8 Surefire Ways to Drive Traffic to Your New Blog
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I first started my blog after reading a post from Rosemarie Groner of The Busy Budgeter titled: “How I Made $12,484.68 In One Month as a Stay at Home Mom“. As I read her post I thought, “You mean I could’ve been making money while in my PJs snuggling my baby this whole time?” And I was hooked.
I started my blog Life on Waller and by my 4th-month blogging I had gone from zero pageviews to getting over 10,000 pageviews a month and was starting to see a return on my investment!
Now, just under a year and a half after starting Life on Waller I am generating 70k pageviews a month and am making money in my PJs while snuggling my baby from home, living the dream.
So How did I go from zero to over 10,ooo pageviews a month in my first 4 months blogging?
I used these 8 strategies to drive traffic to my brand new blog.
Unfortunately, just because you published your blog into your corner of the internet, doesn’t mean anyone is going to see it! So its time to start promoting!
1. Focus On Social Media
If you haven’t already created social media accounts for your blog, now is the time! Social media is where I get most of my traffic and gives you a platform for you to share your posts and find new potential readers!
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the works! Set up your accounts and start sharing your posts.
- Pin your blog posts to Pinterest
- Share all blog posts on FB/Instagram/Twitter
- Try sharing on your personal accounts along with your blog accounts
- Invite your personal account followers to like/follow your blog accounts
- Use #Hashtags in your captions to get more views
- Use a Call to Action when sharing (ask your followers and friends to like and share your post!)
- Add share buttons to your blog so readers can share your post on their social media. – I use the SumeMe plugin from Sumo!
- Always use great pictures!
Remember it’s okay to not do “all the things”. Especially when you are brand new to blogging, it is easy to get overwhelmed trying to grow and promote on every social media platform. So if you’re feeling like you’re juggling too much, focus on growing one platform at a time while simply sharing your posts on the others to keep them warm.
2. Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest
If you are only going to focus on one social media platform as a new blogger, it would have to be Pinterest.
There is nothing else that drives traffic to my site quite like Pinterest. But There are a few steps to take to get the most out of your account!
- Create a business account.You can create one here, or convert and existing account here.
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- And validate your site using these instructions.
- Enable rich pins Here is an awesome post on how/why this is so important!
- Pin DailyPinterest “ranks” you as a pinner, and people who pin often (30-50 pins a day), their pins rank higher in the search which means more eyes on your pins and more traffic to your posts!
- Create “pinnable” imagesImages that do best on Pinterest are long and skinny.
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- Use warm colors
- Have no faces in them.
- Join and pin to group boards This is how you get mega exposure! Group board are Pinterest boards that have multiple people who contribute and can pin to those boards. Use Pingroupie to find Pinterest group boards that are relevant to your posts/niche and ask to be invited as a collaborator. Group boards can have thousands of followers and are the best way to get your pins out there especially when you have a small or no following.
Want to completely optimize Pinterest to drive thousands of readers to your blog? Read my full post on Check out my full post on how to completely optimize Pinterest for your blog here!
3. Blog Hops/Link Parties
Blog hops and link parties are a campaign set up by a blog/website for a certain amount of time where you can post your own content on their site with an image and a link back to your site. Then you have your post on someone else’s site for their readers to see.
Some great ways to find these blog hops and link parties is through Linky Tools, or simply google search “link parties” followed by that day’s date. That way you find link parties that are actually open. For example, I could search “link parties 3/08” for March 8th and it is usually the first link to Linky tools that does the best for me.
I used blog hops and link parties a ton during my first few months of blogging and I loved them!
4. Comment On Other Blogs
Commenting on other blogs, especially blogs that are similar to yours can also help drive traffic from their blog.
When commenting on other blogs to gain traffic…
- Be sincere and authentic
- Comment on posts you really like, not just as many as you can tackle in a day.
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- People sniff out fake in seconds and no one likes a spammer on their site. Instead, comment on blogs and post that you actually like and are inspired by. When your comment is authentic and adds value people are excited to check out who you are. Plus this is where you can actually make some great friends/connections in the blogging world, so don’t be spammy with a “come to my site” sticker stuck on your forehead.
- Add your site link in the comments
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- Most comment sections will have a spot to put in your site, but if it doesn’t you can add your URL to the end of your comment.
