East Sandwich Massachusetts USA
I queried “blogging tips” via Google Incognito.
I saw:
- My blog post near the top of page 1 (courtesy of position #3 on the right hand sidebar)
- My blog post on page 2 position 3
- two of my Facebook posts split between page 2 and page 3
Multiple LinkedIn posts of mine have reached page 1.
What gives?
Google ranks helpful content from what the algorithm deems to be authority sources.
My Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and groups spawn hundreds of practical blogging tips. Google sees “blogging tips” or similar keywords in the group name or via the profile, scans streams for blogging tips and ranks some of my updates based on this steady volume of practical blogging tips.
Most bloggers swing and miss for only trying to rank their blog.
Why would you look past alternative traffic sources?
Make all blogging roads lead to Rome.
Google users who come across my Facebook and LinkedIn updates can easily click through to Blogging From Paradise Dot Com.
Some readers take the direct road.
Other users take the winding but equally sure path.
Stop turning down Google traffic because your blog wants all the smoke.
Optimize your social media profiles with keywords and practical content.
Rank these sites on page 1 or page 2 of Google.
Maximize your Google traffic by using as many channels as possible.
X Became Good to Me too
I Googled “blogging tips” months ago.
I became shocked to see the #bloggingtips X stream appear on page 1.
Who knew?
I figured out that the Google algorithm spied the thousands of practical blogging tips I had published to the stream along with helpful blogging tips from other X users.
Count that experience as a real wake-up call.
Today’s Incognito search drills the point home.
Google ranks truly helpful content.
If the source commands authority and the content satiates the query it matters not where the traffic channel originates.
Some of my page 1, page 2 or page 3 content from X, Facebook and LinkedIn generates mild engagement on the native platform. Yet Google ranks the content consistently because the content and source match the user intent.
Nudge Your Ego to the Side
I prefer to rank Blogging From Paradise Dot Com on page 1 of Google.
Yet content from any page 1 source linked to my name (and blog URL) does the trick for me.
Nudge your ego to the side. Let the market determine how readers decide to find your:
- blog
- products
- services
I do not have 4 billion subscribers. But social media sites yield 4 billion users.
I humbly accept social media traffic and Google traffic through social sites via that 4 billion member user base.
Never try to force traffic through preferred channels.
Publish detailed content. Share practical tips. Target everything to solve one specific problem suffered by your ideal reader.
Let the rest of the process handle itself.
Create and connect across multiple channels.
Let the world figure out how it wants readers to find your blog.
Facebook and LinkedIn Ooze Credibility
Facebook boasts the biggest user base on earth.
LinkedIn is the ultimate site for professionals.
The Google algorithm knows this.
Now it is your turn to publish a steady volume of practical content to properly optimized social media sites.
For example, my Facebook updates which popped up on Google contained:
- names
- descriptions
involving keyword rich blogging words or phrases.
I then created a heavy amount of practical blogging tips consistently for months.
Google picked up on both signals.
I ranked a few of these updates on page 2 and page 3.
Beware Belittling Facebook and LinkedIn
Bloggers often turn their backs on each site for a litany of reasons.
Spammers, site owner narratives and traditionally poor blogging metrics turn off the blogging masses.
Spammers use each site.
Specific narratives consistent with each community influence users to question the credibility of the networks.
Facebook and LinkedIn do not offer the statistical returns of Google.
I get it. I have seen more spam than you can imagine. Of course LinkedIn users sometimes spam my inbox. Facebook users spam my group comments. I perceive this as par for the course; being seen means being spammed.
But a handful of spammy users does not torpedo the credibility of the network. Facebook and LinkedIn do an effective job at containing most spam. No system is perfect.
Facebook in particular designed AI to catch spam in groups. My groups rarely let spam go public because the AI manager swats it into the pending folder.
As for questionable narratives, Facebook became political as the user base expanded into billions. Most humans possess a keen interest in politics. Half of the world’s population pretty much talks about politics on Facebook.
Never judge a traffic source based on typical human psychology.
Bloggers shy away from Facebook for its politics but I bet that your readers, customers and clients cling to different political views too.
Imagine a world where everyone who disagreed never spoke to one another?
Nobody would communicate because we all disagree on something.
Put your ego aside.
Use Facebook and LinkedIn to serve readers.
Drive organic traffic through these sites and Google when Facebook and LinkedIn updates appear on Google.
On the statistical side of things. billions represent an untapped market. Google dominates blog traffic now. But what does the future hold?
Creating content consistently for each community drove organic traffic to my blog from:
Why would I turn that traffic down?
Why would the past results of bloggers other than myself influence my vision?
Why would you lower the blogging bar based on that?
It makes no sense to me.
Important Note
No one builds a professional blogging career based on page 2 and page 3 Google traffic.
Driving targeted traffic through as many streams as possible is a non-negotiable when it comes to going full-time.
I built tends of thousands of backlinks through guest blogging and genuine blog commenting pointing to Blogging From Paradise Dot Com.
Traffic flows from multiple sources not one. Depending on Google alone for traffic is foolish. No blogger controls the algorithm because Google owns it. Things can and do go south with algorithm changes. Prevent your blog from going south too with various policy shifts.
Drive traffic through:
- Threads
- X
- genuine blog commenting
- guest blogging
- Quora
No blogger needs to work all channels from the above list.
Pick a few to drive organic traffic effectively.
Share valuable content.
Connect with resonant individuals who support the content.
Gain traffic.
Multiple traffic channels send a consistent flow of people to your blog.
Conclusion
I share these tidbits to help you scoop up as much traffic as possible.
I felt surprised to see a few Facebook and LinkedIn updates of mine on Google.
Seeing out of pattern – and little mentioned – Google traffic from each source goaded me to write this post.
Organic traffic sometimes originates from unexpected sources.
Take it where you can get it.
