Is there a secret to boosting blog traffic? Everyone wants their website or blog to generate more and more traffic because that is why they exist, but how can you get from 0 to 1,000 views per day, and then from 1,000 to 10,000?
We'll go over some of the tested SEO methods to increase your blog traffic for free, This is a list any beginning blogger will find useful. It is mainly for WordPress users, this will definitely help boost traffic, and optimize your WordPress setup for the greatest visibility for search engines.
1. High-quality content is the king
For experienced bloggers, this isn't news, but for newcomers, it's important to know that simply publishing content isn't enough. This is only the beginning. What you need is fresh content that will entice both search engines and visitors, motivating them to share, comment, and click on your CTAs. Furthermore, the ultimate measure of success is when a blog reader returns to read more.
Quality content functions like a magnet, attracting a large amount of traffic. Content of high quality tackles issues and provides value to readers.
High-quality blogs are also rewarded by Google, which places them at the top of the search engine rankings. This desired location ensures that you get the most exposure.
2. Learn and apply the SEO basics to your Website
SEO stands for “search engine optimization,” and it is a collection of best practices that can help you make your blog more search engine friendly. To optimize your website, you don't need to be an “SEO Guru.”
Contrary to popular opinion, anyone can perform SEO on their blog without the assistance of a professional. You may utilize a variety of SEO tools and plugins, as well as free guidance and step-by-step tutorials, such as,
Permalink Structure
This is a great way to get better visibility from search engines, instead of having a site url of “domain.com/?p=345″, it would rather be “domain.com/05/20/22/google-bought-youtube/”. To change your permalink structure you need to login to your WordPress admin panel, then go to Options > Permalinks
Use Sitemaps
To get the most traffic from search engines like Google it is best to get as many of your pages indexed as possible. Make it easier by installing the Google Sitemaps plugin. Upload into wp-content > plugins via FTP and then activate from the Plugins page. This will then create an XML file that Googlebot can spider and then find all your content. You’ll need a Sitemaps account though where you can register your new Sitemap.
Use proper HTML Tags
Using “Alt” tags on your images and “Title” tags not only helps your search engine rankings, but it also helps disabled people with screen readers view the content on your site. It also can help your page be valid HTML (another thing that can help your SE ranking). I recommend simply describing the link/image and not trying to cram tons of keywords to boost your ranking. For more information on doing this, visit W3C’s site and look up the tag for the version of HTML/XHTML used on your site (if you want it to be valid).
Related Posts
When a person visits your blog you want them to stay for as long as you can. One of the best ways to keep visitors interested is to show them other content on your blog that may be related to the post they are currently reading. The easiest way to do this is with the ‘Related Posts‘ plugin. Upload using your FTP client into the wp-content > plugins folder, then login to your WordPress admin panel and activate the plugin from the ‘Plugins’ page.
3. Use social media to share your blog
You can't expect people to see your outstanding content on their own; you have to go out and share it. Using social media networks to promote your content is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your blog.
When you promote your blog on social media, your Twitter followers, Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, and other virtual fans will be notified as soon as a new post is published. These are the folks who are most likely to find your content interesting and share it with their friends and colleagues.
Twitter is ideal for quick, snappy tweets, whereas a Google+ ad can help your site appear in tailored search results. In B2B areas, Google+ has proven to be effective. If you're a B2C product company, image-heavy social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram can cause a lot of friction.
Spread the Word
While it may not seem like much, telling people you know can help you build a site. People you know can offer advice on design, topics, etc., and let people they know about your site.
People who know you are also far more likely to comment on your postings, making your site look more active, thereby encouraging others to do the same.
If you choose to do this step, ask the person to tell 3 other people they know about your site. This will in effect create a small network of people reading and commenting on your site. Plus, if they really like your site they’ll continue to tell others about it.
4. Publish Frequently
The next step is to publish good content regularly once you've figured out how to make good content.
It is the most challenging aspect of blogging success. When you have a well-defined publishing schedule (for example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), users are more likely to return to your page, and search engines are more likely to return and learn more about your blog.
Remember that search engines strive to please their visitors by providing up-to-date and accurate information in their search results, so if you update your website regularly, your content will be picked up even faster.
Create a long-term publishing schedule that you can stick to rather than one that is excessively optimistic and you can't stick to.
5. Write Captivating Headlines
Always make sure you're writing intriguing headlines as a blogger. Your title is what draws people to your website and keeps them there. The title of your blog serves as the first impression for your readers, similar to a door to your blog.
Will your readers feel compelled to open your door if it is unattractive? If you have a great piece of content hidden behind a bad headline, it will die quickly.
Don't be afraid to experiment with alternative headlines. Share your post with a variety of titles to find which style works best.
6. Make use of quality keywords
For a variety of reasons, conducting keyword research before writing content is essential. For starters, it will assist you in better identifying your market by revealing the most popular keywords and phrases. Second, it will help you obtain a better return on your blogging efforts because a blog post based on keyword research has a better possibility of receiving more organic and social traffic.
Keyword research does not have to be a time-consuming or painful procedure as there are many keyword tool planners that you can use to find the best keywords for your blog. A few examples are Google keyword planner, Buzzsumo, Google searches, Moz’s Keyword Explorer, Keyword Tool, SERPS, and more.
Keywords In Content
Using keywords in your post title is important, but you also need to use keywords throughout your post. Concentrate on the first paragraph then use variations of your main keyword throughout the rest of your post.
Header Tags
The header tags are used when assigning a title, typically within a post. These title tags are have a numerical value associated with them that also indicates their importance, ie. < h1 > is used for your most important header, < h2 > would be used for a sub title etc. Place the same keywords as used in your post title in the < h1 > tag then use variations of your keywords in < h2 > / < h3 >tags for optimum effect.
7. Take Advantage of Video Integration
YouTube (which, sure, is a social networking site) is an excellent source of potential visitors. If you can make video tutorials that are relevant to blog posts, you'll be able to offer information that readers will find important enough to click on.
Video material is interesting and dynamic, and embedding it on your site will make your blog entries more dynamic as well. Adding a YouTube integration to your website can potentially help you rank higher in user searches. Because videos sometimes get priority in Google, having YouTube content automatically provides you access to an entire search engine that you didn't have before. This can help you rank higher in Google searches overall.
8. Build Backlinks
To get more traffic you need backlinks. Ideally other blogs will like what you write and link to you, but if you are just starting out and need a little exposure then submit your blog technorati.com. Other ways to get backlinks is via commenting on other blogs and using trackbacks.
Start Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a great method to build your brand and drive traffic to your blog. This can be a two-pronged approach. One of the easiest ways to increase blog traffic to your blog organically is to guest post on a popular site.
Inviting others to contribute to your blog is a good idea as well. This is beneficial to everyone.
9. Include photos
According to experts, including photographs in blog posts increases readership. A photo not only enhances the visual attractiveness of the post but also allows you to insert keywords in the Alt Image tag, which improves your blog's search engine optimization (SEO). Keep in mind that you can't just take any photo from Google because you'll be infringing on someone else's copyright. Instead, use unique pictures and make your blog unique.
10. Patience is the key
Even if you follow all of the steps outlined above, you will not gain a large following overnight. It takes time to build a large following of committed readers. Many of the blogs you admire have undoubtedly been doing it for a long time.
Keep going and don't get discouraged by a slow start.
Remember, you want a set of readers who will stick with you. Spambots will just provide rubbish visitors to your site.
Extraordinary blog content may help you not only establish your industry expertise but also foster relationships with your followers. All you have to do now is make certain that your thoughts reach the appropriate audiences.
