6 Ways to Grow Blog Traffic

Posted on by Amie Posted in Writing tipsTagged , , , ,

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Being sick is terrible.  I should know, because I’m sick now.  Since I am sick, it took me a while to figure out what to blog on today.  I have a whole book full of blog post ideas that I want to do in the future…But they all take research and/or photos and time.

And guess what?  I’ve been sick.  And I don’t want to blog at all.  *sniffs and coughs* Here, let me put on a mask to keep from coughing on you.  There, wow.  These things are super uncomfortable.  I think we need to come up with more comfortable papery mask things.  *blinks*   So, stand back (so I don’t cough on you) and stay put.  Today’s post is about different ways to get views.  (Also, excuse my voice…Or the lack of.  The cold’s settled in my chest.)

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1. Don’t use one word titles.

Please don’t do what I do, and call your post pictures.  Just don’t.  Also, don’t name the post, “Wildflowers in the hollow with extra green grass photography!”  No one’s going to search wildflowers in hollow green grass photography.  Titles are what’ll pull you up in the search engine, and because of that, you’ll get more blog traffic.  This idea is pretty simple.  Come up with unique, and yet at the same time normal titles to bring traffic.

I’m terrible at this, but I have a few posts that I succeeded on.  (And they also get the most spam comments, LOL.) As an example, take A Voice for the Voiceless.  People find it though searching things like, “how to be a voice for the voiceless.”  You want to have posts that come up when people search.

2. Post regularly

This is so important.  Obviously, it won’t work for everyone, but if you’re serious about having people stick around and having your followers/views continue to climb, you’re probably going to have to have a schedule and keep to it.  (Of course, illness or accidents are worthy reason to skip a day.) My schedule is to post on Tuesday and Saturday, and I try to do everything I can to post on those days.

You could only post once a week on Saturday, or you could post three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  It’s totally up to you because there’s no wrong schedule, but having a schedule and keeping to it is important.  Even though most people don’t think about it this way, but keeping a schedule shows…

  • That blogging is important to you.

By doing something consistently, it shows that it matters, and it’s not something you do because you though it might maybe be a fun or good idea.

  • Your followers are important to you.

When you blog, you blog for an audience.  Not just for yourself, or because your mom said you had to.  You blog for the people who are going to read it, and when you blog regularly it shows you really care for them, and you want to connect with them.

  • You’re able to schedule your time.

Social media (and blogging!) is all about how you convey yourself through the screen.  If you want to continue in the future a blogging/writing/something kind of career, being able to meet your own deadline will show that you’re consistent and scheduled.

Overall, scheduling your blog will be one of the ways to make it successful.  (Of course, there are always exceptions to this, though don’t start this post thinking you are the exception.)

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3. Use tags!

How much can I stress this?  Tags are your ticket to invite people to look at your post.  What do I mean by that?  People on WordPress often type in tags, like gluten-free breakfast, when they want to look at that certain type of post.  Searching tags brings up not only posts, but also websites that use those tags.

Tags are super important.  I’ve gotten a lot of traffic for using certain tags, and so I encourage you to take full use of the wonderful opportunity tags present you.  (But don’t get too carried away…I usually use 3-8 tags per post.)

4. Get involved in collabs or blog tours

Collabs were a huge thing that boosted my blogging.  If you’re new to the blogging world (like I was about a year ago), you’re probably wondering what a collab is.  Collab is short for collaboration. (Because in this day and age we have to shorten everything, y’all.) A collab is when two bloggers come together, and decided to switch blogs, or interview each other, or do similar blog posts, and talk about each other on them.  I’ve done a few, like Five Writing Ideas.

Most people enjoy collabing with other bloggers, and so if you want to do a collab, feel free to contact me on my contact page.  Collabing is always so much fun, and a great way to make new friends.

A blog tour is kinda of like a collab, but with A LOT more people.  I just hosted a blog tour, and because I’m an extrovert and think that the more people, the merrier life is, I enjoy blog tours more than collabs.  Blog tours are sometimes for launching a new book, (like mine.  You can read more about my book here. #shamelessselfpromo) or they can be a “blog party,” and like normal parties, you don’t really need a reason.  Blog tours are superb ways for people to find out about your blog.

