How to Expand Your Following and Increase Blog Traffic
At one point or another, you’ve likely had one burning question on your mind—how do you increase blog traffic and expose your content to new readers?
Promoting your blog on your social media is a good place to start, but it will only get you so far. After all, the goal is to expand your network as opposed to having the same sets of eyes on your content over and over again.
Here are a few tips and tricks that are easy to implement that will help increase blog traffic and get you into the habit of setting every post up for success.
Make SEO Your Friend
I distinctly remember shuddering at the thought of having to learn anything about SEO, because I was under the impression that it’s this highly technical practice to learn and was way out of my league. But as it turns out, SEO is not nearly as intimidating as it seems.
First things first, research the right keywords for the blog topic. For example, if you are writing a post about sharing tips for training a dog, you should include keywords like, “how to train my dog,” or “tips for training dog fast.” Make sure to try and get some of them in within the first paragraph of your post. This will make it much more likely for Google to index your story at a higher rank.
Find Your Tribe
As a new blogger, finding a network of other bloggers to interact with was hands down one of the biggest factors for why I was able to grow a steady following within the span of a few months.
I always made it a point to set aside dedicated time each day to read and comment on other blog posts. If you want to gain followers, you have to give to other bloggers, and as an added bonus to attracting new readers, you’ll also likely wind up making some wonderful new friends.
Once you have a network of bloggers that you consistently interact with, another great way to increase blog traffic is by guest posting on other blogs and inviting other writers to guest post on your site.
Guest posting not only shows that you are supportive of other writers in the blogging community, but it also guarantees that new readers will be introduced to your style of writing and may hop on over to your site to read more of your posts.
Keep an Editorial Calendar
An editorial calendar is just as important as keyword planning.
Setting up an editorial calendar ensures that you already have a set list of subjects that you know you will be writing about, so you don’t have to come up with ideas for your articles last minute. Of course, sometimes an idea pops into your head on a whim but planning posts ahead of time will ensure that your blog is never lacking in the content department.
Writing With a Purpose
Given the fact that you started a blog already proves that you’re passionate about the subject matter that you’re taking on. That being said, it’s still important to make sure that with every post, you’re offering the reader another element of something that they never read before.
You want to make sure that the articles you create are highly shareable, so your readers feel compelled to post your article on their social media accounts, which in return, organically grows your audience.
Each and every post needs to be of value to the reader. After all, if no one is reading the content, then no one is sharing it, and if no one is sharing, then a blog is not growing.
Every time I write a blog post, I ask myself one key question, “Would I share this?” If the answer is no, I scrap the idea and move on. And if the answer is yes? Then I ask myself why I would share it. Funny enough, the “why” usually falls into one of three areas:
1. It gives the reader a takeaway, and they’ll be able to apply this information to their lives.
2. The content is relatable.
3. The post sparks some sort of emotion in them. It can make them laugh, cry, or may even inspire them in some way.
You will be surprised at just how easy these practices are to work into your daily routine. It will all become a habit in no time, and you’ll be well on your way to making your blog a huge success!
