Here are ways to promote your blog in order to generate traffic. Today, thanks to social media, I’m able to get traffic to my blog on the same day I create a post. With Pinterest, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and other channels, it’s easy to see traffic happen quickly if you promote it.
Create an Email Funnel to Get Traffic
Create a series of emails subscribers can sign up for on your blog. For example, I have a ‘How To Blog’ series that readers can sign up for to learn how to start blogging as well as other ways to make money with their blog.
This is one-way traffic continues from my blog home page to the specific posts I want readers to see or sign up for (ex: this post here on how to get traffic to your blog).
People subscribe through my website with a form that I created with the Elementor Page Builder.
I use KEAP, the CRM to send my emails out through a drip email funnel. Sometimes, I will also send a broadcast email that is a single message sent to a specific audience.
Create a Pinterest For Business Account
After you create your blog, it’s time to start writing amazing content. Once you have written an excellent post that readers will find very valuable, get the Pinterest for business account and pin the blog post on your new Pinterest account.
Then, when you create a new blog post, you can make a coordinating graphic to use as a pin. I use Canva to create Pinterest Images. They have great templates for blog posts.
You can also pin other content from your Pinterest account to promote other content on your blog beyond the latest post you wrote.
This is a good way to drive traffic back to your website as well as build a strong following on Pinterest.
SEO your Blog Post For Website Traffic
Getting a blog post to rank on the search engines has more to do with great content and authority than it does on-page SEO. That being said, there are some best practices that can increase your odds of climbing the ranks on Google.
Some standard SEO practices include optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, images, and headings.
Implementing a link-building strategy that includes internal links, outbound links, and backlinks is key to building authority.
Social Media
Social media is the easiest way to drive quick traffic to your blog. Some ways to drive traffic from social media are:
Facebook Group: If you create a Facebook group, make sure it’s a closed group where only members can see the content. Then make sure each post has a link back to the blog so people can click through to read the full post.
Facebook Page: This is another quick way to get traffic back to your blog. Just be sure to consistently post links back to your blog posts.
Twitter: You should already be on Twitter because it’s one of the best ways to drive traffic from social media. If not, make a Twitter account and get tweeting.
Create lists on Twitter to follow like-minded people and organizations that share your blog post content. Then, start liking their posts and retweeting them back to your followers.
Instagram: This is another quick way to get traffic back to your blog. Make sure you post images and hashtags that link back to your website.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is an excellent way to drive traffic back to your blog especially because it’s a professional social networking site.
TikTok: TikTok is a social media platform where people post short videos of themselves. It has quickly grown in popularity in a short amount of time.
People use TikTok to share their brand, products, and content in the form of 15-second clips that they share with others on the platform. It’s an excellent way to drive traffic back to your blog.
Share other people’s content: If you follow influencers in your niche, share their blog posts or tweets to get them some exposure back to your website. That will increase the odds of them tweeting about your content again.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a way to generate links back to a specific blog post or page on your website. Some bloggers have been successful at building up a massive following from guest blogging. Guest blogging isn’t easy, but it’s one of the best ways to drive new and valuable traffic back to your website.
It takes some time and effort to generate high-quality links and comments back on posts that you publish on other people’s blogs or websites.
Use Trending Hashtags
When major events are happening, use hashtags that are trending to drive attention back to your blog. For example, if you’re an authority blogger about blogging, then consider using #bloggingtips on Instagram or Twitter.
Use Social Media Ads
You can also increase blog traffic with Facebook ads by targeting the blog posts they read in their newsfeeds. With Facebook ads, you can target people by interest with the goal to create a target audience that appreciates your niche.
Just make sure to optimize your ads for clicks and conversions rather than impressions. The more times you get the ad in front of the right person, the higher chance you have at getting a conversion.
You can also use Instagram ads to get more people back to your blog posts. They are similar but different from Facebook ads.
Create Youtube Videos
Videos are another way to drive traffic back to your blog.
It’s important to be strategic about it because you don’t want people flocking to your website just for the sake of it. It should be related to the content that they find on your site.
For example, I’ll create a tutorial on how to implement a specific strategy. (I teach people how to blog on my channel). Then, I’ll link to the comprehensive guide or checklist on my website.
Mentions to Get Traffic
Mentions are a quick way to get more traffic back to your website.
