With systems like WordPress, starting a blog has never been easier. Once it’s up and running, your next major hurdle will be increasing visitors to your blog or website.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be an expert in marketing to promote your blog. Using some tried and true best practices, you can quickly improve your blog traffic and attract more visitors.
In this article, we’ll go over some of the simplest and tried-and-tested ways to boost your blog traffic like a seasoned marketer.
It’s crucial to spend some time getting to know your target audience and what they’re looking for before you start writing blog posts.
Answering the following questions can help you quickly create an audience framework:
These questions can help you gain a better understanding of your target audience. You can go even further by adding more specific questions like:
In the eCommerce industry, these audience profiles are referred to as “buyer personas.”
Now you know who you are writing for, let’s look at what to write.
It’s fine to write about whatever you want if you’re just blogging for fun.
However, if you’re serious about increasing traffic to your site, keyword research should be your top priority.
So, what exactly is keyword research? Simply defined, it involves figuring out what people are searching for on Google and other search engines. You’ll know exactly what topics to write about on your blog if you can identify those search terms, often known as keywords.
Your blog entries will then be more likely to appear in search results if you use those keywords in your content.
You won’t be able to convert your traffic into email subscribers or customers until you conduct keyword research. Because you won’t be writing about the topics your target audience is looking for, and even if you do, they won’t be able to find it on Google.
You can target the proper keywords for your content through keyword research, which helps Google algorithms grasp what it’s all about. This will increase the likelihood of your articles appearing in search results, and we all want to be top of page 1, right?!
How do you go about implementing keyword research? One method is to start with a blog post idea and then brainstorm several ways people would Google that topic.
Then begin your own search for that subject. Note the titles that appear in the search results, as well as the suggested searches at the bottom of the page.
This will give you a good idea of what other people are searching for, and how they’re phrasing it.
The first thing readers see when they come across your material in search results or RSS feeds is the title of your post.
A catchy blog post title attracts more attention and clicks. A bland and uninteresting headline, on the other hand, is likely to be ignored and scrolled past.
This makes headlines very important.
You must learn how to write better blog post titles that draw in readers and encourage them to click.
Fortunately, blogging experts have been studying headlines for a long time and we can share their results with you.
These are the fundamental components of a good headline:
Power words are used by copywriters to elicit emotional responses. They are very benefit driven, and explain why the content is worthwhile and what users will gain by clicking on the headline.
Finally, a good headline includes a call to action, which can be subtle or implicit. All of your blog posts should contain at least one call-to-action.
The next step is to create a series of pillar articles once you have a good understanding of the subjects people are looking for.
Longer blog entries on more general topics linked to your blog niche are known as pillar articles. Thousands of words can be found in pillar articles. They’re usually “evergreen,” meaning they don’t go out of style quickly, and they generate a lot of traffic even after months – if not years – after writing them.
Pillar articles help you…
So, how can you write pillar articles correctly so that they continue to attract traffic for years to come?
To get started, follow these steps:
This strategy can take time to work, but it’s a fantastic way to build your audience and your reputation. Plus, you’ll see your traffic continue to grow over time.
Did you know that 70% of your website visitors will only visit your blog once and will never come back?
That is why it is critical to build an email list. An active email list can assist you get more people to come back to your site.
When compared to first-time visitors, repeat visitors are more likely to become customers. According to statistics, it takes three to four visits to your website for potential customers to consider doing business with you.
That means that as you promote return visits, you’re also earning the loyalty of your subscribers, who will eventually become customers.
Using opt-in forms from ThriveLeads, like this lightbox popup, is one of the best ways to get blog visitors onto your email list:
They may be annoying, but they do work, so you really need to be using them to capture as many leads as possible.
However, if you stick to them, you’ll eventually acquire more visitors to your blog, grow your email list, improve your conversion rate, and develop a long-term business.
When it comes to content marketing, one thing I can’t emphasize enough is the importance of quality.
Quality always takes precedence over quantity. You will, however, dominate the content game if you manage to combine the two.
If you really want to know more about the power of blogging, you can take a look at the Rapid Blogging Blueprint training course or if you just want a few pointers for now you can grab the featured resource below for a free blogging report; download, read it and take action 🙂
Comparing yourself to other marketers can only hurt your current and future prospects. You may not have the same level of experience as the people you’re comparing yourself to, and another person’s accomplishment may not be the miraculous turnaround you think it is.
Comparisons between yourself and other marketers might lead to self-doubt. Some people appear to have the Midas touch with whatever subject they choose to work on, but you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes to achieve their success.
Successful entrepreneurs have most likely invested a significant amount of time, money, and effort into their businesses. It may appear simple, but chances are they had numerous doubts about their own ability to succeed before they started.
