The 3 Best Tips For Growing Your Blog Traffic
What is it called when you go to publish your blog traffic + income report and instead you end up writing blog traffic tips for 2 days?
Iâd like to say epicness, but weâre all friends here so I think I can admit that the truth is closer to Bloggerâs guilt + procrastination. đ
Anyyyway. Moving along. What I came here to show you is how my blog traffic has grown over the last 10 months, and, more importantly, how you can achieve the same thing for your blog.
Enter Exhibit A, a screenshot of Olyvia.co growth over the past 10 months since launch:
How did I get here? What practical tips (+ 1 Mission Possible challenge) do I have for you so that you can do the same?
Your answers await, my friends:
THE 3 BEST TIPS FOR GROWING YOUR BLOG TRAFFIC
1. LIBERALLY LINK TO OTHERSâ CONTENT
Do you see what happened to the graph above in late January/early February of this year? Â My pageview plateau transitioned into a mountain, and I started getting thousands of new visitors.
But…why? What changed?
One reason:Â it was at that precise time that I started writing posts prominently featuring OTHERS.
First, I invited 13 people on the blog for an “expert customer tips” roundup post (that, naturally, included links back to their websites + blogs).
Then I featured several different peopleâs offline marketing ideas (again, with links).
Then I wrote this post linking to 9 excellent Facebook groups + their owners and this 4,000+ word Ultimate Pinterest Guide that linked to 16 fellow bloggers + entrepreneurs.
The reason all this helped boost my traffic is two-fold:
1) The fabulous people featured are thrilled to get the exposure — and in return almost always make it a point to share it with their audiences.
2) The other fabulous people reading appreciate the additional resources + examples theyâre getting, which makes the post more valuable to them…and consequently more share-able.
Now, some of you may get scared about sending people off to check out others (especially if theyâre in a similar niche).
But you know what I say? I say donât be.Â
When you are willing to give people the information or inspiration theyâre looking for, youâre not undermining yourself, girls — youâre establishing yourself as a leader.
That authority is crucial in growing your blog.
YOUR CHIEF OLYVIA CHALLENGE:Â Write at least ONE blog post in the next month that highlights + links to a minimum of 8 other bloggers while also providing extra-valuable info for your readers.
(No ‘Weekly Roundupâ posts allowed, people. Weâre going to infinity + beyond here!)
Unless itâs a group contributor post where theyâve sent you the info youâre featuring, remember to tag them when you go to share the post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, etc. (You gotta let them know that youâve been lovinâ on them!)
If you come back and tell me the details of your results (did you get more views? more comments? more social shares?), I will feature you + your post on the blog. For seriousness.
2. DELIVER THE FULL FAT VERSION OF YOUR PERSONALITY
Getting more eyes on your blog is one thing, but once theyâre there you have a whole other Chipotle burrito to tackle.
You MUSTÂ give them something that makes them want to come back.
Now is the time where most experts would tell you all about the importance of high quality content, lengthy posts, and the usual yadda. And while I donât disagree with that at all (if your posts average 200 words, youâre not blogging, girls — youâre jotting notes), Iâve noticed something about successful blogging that goes wayyyy beyond mere content.
Itâs your star power.
Iâve been on a Food Network binge as of late, so ride with me for a moment:
When you tune in to one of the FN cooking shows, you donât go just to learn a tip or look at mouthwatering food, right?
(If that were the case they could put any old chef up there and walk you methodically through a million proven cooking techniques + dishes.)
No, you go to the Food Network channel to have an experience — not only with the food, but with the people making it.
Think about the people who have been massive Food Network stars:
Giada. Alton. Emeril. Rachael. Guy.Â
What do they have in common behind their popularity?
They have big + engaging personalities, strong opinions, and a unique personal style.
That is what “star power” is all about. And itâs what every blogger must learn if they want to earn the privilege of a following.
A low fat, hold-the-sprinkles blog will only get you lost among all the other decadent flavors out there.
Resist the urge to be bland AT. ALL. COSTS.
You can add some (memorable) deliciousness to your blog posts by…
1. Generously sprinkling in a random silly, nerdy, witty, sarcastic, bold, sassy, saucy, or (insert your humor/personality style here) comment. See these posts from Nikki Elledge Brown, The Branded Solopreneur, and byRegina.
