Woman typing on a laptop - how to grow blog traffic.

You’re here because you’re wondering how to grow blog traffic. And you’re frustrated.

You’ve launched your brand-spanking-new blog and perhaps you already have several posts posted. All that time was spent on writing, taking photos and posting them. But nobody is reading them except a few friends and your family.

How the heck do you get blog traffic?!?

Your stats have flatlined.

Before you start doubting yourself and thinking of giving up, you should know one thing.

There are three very simple things you can do in a short period of time to grow blog traffic in about two months. And keep on doing them to grow even more!

These three things – SEO, Facebook Groups and Pinterest – will become part of your ongoing blogging routine and will greatly boost blog traffic.

I would say they are the most important things to do on a regular basis, aside from creating quality content.

So, if you’re ready to focus on blog traffic, grab a notebook and pen and let’s get started!

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Grow Blog Traffic The Right Way

Don’t burn yourself out by focusing all of your efforts on blog promotion.

Yes, blogging is 30% creating amazing content, and 70% promoting it.

However, you do have a life to live. If you find yourself shutting yourself away from family and friends to focus only on blog promotion activities, you’re overdoing it!

Secondly, have a plan in place for the week to schedule these blog promotion activities.

A couple of hours in the morning or evening, to actively work on blog promotion will be all you really need.

Blog Traffic Starts With Great Content

Before we look at the best blog promotion strategies to boost blog traffic, let’s address the quality of your content.

When I need to give my blog a boost, I look at my content. Is it outdated? Is it on topics nobody is interested in? Can I rework old content to be more relevant to my reader’s problems today?

I’ve made sure to focus on new evergreen blog posts – and then I promote them extensively.

With new, fresh content and a push to promote older but updated content, I’ve greatly boosted my blog traffic during a traditionally quiet period.

So what are my exact blog promotion strategies?

1. Grow Blog Traffic Through SEO

The first thing I’ve focused on is an effort to go after low-hanging fruit. Good on-page SEO!

This is one of the most important ways to grow blog traffic as search engines are where your blog is most readily found by users.

How many times do we hear “Just Google it!”

SEO is such an important element for successful blogs that I’ve written in-depth on the subject.

I’ve published an ebook – Optimize It: A Beginner’s Guide To SEO For Blogs – that goes through everything from finding keywords to using them in blog posts.

Back to why I always focus on SEO…

New blog posts may start ranking for a little while. Which is great.

It’s the older blog posts – that have aged like a fine wine – that give me the greatest opportunity for a blog traffic bump.

The trick is to update old blog posts with more competitive keywords, updated information and new tips, and visuals.

Next, I focus on “thin content”: lacking information that helps answer big burning questions my readers have.

If “thin” older blog posts aren’t doing well in ranking but can be combined with more robust, longer blog posts that are getting some traffic, it’s a win.

Blog posts that thoroughly answer a question tend to do much better than those that offer little value to readers.

With older posts and new posts, I always make sure I follow these good SEO rules:

  • Well-researched, competitive keywords – including long-tail key phrases – and adding them in the post content, SEO title, URL, image alt-tags
  • A proper title for photos including the alt-tag (using the keyword long tail phrase)
  • A carefully crafted snippet for Google Search, including the main key phrase, using the RankMath SEO plugin
  • Internal links, as well as external links pointing to trusted sites

The result?

In about two to three weeks, I’ll check to see in Google Search Console if my posts are starting to move higher in Google ranking.

It can take a month to several months before blog posts move up in Google searches, so always practise good SEO from the start!

Several of my blog posts have jumped higher in searches.

For example, this blog post was ranking for only one keyword. I made tweaks, and now it’s ranking for “blog legally” as well (it’s # 3 in Google search).

Example of a snippet in Google search result.

The more keywords you start to rank for the better your organic blog traffic from search engines becomes over time.

Organic Search For The Win!

The obvious way to boost blog traffic is through organic searches.

SEO is key in getting you visibility and page rank in Google and other search engines.

Once you’ve crafted the best post with good SEO, on a topic that’s fairly unique but searched often, you can expect to see regular traffic. Even when you’re not promoting your posts through other strategies!

For anybody who has an existing blog with many posts, it will take a while to update all of them with good SEO. However, the time and effort put into it reap great rewards.

Get started with my FREE 5-day SEO course that will get you started optimizing your blog posts ASAP:

| Related: 10 Tips On How To Optimize Your Blog Posts For SEO

2. Boost Blog Traffic Via Relevant Facebook Groups

I love Facebook groups! I even started my own – The Blog It Better Society – to help other new and growing bloggers.