When you publish a blog post, mention people that you’ve interviewed or read during the process of creating the content. Then, link out to their websites from your posts.
It helps to get links from your traffic sources, but it’s even better when they return the favor.
Repurpose Content into Medium Articles
You have probably heard about Medium before because everyone seems to be sharing content there. Since they are so popular, you can drive more traffic back to your website by republishing old blog posts on Medium.
Medium has a feature where you can easily republish your blog posts with its built-in editor tool.
By repurposing content, you get more mileage out of the hard work that goes into creating new content for your blog.
Medium offers a setting that tells Google that this post was originally published elsewhere. This adds a rel=canonical tag that helps Google find your original content.
Creating Content That Gets Shared
You want to create content with the goal of getting more traffic back to your website. Creating quality content that gets shared is easier said than done.
By having long-form and short-form blog posts, you can maximize the chances of getting a link back to your website from another site.
People tend to love lists and how-to articles, so if you can get a list or tutorial published on another site, then you’ll have a better chance of getting a link back to your blog.
Stats are also popular in the blogging world so you may be in luck if you use data in your blog posts.
I’ve found that infographics, videos, and other visuals tend to get more shares than other blog posts do.
Use headings to clearly identify a new thought and plenty of white space between sentences and paragraphs. A paragraph should not be more than 3 sentences long.
Learn more about creating quality content in this comprehensive guide.
Host a Podcast
Podcasting is another content format you can use to drive traffic back to your blog.
If you’re an expert in your niche, then consider hosting a podcast interview or even a solo show where you talk about blogging. One example of this is Brandon Gaille’s Blog Millionaire.
Doing so allows you to build your brand as an authority figure in the field so readers can trust what you have to say.
You can also create a podcast series for your niche to help people become familiar with your voice and knowledge about the niche.
If you host a show where industry experts come on, then you’ll have more chances of them sharing their content back to your blog or social media accounts. A high-quality interview can be used as a promotional tool to convert more readers into email subscribers and customers.
When it comes to promoting your podcast, make sure you carefully select the guest that will add value to your listeners.
Creating a big-name guest could get you thousands of downloads but if all they do is talk about themselves, then listeners may tune out and not come back.
Use Google Ads
One trend in marketing is paid traffic. When you are just starting out, then use Google Ads to promote your content on the search engine results page (SERP).
People who click on your ad will see a link back to your website or blog post. You can even target specific keywords to make sure they reach the right audience.
Don’t shy away from spending money on advertising because it can make the difference between building an email list of subscribers and driving more traffic to your content.
Link to Other Blog Posts Internally
Internal linking is a strategy to help your blog posts rank higher on the search engine results page.
The idea is to use links from one post to another so Google can discover more content that’s relevant to each individual post.
This helps people who are reading a specific article get an overview of other topics you’ve covered in your blog. The best place to add links in your blog post is at the end of each section.
Make sure the link has a descriptive anchor text so people know where they’ll be taken if they click on it. Also, keep in mind that you should never overuse this strategy because there are penalties for using irrelevant links to other sites in order to manipulate Google rankings.
Personally, I like Link Whisper for setting target keywords and using a manual but assisted way of building internal links.
Find Influencers
Basically, you want to find influencers in your niche and start building relationships with them. The idea is to create value for the other party so they’ll share your content with their network of followers.
For example, if you decide to create a video that talks about how to build relationships with influencers, then find influencers in your niche who have made videos about the topic. You could even ask them for help by interviewing them on camera so they get exposure from your content.
One strategy is to comment on their blog posts or social media pages. It’s always a good idea to add insightful information that can get people interested in your content.
Answer Questions on Quora
Quora is a question and answer website where people ask questions about any topic imaginable. It’s a good place to find out what people want to know more about because they tend to share their interests on the site.
You can even answer questions with information from your blog post so readers have an idea of how it relates to other topics in the niche.
It’s a good idea to add a link back to your blog so people can discover more content you’ve written on the topic. You can also answer questions with specific anchor text that will help you rank higher for certain keywords in the future.
I would recommend using Quora if you have information about a topic that seems difficult to find online.
Create a Shareable List Post
If your goal is to build an email list, then you should create a list post that people will want to share on social media. The idea is to add value so readers can discover more content from different sources when they click on the link in the post.
