Grecia Costa Rica
Figuring out the best traffic tips for new bloggers can feel frustrating.
Trying to find out how to start a blog feels even more daunting. From finding the right blogging platform to learning the basics, this journey seems scary.
I remember pouring over 1,001 strategies a decade ago. Every blogger seemed to tell me something different. Some swore list-building was blogging manna from heaven. Others claimed guest blogging brought the quickest success for newbies. Yet other bloggers said publishing 10 to 20 posts daily on your blog put you on the radar screen.
Overwhelmed, I floundered like sardines flipping on the sidewalk, a scene I observed often in Istanbul, Turkey. Let me tell ya; it didn’t end well for the sardines. Nor does it end well for struggling, overwhelmed newbie bloggers.
Driving blog traffic is not as hard as you think. But boosting blog traffic feels highly uncomfortable in moments. Take this blog post; I am updating and re-publishing this post 10 years after the initial publish date. Adding a few hundred words, relevant links and re-publishing feels fun but a bit uncomfortable because I have many things to do today. But I wade through the discomfort to help you. Helping you increases Blogging From Paradise traffic.
Beginner bloggers increase blog traffic by largely doing what pro bloggers do to increase blog traffic. Allow this idea to seep into your mind. Pros generally do what newbies do but generously, patiently and persistently for years. A pro blogger tends to create content and make friends. New bloggers need to create content and make friends. Some advanced strategies work for pros and not for newbies but do not over-complicate things.
Do not be intimidated by doing the simple, basic things that pros do to gain traffic because these pros did the same basic things as newbies to slowly but surely increase their blogging exposure.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
Guys; trying to drive blog traffic as a newbie should not feel as uncomfortable as visiting a proctologist who uses a spiked bat to fish around your bum.
Note; putting these tips into action over months sometimes feels highly uncomfortable. Especially tips #3-5, because when you do panic at your traffic and profits numbers – and you will, my blogging sweetlings, you will – the ego will say:
“Eff promoting and helping other bloggers. I gotta take care of A1 aka me!”
This is exactly how not to drive blog traffic.
Sear one idea onto the mind: give freely to receive easily. Blog traffic flows to bloggers who help people for free through a variety of online channels. People visit bloggers who help people. Readers increase your traffic if you persistently help readers. Keep giving. Keep helping. Keep serving. Increased blog traffic is on the way.
1: Publish Blog Content Frequently
Publish quality content frequently to boost blog traffic as a newbie. Consider writing and publishing 1-2 posts weekly. Be seen. Help people. Develop a reputation of the blogger who actually blogs. Most beginners do not blog much at all which is why most new bloggers struggle terribly to increase blog traffic.
Follow top bloggers from your niche. Pay close attention to topics these bloggers cover. Solve reader problems by writing about similar topics. For example, reading this post indicates bloggers tend to struggle to drive blog traffic. As a new blogging tips blogger, even if you have no readers now you better believe writing about how to drive blog traffic eventually draws readers to you.
Aim for 1200 word blog posts. Give readers some meat. As for post frequency, try to publish one new post weekly to be relevant, timely and trusted.
For whatever reason, beginner bloggers usually fear adding a high number of details to posts. Perhaps they fear spending a great deal of time to publish a detailed, in-depth, 1200 word post will waste their time because no one will read it. The reverse is true. More people will read your 1200 word, highly detailed post because you put in the time, energy and focus to publish in-depth, thorough content that solves reader problems comprehensively.
Practical Tips
- aim for 1200 words
- make posts highly-detailed with as many practical tips as possible
- solve your reader’s problems
- if you have no readers just solve problems that top bloggers in your niche solve through their blog posts
2: Make Social Share Buttons Prominent
Post social share buttons in plain sight. Increase blog traffic.
Allow readers to expand your reach freely through social media. Observe the end of posts on Blogging From Paradise. Readers clearly see social share buttons to goad folks to share these posts on:
Blog traffic increases as readers share blog posts freely on social media.
