Pedasi, Panama
(Post completely rewritten in April 2021……)
Driving blog traffic feels like a struggle for most bloggers.
But no one needs to experience traffic problems.
Since blog traffic seems to be the lifeblood of any blogging campaign learning how to increase blog traffic reigns as a critical skill to develop.
All traffic problems sprout from giving problems.
All traffic problems sprout from giving problems.Click To Tweet
Allow this idea to sear itself onto your mind.
Traffic flows to generous bloggers. However, adopting a strategy to share your generosity become a key step to driving quality traffic to your blog. Hold practical blogging tips in mind to deliberately share your:
- experience
- skills
- knowledge
- energy
- time
generously and effectively.
Follow these tips to drive traffic to your blog.
Ask Your Readers for Blog Post Ideas
One odd but common error plagues bloggers; publishing blog posts not designed to solve reader problems. Why would you write a post that your readers did not want you to write?
Even if you have zero readers or no feedback simply scan top blogs in your niche. Observe reader feedback. Spot reader problems. Record blog post topics published on top blogs.
Ask your readers for blog post ideas to increase blog traffic. If you want to know how to increase blog traffic this is step #1. Solve reader problems. Readers click your links to read blog posts solving their problems. Observe blog traffic increases.
I completely rewrote this blog post in 2021 because my readers commonly ask how to increase blog traffic. I ask readers for feedback. Readers offer feedback. I write and publish posts based on their feedback. Does it get Solve reader problems by asking readers about their struggles. Write and publish content solving their problems. Boost blog traffic.
Ideas for Seeking Reader Feedback
- ask questions within your blog posts
- poll readers via your email newsletter
- ask readers questions through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
Solve reader problems to both increase and qualify your blog traffic.
Optimize Blog Posts for SEO
I wrote and published this SEO-optimized blog post:
How to Get Interviewed by Famous Blogs
As of publish date this post ranks on position 1 of Google for the query “how to get interviewed by popular blogs”.
I drive a steady flow of targeted search engine traffic through this post and other posts because I began optimizing all blog posts for SEO in January of 2021. My post outranks iconic sites like Smart Blogger, Pro Blogger and Social Media Examiner for the key phrase, in addition to ranking ahead of an article published on The Houston Chronicle. Each of these valued blogging resources drives a hefty volume of traffic through competitive and less competitive keywords.
If the big boys of blogging SEO-optimize posts to drive traffic consider following their lead.
Learn how to optimize blog posts for SEO. Publish 2500 word plus, detailed, in-depth posts solving reader problems. Google ranks thorough, clear content bursting at the seams with practical details for consumption and use.
Add lesser but key SEO details via a plug-in but never follow the opinions of one developer blindly. My posts often rank on page 1 without me getting all green checkmarks or a perfect score from plug-in developers. See these tools as casual guides nudging you to follow a few details but give most energy to publishing a heavily-detailed, in-depth post solving reader problems.
Targeted, passive traffic flows to bloggers who optimize their blog posts for SEO.
Ideas for Optimizing Blog Posts for SEO
- publish 2500 word or longer, detailed, in-depth blog posts
- select a niche-specific keyword to cover
- create titles attractive to your readers
- keep current by following SEO experts since Google changes its algorithm frequently
Learning SEO seems to be a wise investment for increasing quality, passive blog traffic. Put in the time to accelerate your blogging success.
Reach Out with Handouts to Do Blogger Outreach Right
Most bloggers mess up blogger outreach for the sole reason of reaching out looking for a handout.
Manuel Antonio National Park Costa Rica
Do not ask top bloggers in your niche to do you a favor. Help top bloggers with a:
- retweet
- Facebook Share
- genuine blog post
- mention on your blog
Persistently help top bloggers in this fashion. Ask for nothing in return. Expect nothing in return. Earn their trust. Gain credibility in their eyes. Let friendships form organically.
Increasing numbers of respected bloggers soon:
- befriend you
- promote you
- endorse you
Established bloggers increase your traffic by giving your blog exposure in front of their large, loyal tribes. Some of their readers visit your blog. Traffic grows.
