If you’re new here, I’ve been blogging for a LONG time. I’ve been writing about beauty, lifestyle and fashion since I got my own laptop over 10 years ago and during that time, I’ve learned a lot. At first, I was typing away talking to myself but through lots of trial and error, I picked up some tips that have helped me slowly but surely grow my readership. If you’re like me and ready to focus your efforts on building an engaged audience, increase your blog traffic, and boost your opportunities to work with brands, read on to find out how to increase your blog traffic, get more readers and keep them coming back on a regular basis.
Stick To A Consistent Posting Schedule
You’ve heard it time and time again and it’s because it’s SO important. Staying consistent and posting weekly is going to help increase your blog traffic so much. This lets your potential new readers know that you’re dedicated and that they can expect new content whenever they come back to your blog. This was my biggest struggle when I first started since I was working multiple jobs and sometimes I honestly wasn’t motivated to write new content. I also put a lot of pressure on myself for my content to look a certain way, which prevented me from posting new content consistently. Now, I try to post at least once a week and I’ve seen better results in terms of page views as well as revenue.
Tip: To see real growth, I’d recommend posting at least 3 times a week.
One way to make sure you always have fresh new content is to keep an idea bank in your agenda or notes app on your phone and jot down new ideas as they pop up. I also have brainstorming days where I try and come up with as many blog ideas as possible. This is still a work in progress but I’ve improved and can honestly say that being consistent has paid off. I’d also suggest batch shooting your photos, so that you always have new content to post on your blog and social media platforms.
Quality + Quantity
In addition to posting frequently, you should also make sure to post high quality content. I know it may be tempting to just throw something up to stick to your posting schedule, however, this will hurt your ranking on Google while also hurting the chances that a new visitor will return. I wouldn’t suggest uploading a few images and captions and calling it a blog post. All of the content you post should make since for your niche and provide value to your readers’ lives, which brings me to my next point…
Post Valuable Content
I know, another cliche… but they’re cliches because they’re true. Not only should you be consistently providing fresh new content but you should also be providing valuable content. The best content solves a problem or answers a question your reader may have. For example, one of my most popular blog posts is a post where I share more affordable dupes for the popular Acne Jensen boots. People continue to visit that post because I’m solving the problem of where my readers can get a more affordable alternative for these trendy, designer boots. Before publishing a blog post, you should ask yourself what problem you’re solving or what popular question you’re answering.
For a beauty blogger, you could be answering the question of what is the best skincare products for oily skin. Fashion bloggers could solve the problem of dressing for a specific body type. Figure out what question you’re answering/problem you’re solving and create a bunch of post where you continue to provide value on the topic. This will help you stand out as an expert on the topic and keep readers with those concerns coming back for more.
Engage With Other Blogs
Sometimes we can feel alone and forget that blogging is a community. It’s one of the things that I originally fell in love with about blogging and it’s something that I’ve tried to be better about remembering. A lot of your readers will be other bloggers. It’s natural for bloggers to read other blogs since we’re all interested in the same thing – blogging! Comment and interact with other bloggers both in your niche and outside of it. There’s so much we can still learn from one another in this community and you may even make some new friends and gain some new readers.
Promote. Promote. Promote
Don’t be like me and keep your blog under wraps for years. I know it’s scary to put something you’re so passionate about out there for the world to see (and judge) but you just have to get over yourself and do it. Some people will just ignore your posts but others will love what you’re sharing and become regular readers. This is something I’ve been doing more of and I’ve gotten a pretty good response. Don’t let fear or the opinions of others stop your growth. Give people a chance to surprise you. This is the only way you’ll find your people.
I know a lot of other bloggers recommend joining blogger Facebook groups to increase your blog traffic but in my experience, that hasn’t led to any real growth. Most people are in those groups for self-promotion, not to make genuine connections or building communities. Instagram, Pinterest, and word-of-mouth are going to be the best ways to promote your content. I’ve seen the most traffic from Pinterest, followed by Instagram through promoting on Stories. Don’t look at using social media as a way to promote (even though that’s what it technically is). Look at it as a way to connect directly with your audience aka your people. I love finding other people on Instagram who are into what I’m blogging about. It’s also so rewarding to put a face to a reader.
Using SEO to Increase Blog Traffic
Where would we be without SEO aka search engine optimization? If you’re not familiar with the term, this is what search engines like Google and Yahoo! use to rank your website in searches so you’re closer to the top of the search results, which will help you get more clicks. I’d recommend doing some research on SEO best practices if you’re not familiar with this because there are a few things you can do to help your blog get found much easier.
Some quick SEO tips:
- Have a focus keyword, that’s commonly searched for and use it throughout your blog post so that Google ranks your post higher when someone searches the topic.
- Name your images with the same focus keyword, so people can find your post when searching google images.
- Make sure each post is at least 300 words long.
- If you use WordPress, download the Yoast SEO plugin to change the meta description (the blurb that shows up in google searches, the SEO tittle, and more to help your post get the best ranking possible.
I can do a full blog post on what I know about SEO but this is something that should be a priority for your growth strategy.
Those are just some of my tips for growing your blog in 2020. With a little strategy and a lot of passion and creativity, I know we can reach new heights this year! I’ll be sharing more of what I’ve learned about blogging, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. If you have friends who are interested in starting or growing their blogs, or want to save this post for easy reference, feel free to share this post on social media and pin for later. Sharing is caring.
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