We all start off at the same place, 0. Most of us do indeed start off at the playing field for growing our blog. One thing I have asked myself that I am sure many others have as well, what am I doing wrong? Are there people reading your blog or commenting? If so, you’re doing great, if not, there’s a few things you can implement now to help with your blog traffic.

Tips to Explode Your Blog Traffic

April marked 1 year since I’ve been blogging (on my own domain), and I feel I have learned quite a bit since I started this journey. Of course I have so much more to learn but I have seen my traffic increase and grow. These are things that can help you get noticed, create a community, and help you find your passion.

1. Find Your Passion

If you aren’t passionate about something, you’ll neglect it. The same goes for blogging. Do you find blogging fun? Are you enjoying it? Is this what you want to do? If you didn’t answer “yes” to these questions, you may want to reconsider your blog. If you did answer “yes” then do continue to read.

My first blogging experience was a few years ago and it was something I just didn’t enjoy. I didn’t like the topic I chose to write about so it was such a chore. I created this blog a few month after to be a lifestyle blog where I can write about different topics that I enjoy writing about instead of something I don’t enjoy writing at all.

I think I am also finding this blog more enjoyable as I am being more successful with this blog along with I enjoy what I blog and write about. People reading my posts and gaining a following is quite nice. If you are just starting out, we all struggle with this so don’t worry if you are struggling too. Think of why you read other blogs, you do so because you can connect with them on some level. You want to include snippets of your life in your posts but not tell them a bunch of mundane things you did all day. Some ideas to help are because they taught you something new, kept you interested, taught you something, or helped you discover yourself. Keep these in mind when you go to write and go to post as well.

2. Create a Strategy

Creating a plan is something you should typically do after you find your passion. The big question to ask yourself is “What do you want from your blog?”. This of course can change throughout your blogging career. I began blogging to have an outlet for creativity and to just write about things I cared about or found helpful. My blog is still that but it also allows me to connect with others and make some profit from it as well. When my plans change, so does my priorities.

Definitely don’t write down every little thing that happens to you but having an idea of what you hope to get from your blog is helpeful. A few things to ask yourself are “do you wnat more followers?”, “do you want to help someone?”, or even “do you want to make money from your blog?”. Make sure your posts are centered around your goals.

One thing most bloggers do is plan out their blog posts. This is something I did constantly and I’ve noticed I’ve slightly slacked off there but I do plan to get back on that. I do however always make sure I schedule my blog posts to be shared on social media platforms. This has helped me to be consistent so I don’t run out of things to share from my own blog. I absolutely love using this platform.

3. Connecting with Others

This may very well be the most important point of this entire post. This is important for creating a successful blog, plus saving your sanity. Creating a relationship with other bloggers will help broaden BOTH of your blog’s online prescence. Yes both, making this a win-win situation. This also allows you to connect to others whether it’s a struggle or success and relate to what they are going through whether you have already went through it or are currently going through it.

Growing your online community begins with connecting with others. These are the people that read your blog, comments on posts, share your content, and even purchase from you (if you sell products through your blog). This is a huge key point for success.

Searching online for blogs that interest you or have a similar feel as yours are the best way to grow, reach out to them. Interact with other bloggers similar to you. You can’t just wait for people to come to you, you’ll need to go to them. Comment on their posts, be proactive, and tell them what you like.

I owe the majority of my blogging successful so far to the fact I comment on many blogs and I do this every day. I will say that I know and understand it’s time consuming and you can’t always do it. Doing it at least a few days a week is helpful, or even once a week for around 3-5 blogs will help, slowly but surely it’ll help. The more often you contribute to others, the more likely they are to contribute back to your blog or at least check your blog out.

4. Link to Social Media

When I first find a blog I really like, I go find them on a social media platform. Usually that’s Twitter or Instagram. Having a link to your social media accounts, even just one account is so beneficial. It allows people who enjoy your content to find and follow you to keep up with any and all new posts you share. It also allows your readers to learn about you and what other blogs you enjoy reading. The big social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and you should have at least one if not all three of these on your blog. This alone gives everyone a chance and opportunity to follow you.

So many people I’ve noticed don’t want to start a Facebook page or an Instagram because they don’t have a following there but you have to start somewhere. We all began at 0 and we can only grow from there. By skipping a social platform you run the risk of losing the potential to have a post go “viral”. Social media plays a major role in your blog growth, growing it organically, so I definitely recommend having it.

5. Starting an Email List

This is something I didn’t implement in the beginning and honestly lpushed it to the side until about 3-4 months ago. Having an email list is the way to guarantee you have your “own” following. Pinterest is my biggest source of traffic and I know it is for many other bloggers too. What would happen though if it went away? Having your email list means you still have people to connect to who will be wanting to read your posts.

Newsletters are ways to provide communication directly with your audience. This is one of the best ways to grow your following, and even to make money online. When I first started blogging I had around 2,000 pageviews a month and then grew to 10,000 a month after 6 months. Now I’m at a minimum of 40,000 pageviews per month. Yes, it’s still small but it’s growing every month. When you have a passion, some support, and knowledge, you can achieve and reach your goals.