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7 Secrets For Getting Traffic To Your Blog

This post was most recently updated on February 11th, 2019

7 Secrets For Getting TrafficTo Your BlogIt can be so difficult getting traffic to your blog.

This is a big challenge for new bloggers.

But well established bloggers are always looking to tap into ongoing sources of traffic.

These tips are guaranteed to get traffic flowing to even the most sluggish blogs.

Best of all, you can implement them right away to generate highly targeted traffic to your blog.

7 Secrets For Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Building traffic to your blog may take time.

So, be patient and persistent.

Now, you can’t do everything at once.

So carefully consider which tips you want to act on first.

That said, this should always be first for everyone.

1. Publish High Quality Content

Write great content to help others

If your content doesn’t help your readers, then don’t write it.

Every single thing you put on your blog should improve the lives of your readers.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

I list this as the #1 tactic because if you’re not doing this, nothing else will work.

There’s no negotiating here… you MUST publish ONLY content that helps your readers solve their problems and improve their lives.

Now there are lots of strategies for WHAT kind of content to write.

You might consider a roundup post, an authority post, an entertaining post and so forth.

Or perhaps you want to do a series of articles designed specifically to drive traffic to your blog.

Whatever KIND of content you write, or for whatever purpose, you want it to be high quality.

Bloggers are easily tempted to jump the gun and shoot for quantity instead.

Don’t get sucked into this trap.

It’s far more important to write good stuff than to try something crazy (for most of us) like posting a blog post every stinkin’ day.

So enough for what NOT to do.

Let’s see how to do it the right way.

Now, there are some key elements to writing a great blog post.

Let’s review them.

Your Headline

I guess the first thing that people are going to see when you write a blog post is your title, right?

So you might think that the title is a pretty important element of a great blog post.

You’re right.

In fact, it is probably the most important part.

I mean you want people to open your blog post, right?

So you see, it doesn’t really matter how great the content is in your blog post if people are not opening it.

And only the title or headline is going to get people to open it.

Capeesh? actually, I just learned from a spell check… it’s capisce 🙂

So the key with your title is to make it benefit-rich.

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Read more here… How to Write a Blog Post – The Ultimate Guide
on Smartblogger

Show people the benefit that they will reap from actually clicking on your blog post and reading it.

If you don’t show them a benefit to reading it, then they’re probably not going to be interested in even looking at it.

Would you?

I really want to take this just one step further.

Don’t just show people the benefits in your headlines.

Show them how you are going to save them, ie. Solve Their Problems.

Consider their most pressing problem, and solve it in your blog post.

Or at least, solve a piece of it.

Let your headline be a promise to solving a piece of a big problem or challenge that they struggle with…

…and believe me they will “click to read.”

The Introduction

The big job of your blog post introduction is to Disrupt Complacency.

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Read more here… Writing Blog Posts That Ignite Viral Content Marketing

So you see, people don’t really want to read your blog post.

They are too comfortable and complacent.

Happy to be doing whatever they’re doing, and not be disturbed.

But hey, the only reason they are reading your blog post is because they saw your blog headline promising them something they want.

Something worth the disturbance.

So what they’re really hoping for is a solution to their problem.

If your blog post promises that, then it will be a welcome disruption to their complacency.

Extend your headline

So really, the introduction is just an extension of your headline.

You’ve told them in the headline the benefit they’ll get from reading your blog post.

But you only had a few words to do that.

In the introduction, you get a chance to spell it out more in detail.

So here’s what you do.

Repeat to them that you will solve their problem or offer them the promised benefit.

Promise to deliver specific benefits

But now, spell it out in more detail.

I like the blog posts that say something like “in this blog post you are going to learn the following.”

Or, “by the end of this article you will know how to…”

Now, I don’t really use that formula myself, but I think it’s a really cool thing to do.

You can use your own version of it.

But the idea is let people know right up front in the introduction that they’re going to get a lot of benefit if they continue reading.

This pulls them in so they’ll read further.

It also keeps them on your blog longer, so they won’t bounce.

So that’s another thing.

The introduction is key to reducing the bounce rate of your blog post.

The Body of Your Article

Now for the body of your blog post.

Where should you begin?

Well, the scariest thing in blogging is staring at a blank white page.

So you’ve got to get started somewhere.

I always like to start start small and work up big.

Something like this, from Rebekah Radice…

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Read the full article here… 7 Steps to Writing Your Best Blog Post Every Time

So, once you’ve got some kind of an outline, then it’s time to just put it together, right?

Well, okay, I don’t want to oversimplify this.

You’ve really got to know where you’re heading.

My Tiny Post system

So, I like to do a very simple mini blog post before I do the full one.

I build it out from the tiniest seed and then grow it however large I want.

I call this my Tiny Little Post system.

It’s basically this.

Don’t sit down to write a 1,000 word blog post.

Sit down to write a 10 word post.

However you go about writing your blog post, whatever message you use to get started and get off the dime. so to speak.

The point is to get things rolling.

In just a tiny way.

And once they get rolling, just to let them flow.

After the first 10 words, things will expand into a full-blow blog post far more easily than you’d think.

