5 Easy Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Blog
I've been blogging for over three years now, and I've definitely learned a thing or two about the whole blogging thing. There's so much to learn when you first start out as a blogger, and I'm still learning more everyday! But one of the main things I was always focused on was how to get my content in front of the people who would want to read it, and I thought I would share a few tips I've learned on how to do just that!
If you're just starting out, of course your traffic will be slow. and that's OK! It takes time to build a readership and to develop lots of content, but for newbies and seasoned bloggers alike, here are a few easy ways to make sure you're getting as much traffic as possible!
Pinterest drives 60% of my blog traffic, so needless to say it's incredibly important If you want to grow your following. I could honestly write an entire post on how to use Pinterest, but for this post, here's what you need to know short and sweet:
Make sure your pins are vertical and on brand. Horizontal and square pins won't take up any space on a feed, and so they won't get noticed. Make sure they're as long as you can make them (without going overboard) and make sure they look like YOUR blog. Take moment to write down the fonts, color, and overall feel you want your content to have. This will ensure that all your pins are recognizable as YOURS without anyone needing to see a name.
Join group boards! Group boards are great ways to get your content out to new viewers! Websites like PinGroupie can help you find boards of pinners similar to you that have your target audience! Find 4-5 boards to join and get pinning!
Tailwind. My following has grown so much faster since I started using Tailwind. Who has time to be constantly pinning all day?? I don't! Tailwind is a service that lets you bulk-store pins and automatically pins them for you at a set scheduled time! I don't know what I did before it!
Check out my Ultimate Guide to Pinterest to dive deep into how to revamp your page and double your following!
Instagram is its own beast. I like to think of it as the highlight reel for my blog. For every post, I pick the best 1 or 2 photos and post those to promote it, but not in such an inauthentic way. Instagram should be one of your most genuine and interactive platforms with your audience. Ask questions, prompt engagement, and respond to comments!
Write Long-Form Content
When search engines are rating content, they generally look for articles that are 300+ words, and usually, the longer the better. (I try to aim for 200-300 in Style posts and 500-600 in articles) It's important to focus on the writing just as much as the photography and style, since that's what's going to bring your readers back!
SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it's your best friend when it comes to getting up there in Google Searches. Basically, it works by keywords. Whenever you're writing a post, try to brainstorm 5-10 keywords that describe that post, and use them often. (but don't get crazy, no one wants to read a post that uses the same 5 words 20 times) It's also a good idea to use your strongest 1-2 keywords in your title!
Deep Linking
Make sure to link back to older posts that you've already written if you're mentioning similar content. For example, I did a post called Bottle Blonde 101 where I gave tips on transitioning to blonde hair, and in that post, I also mentioned a post called Best Products For Bottle Blondes, since that's likely something they would be interested in.
Similarly, if you know of a post on someone else's blog that supports or adds more insight into your topic, link it! Search engines also rank inbound and outbound links (how many links from your site go to others and vice versa) as factors when they rank webpages.
What are your easy ways to increase blog traffic?
xoxo,
Audra