For new bloggers, participating in Facebook groups is one of the best ways to:

  • Grow blog traffic
  • Create visibility for your blog
  • Boost your own online presence
  • Build relationships with other bloggers

I’ll sometimes take a break from them, but occasionally, I pop in during quiet times of the year traffic-wise, to give my blog a bit more visibility and a traffic boost.

| RELATED: 5 Smart Ways To Jumpstart Your Blog Traffic

Don’t Overdo Facebook Groups!

The one thing to note is, that the time you spend posting your links to these groups, and fulfilling your duties (e.g., clicking through others’ posts, sharing them out etc.) is time-intensive.

The more you post and participate in many Facebook groups, the more time you need to set aside to do your duties in return. This is good etiquette!

These activities can eat into your content-creation time. I like to do most of my reciprocal support in the evening before bedtime.

Nevertheless, there is much value in joining Facebook groups, and they do help you grow blog traffic fairly quickly.

Other things they help you out with are:

  • Connect with other bloggers you can collaborate with on larger projects
  • You learn what kind of tips and tricks other bloggers use to succeed
  • Some Facebook groups share strategies for promotion that you can lift and adapt to your blog
  • Facebook groups are a research landmine: find out what are the pain points for others and write about the solutions

Check out my list of the BEST Facebook groups for bloggers for promotion and learning!

And of course, my ownThe Blog It Better Society

There are many more out there – I’ve listed some in my post on all the reasons WHY you should participate in Facebook groups. Some are smaller groups and some are larger, but they are all worthwhile checking out.

There are some Facebook groups specific to niches, such as fashion or food blogs. They’re useful as well as you can often share out your post and get a HUGE boost in traffic.

Grow Blog Traffic With Facebook Groups

How Much Time Do I Devote To Facebook Groups?

How many Facebook Groups do I participate in on a daily basis?

It all depends on how busy I am with other things.

I’ll participate in at least one that doesn’t require too much of my reciprocal time but helps boost blog traffic quickly.

On other days, I’ll participate in about four different threads.

Anything more than that and you need to be very organized and on top of the reciprocal activity. Not an easy feat if you’re a work from home mom balancing work or a blog with a child demanding your attention!

As to what I promote: any fairly new blog posts and at least one older one that I’ve recently updated with good SEO.

WARNING: Don’t go link-happy on Facebook groups – you might end up getting put into FB jail and your links will be dropped.

PRO TIP: The best way to leverage a Facebook group is to start your own. Learn how to grow a Facebook group so that you can promote your content and boost traffic.

| Related: Effective Ways To Use Social Media To Grow Your Blog Traffic

3. Get Blog Traffic With Pinterest

Pinterest is a great way to boost your blog traffic.

Use Pinterest to create an online presence, promote your content and get traffic to your site.

If you haven’t created a business account on Pinterest, it’s time to do so.

To boost traffic with Pinterest there are a few key things to do in 2024 and onwards

I’ll share my Pinterest best practices with you, so you can try them out yourself.

1. Pinterest Images In Each Post (With Exceptions)

Along with SEO updates, I always include a Pinterest image for every post.

The only exception is for personal posts and those of interest to my regular readers, but not the general public.

Nobody gives two hoots as to five unique things about me, unless they already know me a bit. And so, this post doesn’t have a Pinterest image included in and at the bottom of the post.

I add Pinterest images to two spots in my blog posts:

  • After the introductory paragraphs, so the reader can bookmark them on Pinterest for further reading later.

You can also hide Pinterest images, so when somebody clicks your Pinterest sharing button and your pinnable images pop up, these hidden images are visible too.

For this, I recommend the handy too: Tasty Pins, which helps you add Pinterest descriptions, titles and a Pinterest ID to each pin.

The Pin ID is important as it helps Pinterest identify which pins are popular.

| RELATED: How To Find The Best Keywords On Pinterest For Optimizing Pins

2. Upped My Visual Pin Aesthetic

A pretty pin with bold text gets more interest than one that looks like a throwback to the 1980s style or has an awful image.

Some of the things I do to make my pins look great are:

  • Keep to 1000 x 1500 px (or 2:3 ratio) size – as per 2021 recommendations from Pinterest.
  • Use two different fonts (sans serif + serif or handwritten), maximum. OK, you can stretch it maybe to 3, but don’t deviate from style too much. Choose classy fonts that are timely (not looking like they belong in the 1990s). Two different colours (usually black and one of my brand colours for contrast and to emphasize a word or two).
  • Use purchased stock photography when I don’t have any attractive original photography. Purchased quality stock photos are not as overused as free ones, meaning Pinterest’s algorithm will see them as fresh(er).
  • My logo when possible, or at least the site’s URL at the bottom of the text.

| Related: Why Nobody Is Sharing Your Blog Posts And 5 Ways To Fix It

Why Are Attractive Pins So Important?

