5 Simple Things You Can Do to Double Your Blog Traffic

Are you trying to get more readers to your blog and increase your blog traffic? Have you been trying to find something that will make the difference for you?

If you can relate, congratulations, you're normal! I've been right where you are now.

While I definitely don't have this thing we call blogging “mastered,” that's ok. I thought I'd share with you some of the things I've learned after three hundred blog posts. These techniques have helped me double my blog traffic not once, not twice, but over three times.

My first experience with blogging was like looking out on the open plains without a clue about what to do, where to go, or what to do next. I didn't consider myself a writer, but I figured I could do it.

While I stumbled through and made it work, I spent a lot of time doing things wrong.

How can you blog wrong?

Great question! You can blog in a way that makes you feel fake and prevents you from connecting with people.

Even though it took a while for me to figure it out, I developed a rhythm and developed tips to help me write better. These tips also increased my blog traffic which led to allowing me to build a business around it.

For the first year I was averaging about 125 readers a month. Once I started doing what I'll share with you below, that grew to 300 a month, then doubled again to about 600. Currently I'm getting almost 2000 a month and have built a business around my blog.

Want me to help you grow your blog in ? Then check out my free 30 Day Blog Transformation email course!

By putting these five simple things into action, I have no doubt you'll be able to see success. These five tips will help you increase your blog traffic and reach more people with your world-changing message.

5 Simple Things You Can Do to Double Your Blog Traffic

Consider Your Branding

My URL for my first blog was empoweringthe80percent.com. I blogged under that domain for over two years.

During that time, I knew people were finding me by searching for my name, Ellory Wells. I used Google Analytics and Alexa to track that.

In April 2014 I changed my URL to ElloryWells.com. Just a few days after making this change I saw my blog traffic increase and my page-views per visit double. My bounce rate also dropped from 74.88% to around 10.1%.

Not only did more readers show up, but they stayed longer. They viewed more blog posts and pages than ever before.

If you're about to start a new blog, or thinking about rebranding your current one, use your name as the web address. It's not vain to use your name. It's simple, recognizable, and your name isn't likely to change.

Any brand that takes more than a few seconds to explain is not a good brand, and your name is as good a brand as any.

Use a Conversational Tone

Remember back to the last time you read a text-book. Did you feel like the author was speaking to you?

No?

Didn't think so. Blog readers want to feel like you're talking directly to them, not reading a text-book or legal document.

When I started to write how I talk, my traffic doubled. My writing became more relatable, and I started getting comments like,

I feel like you're talking to me! It's like we're sitting across the table having a conversation.

Success!

The more you can relate to your readers, the more you can connect with (and influence) them. When your readers feel like they know you, they'll begin to trust you. If you're blogging as part of your business, building trust should be your goal.

An added benefit to writing with a conversational tone is it's easier for you to write and easier to come up with new ideas. You can convert many conversation can into a value-adding blog post.

Share Practical Tips

I love to talk and write about mindset. If you want to be an entrepreneur, change your mindset. If you want to be a writer, change your mindset.

However, blogs about mindset don't provide actionable and practical tips. Mindset posts don't make you money.

In today's fast-paced world, readers want actionable and practical tips. They want to read posts like

• 7 Types of People Successful People Avoid
• 49 Things to Do Before the End of the Year
• 10 Things I've Learned from 4 Years of Marriage, and
• 5 Simple Things You Can Do to Double Your Blog Traffic

It's not that modern readers are fickle. In fact, the opposite is true. Readers today get bombarded with blog posts, news articles and ads, and need be good stewards of their time.

When I shifted more of my blog posts from how to think, to how to do, my blog traffic saw a significant increase. By helping your readers get things done, you can increase your blog traffic too.

HINT: If you've found a solution to a problem, share it. There is a high likelihood your readers are facing similar challenges. Solving the problem for them will gain you their loyalty.

Be Consistent

Most bloggers who eventually give up drop the ball early when it comes to consistency.

Back when I posted only whenever I had something ready, my blog traffic was low. When I started blogging every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, my readership doubled.

Your readers want to count on you. They want to rely on you to provide excellent tips every Tuesday and motivation every Monday. During the summer of 2013 my weekly “What If… Wednesdays” series was quite popular.

Consistency is not only good for your readers, but it benefits you as well.

Have you ever heard of a professional athlete who only works out whenever they're ready?

Ok, bad example.

Have you ever heard of a professional writer who didn't stick to a regimen of regular?

No.

If you're serious about being a writer, get serious about writing (TWEET THAT!).

Write more than you publish and read more than you write.

A blog post a day keeps the doc…  well, I don't know about that, but daily writing will keep your thoughts clear and your mind strong.

Increase Your Quantity

You won't be able to write 300 blog posts over night. It took me two and a half years. Writing a large quantity of content has several benefits when it comes to blog traffic.

People are constantly reading posts from months or even years ago. Catchy titles and valuable information doesn't go stale.

Focus on writing “evergreen” posts. This is content with timeless information that is good for months or years to come. If you write evergreen posts, you'll have people reading them long after you hit publish.

Want me to help you grow your blog in ? Then check out my free 30 Day Blog Transformation email course!

Writing new content on a regular basis also helps with SEO. It shows search engines your site is fresh and current.

When was the best time to plant a tree?

Twenty years ago.

When is the second best time?

Today.

If you want to build a healthy blog with a wealth of great content, start now.

Write Better

First, blogging is much different from writing for books, newspapers or magazines. People read blog posts on computer screens (63% for me), phones (29%) and tablets. Books are (generally) read on paper.

When people read blogs, their have divided attention. They're torn between email, the ringing phone, Facebook, and the other dozen tabs open in their browser.

To increase your blog traffic, write a blog, not a book.

Use short paragraphs and short sentences. Avoid adverbs and complex sentences. I use and recommend the Hemingway App to help with this.

Long paragraphs, when viewed on a phone, look like walls of text. Our eyes need breaks so we don't lose our place. Walls of text are ugly and people don't want to read them or scroll through them.

I try to have no more than three sentences per paragraph before moving on. While a book might separate paragraphs by thoughts, blogs separate them by ease of reading.

Second, improve your writing. Like any skill, good writing takes time to develop. Just because you can write doesn't mean you can write well.

If you already write well, you can write better.

Better writing comes with time. It also helps you increase your blog's traffic because people are more likely to share good writing.

No one wants to share a post riddled with typos, bad formatting, and an unclear message. Keep your blog posts tight and with a clear point, and people will stick around to see what else you've got.

To improve your writing, I recommend you use the Hemingway App and/or Microsoft Word.

Before publishing your next post, paste it into Microsoft Word and run a basic spelling and grammar check. Then paste the revised version into the Hemingway App to determine reading difficulty and the use of extra words. It also makes suggestions to simplify your writing.

And there you have it! 5 simple things you can start doing today to double or even triple you blog traffic.

Go out there and write something!

Question: What is something you've done to increase your blog traffic? Anything that didn't work?