New bloggers need as many weapons in their blogging arsenal as possible to increase traffic. Post social share buttons in easy to see spots to boost traffic through sites like Twitter. Give readers the opportunity to share your blog posts to their 1000’s or 10,000 plus followers on Twitter. Gain traffic by making it easy for readers to increase your traffic through social media.
3: Comment Genuinely on Top Blogs from Your Niche
Publish genuine, heart felt comments on top blogs from your niche.
Peep these benefits:
- some readers dig your blog comments and click through to your blog; instant traffic increase
- some blog owners befriend you through your blog comments, leading to cross-promoting via blogs and social media, increasing your traffic over the long haul
Blog commenting is a gateway activity. Engaging in a genuine blog commenting campaign bonds you with bloggers from your niche. Befriending bloggers influences these bloggers to:
- comment genuinely on your blog
- promote you
- endorse you
but only if you comment genuinely and persistently.
Create personalized comments stressing some point made in the post. Be persistent. Comment on 3-5 blogs daily or more. Being social prospers all bloggers.
Avoid spam folders. Address fellow bloggers by name. Sign off with your name. Write 1-3 paragraph length, authentic blog comments to get comments approved. Expect to see a slow and steady blog traffic increase based on the commitment of your genuine blog commenting campaign.
Practical Tips
- comment genuinely on blogs from your niche
- publish detailed comments to drive traffic
- be genuine
- comment mainly on blogs related to your niche
- be patient and persistent
- address bloggers by name
- sign off with your name
4: Promote Bloggers on Your Blog
Promote *other* bloggers on your blog. Drop links. Tag bloggers on social media. Put the spotlight on them. Allow them to get all the smoke.
Making blogging buddies leverages your blogging presence. Promoting bloggers on your blog allows you to make many blogging buddies.
Promoting successful bloggers on your blog via interviews or quick mentions:
- increases your credibility (traffic booster)
- leads to friendships (traffic booster)
- emits an abundant, generous vibe (traffic booster)
Share your blog with bloggers in your niche. Mention ’em. Interview ’em. Increase blog traffic.
As a general blogging rule of thumb, the more freely you link to fellow bloggers via your blog the more blogging friendships you establish. Bloggers with large, loyal blogger buddy networks become connected. Connected bloggers drive serious blog traffic because their blogging friends multiply their traffic exponentially over the long haul.
One Facebook post of mine generated 93 Likes in 23 hours, a fairly solid example of strong social media organic reach.
My blogging buddies boosted the organic Likes through their support. I befriended many of these bloggers by mentioning them on Blogging From Paradise. Each friend boosted my blog traffic significantly but our friendship grew out of me freely promoting each pro freely on Blogging From Paradise. We befriend each other by continuing to help each other with no strings attached.
Dropping a link to a fellow blogger and tagging them on social media is easy logically because each task requires roughly 5-10 seconds of your time. Emotionally, promoting fellow bloggers on your blog may feel uncomfortable because you fear losing traffic and profits to these individuals. However, since we live in abundance, this fear is not true.
Wade through this scarcity-based fear to increase your blog traffic. The more you give, the more you receive.
5: Promote Bloggers on Social Media
Retweet, Facebook Share and LinkedIn Share other blogger’s posts on social media.
Make friends. Increase blog traffic.
Some bloggers whose content you share turn around and:
- retweet your blog posts
- FB Share your blog posts
- LinkedIn Share your blog posts
- mention you on their blog
- interview you on their blog
- invite you to guest post on their blog
Promote bloggers on social media to make friends. Blogging buddies promote you to boost your newbie blogger traffic.
Conclusion
Even if you are new to blogging following simple steps generously gradually increases your blog traffic.
I specifically brainstormed strategies that any beginner blogger can act on now to build a solid foundation for boosting organic traffic.
Be patient. Good things take time. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable to slowly but surely boost your blog traffic.
