Why Your Blog Isn’t Gaining Traction
Though blogging can be really fun and rewarding, it can also have you anxiously chewing on your fingernails wondering why your website doesn’t have the traffic you were expecting.
If you’ve put all the hours you can into your website, the least that can happen is that you get some sort of traffic, right? I used to think more work = more traffic.
Well, today I want to give you 6 of the most common reasons that bloggers don’t see traffic.
So let’s get started…
1) You’re not advertising
I’ve had many people email me asking why their blog isn’t getting traffic, but when I ask them what they’re doing for advertising (or at least social media marketing) they say “Well, I just write a post and hope that Google shows it”.
The true story is that it's almost impossible to gain traffic to your site if you’re not putting it in front of the people that want to read it.
Some simple sites you can advertise your blog post on are:
- Youtube
- Forums
It’s really easy to turn one piece of writing into multiple streams of advertising.
For example... With one post you could create a Youtube video, make a quote and fancy image for Instagram, share to your Facebook page, and make a few images for Pinterest.
Now one post has turned into 4 different advertising routes! Once you get all your content created, you can use services like CoScheduler to automatically upload your content as specific times.
This allows you to just focus on the important part, content creation!
The amount of places you can advertise is limitless, but remember one thing: Even if you put your content in front of 1000 people, they might not be the right audience. (and if you put it in front of some people, it'll be bad advertising)
What I mean is that if you’re building a blog and you’re writing for women who love recipes... and you’re putting your content in front of men that want to read about the newest tools, you won’t expect your blog to gain traction. Relevance is really important.
It’s almost like setting up a hot dog stand in middle of Antarctica. There won't be anyone there to buy hot dogs!
So before you start advertising think about who you’re targeting and where they might be hanging out at.
2) You’re not being consistent
Consistency is Key. We hear it again and again and again...
The next reason that you’re not gaining traffic could be that your not being consistent with your posting. Did you know 80% of blogs only have 1 post?
When someone comes to your blog, can they expect a new post every Wednesday? Or maybe every other Monday?
Whatever schedule works for you, you need to make sure that you’re consistent in your posting and that your audience knows when to come back to your website.
Leadership guru John Maxwell said: "Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time."
If you’re having a hard time being consistent, try to break your tasks up and batch them. For example: instead of writing a post, then creating the images for it, adding links, and sharing it on social sites... you can write a few posts, create a bunch of images at once, then add links to them, and use a social media managing website to help automate your blog sharing.
Here's another example… Let’s say I need to write 5 1000 word articles every week. I would use Monday and write the 5 articles, edit them Tuesday, and proofread and post Wednesday.
Joanne Tombrakos from “It Takes An Egg Timer, A Guide to Creating the Time for Your Life” says that “multitasking is great in the kitchen when you are trying to time the chicken to be ready at the same time as the potatoes. But do not assume it is a great way to manage a workday”.
3) Your writing isn’t as good as it could be
Take a moment and think about how much time you put into the writing of your blog.
Is it ritten like this? Bcuz this is not just unprofessional but its also hard 2 read.
Many bloggers forget that people come to their blog for the sole purpose of the words on the page and if it’s not effective and straight to the point, you won't be gaining more traction.
You can make your writing better by:
- Correct Punctuation
- Correct Spelling
- Great Flow
- Creative Vocabulary
- Novel Analogies
Theses are all methods to increase the quality of your writing. Remember, no matter how good the subject is that you’re talking about... if you cannot effectively communicate your ideas, then no one will want to read it.
I’ve had people only spend 10 seconds on an article that wasn’t written proficiently. (Low dwell time on a web-page tells Google it's low-quality!)
So when you’re writing, make sure that you put your time into the details and make sure that it flows well and makes sense. Spelling errors and lack of fluid communication can turn away potential subscribers in a heartbeat.
Once you finish writing your article, I recommend sending it to a few friends or family that you trust for their feedback. Since they might not be your target audience, just ask for their feedback on how easy it is to read and if they understood the topic.
4) You're not telling a story
When you write for you blog, it isn’t about just getting all the words you can down. I know a lot of "experts" claim "the more words, the better" for Search Engine Optimization. It's not about that.
It’s about taking the reader on a journey where they are the main part of your story.
When you write your posts, do you use "I" more than "you"? Well, if you want to see your blog start gaining traction, you’re going to have to make the story of your reader the main focus. Each part of your blog should serve a specific purpose. You should help them on their journey.
Also, when you’re writing your posts, you need to make sure that you’re working towards their persona. What do they want and what do they want to achieve? When you highlight your reader's journey you’ll be able to see your blog grow like no other.
An example of creating a persona of a reader would be:
"I want to create this article for a 23-year old student struggling to find their purpose. I’m going to outline different routes and how to achieve their goal."
Now once you write your article, you’ll be able to write a piece that is targeted and informative.
5) You’re not writing about the right topics
Blogging is about getting people to your website, if you’re not writing about topics that interest people, then you’ll not see the traffic you’re wanting. Keyword Research is a VERY important thing.
If you’re writing about a niche that isn't very popular, you can't expect to see much traffic to your website. How do you find topics that get good traffic?
Well, you can use Google Keyword Finder and Google Trends.
Here you can see that you’re able to type in a topic and see how popular it is. This will show you if it’s something good to be in or not.
Another thing to note is that you don’t always want to pick the most searched topic, because it might be too saturated with a lot of competition.
So try and find the middle line between too much traffic and not enough. In SEO we call this "profitable keywords".
6) Headlines, Headlines, Headlines
As mentioned in my how to write a great headline article, headlines are one of the most important factors in your content creation process.
Head lines are important because you need readers with a problem to be enticed to click on your website. If you want to read more on how to craft click-worthy headlines, check out this great article on the topic.
But let me give you the quick rundown on how to craft a great headline.
First let’s look at two different headlines:
- How to start a blog
- The Simple Beginners Guide to Starting A Blog
As you can see both of these headlines are similar, but probably evoked different reactions in you. The first one tells you what the article is about, while the second one convinces and tells you.
When writing great headlines, make sure to use action words. Readers love to find information that gives them an action, and putting this in your headlines really improves click-through. For example "How to increase your click-through rate by 500% within 30 minutes". I'm a marketer and I'd click that!
To get a better grasp, think of a headline like a door. If a reader never opens your door because it's ugly, they'll never the the opportunity to read your content (and eventually buy from you).
Conclusion:
Trying to write for a blog can be difficult and frustrating at times. If you’re stuck in a rut and you feel like you cannot get out, use these tips:
- You’re not advertising: Once you write a post for your blog you need to spend the rest of your efforts promoting it and getting as much traffic as you can to it.
- Consistency: Consistency is king, and this is especially true in blogging. Make sure that you’re posting on a regular and consistent schedule and you’ll be able to see your traction increase.
- Your Writing Sucks: Let’s face it, readers are coming to your site for your writing. So why not make it as good as it can be?
- Be Their Resource: Sculpt yourself as the person who is trying to help them. Envision who they are and the struggles they are facing. Now write your article towards that.
- Topical Writing: Not all topics will gain as much readers as others. Use sites like google analytics and google trends.
- Headlines, Headlines, Headlines: As mentioned in other articles, headlines are one of the most important aspects of a blog. Make sure that yours is click worthy.
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