6 No Fail Ways to Increase Website Traffic (and make more money!)
So you wanna learn how to increase website traffic? You’ve certainly come to the right place. I wish I had found a blog like this 5 years ago when I first started.
Here’s my story
When I first started my blog back in 2014 I had no clue what I was doing. Not.one. clue. Just write, Iva, you’re a good writer. Just do lots of that.
You will write good things and people will flock to your website in droves. Traffic will be insane and you will be the star of the world wide web. You will increase website traffic in a blink of an eye and life will be wonderful.
So, needless to say, that didn’t happen.
It actually took me awhile to catch on to this blogging thing. I was so naive. There was so much to learn and do and know and oh..em..gee. How I wish someone would have just waved a magic wand and poof! Your blog is now a traffic magnet.
The last two years I have spent devouring eBooks, free pdf’s, watching tutorials until my eyes bled to figure out how to increase website traffic.
Finally, I got it figured out.
(this post contains affiliate links so if you make a purchase I make a small commission-affiliate disclosure)
I figured out how to increase website traffic
But truth be told, it’s a constant learning process. Things change. Google updates 1 million times a year, as does Pinterest (why can’t they just settle down already?).
As you are learning and tweaking your blog to drive more traffic to your site, something wonderful happens. Well not only do you actually get more traffic but you also get more confident in your skills and it drives you to do more and learn more.
You actually start competing against your last set of numbers (or maybe that’s just me?). Once I figured out how to increase website traffic I became a junkie. But in a good way.
Like a traffic driving website junkie.
But I had to go through this first……
What’s wrong with my blog? Where’s the traffic?
This question went through my head a million times a day. What exactly is wrong with my blog? Where’s the traffic and the cheers and yells of all the raving fans?
Little did I know, there was nothing right with my blog! It was all wrong.
Apparently, starting a blog doesn’t mean you just make a pretty website and start writing and hope the internet will explode with your awesomeness.
Who knew? Certainly not this girl.
I mean, it was so bad, I didn’t even know how to format a blog title. Oh ya. It was that bad.
So anyway, I kept plugging away for a few years before I finally decided it was time to get serious and figure out how on earth this whole blogging things works and how do I make it right!!
It was time to learn how to drive traffic to my website
I’m gonna be honest with you, I’d rather chew shards of glass dipped in cyanide than read blogs on how to blog and drive traffic to your site.
For real.
But it dawned on me, if I want to get this up and running the way it’s supposed to, then I got some serious learning to do.
So minus the shards of glass, I started reading and learning, and downloading free pdf’s and you name it, I did whatever it took to figure out this blogging business.
I’m gonna break it down for you simply here so you don’t have to go through the same anxiety and disappointment (and frustration) that I went through. Grab your coffee, or beverage of choice, and let’s get cracking. Time’s a wasting!
Best ways to increase traffic to your website
This is not only for the beginners who already have a blog and really don’t know what to do with it or, like me, don’t know why there’s no traffic. It’s also for those who are at the “I’m thinking about starting up a blog site”.
It’s also for those of you who have had a site for awhile and are still kinda clueless, like I was, and need a few more cool tips to get you rocking.
I talk in plain English so you can easily understand.
I’m no techy guru by any stretch of the imagination so if you want simple, you’re at the right spot.
This is for you if you are ready to take your blog to the next level and start growing it to insane heights. How high it grows is entirely up to you and the work/effort/dedication you put into it.
Before we start, you should know I am a WordPress User. I have a paid theme (I think it was like $35, a one-time payment) and also know that this blog does contain affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you click through the link and make a purchase. My affiliate disclosure is above.
Ok, that’s out of the way….
The things I’m gonna cover here are:
- proper blog format
- SEO stuff (see how un-techy I am?)
- social media platforms
- networking
- consistency
- offer value
Let’s get at it so you can hurry up and start applying these tips and be a website rock-star (or something like that).
6 ways to increase website traffic
In no particular order of importance, here they are. If there is something you don’t understand you can always leave a comment below and hopefully I can help you! If I can’t help you, I will find you someone who can!!
Tip #1- Proper Blog Format.
First and foremost, if your blog is written like crap, your title is crap and the whole thing is full of errors, no one is gonna want to share it. Capiche?
This was my first mistake. Oh, I knew how to write but you’d never know it by looking at my blog. It was horrifying. Here are some formatting tips for you.