Don’t know where to start? Comment on this post down below, leave your url, and I’ll come check out your site!
5. Link Back to Other Blogs
This tip is similar to the last where if you are linking to my site, 99% of the time, I am going to check out what you said. So I see that I just got readers to my site through a link you had in a post, I will see that in my analytics and visit your site to usually thank you for the traffic!
Good karma is what this is, and when you add a link back to their site, they are bound come check you out and possibly mention you in the future. So add links to other sites and blogs when relevant and you may even make good connections through there!
Plus there are SEO benefits as well with this, which in turn makes your site more valuable.
6. Don’t Forget SEO
Don’t forget about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I am still a beginner at SEO but I am willing to share what little I do know and use myself!
SEO helps you and your posts to rank higher on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others. Which means more people can find you there!
This post: SEO for Beginners was the resource that best helped me understand SEO when I was starting out as a blogger. But for starters:
- Set up an SEO plugin
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- I use Yoast SEO and love it! It is so simple to configure and use.
- Always use keywords in your posts!
- Use H2 headers
- Interlink your posts
- Set up custom permalinks
Read more about SEO here!
7. Interlink Your Posts
Adding links to your other articles on your site within your posts helps you take advantage of the readers that do come to your site!
For example, in this post, I linked back to another one of my posts: How to Completely Optimize Pinterest for Your Blog because it was another helpful resource related to this post. So if someone has entered my site here to learn how I built my traffic from zero to 10,000 pageviews a month in 4 months they may want to also know how they can optimize Pinterest for their blog as well and click over. Which means I just turned one pageview into two!
Only interlink posts that will benefit your reader or is relevant to each other. Again, you don’t want to spam your readers or they likely won’t want to come back!
Remember your main focus as a blogger should be to serve your readers!
8. Offer an Incentive/Freebie
One of my most favorite things to do for my readers is to offer an incentive or freebie and boy does it convert!
People love free. So create a few freebies and give them to your readers and promote them on social media. Maybe you want to make free wall art or a free printable worksheet of some kind that you know your audience will love!
Build it (a freebie) and they will come!
This is also a great way to build your social media following and your email list!
Content is King
Remember that when it comes down to driving killer traffic, it really all goes back to content.
If you have great content then the readers will come, you just have to get it out there and these 8 methods are exactly what I did to get my posts out there resulting in going from absolutely zero pageviews to getting over 10,000 pageviews a month in my first 4 months blogging!
I know if you honestly put the work into and implement each method you will see results in your traffic and soon!
Don’t forget to add a link to your site to the comments section, I’d love to check it out! And if you want more blogging tips, join our email list below!
The Comments
Jenn
Great roundup – have my weekend to-do list ready now! Didn’t know how to figure out link parties – good tip!
Cassie Jean
JennThanks Jenn, I got quite a bit of traffic from link parties! Ps. I also checked out your site and it looks awesome! I also had a chance to read your about page and was so jealous of your ability to travel so much! My husband also lived in Puerto Rico for two years and I was just able to go and visit! Keep up the good work!
Jessie
Definitely gonna add these to my blog arsenal!
Cassie Jean
JessieThanks for the read Jessie! Ps. I think your niche is super awsome!
Caitlin
This is such a helpful post. My traffic has been stagnant at a certain number and I think these tips will really work!
Caitlin, Beauty & Colour
Cassie Jean
CaitlinThanks Caitlin, they are working wonders for me! Your blog is so beautiful and so are you! Um your IG feed is seriously Beautiful!
Linda Daily
I am new too and wanting to grow my followers. I have never heard of link parties. I will definitely look into those and I need to post more on Pinterest. Thanks for the tips.
Cassie Jean
Linda DailyThanks Linda! Link parties definitely help in getting more eyes on your content, and Pinterest is KING! Love your sweater bag by the way!
Marta McCue
This was great information and I could not agree more with all of your recommended steps!
Stephenie - Blended Life Happy Wife
Marta McCueI’ve been having a hard time getting traffic to my blog. Your post offers some really good information that I plan to put to use right away. Thank you so much
Cassie Jean
Stephenie – Blended Life Happy WifeThanks Stephanie! It really does just take a little bit of time! Use these methods and I promise they will come!
Cassie Jean
Marta McCueThanks Marta!