Just follow my Tiny Little Post system here…

4 Ways To Write More Blog Posts, And Write Them Better And Faster

Alternate Methods

But that’s just my method.

There are many others.

Here’s one I really like from Laura Yates

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Read the full article here… Write Better Blog Posts (That People Actually Read)
on Blogging .com, by Laura Yates

So choose a method that works for you and put it to work.

An extension of your Introduction

That’s right.

The entire body of your blog post is an extension of your introduction.

You already told people what you’re going to show them in the introduction.

What you’re going to teach them.

What problems you’ll be solving for them.

So now, in the body, just list those things that you promised.

Then make them happen.

One at a time.

If you promise five things… there’s your outline.

Now fill in the five promises with whatever it takes to fulfill them.

If you made only one promise, then break that down into it’s parts.

Anything that you promise to do can surely be broken down into 3, 4 or 5 parts.

So that’s what you can do for the body of your blog post.

Improve lives

The main thing to remember is that you’re always trying to help people solve problems and overcome challenges.

You want to help them have a better life.

They should come away from your article feeling like their life has been made just a little bit bitter better, just a little bit easier because they read your blog post.

And if they have that feeling then you will have earned their trust.

Put Calls To Action (CTA) in Every blog post

Your whole business as a blogger is built on trust.

Need more blog traffic?

Keep making promises and keeping them.

That builds the kind of trust that brings a steady flow of traffic to your blog.

You don’t want to write your blog post just to show that you’re an authority or an expert on something.

Not until you have built a bond of trust first.

People don’t care that you’re an authority or an expert.

What they really care about is solutions to their problems.

And they want to know if they can trust you to give them that.

Trust fuels conversions

I assume that your blogging business has some sort of monetization scheme.

But people are not going to buy products from you, join your business or email list, or hire you for your services until they first come to trust you.

You must instill trust in your readers with every blog post that you write.

Show them that you care about them.

And that you have their best interest at heart… not yours.

That, more than anything, will convert people from passive readers into eager subscribers, buyers and clients.

Use Storytelling

You can usually do this best by interweaving your own personal perspectives or your own personal stories into anything that you’re trying to teach or even promote.

Show people how it worked for you.

Tell them how you tried it and how you liked it, or not.

Share your successes or even failures with your readers.

Let them know that you’ve walked the road that they are now walking.

You’ve had the same problems and faced the same challenges.

Make it like a story, not just some boring information or lecture.

Engage your audience

These things will create a bond a trust between you and your audience.

And trust is what blogging is all about.

That’s the intention that should underlie every single blog post you write.

Building trust and rapport is far more important that than just teaching a lesson or dumping a bunch of information on people.

Plot a Careful CTA Strategy

What do you want your readers to do when they read your blog post?

If you don’t know, then you won’t be getting any conversions.

And driving traffic to your blog is pretty meaningless if you have no conversion strategy in place.

CTA’s are not afterthoughts.

You don’t want to be writing a great blog post designed to attract a ton of traffic until you’ve FIRST, determined what you CTA’s will be.

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

Read more here21 Call to Action Examples in Writing and 3 Rules for Effective CTAs
by David Zheng on Crazy Egg

So consider very carefully what calls to action you’re looking for when you write your blog post.

In fact, the structure of you blog post should revolve around your CTA’s.

Remember, CTA’s are not afterthoughts!

If you are teaching people how to do something, for instance, it should be for a purpose.

The purpose is your CTA.

Now that they have learned how to do whatever you just taught them, they could be ready to do something like…

Join your email list to get more in-depth information or training on the subject.

Or, buy what you’re promoting to implement what they just learned in your blog post.

Or, click below to read another article you wrote, or a video you did, etc etc… to take the learning a step further.

So don’t be shy.

Ask them to take one of those actions, or something else that will help you grow your business.

If you don’t ask, then you will not build your email list, get a sale or move readers onto some of your other content.

All the traffic in the world will not help you get those conversions unless you create very clear CTA’s within your blog post.

2. Establish Congruency

Make sure the title of your blog is congruent to the content.

Don’t “promise” that you’re going to solve your readers’ problems unless you really are.

So don’t write a blog title like this…

“3 Ways To Build An Email List”…

If your article then goes on to describe 3 reasons that it’s important to have an email list, but never really tells people “how” to build one.

Make bold promises in your blog post title.

That’s great.

But only if you deliver what you promise.

3. Create Video Engagement

You want to climb Google’s search results ladder, right?

And, you want to connect more personally with your readers.

Embedding videos routinely in your blog posts will accomplish both objectives.

The videos can be of you, facing the camera and talking to your audience.

That is always the best way to create engagement.

If you are camera shy, though, you can do a screen share.

In that case, you could just share a demonstration of something.

Do this while your webcam is capturing your browser, for instance, instead of your face.

The point here is that video helps you engage with your audience.

This will make your blog more popular with the search engines.

Even more though, it will become more popular with your readers.

Increased engagement always leads to an increase in traffic.

And remember, nothing helps you get personal and engaging with your readers than video.

4. Market Your Content

It’s not enough to create great content.

Sure, that is the first thing you need to do.

Once that’s done, though, you have to get out of your blogging bubble.