2. Telling humorous, intriguing, or heartfelt stories (real or imagined). See these posts by Intergeek, Dishwasher Required, and Bloomology.
3. Peppering them with your own complementary, helpful, fun, evocative, behind-the-scenes, or stunning on-brand imagery (photos or simple graphics). See these posts by Heartmade Blog and byRegina (sheâs too good, sorry not sorry).
4. Referring to your readers by an informal, friendly name, e.g. “babes,” “friends,” “gals,” “homies,” “folks,” “gents,” etc.
5. Taking a firm, well-defended stand on something controversial, e.g. “Why cats should never be de-clawed,” “You should never use grocery store herbs again,” or “Why pop-ups donât belong on your website“
3. FOLLOW THE 30/70 RULE OF POST PROMOTION
Youâve never officially heard of this rule (because I just officially made it up — bam!), but Iâm convinced itâs a thing.
Hereâs how it goes:
Of the time you spend on the content for your blog, 30% of it should dedicated to the actual creation (writing, recording, etc).
The other 70% should be making sure it gets in front of as many eyes as possible.
Too many times we do the opposite:
We spend a week writing the perfect post, hit publish, share it once on Twitter, Pin it once on Pinterest, and then weâre scrambling off to the next thing.
(Meanwhile weâre mortified, nauseous, or infuriated over the fact that — once again — the same 100 people viewed our post and the same 3 shared it. (Oh donât EVEN tell me you donât know what Iâm talking about!))
I know a lot of lady bloggers donât like to hear it because it feels uncomfortable, but intentional marketing IS necessary to grow your blog. Repeat after me:
Promotion is your best blogging friend.
Promotion is your best blogging friend.
Promotion is your best blogging friend.
Need help to get you started? You got it:
1. Tweet out your post at least 3x on the day it goes live, and retweet 2-4 others who share the post
2. Schedule a tweet to go out the following day, a few days later, at 1 week, 2Â weeks, etc —Â and continue to retweet others who are sharing
3. On the day it goes live post at least once on your Facebook Page, but consider posting once in the AM and once in the PM (at least 1 should be a direct link, the other can be an image with link in the status box)
4. Post in ALL relevant Facebook groups (when allowed) and blog promotion threads
5. Pin it up to 2x on the day it goes live (several hours + pins apart) on your most popular boards, then reschedule pins for all other relevant personal + group boards to post every 2-3 days apart
6. Share on Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, and any other social sites you use
7. List it in link parties throughout the week
8. Post the link in at least 2 separate places in an email to your list
Now, letâs get on to this monthâs actual blog income and traffic report, yes? Yes.
OLYVIA.CO BLOG TRAFFIC REPORT
Olyvia.co Pageviews for April:Â Â 13,731Â (+6,360Â from February)
Olyvia.co Users for April: 7,174Â (+3,148Â from February)
Top 3Â pages viewed this month:
(Click image to visit the post.)
Top 5Â traffic sources this month:
Top Pin driving visitors to Olyvia.co:
(Click image to visit the Pin.)
Top post of all time:
(Click image to visit the post.)
OLYVIA.CO BLOG INCOME REPORT
As Iâve mentioned in past income reports, the figures below are what I made through “passive income” on this blog, not my other client work and services.
Last monthâs earnings are as follows:
BlogHer Ads -  $13.03  (last month: $6.26)
Sovrn Ads - Â $2.82 Â ($2.62)
Amazon Associates (from the Resources page) -  $0.20  ($2.19)
Creative Market (from the Resources page + pins on Pinterest) - $3.40  ($4.60)
Tailwind (from the sidebar + tweets) - $17.98  ($0)
Freshbooks (from the Resources page) - $5.00  ($0)
GROSSÂ EARNINGS: Â $42.43
EMAIL LISTÂ STATS
737 classy people have chosen to receive The Olyvia Listâ˘:
+ SOCIAL MEDIA STATS
Twitter: Â 2,503 Â (+ 265Â from last month)
Pinterest: Â 1,221 Â (+ 307)
Facebook: Â 491 Â (+94)
Instagram: Â 235 Â (+ 30)
What have you found to be most effective in getting readers to your blog?
(Chief Olyvia)
Macaron photo Š antinolo (fotolia)