Elle
This list was extremely helpful! It was straight and to the point, which is something I truly appreciate. Thank you for sharing your expertise 🙂
Cassie Jean
ElleThanks for reading Elle! Ps. your Movie night popcorn and candy bar looks delish!
Katie
Great post! I started my blog in February and I’m still learning the tricks – this post is very helpful! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Cassie Jean
KatieWow Katie! Your blog is so beautiful! I can’t believe you just started in February! Keep up the good work!
Melanie Hernquist
Killer post! you are rockin girl. I invited you to join my blog to biz board on pinterest!
Cassie Jean
Melanie HernquistThanks Melanie, your site is GEORGOUS! I love your logo and the feel of everything! We should collaborate sometime, I’d love to pick your brain!
prasad
Yes exactly nice excellent for getting traffic
Peter Sward
You say:
Pin your blog posts to Pinterest
Share blog posts on FB/Instagram/Twitter.
How do you do that since you can only post images to Pinterest and Instagram?
Cassie Jean
Peter SwardHey Peter! You can use share widgets directly from your site! Mine are on the gray guys on the left of your screen, or bottom if on mobile. They will let me choose an image from my post like the feature image at the top of this post and will link that image back to the post! So when people on Pinterest click on that image it will take them to my site. For Instagram however, I do it manually. I take an image from one of my posts and put it on Instagram with a short intro/story and a call to action to go check it out! Then I will add the link to the post in my Bio, or just leave the link to my home page in my bio. You can check out an example at my Instagram @lifeonwaller!
Peter Sward
Cassie JeanThanks for the reply. So you are not pinning blog posts to Pinterest but pinning pictures. I already do that and I also have the blog link on my Instagram page. @peter_sward. I’m at http://thedailylunch-woburn.blogspot.com/. Otherwise is was a lot of good info.
Emma Lenhart
I love the tip of interlinking your posts. I always try and do that!
Cassie Jean
Emma LenhartThanks Emma! I love the feel of your site and IG feed!
kaylarae
Thank you Cassie! I love the lay out of your site! It is so clean and professional looking! I am a new blogger and have not been getting much traffic to my blog. These tips are all very simple and I can’t wait to start putting in the work using these strategies! I have not shared on my personal facebook page yet… I am too nervous! Was this hard for you to do at first?
Thanks for the help Cassie!
http://thekaylaraelife.weebly.com/
Cassie Jean
kaylaraeHey Kaylarae, thanks for reading! I am totally an introvert and was slightly nervous to post my blog on my personal accounts when I first launched, but I did it anyway! I figured that I was really trying to help people and wanted to give people out there who already like me as a person a chance to dive into my mind through my blog! This is where I create solutions to living an awesome life while saving money through DIY and making a living at home on the blog. I knew that there were people out there who are looking for the types of post I put out on my blog. In the end, be proud of who you are as a blogger and share it with your friends and followers! Ps. your blog looks awesome!
http://whimsicalwolfblog.com/
Thank you for sharing this post, I am new to the blogging community, so im trying to learn as much as I can. My name is Brandy, nice to meet you. What kind of pins do you pin on pinterest besides blog posts? http://whimsicalwolfblog.com/
Dyana
These are great tips! My blog traffic is like a yo-yo right now but I am starting to focus more on growing my Pinterest! I hear so much about it!
Shaunte Booker
Hey Cassie! Thank you for this post! There is so much advice out there and some of it is like trying to read Chinese. This is so practical and easy to understand for me! I plan on implementing as much of it as I can. I am in a bit of limbo with my blog. Just trying to give it a fresh logo and add some content that is quality! It’s a little frustrating but I love blogging too much to give it up! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!?
Lauren
Thanks for the tips !!! Just started a life and fashion blog and love all the input ! Thanks for this valid info , will for sure put it to good use !
April
Pinned. Lots of good points here. It took me forever to figure out most of this. Ha! But that’s okay.
Dana
What a great list of tips! Thank you! I now have a list of jobs to do on my blog for next week 😀 Keep up the great work
Cassie Jean
DanaThanks so much Dana! Glad to help!
Dani
Great list! i’m a newbie blogger so finding ways to increase my traffic is my number one priority. Thank you for this xx
http://www.daninaughton.com
Cassie Jean
DaniI feel ya girl! Thanks for reading!