In other words, you have to find your readers where they are.

This usually means that you need to get your message out on the big social media sites.

Or on forums, blogs and wherever else your target audience hangs out.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

You see, you can’t just write great blog posts and wait for people to discover them.

You need to get out of your blogging bubble and put your content in front of your audience.

Share your content routinely and robustly in the places where they can be found.

5. Build Relationships

A big reason for you to get out of your blogging bubble is to start building relationships.

Build relationships with your readers, audience, other bloggers and even prospective business partners.

This kind of activity usually means becoming active on social media sites.

But forums and even leading blogs are also good places to connect.

Being “active” on social media requires that you actively seek people out.

It means that you are actively marketing yourself, your content and your ideas to them.

Be clean and be mindful of the goals you have for your blogging business.

Connect with audiences and individuals who will help you attain them.

You want to do this wisely, though.

If you’re posting videos, for instance, you don’t want to make them all about you, your blog and your business.

But you want to create authoritative, knowledgeable and entertaining video.

Use “teasers” that interest people and promise a solution to common problems in your niche.

Occasionally, direct them back to your blog.

I use Facebook Live videos to do this.

I actually have gained quite a number of new followers this way.

You can do this, too, either with video, engaging status updates and just by joining ongoing conversations inside of groups and comment threads.

Twitter is also a good place also to connect with blogging “tribes.”

Special: Get My Best Blogging Secrets Now (Free)

Using Twitter hashtags will help you meet so many people in the same niche as you.

All you have to do is start retweeting their posts and you’ll be setting the foundation for a strong blogging community.

6. Optimize Your Blog

Make sure your blog doesn’t get buried in the avalanche of other sites in your niche.

Practice the best SEO strategies to make your blog search engine friendly.

After all, search engines like Google and Bing can send you tons of free traffic.

But before they do, they need to know that your blog post matches their search queries.

Now, one of the most important SEO tactics to employ is to link to other blogs.

This is a really cool tactic because

  • you will be linking to other blogs and sites that your readers will appreciate and value
  • and, you will start building relationships with other site owners and bloggers

So, in the process of optimizing your blog, outbound links can help you

  • raise your authority level with your readers, and
  • build meaningful relationships with other bloggers

These are things that will get your blog noticed.

When your blog gets noticed, people start visiting, commenting and following.

Just make sure that you are linking out to really good blogs.

That way, you’ll always be

  • sending your readers to articles that really help them, and
  • creating and nurturing bonds with high quality bloggers.

7. Comment On Other Blogs

Each time you comment on other blogs, you build your relevance to others.

You also get noticed by people as you build your authority with them.

And you gain valuable backlinks to your own blog.

But you need to do it the right way.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

First of all, always be polite.

This may be the most important part of driving traffic to your blog.

Be consistent.

Go to other blogs every day.

Read them.

Leave a meaningful comment.

As long as you comment in a way that acknowledges the author of a blog, and tells him/her what you got out of it, the blogger will be thrilled.

Then take a moment to share their article on social media.

So what do you think is going to happen?

Yes… ding ding ding… they will come to your blog to comment and share, too.

Remember sharing is caring!

When we care about others, it does show in everything we do.

7 Secrets For Getting Traffic To Your Blog

So these are my tips for getting traffic to your blog… or getting more traffic to it.

One thing I should underscore is this…

Blog content does not always mean written text.

People often think of a blog as a written article.

But I have found that video is especially powerful for getting traffic to your blog.

Why do I stress putting videos on your blog?

Because it is interesting for people.

People love to watch other people so live streaming is king of all video types.

Special: Get My Best Blogging Secrets Now (Free)

It not only shows who you are, but more importantly, shows how you interact with people.

And it all happens in real time.

Live video streaming captures you as you interact with people who are saying “hi” to you, or asking questions or commenting on your ideas.

As you interact with others via live stream video, you are showcasing how you interact with prospective readers of your blog.

Some of them can turn out to be loyal and avid followers.

You also benefit by demonstrating how you teach others.

So, here are my hot bonus tips for getting traffic to your blog…

  • post videos to YouTube and include them in your blog posts
  • refer people to your blog via live streaming videos on Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram.

Now, if you’re shy about video, just remember this… we all have different personalities.

Keeping this in mind, know that some people will instantly be attracted to who you are and what you share with them.

Your delivery, personality or message may not be a good fit for others, though.

Ergo… You can’t please all of the people all of the time.

So don’t even try.

Just be yourself.

Top Tier Coaching

Which of the above “7 secrets for getting traffic to your blog” is your favorite?

Let me hear from you!

Leave me a comment below, and then share this articles on your favorite social sites.

-Donna

 

Donna Merrill
Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.

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65 Responses to 7 Secrets For Getting Traffic To Your Blog

  1. Moss Clement
    Twitter:
    February 7, 2019 at 4:33 am #

    Hi Donna,

    The seven tips you outlined in your article are great. Blog commenting enables you to build long-term relationships that can set you up for the long run.

    While it is vital to optimize your content and website for SEO, you should as well optimize for mobile users.