- Try to write 1500-3000 words, depending on your topic. Make small paragraphs, 2-3 lines each. Keep in mind, many people are reading articles on their mobile devices now (think 5″ screen) and to read one big long paragraph is painful. Break it up.
- Add a great and engaging title and try to find a really good main/feature image. We have short attention spans. If your pic and title don’t capture our attention in the first 5 seconds, we’re gone.
Lemme give you an example. Example 1: How to Make Your Blog Better. Example 2: 4 Insanely Easy Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog and Make More Moo-lah!
Which one would you click on first and want to read? Your title words should all be capitals like the example I just showed you.
- Add internal links to other posts you have on your site that are relative to your current post. I add 2-4 depending on the length. If you have affiliate links you may want to strategically place them in here too! And don’t forget to have an affiliate disclaimer in place. Muy importante!
- Depending on how long your blog is, add a few images within the body to make it more interesting. Remember most of us are visual creatures.
- Wanna know a cool secret? Gifs and YouTube videos are also super awesome to add to your blog. The vids will keep your reader on there a wee bit longer.
https://gph.is/2NBZbu1
Tip #2- The SEO stuff.
Learn it! For real! Right now! Do it! Thank me later.
I purchased an SEO course finally last year because I was so clueless. Mike Pearson’s Stupid Simple SEO is a powerhouse of a course. It only opens a few times a year and only for one week so get on the list to find out when the next one opens.
I also purchased Debbie Gartner’s Easy On-Page SEO eBook and it was truly amazing and life-changing!
So I had no clue what SEO was for the longest time. I’ll confess, I was a little close-minded when it came to this thing. What the hell is SEO anyway?
Search Engine Optimization. Search. Get it?
People go on the web to “search” for things. They plug in words (or phrases) in the search bar and hit enter. How do you expect them to find you if you don’t come up in the search Google shows them? I had no clue.
Google Keyword Planner is a great free tool to use. Figure out what your blog is about, then go to the keyword planner and find words that rank high in the search.
There are many other keyword tools but most of them are paid these days. They won’t break your bank and the money you spend will be worth it.
Ubersuggest is a good one, not the best, but good. At the time of me writing this, I think Neil Patel is making this a paid tool though it is free right now.
I secretly have a professional crush on Neil. I love his videos. He’s just a no bullshit kinda guy.
Keysearch is a really good one and the one I use. I think I pay $14 a month for it and it’s well worth every penny.
Keywordseverywhere is another great one. Not free and I haven’t quite figured out how the pricing works but it won’t break your bank either.
Jaaxy is another one I just discovered and I have to be honest, I haven’t really looked into it too much but I’ve heard great things about it.
It’s important to find your keywords before you start writing your blog. Yup.
You also are going to add these keywords for your image description and in the alt text part, your meta description and of course your title. Keywords are going to be your best friend. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t already have Google Search Console, get it. That little beast will be your best friend. I’m not gonna go on about this one as I’m still learning the ins and outs and trust me, there is much to learn about Search Console.
Also don’t forget to link your site to Google Analytics. You need this. This is life.
Another little trick is to just use Google itself for keywords. Type in the search bar and a list will show up in the drop down menu. Those are the things people are searching for.
A little lower is the “People also ask” snippet. More keywords in there. And then at the very bottom of the search page, you guessed it, more keywords there.
So you don’t really need a paid keyword tool. Really.
Tip #3- Social Media Platforms
Find them and use them. Set up accounts, if you haven’t already, on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook (as a page not just your personal profile), and Pinterest (aka lottery winnings).
Pinterest has been monumental for me to increase website traffic. I started back in January of 2018 with no clue what the heck I was doing.
I bought a book. A really good book. I followed it step by step and watched my Pinterest account and my website traffic explode.
Look at those numbers? Pretty beautiful huh? That’s what happens when you work your butt off!
I sit now a little over 2 years later with over 200,000 followers with more than 70% of my traffic coming from there.
I have to tell you though, in all honesty, I’m still working on increasing my organic traffic. I love that Pinterest drives that much traffic to my site but they are a finicky lot over there. At any moment they can suspend my account with no warning and then I’m screwed.
So ya, I’m trying to increase website traffic more organically these days. And it’s working. On this site and my other site.
Anyway enough about Pinterest.
Join Facebook groups.
Find blogging world groups. You will learn tons more stuff when you find a good group. And you get to collaborate with other bloggers.
That’s where you want to be. Connect, collaborate and network.