Build Your Email List
Build an email list.
Increase blog traffic on demand.
Readers subscribe to your email list. Send blog posts to subscribers. Subscribers see your email in their inbox, click the link, visit your blog and increase your blog traffic.
After resisting list-building I began adding subscribers again a few months ago. Curiously enough, few readers subscribed via an opt-in form on my sidebar. I trashed the opt-in form, invited readers to subscribe via Twitter and Facebook and my list grew at a higher rate.
Emailing subscribers creates a quick traffic boost because:
- people check their inbox frequently
- for a few moments of work you experience a swift traffic increase
Collect subscriber emails. Publish a post. Publish an email campaign. Readers see and read your latest post for a virtually instant blog traffic increase, save for a few minutes spent creating and publishing your email campaign text.
Never underestimate the power of building an email list. Checking email does not seem to be going out of style anytime soon.
Cover 1 Topic
Return blog traffic boosts your blog traffic.
But readers only tend to return for a long time if you cover 1 topic.
The world loves specialists but cares little for generalists. People trust someone who gives all professional attention and energy to mastering one skill.
Observe:
- doctors
- lawyers
Doctors and lawyers give all professional energy to doing one thing well to become credible resources through their chosen discipline. People become long-time patients or clients because folks trust specialists who do one thing well.
Single niche bloggers establish a similar level of authority. Cover one niche inside-out. Gain reader trust. Readers return to read your blog because folks trust you as a specialist. Each return visit increases your blog traffic.
11 Fundamentals of Successful Blogging Audio Course
Generalists covering multiple niches often confuse readers who expect one topic with each post but observe differing topics. Confused readers decrease your blog traffic by not following your blog for any sustained period of time.
Link Out to Valued Resources
Link out to valued resources to increase your blog traffic.
Although this concept seems counterintuitive, linking out to valued resources:
- boosts blog credibility
- increases SERPs
- keeps readers on your blog (ensure the link page opens in a new window via the insert/edit link option in WordPress)
Each benefit increases blog traffic.
Link only to trusted niche resources for optimal results. I tend to link to blogs boasting a higher DA and bigger name than my blog these days to increase my credibility and to give readers the best possible resources for further study. Credible blogs draw in:
- return readers
- more readers who stick around to boost time spent onsite
- increased interview requests for blog owners
Greater blog traffic follows each bullet point benefit above.
Link In to Value Resources
Readers increase your blog traffic by clicking through internal links.
Link to valued resources you already published. Boost blog traffic by using what you have.
Setting up internal links also increases time spent onsite. Capitalize on this metric to increase your SERPs.
The Corniche, Doha, Qatar.
Linking in simply gives readers greater opportunities to mine value while increasing your traffic stats. Aim for relevance. Demand value. I solely link to my best-performing, most in-depth posts currently to increase credibility and to pass link juice along between blog posts.
Any post not providing readers with rich internal links leaves blog traffic on the table. Versus trying to publish a high volume of detailed content simply link to in-depth posts to increase blog traffic and to leverage your time, presence and energy.
Note multiple internal links I set up above. Each increases blog traffic but also keeps you onsite longer if you click through. While Blogging From Paradise traffic increases through these internal link clicks I may be networking, lazing on the beach or sleeping. This is the essence of leveraging.
Improve Formatting to Increase Organic Sharing
Bloggers tend to link to or share properly formatted blog posts.
Improve blog post formatting to increase your blog traffic.
Use:
- headers
- bullet point lists
- bold text
- italics
- frequent paragraphs
- short, snappy sentences
to impress readers. Impressed readers increase your blog traffic by:
- linking to posts via their blogs
- interviewing you for their blogs
- sharing your posts on Facebook
- retweeting your blog posts
Make posts easy to both read and scan. Busy readers scan. Less busy followers read your content. Tailor posts for both audiences to maximize blog traffic.
Improve Your Writing Skills
Improve your writing skills.
Write 500 words or more offline daily in a Word document to gain:
- confidence
- clarity
in your writing voice.