Comparison to others and the resulting self-doubt happens in any industry, but it’s more common in Internet marketing because you’re always putting yourself out there and promoting yourself and your ideas to other people.
If the inevitable failures are factored in, another person’s success may appear to you to be very different. Huge and consistent triumphs of others can make you feel like a loser – since someone is always generating more money or appears to be successful with every product launch.
Viewing similarities as challenges is one approach to look at things differently. “If she can do it, I know I can!” could be the adrenaline boost you need to take action and achieve your own success.
Many people who have achieved some level of success use comparisons to others to plan their future business movements and as a motivator for them. It provides quick insight to trends and what’s working for others so you can incorporate many of the same ideas for yourself.
Many types of businesses are fiercely competitive, notably Internet marketing. Examining the tactics of other marketers might be beneficial if you use them as models rather than negatively comparing yourself to them.
Self-doubt can become your worst enemy in the future. Avoid making unfavorable comparisons to others and instead concentrate on your current and future goals to achieve the success you desire.
Validation is important to your self-esteem and can help lift you to new heights. Without it, self doubt sets in and you begin to lose belief in your ability to meet your goals. A child hopefully receives validation from his or her parents.
Positive reinforcement nudges the child to reach higher and try new things. Online entrepreneurs, however, usually have to validate themselves to feel good about themselves and what they’ve already accomplished.
The explanation for this could be that few people understand how Internet marketing works and how much planning and preparation an entrepreneur needs to achieve the desired outcomes. When it comes to certifying your work, there are several options.
Although praise and gratitude may arrive unexpectedly, there are ways to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments. A gratitude diary can assist you in recognizing all of the good things that occurred throughout your day or week.
Avoid judging yourself harshly. Those are negative thoughts you don’t need and can affect your emotions and decision-making. Find the positive in what you’re accomplishing and don’t let anyone else have a part in judging you too harshly.
Ask yourself what you require right now to help you feel healthier, more motivated, or more energetic in order to achieve and exceed the goals you’ve set for yourself. Rather of rejecting or depriving yourself, try to provide what you require.
If you’re feeling down and out, your body may want some activity or correct nutrition to feel more energized. When you disregard your sentiments, it’s easy to become caught up in negative thinking and forget all of your accomplishments.
Validating oneself promotes self-esteem and maintains the belief that you can achieve everything you set your mind to. Remember that validating yourself is not the same as self-indulgence.
It’s a way to renew your spirit of entrepreneurship and carry on to reach the success you long for. You’ll gain strength and be better able to calm the negative and debilitating thoughts when you find ways to reassure yourself that you’re worthy of the success you seek and extremely able to find the path to reach it.
Criticism is sometimes difficult to manage. Constructive criticism, however well delivered, can hurt as much as the intentionally cruel criticism, but if you view both types the right way, it can be very helpful to you in your business ventures.
Some people appear to be unaffected by criticism. Others become enraged when they are chastised, which may jeopardize their final goals. The best way to deal with criticism is to strike a balance between desensitizing yourself to the point of being unfeeling – and taking it too personally to the point of being discouraged and sabotaging your efforts.
Because it isn’t done face to face, online criticism can be especially vicious. You are free to criticize with harsher words because you are not concerned about the other person’s reaction.
When someone criticizes your efforts, he may be in a foul mood and unjustly take it out on you. Your initial instinct may be to lash out at the person with your own harsh comments.
Taking a minute to think about it is the greatest approach to combat that initial reaction and avoid reacting in a way you’ll regret. Take a deep breath, take a step back, and wait until you’ve cooled down and can think more clearly before reacting.
Criticism can provide you a unique opportunity to improve – and to demonstrate to others that you have a distinct and positive perspective on criticism. It will probably surprise others when you appreciate them for their input (especially those who are severe critics).
Your attitude has the potential to change their minds and convert them into fans. You’ll feel better about yourself even if the person doesn’t respond positively to your good attitude.
It is possible to grow your business by learning from criticism. The critique may only teach you a small amount of truth, but it may motivate you to put more effort into your online efforts.
Never let the words of others result in a heap of self doubt. Take their $0.02 and apply it wherever you feel it’s worthy and then discard the rest. Stay above the fray and accept criticism with grace and diplomacy rather than giving in to your first reaction.
Criticism and self doubt affect the way you think and if you are living with doubt you need to start to think differently. If you want to know more about developing a positive success mindset, check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly,” declared the philosopher G.K. Chesterton.
He most likely meant that most people who try something with the best of intentions will make mistakes – but that shouldn’t stop us from trying. The key to advancement is to avoid the curse of perfectionism.
This axiom can be applied to the creation of your membership site. You should strive for excellence rather than perfection.
