3 Ways To Get More Traffic And Make Your Blog Stand Out
A question I’m asked quite often by bloggers is, “how do I make my blog stand out?”
The answer? Well, there is no simple one. But I do believe that with hard work and determination you can definitely build a successful blog.
On the other hand, that doesn’t mean that all it takes is one post to go viral and you become an overnight success. And it doesn’t mean that it’ll only take three months for you to finally land that dream brand collaboration.
But you can put strategies in place to help you grow your blog and increase the chance of your blog standing out, whilst at your day job or running your business. AND to help you maintain your sanity and not sound too salesy.
Stick with me here.
Here are three ways for you to get more traffic and make your blog stand out.
P.S. If you want help growing your blog even more, be sure to download my FREE workbook with 7 blogging tasks you can do every day!
#1 | KNOW WHO YOU SERVE
This is probably something you hear all the time, but whenever I ask a blog coaching client who their target audience is, they always struggle with the answer. But here’s the thing - if you focus too much on what you want to do, you’ll never figure out who will actually want what you’re offering. And that’s the first step.
If you don’t know who you’re serving, you’ll never reach a breakthrough with your blog. You can’t aim to please everyone, it doesn’t work that way.
If you want to get more traffic and make your blog stand out, you need to get clear on who you want to be noticed by. It’s not just about what your ideal reader needs - it’s also about whether they’re in right right place for what you’re offering.
This is a step you HAVE to figure out. Get specific. Give the person a name. Why would they come to your blog over others? How can they relate to you? For instance, I sum up my ideal reader in one sentence like this:
"A creative millennial who wants to increase visibility with her online presence, whilst also finding the time to do it all effectively and live life to the full."
Honestly, once you become clear on this, your content will keep getting better because you’re talking to the right people and providing value, and that’s how you increase your traffic.
#2 | CONSISTENTLY SHOW UP
When I first started A Branch of Holly, I did what every brand new blogger does - threw every strategy at the wall hoping it would stick. Some of it worked and I still use those strategies to this day. But a lot of the time, I didn’t know what I was doing.
Now looking back, I can see all the mistakes I made. Yes, I needed to be active on social platforms to grow my visibility. But I didn’t need to “wing it” and waste time creating content that didn’t have a clear purpose or wasn’t part of my marketing strategy.
I was guessing what times my audience were online and it wasn’t getting me the results I’d hoped for. I was showing up haphazardly and there wasn’t much thought behind it.
Thankfully, I’ve learnt a lot since then. Now I know that if you want to get more traffic and make your blog stand out, you have to show up consistently, and also be consistent with three things in particular:
Your investments
I get that you might not want to spend any money on your blog. I’ve seen people say that they want to do everything for free or in the cheapest way possible. But I remember when I was on Blogger and I paid for a standard template. Now that I’ve switched to Squarespace and branded my website myself, my results have skyrocketed.
You don’t have to want to take your blog full-time, but it helps if you look at your online presence with a professional outlook.
Your time
There are still people who believe in the “build it and they will come” method. By this, I mean they think they can put up their website, publish content and readers will just flock their way.
You’ve got to make time for your blog if you want to get it to stand out. I definitely recommend having a schedule in place so you know when you’re working on your online presence and what needs to be done.
Your determination
Determination is the key to attraction. It makes people want to take action. Your determination with showing up consistently by publishing blog posts, sending newsletters and engaging with people on social media will let them know that you are here and you’re determined.
Stay determined and I promise you’ll get more traffic and grow your community.
#3 | STAY ON TOP OF WHAT WORKS
Something I’ve seen a lot of people ask in Facebook groups recently is if they really have to get into video, if they hate being on camera. And there’s a good cause for asking this, I mean, video will make up more than 79% of internet traffic by 2018.
If you’re thinking this too, then my advice to you would be to pay attention to what works - but do what’s best for you.
It’s like the difference between trends and best practices. A trend is something that comes and goes. Everyone is super excited about it but then it just fizzles out. Periscope is a great example of this.
On the flipside, best practices are the things that actually work. They’re a trend and a useful resource all in one, and best of all, they get results. Email marketing is a perfect example - it’s something that is here to stay.
But what you need to do is not just take these best practices and do what everyone else is doing. Take them and do your own thing. Make it work for you. It’s like Instagram Stories - how can you make that work for your own brand? Don’t copy everyone else. Stay true to you and your community will thank you for it.
It’s like what I do with my blog coaching clients. I have a social media strategy that works really well - but I always make sure that I adapt it for each client to suit their schedule and their online presence as a whole. You can use the same strategy as someone else, but give it your own spin.
Do what’s best for you or else nothing else will work. Pay attention to what resonates with your readers and do more of that.
And that my friends is how you can get more traffic and make your blog stand out. In just three simple ways. Now it’s up to you to take action.
How do you make your blog stand out? Which of these points do you like the most? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Don't forget to download your FREE workbook of 7 daily tasks to help you grow your blog!