First, they attract the eye. People are naturally attracted to pretty visuals.

Ditch the ugly photos of your uncooked chicken and take a great photo with excellent lighting of the finished dish!

There are many great articles posted on Pinterest about food photography for beginners. One that I found useful was about using a light backdrop to act as a reflector.

Secondly, any blogger or influencer who wants to grow a following on Pinterest will want to post visually attractive blog posts so that their boards LOOK good too.

They will be more likely to repin your posts to their relevant boards, improving your chances of your pins going viral. And ultimately, helping you grow blog traffic!

This is an example of one of my attractive pins that are getting visibility. It’s simple, straightforward and tells you exactly what you can expect to read.

Three Strategies For Exploding Blog Traffic

Finally, when you post your pins to your boards, your own Pinterest account looks appealing as well. You’re more likely to grow your Pinterest following this way as well.

| Related: How To Create Stunning Pinterest Pins That Get Blog Traffic

3. Create More Than One Pin For Each Post & Post 3 Pins Each Day

Another key way to grow blog traffic with Pinterest is to create fresh pins. Pinterest loves fresh content, and so do Pinterest users.

I have a running list of my blog posts, and I regularly create pins for them each month to give them a boost in visibility. Nobody wants to see the same Pinterest pin over and over, so I change up the text, the fonts, the image and the design.

Secondly, when I’m making a concentrated effort to boost my blog traffic I make a point of posting three new pins a day for a month.

Since it takes Pinterest on average two to three weeks to index these new pins, by the end of the month I start to see a rise in blog traffic.

4. Create Timely, Seasonal Pins

Pinterest users LOVE seasonal, timely pins.

The ones that do very well are those that are positioned for the seasons and relevant activities, etc.

So if you want to give your blog post a boost, look at your seasonal content and focus on creating pins for them.

When I created and published pins for Fall blog content, I saw a HUGE jump in traffic. Think about a seasonal problem and then leverage that to create and promote your blog content via attractive seasonal pins.

Time-Saving Pin Creation Tips

Speed up pin creation by batching! Grab a template pack and start creating them with pre-made templates that you can customize at the click of a button.

If you want a fresh Pinterest template design for Canva, I have several that you can purchase and use (I use them myself!) – check out my fresh Pinterest pin templates!

Sometimes it’s worthwhile getting a paid template to stand out from similar pins by others.

Check out the Pinterest pin template packs I created for this purpose! This is the best-selling Massive 100 Pinterest pin template pack, with ready-to-customize designs (work with Canva and Canva Pro):

Massive 100 Pinterest Templates post

Try my FREE Pinterest templates here:

Take A Pinterest Course To Get Up-To-Speed

Pin It Better Course Podia Image 1

Courses are some of the best ways to really understand what you need to do to get your Pinterest account and strategies spot on.

Because Pinterest can be so overwhelming for many… and confusing too… I created a course for beginners and intermediate Pinterest users.

My goal is to explain all the steps and questions that many have.

Check out my go-at-your-own-pace course: Pin It Better: A Blogger’s Guide To Pinterest.

It will guide you as you set up a business account, get your Pinterest profile organized and optimized to be found by others, and how to add pins and pinning strategies that work.

All so that you can get started FASTER in getting those outbound clicks to your site and more traffic over time!

Start Working On Your Blog Traffic

So now you know how to grow blog traffic using three smart strategies.

For those just starting, begin boosting your blog traffic on the right foot. To summarize:

  • Implement good SEO practices and a focus on keywords in each post you craft.
  • Join relevant Facebook groups, get your posts out, work collaboratively with others, and learn what’s of interest to them.
  • Create attractive pins, post them consistently, leverage Idea pins to grow your follower base, and post timely seasonal content.

Growing your blog traffic can seem time-consuming at first, but it does get easier as you make it part of your routine.

And of course, blogging is time-consuming and requires attention, editing, and research. If you craft fantastic posts, with great Pinterest pins, your blog will see a definite steady increase.

It’s better to get one well-written post up on your blog than pushing out more that are sub-par in quality.

A few other useful posts to improve your content and traffic:

| Related: How To Write Blog Posts That Readers Will Love Reading And Sharing

5 Easy And Quick Ways To Boost Blog Traffic You May Have Not Thought To Use

QUESTION: How do you grow blog traffic for your site?


Bookmark this pin on Pinterest for future reference.

3 Blog Promotion Strategies To Explode Traffic To Your Site

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