    Mobile has become a fascinating digital marketing asset, so much that more than half of global internet users are using their mobile devices to browse all day. Therefore, it makes sense to optimize for mobile and enable Google accelerated mobile pages.

    Moss Clement recently posted… HOW FOOD BLOGGERS BENEFIT FROM WEB PUSH NOTIFICATIONS

  2. Paul December 10, 2017 at 8:52 am #

    This is amazing, you mentioned all the techniques to drive traffic to a blog. The most favorite list that i do always to drive traffic is blog commenting because when you contributedknowledge by commenting, you are showing others how knowledgeable you are on the content. Great post. I enjoyed reading
    Paul recently posted..Gamot sa Sore Throat o Kumakati na Lalamunan Ano nga ba?My Profile

  3. Robin Khokhar
    Twitter:
    October 30, 2017 at 3:32 am #

    Hi Donna,
    Amazing shares and I hope that these secret techniques will work for me. And also consider that these tips are really helpful to the other bloggers.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a good day ahead.

  4. Kia
    Twitter:
    October 24, 2017 at 8:24 am #

    I would also recommend being active in blogger communities where you can interact with other bloggers’ content and share your content for promotion as well.
    Kia recently posted..5 Underrated SEO Audit Gems That You Just Can’t Afford to Ignore AnymoreMy Profile

  5. William Jones October 17, 2017 at 9:54 am #

    As a blogger, this article was really helpful. Effective social media participation, infographics submission are also helpful to get more audience.
    William Jones recently posted..List of best Video Monetization Platforms in the IndustryMy Profile

  6. Nzekwe Godswill
    Twitter:
    October 16, 2017 at 1:27 am #

    Hi Donna,

    This post is really great I just saved it offline so that later I can practice it and also share it with my friends. Keep posting great articles.
    I believe so much on Blog commenting and building relationship, its really working out for me.

    Regards,
    Godswill

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 21, 2017 at 10:11 am #

      Hi Godswill,

      It is so great to know that you believe in blog commenting because it is the backbone of our blogs. I do try to keep posting articles that will help the new blogger as well as the blogger that has been around for a while.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Welcome – How Is This Blog Different?My Profile

  7. Mark
    Twitter:
    October 9, 2017 at 6:18 pm #

    Thanks for providing an excellent road map Donna!

    You’ve shared seven, extremely practical and very do-able strategies.

    And I will definitely be incorporating more of them, into
    my DMO, (dail Mode Of Operation.)

    For starters, #’s $ & 5, are literally enough to keep me, more than busy, from now
    on!LOL!

    Seriously coach, I really don’t need to try and implement all seven. But I
    will definitely, start adding more of them into the mix.

    And just try and be more consistent with my efforts.Thanks!
    Mark recently posted..What A Rehab Project Can Teach You About Successful Digital Marketing!My Profile

  8. Gaurav Kumar
    Twitter:
    October 9, 2017 at 8:58 am #

    Hi Donna,

    I always believe that optimized blog and optimized blogging relationships help to boost blogging career and get quality traffic. A blog attracts quality traffic if it shares the quality content.

    Quality content is something that we talk about all the time still there are bloggers who completely ignore what their readers want from them.

    Thnks for sharing.
    Gaurav Kumar recently posted..5 of the Worst Ways to Make Money OnlineMy Profile

  9. deepika October 9, 2017 at 7:42 am #

    Excellent tips once again. These are really Creative and innovative techniques of “how to drive traffic to blog

    I currently use a few of these tips but I am going to have to try several more. I am interested in #3 – Create Video Engagement.
    thanks for the share.

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 21, 2017 at 10:07 am #

      Hi,

      Video engagement seems to be quite popular. Using it on our blogs i.e. a short video is great to get people to see who you are. It is also great to Live Stream on social sites in order to increase engagement.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Welcome – How Is This Blog Different?My Profile

  10. Naveen Kumar
    Twitter:
    October 5, 2017 at 6:57 am #

    Hi, Donna,

    Excellent tips once again. These are really Creative and innovative techniques of “how to drive traffic to blog

    I currently use a few of these tips but I am going to have to try several more. I am interested in #3 – Create Video Engagement.

    And for Relationship blog comments & Guest Posting is still excellent way, even though you do not say something like that.

    Thanks for sharing. Have a great Weekend!

  11. Amit Gupta October 3, 2017 at 10:57 pm #

    wow nice article, this article help me lots to get web organic traffic, thank you for sharing

  12. Janice Wald
    Twitter:
    October 3, 2017 at 6:54 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    I don’t know how to get my webcam to take a video of my screen.
    I tried with Bandicam, but it didn’t download and gave up. Do you have other (free) suggestions? I’d appreciate them. Thanks,
    Janice

  13. Donna Merrill
    Twitter:
    October 2, 2017 at 9:20 am #

    Hi Kathryn,

    We can do all the SEO and great content in the world, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the people we attract. We always need new people to attract so we can farm them to our list and then sales funnel.

    Indeed, it all comes down to relationships. Quality is so much better than quantity.