5. Comment on other people’s blogs

If someone sees you on a blog they really like, and you’re saying how much you like the same thing, they might just click your profile to go to your blog.  (Also, it helps to have a horse/guitar/or something like that in your profile.  I’ve had people click my profile just because I had a guitar in it. 😉 😛 )

Of course, I don’t mean you have to comment on every single post you read.  In fact, that’s not what I mean at all.  And I don’t mean you’re supposed to comment on a post saying how much you liked it, when you really didn’t care/relate to what the blogger was talking about.  I mean, be you, comment on the posts that really hit home, and just let what happens happen.  But don’t be afraid to get out there on the blogsphere and comment.

(Also, I’ve also had new bloggers comment on my blog saying something like this, “Hey, I’m so-and-so, and I just started a new blog, and I’m sure you’ll like it!  Here’s the link.” Not saying that that is a terrible way to introduce yourself, but it sounds like you’re just concerned about your blog, which can be annoying to a blogger who just put their heart and soul into their blog post, and your answer to their post is to simply leave a shameless self promo.  I’m actually less likely to go visit your blog when you do that.)

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(BONUS!) 6. Post on lots of different topics

I’m assuming you just started your blog, and if you’re anything like me, you have no idea what you just got yourself into.  I started blogging, and I thought, “hey, if I get just 25 subscribers, I’ll be amazing.  And 50, WOW.” I didn’t know what I wanted to write about, who I wanted to reach, or what style I was going for.  And so?  I just was me, and I’ve tried everything from baking to book reviews on this blog.

And you know what?  That’s what I like about my blog.  You never know what I’m going to post next, and that’s part of my trademark.  I’m the Crazy A, and I’m going to do crazy things on here.  But that’s probably not you, and I don’t expect that, but it is a good way to start.  What are your top three interests?  Bring them to play in your blog, and decide what fits for you.

I’m going to wrap up with this.  Blogging is about finding the right audience, and focusing on them.  You’re there for your audience, and so don’t worry about the million+ people in an audience over there.  Worry about your 50+ subscribers, and focus on reaching them.

Blogging is meant to be fun. (Most of the time…) So make it fun, make it so you’re giving your subscribers something, and just be yourself.  If that means neon pink blog design, and sparkly pink glitter, go for it.  I’m sure you’ll rock it. 😉

What are some things you like about blogging?  Do you have any questions?  Or do you have any tips on blogging?

~~Amie~~

41 thoughts on “6 Ways to Grow Blog Traffic”

  12. Reply
    Grace H. says:

    This was super interesting to me! I’ve recently been trying to get back to posting more recently and I’ve been trying to think of ways to get my blog ‘out there’ so to speak. And this post has been more helpful than the ones that pretty much only say, ‘you need to make your blog look nicer’… XD
    And it ANNOYS me when people comment on blogs saying, “hey, I have a blog… I think you’d like it! Here’s the link can you check it out?” I’ve never even had anyone do that to my blog but I’m still superbly annoyed when I see people do it to others. I once saw a post that was really good, and the blogger was pretty popular because she had some 50-80 comments on that one post… but literally, 90% of the comments were “can you check out my blog?” and “sub for sub?” And this wasn’t even just some regular post. The author had poured her soul into some sensitive topic and nobody even really said anything about the actual content of the post. Very irritating and kinda sad. :/
    Okay I’ll stop ranting. Great post. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Reply
    Pegasus Expert says:

    That moment when the last tip is the only one you follow… 😛
    Thanks for doing this, it was really helpful, actually! I kind of have a clean slate(ish) now that I took a almost year-long break, and writing about all kinds of things is really intriguing me, actually. I’m finding that I want to post about a lot of things that are nowhere close to what the blog was originally made for.
    But anyways, you’ve kinda given me the kick in the pants to actually start using tags and trying to post every Thursday 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Reply
    alexb2448 says:

    Thanks for sharing these ideas. My trouble is that my blog is on my business website, so I’ve got to keep the tone and topics professional. When I first started blogging, I wrote about anything interesting pertaining to the law. It was fairly successful. However, one thing led to another and I stopped blogging for about a year. Now that I’ve resumed, I’m taking a more targeted approach and sticking to animal law (and related topics). By definition I’ll have a limited audience, but I’ve already seen encouraging growth within that audience. So hopefully I’m doing something right! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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