Blogging: How can I increase blog traffic through marketing?

So you’ve got yourself a shiny new blog, but alas only you, your mum and her cat are reading it. One of the best ways to quickly increase your blog traffic is marketing.

My background is in PR and marketing, so I thought I’d share a few tips here about increasing your blog traffic through marketing.

Why bother with marketing your blog? 

I won’t get too geeky, but basically the more that other sites link back to you and the greater the size of these third party sites, the more ‘SEO juice’ for your blog. In short, more shares = more traffic.

And even if the sites linking back to you do so with ‘no follow’ links (i.e. the links won’t count towards to your SEO), you can still gain visibility and increase your traffic.

Who to target?

Only target reputable sites which lie in your niche area. So if you’re writing about travel in Jamaica, then a guest post on a London lifestyle blog might not be relevant. Then again, if this London lifestyle blog has a prominent travel section, then it might be worth it.

Someone advised me to only reach out to more prominent bloggers, influencers and websites, but I don’t necessarily agree. Some of the smaller, niche websites may be more in line with your readership and they may feature your blog, and share your links much more prominently. I’d argue it’s on a case by case basis.

When to start marketing your blog? 

Even if your blog is brand new, you can still share it. Even if you don’t have a huge following yet, don’t be put off about spreading the word.

The main ‘rule’ is to keep it consistent. So if you’re setting aside some time to market your blog, do it regularly and consistently, for example everyday or every week.

What works for you

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing your blog. Anyone who tells you so is lying. Sure there are tricks, but what works for me might not work for you. Play around with some of the tips below; experiment to see what marketing techniques work for your blog.

1. Guest posts. Not all sites offer guest posts (The Expater included), but a quick search for ‘guest post + your field of interest’ should bring up some good sites. Even blogs which don’t offer guest posts might be interested in featuring you in some way. For instance interviews…
2. Interviews. While I don’t accept guest posts, I do feature a lot of interviews. I’ve been approached by fellow bloggers  and I’ve reached out to lots of sites for interviews about The Expater too.
3. Collaborations. Often when I’ve reached out to brands and fellow bloggers, they’ve come back to me to ask if they could do the same. We’ve ended up writing about each other, giving each other a mutual shout out.
4. Podcasts. I’m not big into the podcast scene, but they can help build awareness of your brand by tapping into a completely new audience.
5. Articles. I’m primarily a blogger, but I pay my way mostly through writing for magazines and lifestyle websites. Even if you’re not a professional writer, don’t be put off; if you’re an expert in your field this counts just as much. In my experience, 90% of the time the editor is happy to include a link to my site in a byline at the end of my article, or even in the main body of the text. Even if they won’t include a link, there might be a space for a profile (‘about the authors’) section where you can link back to your blog.
6. Brand endorsements. If you’ve reviewed a product or think it’s great, let the brand know. Ask politely if they’d like to share this endorsement on their website. Again, only go to brands you trust and keep it real. Only endorse the products you really know and love.
7. Blog comments. Have a nosey on WordPress (or Blogger, depending on whom you’re with) for other great blogs in your market. Write (nice, helpful) comments and always add the link to your blog (even if it’s published with a no follow link). This way you’ll also get to know other bloggers in your field and you can support each other.
8. Blogging communities. Reach out to blogging communities and share your posts here too, when relevant. There are lots of groups you can request to join on Facebook – Female Travel Bloggers is a great example. Again, you’ll get to ‘meet’ fellow bloggers and you can share each other’s content.

And a final word of warning… Be polite. Ask permission, if relevant. Don’t spam. It’s rude and oh so annoying.