    Video is getting more and more popular. We get those “brownie points” from Google when doing this. But it all depends on what we are after. 🙂

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  14. Kathryn Maclean
    Twitter:
    September 30, 2017 at 10:55 am #

    Hi Donna,
    We do know that content is most important. But if no one sees it what is the point of it? New people to blogging learn this or they disappear. They need to use well-targeted keywords with their high-quality content to help them rank their site on the search engines, eventually. Yoast SEO helps in writing the SEO structure and using search terms in their content.
    To me relationships, you make through networking and your blog matter a lot. People make your business and Video is the best way to introduce your self to your audience. I will work on that because I know it’s important and is going to get more popular as time goes by.
    Very helpful blog post!
    Kathryn Maclean recently posted..Do you have a Successful Self-Hosted WordPress Blog?My Profile

  15. Ravi Chahar
    Twitter:
    September 30, 2017 at 8:22 am #

    Hey Donna,

    The traffic generation can be really hard for the beginners. Some people give up in a few months just because their dream of building a rock solid blog gets shattered.

    No doubt that the quality of the content matters a lot. People with the quality always win.
    The visual content can be a game changer for sure.

    Thanks for sharing with us.
    ~Ravi

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 2, 2017 at 9:13 am #

      Hi Ravi,

      I do see many that give up within a few months because of their false dreams. But it takes time and consistency in order to build up any blog or business.

      Quality content is always a winner as long as we put our content out in various social media platforms. And Yes, visual content is surely a game changer.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  16. SaraD
    Twitter:
    September 30, 2017 at 8:11 am #

    Donna, I think commenting is best for me. It helps me get to know the author behind the writing. Really get to know them. I can tell by the relationship built with other bloggers via commenting whether a connection has been made. Sometimes there isn’t one so I just move on to another.

    It’s ashamed that some bloggers don’t take comments seriously. Most people don’t comment just to have something to do – they do it to connect with you.

    Video is challenging for me. There was a time I did 30 days of periscopes so I got better but that was back in 2015. I’m back at being scared of seeing myself on camera.

    I’ll take you up on this video challenge though.

    I’m writing a post highlighting something about a previous blog post I read on your blog – so I’ll use it as an opportunity to get in front of the camera and voice why I like the post. ^_^ Will let you know when I publish it.

    ^_^ thanks for always sharing valuable and sustainable blogging tips.
    SaraD recently posted..Unproductive Efficiency: Stop Doing All the ThingsMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 2, 2017 at 9:04 am #

      Hi Sara,

      Commenting is key for bloggers. If you were to see all those one liner’s that I trashed in my back office you would have a good laugh with me. A good comment is impressionable. You are so great at that!

      As for video…wow you did the challenge for periscope..now it can be easier for you to get back in front of the camera. The only thing that stops us is fear. I know..when it is time to get my hair cut I hate being in front of the camera. I will think I look terrible. But hey, we have to do things for our business, and the heck with what that silly negative voice in our head is saying. he he he

      Go for it and let me know.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  17. Ruth Bowers
    Twitter:
    September 29, 2017 at 8:21 pm #

    Hi Donna! Great tips as always. I love your point about congruency. If the title and the content don’t match you’re going to create very unhappy readers and that will not increase traffic to your blog. 🙂 As for video, I’ve decided that I’m going to take the plunge in October and see what happens.
    Ruth Bowers recently posted..5 Tips for Getting the Right Content to the Right Place for Your AudienceMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 2, 2017 at 8:56 am #

      Hi Ruth,

      Congruency is key otherwise people will just leave as fast as they can.

      Go ahead and take that plunge in October Ruth. Video is awesome to use to give a good message out to others. Right now I’m teaching a 30 day challenge on doing Live Streams. It amazes me how fear can stop some from getting in front of the camera. Here is a quick trick….when you look at the camera pretend it is your best friend you are talking to … go further and put a picture of your friend behind the camera.

      All the best to you!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  18. Rachel Lavern
    Twitter:
    September 29, 2017 at 12:16 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    All of your tips are highly actionable, so if somone is really serious about taking their traffic to the next level, it is doable. I think my favorite tip of yours is to market your content. I try to provide useful + practical information that can be implemented immediately for my readers so that the blog attracts consistent traffic. I try to think about what readers want and need rather than just writing about what I want to write. If the information I provide is helpful, they will be willing to share with their friends.

    But then again, my traffic does not matter if my website does not convert. I am aware that sometimes I am working as if I am sending mice to an empty mouse trap. Who does that? LOL
    Rachel Lavern recently posted..5 Tips to Jump Start Your MarketingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 2, 2017 at 8:51 am #

      Hi Rachel,

      I do like to give some useful and practical information and also make it so simple that people can walk away with at least one thing to apply.

      We always have to be on the lookout of what our readers need….so true!

      He He He I love your analogy here Rachel about mice to an empty mouse trap. That happens when we just blog and not use social media or email to give CTA’s

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  19. Susan Velez
    Twitter:
    September 29, 2017 at 7:06 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Great tips on driving traffic to a blog, we all know that we want more traffic. Starting the blog is the easy part, the hard work comes when you’re trying to grow the blog.

    It’s nice to see that I’m already doing some of the things on this list. I just have to give it time for my blog to grow.

