Sometimes we feel like we are doing everything right but that it doesn’t seem to be working. Blogging can be one of the best things you do for your online marketing but it can also be the most frustrating when you pour your heart, soul and time into writing and don’t feel like your blog is getting the attention it deserves. In my webinar this week, Social Media for B2Bs, I got an audience question about just this. The attendee is writing multiple posts a week but doesn’t feel like they are getting the traffic they deserve for their efforts.
I followed up on her question with an email that had some things she could try but then I thought of a few more and decided to make a post out of them.
So… here are 11 ideas for getting some more traffic to your blog:
- Make sure your blog is functioning properly – These days, most blog traffic comes from search engines so make sure your blog is easy to read to them. Make sure your blog is being indexed on search engines. You could do this as easily as searching for a blog post title you have written.
- Get your content out into the world – Give your blog posts a chance to fly by sharing them other places than just on your site. Social media is great for this, so is email marketing.
- Talk and link to other people – When writing your blog posts, talk about good work or resources you find other places around the internet. Don’t be afraid to link to someone else as a resource (you can just set that link to open in a new window if you are worried about them leaving your site). Linking is a great compliment to another content producer. You may be surprised what comes from that little link – you could get attention from the person you link to, from someone in their network or from search engines.
- Capitalize on other site’s audiences – What your blog needs is an audience. Look around your industry or space for people you can feature and get some of their loyal fans to come check out your blog. Try doing an interview and making it a post. If you recap, link to or give praise to someone else’s content, share it with them or post it to Facebook and @ mention them so that they see it.
- Try bookmarking sites – Sites like Stumbleupon can be great for blog traffic, especially if you are in a specific niche. Try adding some of your best posts to sites like that and see if they refer any traffic. Have something visual to share? Try the newest social media craze – Pinterest and see if that shows you any return.
- Comment on other blogs – The best blogs don’t live in a bubble. Take some time to comment on good blog posts that you see in your industry. If you have the option to leave a blog comment with your signature, add a link to your blog instead of your home page. If the opportunity presents itself and you find a post related to yours leave a comment to the post you wrote.
- Try a contest or something fun – I have a few colleagues that have had great success with running a fun contest on their blog. Giving away a prize like a gift card, a Kindle or more could be definitely worth the investment to get some new eyes and subscribers to your content.
- Blog about things that are topical – People love topical. Get creative with your posts. Can you compare software features to Oscar fashion trends? Not sure but I bet you could come up with something and people would be entertained by it.
- Try Guest Posting – Lots of blogs with large followings accept guest posts. Trying making a name for yourself and directing people to some of your content by writing smart guest posts for someone else. OR maybe try accepting guests posts on YOUR blog.
- Read what smarter people have to say – Read this post from SEOmoz – 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic 2012
- Write good posts people want to read and link to – Write good posts. Add value. Boring or lackluster blogs will never become popular – I promise.
Blogging is a lot easier and a lot more fun when it all starts clicking, when you get a steady readership and some good feedback. Stick with it and try some of the ideas above if you feel like you need more readers. Good luck and feel free to share with us other tricks you may have that could help someone else out!