You’re a fantastic writer with a brilliant blog, so why aren’t people flocking to read it? You could need some help promoting your blog.
Having a wonderfully-written blog doesn’t sell itself. Plenty of great blogs and content crowd the internet. Your blog is just one of an estimated 600 million blogs on the internet today.
In order for your blog to rise above
the rest, you have to put some work into marketing and fine-tuning it to
generate traffic.
Don’t worry. Most people don’t naturally know how to drive more traffic to their blog. But we’re here to help!
Here are Nine Tips to Help You Learn
How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
#1.
Maximize the Search
You’ve probably heard of SEO, and yes, it applies to your blog, too. If you want to know how to get your blog noticed, a strategic SEO plan is one of the best ways.
You don’t have to be an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert. However, understanding some basics about keywords and how to help people find your blog will help increase your traffic.
As internet behavior changes over
time, so have keywords. In the past, a one-or two-word keyword embedded in your
content was all you needed for people to find your blog.
Today, people are more sophisticated in how they search for what they need on the internet. Applying longtail keywords within your content helps people find your content.
People search using phrases rather
than one or two words. With so much information available on the internet, searches
are more specific than ever before.
Longtail keywords include three or more words. If you blog as an expert on planting trees, using a keyword like “how to plant a tree,” will help DIY tree-planters find your blog.
#2.
Master Social Media
You might love or hate social media.
Either way, you need it to help promote your blog.
Social media is an excellent place
to share links to your blog posts. It’s also an
excellent place for an audience to get to know you and want to read more of
your content.
You don’t have to master every
social media platform. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest tend to work well for
many writers trying to share their blogs and grow an audience.
#3.
Meet Your Audience
If you’re using social media well,
you’re already on your way to getting to know your audience. But there are
other ways to engage with visitors to find out who they are and what they like.
You could write about everything you
love, but if your audience never grows, you could be wasting your writing
talent.
If readers leave comments on your
blogs or your social media posts, be sure to engage with them. Interacting with
your audience is a great way to keep them coming back for more.
You can also consider a survey.
There are several free online survey platforms to help you gather information
from readers. What do they like? What are their favorite topics?
Write about what you love, but it
never hurts to give the audience what they want, too.
#4.
Make it Look Nice
A fantastic blog piece needs a good
presentation.
However, you don’t have to be a
master web designer to create a blog page that’s inviting to readers. Most
often, less is more when it comes to good, strategic design for a blog website.
Many blogging platforms provide easy to use templates with drag-and-drop features. Write, format, add images, and post your blog in a way that’s appealing to readers.
#5.
Make Good Content
You probably know the term “viral.” You don’t need your content to go viral, but you do want visitors to share it with others.
The more good content you put out,
the more your audience wants. Plus, offering a variety of content helps build a
bigger audience.
Many blogs use video to help to
enhance the written content. From tutorials to testimonials, consider adding
videos to your content.
If creating quality videos is outside of your creative skill set, consider a recruiting firm to find someone who can help.
#6.
(Re)Make Content
After you develop a library of good content, recycle it!
Find ways to rework small bits of
copy or headlines and repost some of your most popular blogs. Break longer
blogs down into shorter Q & A posts.
Your best content will always
attract new readers. Repurpose it in different forms.
#7.
Make Good Headlines
New viewers might overlook your excellent content without a creative or attention-grabbing headline.
Great headlines can stop a viewer
from scrolling to another post. You’ll intrigue readers into wanting to read
the blog that goes with the headline.
Compelling headlines generate clicks
that drive traffic to your blog. Use humor or mystery to help build your
headlines.
#8.
Market on Other Platforms
In addition to social media,
consider branching out into other content platforms.
A podcast or a YouTube channel are
good ways to bring your content to new audiences, then direct them back to your
blog.
#9.
Mobile Optimize
Many people use their phone as the primary device for accessing the web. Your blog page needs to load quickly to keep people from abandoning your page.
You also need to make sure your blog
optimizes for mobile. Few things are more frustrating than trying to read
something on a webpage designed only for a laptop or desktop.
Get
Read! Know How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
Knowing how to drive traffic to your
blog helps you get read! Plus, building your audience helps make your blog more
attractive to sponsors.
Good blog traffic is critical if you
want to turn your blog into a way to make money online.
If you’re looking for more ways to generate an online income, check out our other articles about making money online.