    I make it a point to provide content that helps me, readers. I actually hate reading those types of articles that promise something in the title and when you go to read it, the article has nothing to do with their promise they made in the title.

    I make it a point to add some of my YouTube videos in my blog posts. My blog is almost a year old and I am just starting to see some traffic from Google, so it definitely takes time for organic traffic to start. (but at least I’m starting to see it now )

    Thanks for sharing these tips, I have no doubt that they will help bloggers know what to to do get traffic to their blog.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 2, 2017 at 8:44 am #

      Hi Susan,

      Indeed, it is easy to start a blog, but to maintain it and grow the blog is another story. There are so many moving parts to it.

      Great that you are using some of your YouTube videos in your blog posts. It can help you climb up “Google’s” ladder if that is what you are looking to do.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  20. Sonal Talwar
    Twitter:
    September 29, 2017 at 4:59 am #

    Hi Donna

    It is true that content is the key but what if our content does not reach others. networking, blog commenting and video engagement are the great ideas to increase our content reach. I am guilty of no video engagement. This is something I guess I should try.

    Secondly I agree with what Atish said – doing keyword research for organic traffic is a must.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Sonal Talwar recently posted..Balance These 5 Hormones to Lose WeightMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 1, 2017 at 9:23 am #

      Hi Sonal,

      Indeed, content is key but reaching others is more important. We can have the very best content in the world, but it will sit there and collect dust unless we ourselves start engaging with others in so many different ways.

      Video has worked wonders for me but I know there are many other ways to get our content out there. Indeed, Atish is right on the money!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  21. Elise Cohen Ho
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:35 pm #

    My favorite tip is always about being authentic and offering quality. These are things no one should need to remind people of but that, at the same time, it is always good to remind people of.
    Elise Cohen Ho recently posted..Welcome to the 22nd Blog Sharing LinkUp PartyMy Profile

  22. Ryan Biddulph
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 3:09 pm #

    Hi Donna.

    Excellent post.

    I like the congruency point. Be on point, by following up on your title, with your helpful, in-depth, detailed post that delivers on your title promise.

    This is all about building those bonds, and those friendships grow outside of your blogging bubble. Now, it is easy for me to step outside the bubble, to co-create, to help, to comment and to guest post on top blogs. But in the beginning, leaving the bubble felt scary.

    Many bloggers with immense talent hamstring themselves by cowering to the fear of criticism, because nothing other than the fear of being picked apart or rejected, save the fear of wasting time, holds you back from going the blog commenting and promoting of other bloggers and guest posting that leads to blogging success.

    Thanks for the rocking share Donna.

    Ryan
    Ryan Biddulph recently posted..10 Stupid Simple Fundamentals of Blogging (Amazon eBook)My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 1, 2017 at 8:58 am #

      Hi Ryan,

      It sure is scary leaving that comfortable bubble in the beginning. But once we step out of it there is no stopping us!

      Oh when it comes to fearing what other people would think, I grew out of that fear a long time ago with my off line business. I had my share of negativity, but learned how to handle it. Although it was devastating in the beginning and I wanted to run away from it all, I regained my confidence and said to myself that if negativity is all they have then bless them all.

      When it comes to blogging success, you know how to do it so well my friend.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  23. Awogor Matthew
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 1:34 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    Thanks for this tips. Good content really matters a lot but am currently having issues with videos. I am not that geeky in creating videos that convert. But I will try my best to learn as soon as possible. I have made a challenge long ago to all the days comment on blogs not less than 30 comments a day and this has been my stands and I don’t just do that. Sharing other people’s content can be another great head up to generate traffic to your blog as the author may sometimes turn to share yours with their audience especially when it’s involved with top influencers. I understand how this task may be from the beginning but often times it’s said practice makes perfect. This is true it will definitely give you a huge result at last. It can also help to protect your domain from spam score. This analysis I try to figure out some time ago and discover that your domain spam score can easily be determined by how to engage your domain is with other websites. That’s you don’t either participate in forums or even make comments on other blogs a habit.

    I picked on this steps because it’s been a blog post for almost two of my guest post and I want everyone to understand the importance of blog commenting luckily I came across your post ones again. Thanks much for sharing this wonderful traffic driving tips with us. I appreciate.
    Awogor
    Awogor Matthew recently posted..Google Maps Widget plugin – Review and Experts OpinionMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      October 1, 2017 at 8:54 am #

      Hi Awogor,

      Wow…30 blogs a day? You sure are doing a great job! Commenting is a bit challenging at first, but then it does get easier as we get used to it …..and yes, practice makes perfect.

      It may take a little time, but the rewards are beneficial. You get real and honest people coming back to your blog and giving you good feedback…like you did here.

      Thanks so much,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  24. Chery Schmidt
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 12:10 pm #

    Hey Donna! You have shared some awesome tips for getting traffic to your blog with us here today! You my friend are proof that video’s do indeed work! I just love how you put them on your blog as well as on Social Media! Perhaps this vacation will help me get focused on what needs to be done to end the year in a BANG!

    Thanks for sharing..
    Chery :))
    Chery Schmidt recently posted..Is Impatience A Killer To Success?My Profile

  25. Donna Merrill
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 7:39 am #

    Hi Lisa,

    Marketing the content on our blog is a must but it does take some time. Indeed, Quora will take a few months to work out but it is time well spent.