It will take some time to find out where your audience is hanging out. Most of my peeps are on Pinterest and Facebook. I tried Twitter and Instagram to no avail.
Do some testing, see where they are hanging out (you’ll be able to tell by how they engage with your content) and then hit them up with your good stuff.
Scheduling will be your best friend
As you start using different platforms, you will want to schedule out your stuff instead of sitting at the computer 24 hours a day dripping content to your platforms.
Facebook has a great built in scheduler that I use for all my posts over there. For Pinterest I use Tailwind.
Get Tailwind!!! Thank me later! This is the power tool I use with Pinterest to get my pins in front of more peeps and drive MASSIVE traffic to my blog.
No one is going to find you if you don’t put yourself out there in share world. You need collaboration. You need to connect with other bloggers.
You need to share your stuff out so people can read it and find you and love you.
Tip #4-Networking
Go find out where bloggers are hanging out. As I mentioned earlier, Facebook groups are a great way to connect with other bloggers.
In Tailwind, you can hook up to tribes and have your stuff shared by other tribe members.
You can also take a few minutes a day to read and comment on other people’s blogs too. Reach out to other Facebook page owners to see if you can do a share for share blog on each other’s pages.
Medium is another great place to connect. I feel it’s an often overlooked site. It’s free to join but for a measly $5 a month you can become a paid member and get paid for your work!
Use your imagination. But learn to network!
Tip #5-Consistency is key
Remember why you started this whole blogging thing in the first place? You want to quit your 9-5 and make money blogging, amirite?
You have to look at it like a job. This is your new profession, your new career. You have to act like a professional (as I sit here and type this in my jammies) and focus on your work.
You’re not going to make any money, or get any traffic, if you half ass this. How bad do you want this to succeed?
I try to blog once a week on my old site and because this is a new site (the one you’re on now) I try to blog 4 times a week to gain some momentum and offer my readers fresh stuff.
That’s pretty important. You want to give them a reason to come back over and over again. If you only have 5 blogs on your site and it’s been like that for a month, well, what do they want to come back for?
Tip #6-Offer great value
Find out what people are searching for (in your niche). Go to Google and read some other blogs on page 1 in your niche and try to write something 100 times better than the ones on page 1.
You need to go above and beyond what your competitor is doing. Here’s a small example for you.
This site (at the time of me writing this) is only two months old. I’ve been working really hard on it to increase website traffic and build an audience that will want to keep coming back for more.
I found this the other day while I was checking some of my articles to see how well they are doing in Google.
See that? That’s me!!! Top spot on Google.
I almost had a heart attack but then I realized that all my hard work is paying off. If you don’t think you can rank a new site, think again. I’m here to prove you wrong.
When you offer great value Google sees that. They aren’t stupid.
Apply any or all of these tips to increase website traffic and watch what happens.
How bad do you want to do this??
Do you want to make money blogging or what?
Though there are probably a million trillion ways to make money online, the easiest way is through ads. Don’t snub your nose just yet.
There is some serious money to be made in ads on your site. I started out with Google Adsense but once I increased my website traffic I was able to switch over to Ezoic and my earnings tripled. Maybe even quadrupled or cinqtupled (is that a word?).
Ezoic truly is the bomb in my opinion. I tried other ad agencies but kept going back to them. They haven’t failed to disappoint me yet.
Many really successful bloggers make a poop ton of money with affiliates. I’m still working on that one. I bought a really good course Affiliate Marketing Roadmap but to be honest, I haven’t had time to actually implement all the tools in the course.
One day I will.
And of course you can always create your own digital or physical product and sell that on your site! I have an eBook, 3 actually, on my other site that bring in quite a few sales a month.
You don’t need to be a genius creator to come up with a simple product to sell. Trust me on that one. Find out what interests your readers and design a product with their needs in mind.
If you want to increase website traffic you gotta put in the work
And lots of it.
Let’s be real. This isn’t gonna happen overnight. Trust me on that. I had to go through ALL my blogs on my old site and edit each and every one of them for SEO, change images, change titles, you name it, I did it. Ya, it’s a helluva lot of work but lemme tell ya, it’s SO worth it.
Nothing good comes easy (only chocolate, really).
How bad do you want to grow your blog, increase website traffic and make money? I’ve sat at the computer, some days, for up to 14 hours fixing my blogs. That’s how bad I wanted to grow my blog and my business.
And I have. I still have lots of work to do but it’s so worth it.
.Happy Blogging!
Iva
Don’t forget, sharing is caring!