Clear, confident writers drive increasing blog traffic because readers freely share skilled writer’s content with confidence. On the flip-side, increasing blog traffic seems impossible if you exhibit poor writing skills. Readers do not share low quality, thin content.
Ideas to improve your writing:
- trash your practice writing to develop detachment from your writing
- practice writing daily for optimal results
- read skilled authors to improve your writing through osmosis
Write, write and write some more. Observe your traffic increase in relation to a surge in writing confidence.
Guest Post on Respected Blogs from Your Niche
Guest post to access another powerful form of leveraging.
Gain exposure in front of large, targeted audiences highly interested in your blogging niche to increase blog traffic.
Build relationships with bloggers and improve your writing skills to gain guest posting invites. Publish your best content. Never hold back. Make a firm impress on readers.
Guest posting seems to be an elite way to gain massive exposure but only persistent guest posters reap the sweetest benefits. Writing and placing a single guest post on a top blog only makes you a one hit wonder. Guest post persistently to build relationships with readerships. Think long term to experience slow and steady traffic gains.
Read guest posting guidelines to optimize your campaign. Follow the rules to connect deeply with audiences.
Bonding with fellow bloggers by helping them out – following tip #3 – increases your guest posting invites. Make blogging buddies. Polish your writing skills. Blogging friends frequently pitch you to place guest posts on their blogs.
Comment Genuinely on Top Blogs in Your Niche
Comment genuinely to drive blog traffic.
Publish thoughtful comments on top blogs from your niche persistently, patiently and generously. Genuine blog commenting seems to be a gateway activity building blogging friendships. As an added bonus, both fellow bloggers and readers click through based on genuine comments to increase blog traffic.
Blogging buddies you meet and befriend through commenting drive traffic to your blog by promoting you to their following.
Emphasize the word “genuine” to comment the right way. Publish at least a few sentences to make an impact. Address fellow bloggers by name. Sign off with your name. Avoid spam queues by being authentic. Stay out of trash folders by not publishing generic or 1 line comments.
Phuket, Thailand
“Great post” or “nice job” comments find the spam folder. No blogger drives blog traffic from spam folders. Comment honestly. Share your thoughts about the blog post. Imagine yourself conversing with someone offline. Adopt the same mentality online.
Stick to your niche to target traffic and to increase the likelihood of gaining loyal readers. I generally comment on blogging tips themed blogs to draw interested readers to my blogging tips themed blog and to befriend bloggers in the same niche. Target to increase your blog traffic through commenting.
Promote Old Posts Frequently
I promote a collection of old blog posts daily via:
to increase blog traffic by using what I have. Pump the brakes a bit on creating new content. Promote your old content for a traffic increase. Drive more blog traffic by promoting your old stuff persistently.
Do not forget about all of the helpful content you published in the past. Make each post work for you. Some followers read your posts the moment you publish content. Other readers may not see content until you promote posts a few times on Twitter.
Maximize blog traffic by seeing each blog post as a brand asset. Never write off assets. Allow each brand advocate to work for you by promoting old posts aggressively.
Add Images And/Or Videos to Blog Posts
Human beings love eye candy.
Serve up eye candy in the form of images and videos to increase blog traffic.
Posting images draws more eyeballs to your blog. Embedding videos keeps readers around to watch videos. People tend to live through their physical senses. Give people what they want. Toss a few pieces of eye candy to your community. Record and embed videos. Post clear pictures.
Be generous. Invest in premium hosting to ensure your blog loads quickly with your image usage and video embeds.
Drive blog traffic by appealing to the visual nature of human beings.
How to Increase Blog Traffic: Conclusion
Blog traffic seems scarce but giving freely dissolves any traffic blocks. Dwell on the idea of being generous. Give freely. Do not hold back.
Do not trust fear. Resist being stingy. Give freely of your time, talents and experience. Traffic flows to generous bloggers who follow these 13 tips patiently and persistently.
Your Turn
Do you struggle to drive blog traffic?
Or does traffic flow to your blog freely?
What traffic-building tips can you add to this list?
