Increase your blog traffic with simple Pinterest and beginner blog traffic strategies. You can go from 6 views a day to over 5,000 views a month within your first 2 months of blogging.
I remember when I would get so excited to check my blog stats because I just knew the article I just published was amazing and surely it would go viral.
But….crickets.
Crickets was all I got!
It seemed like the late nights, the giving up my little free time, and my sweat and tears amounted to nothing! NOTHING!
I totally get it.
I know how it feels to be super ambitious and positive about starting a blog, only to be disappointed because you’re not part of the chosen few who make their first 1,000 in 3 months.
Most blogs fail, but it’s because people give up, not because the process doesn’t work.
You just have to believe that it’s working and keep moving forward. Remember why you started the blog, write it down, and let that fuel you!
Blogging is not a rich quick scheme, unfortunately.
But if you keep up the hard work, it will pay off!
I am one of those late bloomers and slow comers, when it comes to blogging. But that’s okay, I’m in it for the long haul.
If you’re like me, maybe you can find some comfort or advice here.
Getting the beginning traffic is the hardest, I think.
You have to get your blog on the map, which can be tough and a long process. There are so many blogs out there, how do you stand out?
With the right tools, it may not be as hard as you think.
I’m going to share with you exactly how I got my traffic going in the beginning from 7-10 views a day to over 200 views a day in a month.
My blog is still growing. I think ALL our blogs are still growing. Your blog will constantly grow and evolve, and you grow and evolve.
It’s a constant work in progress, you just have to remember to enjoy the process.
How to get your New blog on the Map and Increase your Blog Traffic
Foundation
I don’t want to spend too much time on this section since you might already have a good foundation and just need more traffic.
But, It’s so important to start with a good foundation in order to have good traffic.
You need a good host site. I use Bluehost, and I love them. They have always been helpful and the cost is great.
I would also highly recommend buying a theme. Your accessibility and options increases 10 fold with a paid theme versus a free theme.
Also, If you know absolutely nothing about blogging, as I did…Well, I thought I knew stuff, but than quickly realized I didn’t,…then I highly suggest you invest in a blogging course.
There are a lot out there. My personal favorite is How to Build and Launch your blog in 4 weeks. I love Lauren and Alex. You can read my review about their course here, or go straight to the source, here.
I learned so much from that course. I got my blog up and running in 5 weeks (I also work full-time) and I felt confident about it
WEIRD SIDE NOTE: Although going back and reading my first posts makes me cringe. It’s also another sign of how far you’ve come. Read one of your first posts.
Good Quality Posts for Good Blog Traffic
If you write it, they will come.
There is some truth to this statement. If you are writing good quality posts and doing your best to promote them, traffic will come.
People want to read good, informative and helpful information. It has to solve one of their problems. If you’re doing that, people will find you. (with some promotion, of course.)
Make sure you are writing quality posts. This article is one of the best articles about how to write a good post. I refer to it often.
You want to make sure you have at least 800-2000 words. I always try to aim for 1500-2000. Also, if you want to rank with Google it’s good to reference credible sources in your articles, especially if it’s a researched topic.
Use the right keywords in your articles and make sure you brainstorm good titles before you just pick one.
There are also different types of posts you can write that are popular. Here is a list of great blog posts to do for traffic and income.
All these things combined make a good post, a good foundation and a good blog, which will get traffic.
Even if it’s…eventually.
If you download the free plugin, Yoast, it will help you keep track of how well your post is doing with SEO as your write it and before you post it. (This is compatible with wordpress.)
Utilizing Free Resources for Increase Blog Traffic
Once you have a good foundation, and, if you’re like me, have spent all your blogging budget, start using FREE resources to grow your traffic.
These are some of the strategies I started using to get my blog on the map and turn my views from 6 views a day to 5,000 views a month. (This and a good Pinterest Strategy which is discussed in more detail below).
I learned about all these free resources and more from Elna Cain in her Ready, Set, Blog for Traffic Course.
She goes into great detail about how you can increase your traffic without spending lots of money.
She doesn’t just focus on one social media platform. She talks about Pinterest, Facebook, and several other free resources to utilize in growing your blog as a beginner. She also gives out lists of group boards, Facebook groups, and more, which is well worth the money you spend. And her course doesn’t break the bank.
It’s only $79.00 and it was instrumental in my traffic growth.
Related: The 4 Biggest Blogging Lies
Guest Posting
One way to boost your traffic is to guest post on other people’s blogs. Most people will (should) give you a back link to your blog which is really important for Google.
And if you guest post on a blog that gets tons of traffic, you will get a lot of eyes on your post and your bio. Hopefully they click on your website link and maybe you’ll gain a new follower!
There is a process to finding and applying to guest posting, which is something that Elna teaches in her Ready, Set, Traffic Course. I have used her method and done several guest posts.
Facebook Groups
Utilize Facebook groups.
I don’t know what I would do without some of my Facebook Groups. Here are a list of a few of my favorite ones: (these are ones you can join as well)
Pinterest for Lady Bloggers and Business Owners
These groups are specific to my niche, but if they would work for you, try them out!