Avoiding the most common mistakes made by most marketers is one of the best and fastest ways to achieve this, so let’s dive in.
Always remember that simplicity is the ultimate goal when creating your first membership site. Do not attempt to create a sophisticated membership site with multiple tiers, trials, and other features.
You want to start with a free trial and then upgrade to a paid membership. Content should be supplied efficiently, on time, and with ease to members. In a nutshell, that’s it.
You’re not constructing a space shuttle, but a membership site. Keep it straightforward.
It’s understandable that you want to blow your consumers’ minds by providing them with a wealth of information. There is one question you must answer:
Is it viable long-term?
Setting the bar too high at the outset might lead to unrealistic expectations, and if you don’t deliver, they’ll see it as you failing to keep your promises, and they’ll cancel their membership. So you’ve already set yourself up for failure by setting the bar too high.
Less really is more.
This is one of the most serious errors you can make. When it comes to having your deliverables ready, make sure you’re at least two months ahead of your ‘oldest’ subscribers. This will provide you some breathing room in case content creation is delayed.
Many newbies make the mistake of planning next month’s content during the current month, and they’re always racing to finish it. Being behind the eight ball is a bad situation to be in. It’s frantic and exhausting.
If you’re late with a delivery, you can bet your subscribers will lose faith in you and leave. You never get another chance to make a good first impression. Make certain yours is flawless in terms of content delivery.
Make sure you thoroughly test your membership site when you first create it. Pay for it, sign up, and see how easy it is to join the membership – and how easy it is to get to your material.
It’s a good idea to wait a month to see if you’re billed again – and if you are, did you obtain access to the content for the following month? You should’ve got it.
Before you start your membership, double-check all of these things. You may shout it from the rooftops once it’s finished, and there will be less snags once people start joining your site.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, to run a membership site. Your goal is to increase the number of subscribers and produce quality content on a monthly basis. Do not attempt to oversell your customers by bombarding them with new offers every two days or so.
Allow them to digest the information. If you want to make more money, provide upgrades within the membership site so that members can obtain more privileges and so on.
Give your potential clients two or three options, but no more.
Anyone interested in creating membership sites must put in the effort. Engaged members and a continual stream of new users are the keys to membership sites’ success. Prioritize the consumer experience to accomplish this.
You want your members to be happy because they paid for the privilege of joining your site. Customers will not have a positive experience if your website performs poorly–if it loads slowly, has a clumsy interface, or has disorganised content. Users want simple membership sites that are easy to use.
Using a landing page builder to construct independent pages for a specific purpose will ensure that customers obtain the information they require as soon as possible.
You can expect more interaction from site visitors if you create a nice website design. Examine the user experience before investing in a membership plan for your website. Consider yourself a member and go through the emails that validate your purchase and membership. Use the site to navigate and manage your account.
As soon as your membership site is up and running, make sure it stays that way. Posting regular content, introducing relevant tools, and launching engagement campaigns are the best ways to excite and keep users engaged.
Remember to prioritise the consumer experience by creating a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website. Since we’re discussing user experience, make sure you’re continuously sharing new and relevant information that’s still in line with your content strategy.
While it’s easy to focus just on attracting new subscribers, you must remember that your current subscribers are also vital. Focus on customer retention and providing a positive user experience. When you have the opportunity, engage them.
Avoid sending spam or making frequent updates if you care about your members. Additionally, the right tools and automation will greatly assist you in managing your subscriber base. Don’t forget to pay attention to customer service.
These six errors are widespread and can harm your membership site. Keep them in mind and avoid them, and your site will develop into a profitable investment that pays off time after time.
If you want to know more about creating a profitable online course to put behind your membership portal, check out the featured resource below for a free detailed report; download, read it and take action 😊
There are several ways to measure your goals, ranging from simple to complex and free to expensive. Sometimes it makes sense to spend money on tools, but when setting goals for your own purposes, keeping it low cost makes sense.
For instance, use a spreadsheet when first starting out. Most people associate Microsoft Excel with spreadsheets, and that costs money. However, there are free alternatives, such as Open Office Calc. The Open Office suite of products is available on multiple operating systems. This software is fully functional and compatible with Microsoft products. The best part is it is free.
Sometimes, you will need more sophisticated tools. For instance, when you work on multiple projects simultaneously and there may be dependencies associated with some of the goals, you’ll need to have a better method than a spreadsheet to manage these. This is also true when you have multiple people that you need to measure their contributions to the projects.
While you could use spreadsheets for this, they are not meant for collaborative activities. The reporting features are lacking in a spreadsheet program. A program such as Microsoft Project gives you more control over these types of features.
