It can be argued that getting traffic is the number-one priority for just about every blogger – for reach, for influence, for authority, for sales… it’s what we all aim to grow.
Over the years here at ProBlogger we’ve discussed traffic and how to get it over and over again. We’ve talked about how content is king (and also so is being useful), getting traffic without advertising, optimising for SEO, leveraging your Facebook presence, small tweaks for big results, and how not to kill your traffic.
It’s been a huge part of sharing how and what we do here, and it’s one of the topics we get asked about the most. I even wrote a post a few years ago about how I doubled (and went on to triple) the the unique visitors on my blog.
What I have learned over the years is that although some things work consistently and almost universally for all (great, consistent content, proper SEO), everything other option is hugely varied according the person performing them. Email works well for some, whereas Instagram really drives traffic for others. Personal networking helps, and there are a few still making Twitter work for them. There are yet another section absolutely killing it on Pinterest, geting the bulk of their traffic from the visual powerhouse.
We wanted to know what works for you? If you were to give one tip to a newbie blogger for growing their traffic, what would it be? What’s worth your time and what’s not? Feel free to share and discuss in the comments below.
Test, test, test. Something isn’t working then try something different. Try experimenting with longer content, focus on quality first. Have a long term mindset. Don’t be afraid to ask peers for help.
That’s so true – it’s different for everyone, isn’t it?
Assuming someone has a solid blog to start with, the one thing I can point to that made a difference for me was paying attention to SEO. I pretty much ignored it in the beginning because I was so busy figuring out what I wanted to say and to whom, but when I shifted my focus I very quickly began experiencing traffic growth and every day I get comments and emails from new subscribers telling me they found my blog on Google.
It’s worth adding that images are also important to the SEO mix. When I search my keywords in Google Images, images from my articles and even Pinterest are all over the place. It took time for that to happen, but if I can do it, anyone can.
It does take a while doesn’t it? I remember ignoring SEO for years too, even though Google was my highest traffic referrer. I’ve learned my lesson!
Hi Stacey,
Following my fun is the ONLY thing that’s worked for me ;) During my dingbat days LOL I tried driving traffic by DOING different things, with muted results. Then I chose to be in the moment more often, following my fun, and traffic flowed in more easily. As noted, some have fun list building. Others with Instagram. So their traffic grows according to where they’re having the greatest enjoyment. Loving videos now, so I do more videos. The minute videos feel boring, I drop ’em like a lead brick :) Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
No, thank YOU for your always-appreciated input!
yeah, Growing an organic traffic is the toughest things for the bloggers and internet marketers. Thank you for sharing such a valuable information.
I hope it helps!
Hey Stacey,
One of the best things to work with is the social media. I have always considered social networking websites as the key rolling tools to get more traffic.
Though if you write the quality content then search engine is there for you but still, to increase the number, there are many social networking websites.
Twitter and Facebook can bring a lot of exposure.
~Ravi
So true!
Hi Stacey,
I’m still only in the beginning stages of my blog right now – trial and error! At first I put way too much time into social media, but quickly realized it’s near impossible to have a blog post go viral. Even if it does, it’s only a short lived spike in traffic.
As of now I’m placing more time into SEO and improving my content.
I think that’s a very smart move, Sam!
Great question, Stacey.
We work with a group of diverse local businesses, including those focused on other businesses and those focused on consumers, so we’ve had the opportunity to see what works for certain types of businesses and what doesn’t – especially when it comes to blogging and sparking engagement around content.
One of the things we’ve noticed is how some social networks are more effective than others depending on who you’re trying to reach. Makes sense, right? I’ve read a lot about it, but hadn’t experienced it first hand so it was still kind of surprising. For example, if you’re trying to reach consumers with your content, you should consider sharing it within a Facebook group. If you’re trying to reach other businesses, however, you should consider sharing your content with a LinkedIn group.
It’s not a good idea to assume everyone is on Facebook just because everyone’s on Facebook … you have to think about why they’re there and what they’re hoping to achieve.
Looking forward to hearing what works for everyone else!
ohhhhh these are very wise words. It is one thing to “know” something, but another one entirely to learn it firsthand. Have to agree with your sentiments about Facebook!
Hey Stacey, Good job on this article. It led me to another awesome article on how to get 10x more traffic without spending any money on advertising. Will implement steps as soon as possible.
Great tips. I’m a blogging newbie so interested in ANY advice! Thanks
Using Google Analytics is a great tool to monitor how your site traffic is growing. In addition it allows you to monitor where your traffic is coming from and what users are actually looking at.
Funny. Just today I was beating myself up as traffic was not growing for the past 2 months.
But as I was improving my blog tracking sheet, the number from last November jumped at me. From under 5,000UV last year in November to 20,000UV this month – I really should not beat myself up!!!
I focus on what fits with my blog. I write travel guides for planning addicts. It is not personal or story-telling so Facebook and Twitter do not work well. But I provide detailed information for planning a trip location by location with a lot of photos. So SEO and Pinterest work well for me. And they also work with my personality :-)