    I never was good at SEO because quite frankly I found it boring lol. But Yoast saved the day!

    Networking and commenting is something that is another must do because at the end of the day, people buy people. And video is like being in the room with your readers.

    Hope to see you too before the snow falls!

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  26. Lisa Sicard
    Twitter:
    September 28, 2017 at 5:41 am #

    Hi Donna, I’m glad you mentioned marketing the blog. That one is important and the one I work more on today than ever before. I am finding being active on sites like Flipboard, JustRetweet and Quora is finally driving my top 10 ten ways of traffic coming to mine today. Of course organic is always #1 and that is important too. It all takes time. Quora especially took at least 6 months of daily activity to spark traffic.

    I love how Yoast SEO makes it easier to write posts and keeps the SEO structure easier to do!

    Networking and commenting on other blogs is huge too. No one can blog alone out there and be successful. You must get to know others and you will feed off each other too.

    Video is the area that is growing by leaps and bounds and you have a done a marvelous job of it Donna! I’ve got to work more on that going forward. I’ve dabbled in it and definitely felt the effects of it!

    Thanks for all the suggestions and tips Donna. Have a great rest of the week. Hope to see you before winter sets in!
    Lisa Sicard recently posted..17 Content Marketing Gadgets of the Trade To Make It EasyMy Profile

  27. Sharon T McLaughlin MD FACS
    Twitter:
    September 27, 2017 at 9:55 pm #

    I have been busy lately trying to increase the blog traffic. You have made some excellent suggestions, I will make sure to share this post. Thanks for posting this.

  28. Rajinder Singh
    Twitter:
    September 27, 2017 at 6:49 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Great tips for getting traffic! All are most popular ways to drive massive traffic.

    Every blogger should optimize their blog first. A well-targeted keyword with high-quality content will help you to get ranked on search engines. Pro Bloggers are getting most of the traffic from search results because they spend more time on SEO. The SEO takes time but if you have a good knowledge of optimization, you can easily get good ranking. Other 6 ways will help you get faster ranking. You can say; other 6 are pillars of SEO.

    Thank you for sharing such an informative article with us. I have checked your other articles and found a lot of valuable content. I just started following you on Twitter so that I can get new post notification from you.

    – Rajinder

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 28, 2017 at 7:25 am #

      Hi Rajinder,

      I use these tips for traffic because I like it to flow organically. When it comes to SEO I do rely on my Yoast Plugin but that’s about it. Other people do shout me out to various social media sites so I get a good amount of that “word-of-mouth” traffic that means so much to me.

      It is great to know you found this and other articles valuable. Thanks!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  29. Atish Ranjan
    Twitter:
    September 27, 2017 at 3:23 am #

    Hello Donna,

    There are tons of ways to get traffic to your blog. However, you have mentioned the best ones in the post, and I agree with them all. Moreover, I am more into organic traffic so I put more efforts on Keyword research and then writing optimized content accordingly to get more organic traffic.

    Thanks for writing such a nice post.
    Atish Ranjan recently posted..How to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard?My Profile

  30. Marquita Herald
    Twitter:
    September 26, 2017 at 11:49 pm #

    All important strategies Donna. As far as SEO, I absolutely LOVE the Yoast plug-in! At first, trying to follow the tips and guidelines drove me a little crazy but once I finally understood it all it became a habit and it made a huge difference. Linking to other blogs (other than something like a TED Talk) from one of my articles isn’t something I’m likely to ever do, however, I’m launching a new series in October that will feature related content from other websites and I’m looking forward to seeing how that experiment goes.

    I like your point about congruency, but can’t help but wonder what your opinion is of those bloggers who provide the solutions in the form of content upgrades. So technically, they are fulfilling the promise of the article, you just have to jump through an extra hoop to get it.

    .
    Marquita Herald recently posted..Ruminating: The Dark Side of Self-ReflectionMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 27, 2017 at 7:33 am #

      Hi Marquita,

      Before my Yoast plugin, all those tips and guidelines drove me crazy too.

      I’m eager to see your experiment of linking to other blogs. I’ve done that experiment this year and it worked out to everyone’s advantage.

      For me, I don’t like to jump through hoops. If things are not immediately congruent, I have little patience jumping lol.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  31. Prosper Noah
    Twitter:
    September 26, 2017 at 5:57 pm #

    Wonderful tips Donna!

    There’s been lots of tips to help increase blog traffic, this is one of them!

    You shared all the tips any blogger can follow to ensure he gets as much traffic as possible.

    However, practicing still is very important!

    I believe so much in Blog commenting and building relationship, they’ve helped alot.

    Great tips once more Donna!

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 27, 2017 at 8:34 am #

      Hi Prosper,

      I can give tips, but one has to find a way to practice them. It comes down to time management. Once we have that in control, we can get out there and comment on other’s blogs and on social media platforms.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  32. Cori Ramos
    Twitter:
    September 26, 2017 at 2:49 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    I agree with Vishwajeet – you nailed it! 🙂

    These are definitely effective ways to drive traffic to our blog.