Find groups that are related to your niche as well, or about things you’re working on. For example, if you struggle with Pinterest, you could join a Pinterest group, like I did.
Facebook groups are great because it’s where you can connect with other bloggers, feel supported, ask questions, and promote your stuff.
I was interviewed for a Podcast because of a connection I made in a Facebook Group.
I ask all kinds of questions, and there is usually somebody who knows the answer in a Facebook Group.
My Facebook groups are invaluable to me.
In Elna’s traffic course, she gives you a list of about 100 Facebook Groups that you can join in different niches. Super helpful.
Comments
Commenting on other people’s blog can increase your traffic.
When you comment on other’s blogs, preferably in your same niche, a lot of the time you can leave a back link to your blog in your comment.
Especially if they have the plugin Comment Luv.
This plugin allows you to leave a link to one of your most recent blog posts. You could also leave a link if it pertains to the article you are commenting on.
Be careful about not being spammy. Make sure you are commenting to be sincere and add to the conversation.
Side Note: I would also recommend downloading Comment Luv on your own blog because people are more likely to comment if they can leave a link.
I have definitely clicked on a website or link from a comment because it sounded interesting, or the persons story intrigued me. You never know who’s going to read your comment.
Increase Blog Traffic Tips:
- Post more often and update old blog posts with new pins
- Create opt-ins and freebies to gain an email following
- Do round up blog posts
- Have share buttons so others can easily share your content. I use Sumo (it’s FREE).
There are so many different things you can do to work on increasing your traffic. Elna goes into more detail in her course. Sometimes I just go down the list of tips and see what I can work on that week to improve my blog traffic.
Master Pinterest or Social Media to Increase Blog Traffic
They say when you start a blog that you should just pick one social media platform as your main source of income. Otherwise, you get overwhelmed by learning them all, and you aren’t able to dedicate the needed time to any of them.
I have chosen Pinterest.
Pinterest sounded the easiest and the fastest to me. (I don’t know if I still think that, but I’m making it work for me!)
Also, there are a ton of classes out there to help with Pinterest.
I took the Pinterest Avalanche Course by Create and Go, which I loved. I learned all the basics of Pinterest and more through them.
They go into great detail about Pinterest:
How to set up an account, how to understand Pinterest analytics, how to make pins in Canva, how to make viral pins, Pinterest SEO, Group boards, Tailwind, and how to come up with a Pinterest Strategy. They discuss so much more, these are the things that helped me the most!
I also feel like it’s hard to master Pinterest without taking a class, so if you have the money, invest in a class.
If not, read all the free things you can! There are several people out there who share their Pinterest strategy.
And I’m going to share with you today what I do. Hopefully you can gain some insight.
Once I really learned how to use Pinterest and implement free resources for increasing blog traffic, I 10x my traffic.
Setting Up Pinterest
First, you want to set up your Pinterest account to look the part.
Business Account
You want to have a business account. I suggest if you already have a personal account to just make it a business account because then you already have a basic following. Here’s how you can do that.
Profile Name
You want to make sure your Profile name has keywords about what you do and what you offer people. Here is what mine looks like:
This shows who I am, what I do, and it uses keywords.
A trick to getting a long description is doing it on your mobile device. For some reason there is a character limit when you do it on the desktop.
Profile Description
Add a profile description that has keywords, describes what your blog is about, and has a link to one of your landing pages or subscriptions. Here is my description:
I did not add a link to my subscription because I have put my email on hold for the moment, but that’s another story for another time.
Keywords
I’ve mentioned keywords a couple times, let me describe those for a minute.
When I mention keywords, I mean the words that people use to search for your niche, your topics, or your ideas.
For example, I have a mom blog, so some keywords for me are: Motherhood, parenting, baby, toddler, breastfeeding, pregnancy. These words are commonly used when people are searching for my type of content.
So, how do you find out about what Keywords to use?
The Pinterest Avalanche course goes into great detail about how to do this, with examples. As well as ways to find keywords using other programs as well. It really does just cover anything you ever wanted to know about Pinterest.
I’m going to briefly explain how to find keywords using Pinterest.
You know how when you search for something these little boxes with words come up?
Well, did you know that these boxes are giving you a list of what is searched most often.
For example, if I type in Motherhood, those are the results.
So, then I know that people often search for Motherhood quotes, Motherhood photography, funny motherhood, motherhood struggles, etc…
Think of any or all keywords related to your topic and you will find the words that people are searching for the most. This can be helpful in coming up with a good post title, or what to even write about next on your blog!
Boards
You want to create boards that are relative to your niche and your subtopics on your blog.
You also want to be as specific as possible. This is because people can search for boards and you want use keywords on your board titles that people are searching for.
You also want to put pins in your boards that relate to the name of the board.
For example,
I have a board called Pregnancy Tips (I used tips because it’s a commonly searched word) and I pin pins that board that are related to pregnancy.