Tayla
I have been obsessed with your content lately and you have inspired me so much! I even created my own downloadable wallpapers inspired by freebies you have created (and linked you of course). You are doing incredible and I am definitely looking up to you!
Cassie Scroggins
TaylaThanks Tayla, Your wallpapers are so adorable and so is your site! I think we are cut from the same cloth, I really like your style!
Heather
I’ve never heard of link parties until this post (and I’ve been researching for months!) Am I looking in all the wrong places? LOL
Thank you for being so inormatove and helpful 🙂
Cassie Scroggins
HeatherNo problem Heather! Link parties are sometimes hard to find but when I was just starting they were a good place to get some consistent page views!
Deanna
Hey Cassie, awesome list! I am in my first month of blogging and I am definitely riding the roller coaster of excitement and feeling overwhelmed (haha)! This post has really helped me tweak a few ways I’ve been doing my social media.
Thanks bunches!
Deanna
Cassie Scroggins
DeannaI’m glad to hear it Deanna! Let me just say you’re blog looks 100 times better than mine did in it’s first month! Keep up the good work girl!
Rasheeda
Hey Cassie!
Below is the link to my website! I would love to hear you feedback. BTW this post has blown my mind… “Link Parties?!” Thanks for all of this amazing info.
http://msgoodieskitchen.com
Cassie Scroggins
RasheedaYour recipes look so good! I love your color scheme but I don’t see your blog name at the top of your site did I just miss it? Looks good though! Yes, link parties are how I got those first consistent pageviews to my blog!
Social Growr
Great information has been shared in this article! Good ways to get more traffic to your websites. This information will be very useful and helpful for all the bloggers and website owners to run a successful business and promote their marketing.
Cassie Scroggins
Social GrowrThanks so much for reading and commenting!
Chrystal Keogh
I just came across your website from an EBA email and I’m so thankful for all of your helpful advice! Building traffic is definitely my focus currently. I recently started stepping up my Pinterest game and that’s helping. Had never heard of link parties – thanks for that advice and I’ll be scouring your blog for more great advice!
Cassie Scroggins
Chrystal KeoghWow that’s so awesome! Thanks for your kind comment!
Aurora
Great article Cassie! and I love your website design so much! I have a new blog and definitely, I’ll go full power towards Pinterest. I would love to keep in touch with you. Just subscribed to your list! Awesome stuff! Many thanks!
Aurora
Cassie Scroggins
AuroraThanks for commenting I’m so glad to have you in my blog squad!
Karen Ellis
Hey Cassie I just found your blog this morning and I love it! You are so helpful to other bloggers just getting started so thank you so much for that! I snagged your Instagram templates from another post you have because I seriously am super new to Instagram. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your helpful post. They are to the point and I love that. I don’t have to read all day to find what I need. Have a blessed day and good luck with your blog!!
Cassie Scroggins
Karen EllisThanks Karen! I think the encouragement you bring to women on your blog is so awesome. I’m glad you got some good freebies from here, It’s one of my favorite things to make for the blog!
Ebruphiyo
Thanks for posting this! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and may come back at some point. I want to encourage you to continue your great posts, because we all looking forward for the next update.
you can also reach me from here.
Cassie Scroggins
EbruphiyoThanks so much!
M. Irfan Zafar
Hey friend, it is a very well written article, thank you for the valuable and useful information you provided in this post. Keep up the good work!
Cassie Scroggins
M. Irfan Zafaryou’re welcome!
Chris@adogsbest
Your blog posts are very inspiring! I’m having a difficult time gaining traffic but after reading you tips and your 9 months to your first $100 a month blogging, I do feel inspired to push harder.
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Amanda Perkins
Are you kidding me Cassie!? This is SO HELPFUL! THANK YOU!! Subscribed to your podcast. I love it!
Cassie Scroggins
Amanda PerkinsThank you so much!!
Summer
I really enjoyed reading this blog post….im starting my blog and this was really what i was looking for to get started.
serina
Glad I came across this post! Do you think joining group boards are still relevant in 2023? I have been focusing on my own pins the last 6 months.
I have been putting all my time towards pinterest but I definitely need to start posting on my instagram and I’m finally creating my first freebie! Great tips!!