    I’ve tried everything but video engagement – and I’m about to tackle that one too. Working on a video tutorial for a new post. I know it’s not exactly video engagement but I’m working toward it. 🙂

    As always, you rock Donna! Thanks for these great tips. 🙂

    Cori
    Cori Ramos recently posted..Decorating Your Home Office on a BudgetMy Profile

  33. Jarvee September 26, 2017 at 8:00 am #

    Great job as always Donna! My favorite “secrets” are 4. Market Your Content and 5. Build Relationships. I find them quite connected tho. If you don’t put your content in from of audience that will be interested in your niche, you can have the best content ever wasted.

    But in order to gather that audience, you need to build relationships, create more valuable interactions with your audience and care about others by sharing their content too and respecting what they do.

    Many thanks!

  34. Vishwajeet Kumar
    Twitter:
    September 26, 2017 at 6:37 am #

    Hello Donna,

    You nailed it. Driving traffic to a blog is a challenging task for newbie bloggers. I also have faced this issue when I have started my blog. Creating engaging and quality content is definitely important to attract and sustain your visitors. Blog commenting and guest posting really helps people to connect with fellow bloggers in their niche and build a good relationship. Thanks again for sharing these awesome tips.

    Have a great day 🙂
    Vishwajeet
    Vishwajeet Kumar recently posted..Use of Social Media Tools to create buzz about your event dayMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 26, 2017 at 7:39 pm #

      Hi Vishwajeet,

      New bloggers find it very challenging to drive traffic to their blogs. But I see it as an ongoing thing. Even though I have such awesome people coming to my blog, reading and/or commenting, I still want fresh eyes.

      Indeed, blog commenting and guest posting really does help.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

      • Anil Agarwal
        Twitter:
        October 4, 2017 at 1:35 am #

        Commenting on other blogs can be a HUGE tip for everyone Donna.

        It’s a great traffic generation strategy but most people still use it wrong. They either use it for links (duh!) or just to get some quick traffic. If you’re focusing on leaving thoughtful comments to build relationships with other blog owners, it can bring you massive results in the long run.

        The tip here is to leave really good comments, not just random comments without reading the posts.

        I also liked the tip around creating videos.

        Ryan does them a lot. He consistently makes videos on YouTube, Fb, Periscope, Instagram and he’s everywhere.

        Thanks for sharing such practical tips to drive more traffic, Donna.

        Keep rocking.
        Anil Agarwal recently posted..How to Make Money With A Brand New Blog: The Ultimate Beginner’s GuideMy Profile

  35. Ahmad Imran September 26, 2017 at 4:35 am #

    Hi Donna

    All great tips, the one on video is not the strongest of my points. But I absolutely agree with you that people like human touch and feel more engaged if there is a catch video in your blog post.

    It is just that one I am shy for videos and two I feel thatI will produce low quality videos. Hence a big hindrance in my thoughts to get on to this ladder.

    Great reminder article, thanks for sharing.

    Ahmad
    Ahmad Imran recently posted..Why and How to Write a Good Blog Comment? [3 Insights from Ryan Biddulph]My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 26, 2017 at 7:30 pm #

      Hi Ahmad,

      You aren’t alone. There are so many that are too shy or not too sure of themselves to get on video. Nothing wrong with that. I was at that place once, but I did challenge myself to do it.

      Now I find that video is easier to share content than the written word. I especially love to live stream because people get on and I can chat with them while I’m giving information to them.

      Give it a try lol.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

  36. Shantanu Sinha
    Twitter:
    September 26, 2017 at 2:16 am #

    Hello Donna,

    Great tips over here 🙂

    Indeed we all wish to drive more and more traffic to our blog but getting this one is surely need some tactics.

    No, doubt content is the key, but just getting a high quality of content do not mean that one is going to have a win win situation.
    For getting more and more traffic one needs to set some priorities so that their web site could gain more and more traffic to their
    blogs.

    Networking is very must, if we are running an online business then one needs to build a good networks of friends and people
    to whom we can promote our business. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and linked.in is best for building our networks
    and promoting our blogs and products.

    I love to drop comments on blogs of various people, it had helped me a lot so far. Leaving behind a healthy comment on top
    blogs does catches eyes of the blog owner and the people who visit their blogs. Establishes a good relationship and it can
    help in the long run process.

    Thanks for the share.

    Shantanu.
    Shantanu Sinha recently posted..13 Content Marketing Trends Happening NowMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      September 26, 2017 at 8:16 am #

      Hi Shantanu,

      We can have the greatest content in the world, but no one would ever see it if we, ourselves didn’t share it on social media platforms.

      Moreover, going to other people’s blogs and leaving a good comment will get one noticed quite quickly. A comment like you have left me here is a fine example. People will notice you…like what you have written and come over to visit your latest blog post. I find that word-of-mouth kind of thing is worth so much. When people actually say to themselves “Hey I like what that guy said” they do become loyal followers over time.

      Plus, when someone else shares your content on social media platforms, their friends and followers see it and it has that viral effect. It is also like a mini testimonial.

      Thanks so much,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Get Out Of Your Blogging BubbleMy Profile

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