For example:
– The 10 Best Blogging Tips for New Bloggers
– 11 Proven Ways To Boost Ecommerce Sales
Every list post you create should have a descriptive title and images for each entry. You can even make the thumbnail image clickable so people can learn more about the website or product.
You might also consider adding specific keywords in your titles to help them rank higher on the search engine results page.
Create a Resource Page
A resource page can be very useful for readers because it’s basically a place to go if they’re looking for information about a certain topic. You can even create resources that are relevant to your blog post so people have an idea of what else you’ve written on the subject.
For example:
– http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/prospecting-guide
– http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-templates
You can also create a resource page that’s broken down by post categories so people have an idea of what you’ve written about in the past.
One of the top traffic earners on my Las Vegas real estate website is my resources page for new homeowners. It offers information about utilities, cable, mail forwarding, etc.
Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
Check out Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and see if there is a need for your specialty. For example, you might be a blogger who can write about technology or parenting.
HARO sends out daily emails that list specific requests from publishers. They will list the topic, requirements, and contact information.
Then, you send an email and pitch your topic. If they choose you as a resource, you’ll most likely earn a link back to your website increasing traffic on your blog.
Publish Press Releases
Publish a press release about the launch of your new blog, product, or course. There are free and paid services for press releases. Just make sure you publish a press release with a clickable link back to your blog because this will help you rank in the search engine results pages.
Submit your Sitemap to Google
Submit your sitemap to Google. A sitemap is basically a list of pages of your website that search engine crawlers will index.
When you create a new page on your blog, make sure you submit it to Google through the Search Console Dashboard (provided by Google). You can also add new URLs using webmaster tools so Google has a better idea of what your blog is all about.
Conferences and Events
Get listed on the calendar for upcoming blogging events or conferences that you can attend to promote your blog. You should also come up with other ideas for online roundups, interviews, guest posts, etc. so people might actually want to contact you to come up with a story for their blog.
Look for opportunities to present a topic that will be useful for the audience. After all, you want them to remember you and your blog when they need information about a specific topic. This will also help you establish yourself as an industry expert so people might want to read more of your content or reach out to you for interviews or guest posts.
Hold a Local Workshop
I know this is not always possible. But, if you’re in an area where there are people and businesses that share the same interest, hold a local workshop.
This is an excellent way to create a relationship, and blog following from a target audience.
Use the free registration to build your list.
Host a Free Webinar
Hosting a webinar is a great way to create a relationship with your readers and target audience. If you can, come up with some really useful information and tips so they will be more than happy to sign up for your webinar and actually show up.
Once you’ve secured them in front of their computer, it’s time to give them something they can use. Perhaps you have a paid course, e-book or special report that they can download when they join your webinar.
Once the person signs up for your webinar, they will be added to your email list so it’s easy to get them back to your blog.
Find a business, or thought leader in your industry and offer to provide an online workshop for their audience, only. This way, you borrow the influence of the leader to reach a new audience.
Host a Facebook Giveaway
Host a Facebook giveaway. Many bloggers do this as an incentive for new visitors, or those who join their email list so they have a chance to win a product or free service.
This is a great way to introduce new people to your blog and invite them to subscribe to your updates on Facebook.
Publish an eBook
Publish an eBook on Kindle, or if you’re not ready to write your own content, look for paid eBooks that are available to private labels.
The idea here is to get the eBook published and listed on Amazon (and other booksellers) so it gets ranked in the search engine results pages.
More people will see your eBook and click on your website link when they see you listed in the search engine results pages.
Collaborate with other Creators
Do you know any other bloggers who are writing about the same topic as your blog? Why not contact them and offer to collaborate on a post.
This is an excellent way to do cross-promotion so both of you will benefit from each other’s efforts.
You can also join forces with another blogger, or two, and hold a small event for your readers. This is another way to build your list, create a relationship with fellow bloggers and expand the readership of each blog.
Invite Guest Bloggers
Many popular bloggers invite guest contributors to their sites so they can reach out to new people who are interested in what they have to say on the subject. Make it easy for them by providing a bio of the guest blogger with links to their website so they can get more exposure.
In Closing,
You have to remember that establishing a following takes time. People have to know about you, what you write about and how you can help them before they start visiting your blog regularly.
If you want people to come back for more information, you have to provide it so they will be more than happy to subscribe.
Also, remember that success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to persevere for months, if not years before you start seeing results.
That said, enjoy the journey because it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever hope for.
Good luck!
