they bring in the most traffic.

When it comes to sharing on social media, scheduling tools should become your best friends because they can save you A LOT of time! Personally, I use Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram. I use the Facebook scheduler for my Facebook, and recently I started using the Revive Old Posts Plugin to share older content every 10 hours on Twitter.

Pinterest

Should bloggers utilize Pinterest? Absolutely!! Pinterest can be a beast for your blog traffic, but here is the catch, you have to know how to use it effectively. Pinterest is where I get 80% or more of my daily traffic.

I am not going to go into too much detail here because Pinterest tips can be a blog post on its own with all the information and advice available. However, the basics are:

1. Make sure your Pinterest account is set up as a business account.
2. Claim your website.
3. Enable Rich Pins

Pinterest loves consistency, quality pins, and NEW content and images.

Blog Content Research

Blog content research is vital when it comes to blog traffic. It can be easy to sit down and spend tons of hours (or days) on a blog topic that has great information, but no one is going to read it. Which sounds (and is) very sad, however, you have to have the right timing for specific blog topics. Just because they didn’t read your post in February, doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in reading that same post in November. It just means that you need to do your research.

Reading other blogs and checking out forums is a great place to start. However, there are also a bunch of tools available to help you out as well. Here are a few examples:

• SEMrush
• Google Trends
• BuzzSumo

Focus on topics that fit your niche and target audience.

Update Old Content

It is also important to update old blog content. Why? It’s simple, really. Content can become outdated, and when this happens, you will lose readers, and you won’t rank as high in search engines. Once you update an older post, make sure that you promote the post again on all social media.

Be Visual

Captivating images for your post, pins, and graphics for social media are critical for growing your blog traffic. You want your site and blog posts to be visually appealing. If you have great blog content, but your site looks dull or unprofessional, you could potentially lose readers. Take the time to create beautiful images from stock photos. Trust me, you won’t be sorry that you did.

Engaging Titles and Know Your Niche

Let me just say that engaging titles are almost more important than the content itself. Titles are what hooks your readers! You want to entice your readers with solutions, promises, and emotions (depending on your niche.)

Speaking of niche, it is essential to know your niche. Even though your interests could be all over the place, from gardening to Keto, to homesteading in Alaska, you must keep in mind your audience. You could confuse your audience and potentially lose readers if your niche isn’t clear.

Up Your SEO Game

SEO is not a foreign term to most bloggers. However, that doesn’t make it less intimidating for some. In fact, honestly, it terrified me at first and overwhelmed me when I first started out. Currently, I use a plugin called Yoast, and it takes away a lot of stress.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the best ways to generate organic traffic to your site. The key to SEO is KEYWORDS. For each post, make sure you have a clear purpose or keyphrase. Pick a keyphrase that you believe readers would use to find your post. Then put those keywords everywhere! Include the keywords in your title, in the body of the post, in your images, etc… By focusing on keywords, it helps Google understand what your post is about, which leads to more organic traffic from search engines.

Start Building Your Email List

I am honestly kicking myself for this one. I wish that I had utilized an email subscribe popup when I FIRST started my blog. However, I just assumed people would “follow” me and that would be good enough. Sadly that was not the case. You aren’t given their email when they follow you.

So after 2 years of blogging, close to 1000 followers on WordPress, I only have 91 email subscribers. I started using ConvertKit. I love it, and it is so easy to use. So many templates. I started doing a weekly newsletter, and it has helped increase my daily views, so I know without a doubt that if I had a more massive email list that it would only be better. So I urge you to start that NOW.

Components Every Blog Should Have

If you are a beginner or haven’t even launched your site yet, here are some components that every successful blog needs to have.

• About Me Page
• Contact Page
• A logo
• Make sure your blog is mobile-friendly
• Social Media Icons (you want your readers to follow you on Social Media)
• A place to comment on posts
• Blog Categories
• A form to join your email list
• Related posts and latest posts listed
• Secure (and trusted) website hosting

I hope that you find my tips to get major blog traffic beneficial. It does take some time and effort. However, it is worth it. I would love to read about any tips you have for blog traffic. Please, leave a comment! I’m always up for learning something new!

Related Posts:
Tips to Write a High-Quality Blog Post
Tips for Virtual Assistants
Must-Haves For All Bloggers
Blogging Tips for Beginners
Pinterest Secrets Revealed
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“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31