Starting a blog is rather simple, but getting people to visit and keeping them engaged is a whole ‘nother story. And promoting a blog can be a really steep learning curve; if you don’t get it right, you could be the only person who ever reads your blog posts.
We’ll let you in on a few secrets, a mix of SEO and analytics, among other things, that will have you seeing results. If you’re looking to increase traffic to your blog, here are six surefire ways to getting you month-over-month traffic growth.
The power of email
You’ve gathered a substantial number of connections throughout your professional career. Why not utilize them to share your blog posts? By sending an email to your colleagues you not only provide them access to your thoughts and happenings, but you potentially open yourself up to new opportunities.
You’ve heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind,†time and time again. Dust off those email contacts and introduce them to your online writings.
Don’t forget the power of your email signature. Create a hyperlink to your blog and any other professional social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter within your signature block.
SEO-friendly content
Once you’ve selected your article topic, develop a list of possible keyword phrases that relate to your content and check these phrases in your keyword tool of choice. For example, I check my personal favorite, Google Adwords. Make sure you place these keywords throughout your post to ensure they will be picked up by search engines.
When developing keywords, keep the article title in mind. You’ll want to make sure that the headline is catchy and search-engine friendly.
Get “socialâ€
Once you’ve dotted your I’s and crossed your T’s, it’s time to tell your family, friends and colleagues about your online venture. If you’re using WordPress, a great tool to employ is their publicize feature. This feature connects your social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to your blog. This awesome tool saves you time by promoting your blog posts to several places automatically.
Google Analytics
Once you have established your blog, you’ll want to track your site’s data and analytics. To do so, sign up for Google Analytics, download your analytics code and embed it into your blog. Wait 24-36 hours after you’ve posted and promoted your post to view results from this service.
Google Analytics provides you with a world of information such as which search terms people use to find your blog, where visitors come from and what they do on the site, and which marketing projects are most effective.
Expand your reach
By signing up and submitting your content to social sharing communities like StumbleUpon and Reddit, you’re bound to see a significant traffic increase. StumbleUpon makes it easy to upload and tag content, plus it is very user friendly.
Be our guest
Are there any popular blogs that you subscribe to? After you’ve established a set of blog posts, reach out to the blog curator and offer to guest post on a particular topic. By doing so, you not only showcase your writing skills to a new demographic but also secure another credible source to back you. You can also reach out to others and invite them to guest post on your blog.
S. Lynn Cooper is a Washington, DC-based digital strategist and communications expert. Cooper is the founder and director of Socially Ahead, a strategic communications agency that specializes in the creation of social and digital strategies and campaign management. Follow her on Twitter at @sociallyahead .