If you have just started a blog, you might be wondering how to get more visitors to your site. You are not alone. Many new bloggers struggle with attracting and retaining readers, especially in the competitive online space.
But don’t worry, there are some proven strategies that can help you drive more traffic to your blog without spending a fortune. In this article, we will share with you 5 easy steps that you can implement today to increase your blog traffic by 406% (for free).
Step 1: Write about topics people search for
One of the most important factors that determine your blog traffic is the relevance of your content to your audience. You want to write about topics that people are actually looking for, not just what you think they might like.
But how do you find out what people are searching for? There are several tools that can help you with that, such as Google Trends, AnswerThePublic, or Ahrefs. These tools can show you the popular and trending keywords related to your niche, as well as the questions and problems that your potential readers have.
For example, if you have a blog about gardening, you can use Ahrefs to find out the most searched terms related to gardening, such as “how to grow tomatoes”, “best indoor plants”, or “gardening tips for beginners”. You can also see the monthly search volume, the difficulty of ranking for each keyword, and the top-ranking pages for each term.
By using these tools, you can discover unique content ideas for popular search terms, and create blog posts that answer the needs and interests of your audience.
Step 2: Make sure you match search intent
Search intent is the goal or purpose behind a search query. It tells you what the searcher wants to achieve or learn from their search. For example, someone searching for “best laptops” might have a different intent than someone searching for “how to fix a laptop”.
To drive more traffic to your blog, you need to make sure that your content matches the search intent of your target keywords. This means that you need to provide the information, solution, or action that the searcher is looking for.
There are four main types of search intent:
- Informational: The searcher wants to learn something or find an answer to a question. For example, “how to drive traffic to new blog”.
- Navigational: The searcher wants to find a specific website or page. For example, “WPBeginner blog”.
- Transactional: The searcher wants to buy something or perform an action. For example, “buy gardening tools online”.
- Commercial: The searcher wants to compare different products or services before making a purchase decision. For example, “best laptops for blogging”.
To match the search intent of your keywords, you need to understand the type of intent behind each term, and create content that satisfies that intent. For example, if you are targeting an informational keyword, you need to provide a clear and comprehensive answer to the question, or a step-by-step guide to the topic. If you are targeting a transactional keyword, you need to provide a clear and compelling call to action, or a link to the product or service you are promoting.
You can use tools like Ahrefs or Google to analyze the search intent of your keywords, and see what kind of content is ranking well for each term. You can also use the SERP features, such as featured snippets, people also ask, or related searches, to get more insights into the search intent of your keywords.
Step 3: Build an email list
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive more traffic to your blog. According to a study by Campaign Monitor, email marketing has an average return on investment of $44 for every $1 spent .
Email marketing allows you to build a loyal and engaged audience, who are more likely to visit your blog regularly, share your content, and buy your products or services. You can also use email marketing to promote your new blog posts, send newsletters, offer discounts, or launch campaigns.
But how do you build an email list? The first step is to choose an email marketing service, such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or AWeber. These services allow you to create and manage your email campaigns, as well as provide you with tools and templates to design your emails.
The next step is to create an opt-in form, which is a form that asks your visitors to subscribe to your email list. You can place your opt-in form on your blog, such as in your sidebar, footer, header, or pop-up. You can also use tools like OptinMonster or Thrive Leads to create more advanced and attractive opt-in forms, such as exit-intent pop-ups, slide-ins, or welcome mats.
The final step is to offer an incentive, or a lead magnet, to entice your visitors to subscribe to your email list. A lead magnet is something valuable that you offer for free in exchange for an email address. It can be anything that your audience might find useful, such as a free ebook, a checklist, a cheat sheet, a webinar, or a coupon.
For example, if you have a blog about gardening, you can offer a free ebook on “10 Easy Steps to Grow Your Own Vegetables” as a lead magnet. This way, you can attract more subscribers who are interested in your niche, and drive more traffic to your blog.
Step 4: Reach out to people mentioned in your post
One of the easiest ways to drive more traffic to your blog is to reach out to people who are mentioned in your post, and ask them to share it with their audience. This can be anyone who has a relevant and influential online presence, such as bloggers, influencers, experts, or journalists.
By reaching out to these people, you can leverage their authority and credibility, and expose your content to a larger and more targeted audience. You can also build relationships and connections with them, which can lead to more opportunities and collaborations in the future.
But how do you reach out to these people? The first step is to find their contact information, such as their email address, social media profiles, or website. You can use tools like Hunter, Voila Norbert, or FindThatLead to find their email address, or simply search for their name on Google or social media.
The next step is to write a personalized and friendly email, where you introduce yourself, compliment their work, mention how you featured them in your post, and ask them to share it with their audience. You can also add a link to your post, and a reason why they should share it, such as how it can benefit their audience, or how it can add value to their niche.
Here is an example of an email that you can send to someone who is mentioned in your post:
Subject: I featured you in my latest blog post
Hi [Name],
I’m [Your name], and I’m a huge fan of your work. I especially loved your article on [Topic].
I just wanted to let you know that I featured you in my latest blog post on [Topic]. I think you