I also have a board called Pregnancy 1st Trimester. This is more board specific and will be a direct search topic.
It’s not only important to name your boards the right keywords, but to include keywords into your board descriptions.
Here is a picture of one of my boards and the description. I’ve used the popular keywords to describe my board.
This way Pinterest knows what the board contains not only based off the title, but based on what pins you are saving to that board and the board description.
If someone is searching for your topic, your likely to rank higher if all your boards and pins have the right keywords.
Group Boards
Group boards are Pinterest boards that have different collaborators adding to it. A group board contains an admin that invites people to join their board and contribute related pins. You can also ask to join group boards.
In the Traffic course Ready Set Traffic, Elna gives you a list of so many niche specific group boards that you can ask to join, and she shows you the best way to ask. There are so many free lists and resources in her course. Just that information alone is worth the price.
I have about 10 group boards, but I’m trying to work on getting more niche specific boards.
Make sure you check to make sure how your group boards are helping you, this is super easy with Tailwind (more about Tailwind below). It will show you what your engagement is with each of your boards including your group boards.
If your engagement is regularly below .30, it’s not really helping you and you should leave it.
If a board isn’t helping you, leave it. I’ve left several boards that don’t really help my traffic.
Remember to also obey all the rules of the board.
Pins
You want to have good, appealing pins. There is a whole section on how to create a good pin in the Pinterest Avalanche course, which is super helpful. I reference it a lot.
You want pins that people are going to want to click on.
TIPS:
- Size is important. You want a 2:3 ratio on your pins and a good size is 600 px X 900 px
- You want it to hit a pain point. Solve a problem your audience needs resolved
- Good, Clear Images
- Add your logo
- It looks appealing
- Readable font. Don’t use so much script font that no one can read it
Rich Pins
Make your pins Rich Pins. You can learn more about this here. This feature adds extra information on your pin from your website. You can learn more about this in great detail in the Pinterest Avalanche course or from Pinterest.
The Strategy
Once you have your Pinterest all set up, you have to start creating a strategy.
Which, honestly, is somewhat of a trial and error. You have to find out what works for you and your blog.
Here’s what I do:
Disclosure: When I first started using Pinterest, before taking the Pinterest Avalanche course, this was not my strategy. After taking the course, I created a strategy that got my blog on the map. Recently, I re-reviewed the course to redefine my strategy again. This is the strategy I have been using for the past month, and I have had successful results.
I pin 15-20 of my own pins daily. I use a scheduled pinning service with Tailwind to pin 15 of those pins and then I manually pin about 5, sometimes more, sometimes less.
The pins I manually pin are usually from my most popular posts. If I’ve already pinned them to all my boards, I make new pins for my popular posts.
The new rule that has recently come out says that you shouldn’t pin a pin to the same board more than once within a 4-6 month time period.
My Plug for Tailwind: I absolutely love Tailwind, especially because I already work a full-time job, so I can’t be on Pinterest at peak times to pin manually. Tailwind also has Tribes (like Pinterest boards), but I don’t know that they help all that much. I have it on my list to learn more about utilizing Tailwind Tribes.
Tailwind will also tell you stats like what pins are performing well, how your boards are doing, and what the peak times to pin are so you get the most engagement from your pins.
It does cost $15.00 a month with the lowest plan, but the lowest plan works great for me. I might step up a level once my blog grows a little more.
However, if you can pin manually, more power to you!
I also pin 15-20 pins of other people’s content/pins throughout the day that relate to my niche and boards. I usually DO NOT pin other people’s content at my peak times. I like to do my pins at peak times. My peak time is most of the evening, so I pin other people’s content during the day.
You can find your blogs peak time by using Google analytics or Tailwind.
My Pins
Every time I make a post, I make 3 pins for that post. Then I post those pins on my most relevant boards first (not all at once), then slowly over time add them to other boards and group boards.
I try to manually pin to my most relevant boards and then use Tailwind for my group boards and other boards.
Overall I pin about 50 pins a day throughout the day. Make sure you aren’t just pinning, pinning, pinning or Pinterest might spam you.
Pinterest Avalanche can help give you a basis of a strategy so you can create your own. It has helped me create mine!
Continue Learning
Keep learning. I learn new things all the time. How to improve my Pinterest strategy, how to write better posts, and how to utilize my free resources.
Sometimes, if I have a free moment, I’ll get on Pinterest and just search for things I’m struggling with and read a few articles. I almost always learn something new that I can implement.
Summary
I started out at 6 views a day, this month I’m on track to hit 12,000 views which is my new high.
I have been blogging for a year, and I know that I’m not where I want to be and I also know that I’m not one of the fast bloggers, but I have learned so much over the past year that has made me a better blogger.
I also work full-time so I feel like I’m doing pretty well.
If you are at the 6 views a day mark, do the simple things in this article and you will see results! After I started implementing them, I haven’t gone below 5,000 a month. As my strategy and content gets better, my traffic keeps increasing!
Just believe that it’s working and it will work! Don’t give up, keep working hard!
Related: The 4 Blogging Lies