Keep in mind the tool should not be used as a means to run the projects for you. They have their uses, but the responsibility rests with you, or the project manager. Also, you have to consider some flexibility in the measurement as not every item will go according to plan. You may need to make some adjustments along the way.
Being too rigid with the plan can cause problems within a team. Strict adherence to a tool will make the projects rigid, by definition. On the other hand, you do need some ways to accurately measure the goals. It’s a delicate balance that requires compassion as well as firmness.
When choosing a tool, try to get your team involved, so they know what to expect. This isn’t always possible as some companies already have solutions implemented. If this is the case, you will need to manage the expectations of the team and provide any training and assistance needed to make the tool work for them.
Your manager determines what course you are to take. This is based on organizational goals or tasks that he or she has been given. Many managers are not adept at setting goals for themselves, let alone for other people. This can lead workers astray and is something that SMART goals can help with.
If your manager is not familiar with the concept, try to become an advocate. This is going to require you learning what it’s all about. It’s not a bad idea to take some training on the concept. There are courses available online, and you can start by searching for the term on YouTube.
Keep in mind that YouTube videos can be posted by anyone, so make sure you scrutinize the videos carefully. If someone sounds like they don’t know what they are talking about, move on to another one.
If your manager is not initially on board, you may need to take the initiative and start using the concept for your own goal setting. It’s much easier to convince people when you are successful with the concept. Trying to convince them from a purely theoretical perspective is not as effective. Managers want results and are afraid to try something that is not proven in their minds.
You may need to negotiate to position your ideas in a positive light. For instance, you can suggest that by setting goals using a SMART framework, you can get more done. Therefore, tell your manager you are willing to take on more responsibility to prove out the concept to him or her.
If your manager is not yet ready to accept this concept, at least you have planted the seeds. It’s likely he or she will look up the concept online based on you suggesting the idea. This will create an atmosphere of familiarity. When you bring it up again sometime in the future, your manager will be more receptive to the idea because it’s not a foreign concept.
One last means of getting manager buy-in is to document your experience with it. For instance, you could set up a journal and show how you used the framework to get your personal goals accomplished. It’s difficult to argue with success when it is recorded for your manager to read.
Having tips about SMART goals is great. However, sometimes it helps to solidify the concept by describing some applications of its use, which are described here. For clarification, the acronym is taken to stand for, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Based.
Exercise Program
Goal: To work out every day for 20 minutes per day and achieve a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20. I will use the X System to attain that goal.
Explanation: The specific part of the goal is to achieve the Body Mass Index of 20. It is measurable as I can take a BMI reading throughout the period to compare. It may be attainable, assuming I believe in the X System or have used it before. It is realistic in that if I go to the gym and the assumptions are true, I will reach the goals. For time-based, I have given it three months and 20 minutes per day.
Save for College
Goal: To save $50 per month in a 521 account and continue to do this until my child is ready for college as the cost of college keeps rising.
Explanation: Based on historical trends, college costs rise every year. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that they will continue to rise. The specific goal is to use a 521 account, which in the United States, allows for tax breaks when saving for college. My bank statements will allow me to measure whether I am saving enough each month and make the necessary adjustments. These goals are attainable as long as I can continue working. If I made some projections based on the number of years before needing the money, this plan is likely to be realistic. However, the best course of action would be to compare alternate plans to see which would give the best return. The frequency (time-based) is monthly over some years.
The ideal situation is to be able to address each of the five components of SMART. Don’t worry if you find some overlap. As long as you can work from your plan, it won’t make much of a difference.
Of course, you will certainly be aware that setting and achieving goals requires a lot of self-discipline, so if you want to learn about growing your own self-discipline then download the featured resource below which is a free report all about the power of self-discipline; download it, read it and take action 😊
If you have read this post, you’ve now got traffic coming in, which is great. Now you need to make the most of that traffic, which means persuading visitors to take a specific action.
The idea here is that converting your traffic creates more benefits and help for your audience, while generating more profit for your business.
To that end, this part is going to show you how to start to optimize conversions on your website, in your ads, and within your email campaigns.
Let’s get right to it…
Get The Basics In Place
Let’s start by making sure you’ve got the basics down, and you’re using optimization best practices.
The first thing you need to understand is that conversion optimization isn’t based on just one factor. Instead, it’s about optimizing multiple factors.
Here’s what you need to put into place:
We’ll cover these exact issues in detail throughout this article.
Each piece of content or each page of your website should have one clear goal. If you try to point your audience towards taking multiple steps, they’re going to get overwhelmed or confused.
You want to keep it simple. One goal per page, and everything on that page is designed to help the visitor take the desired action.
There are a variety of ways you can convert your visitors to have them take a specific action.
Here are examples of the types of goals you might set for your content:
This isn’t an exhaustive list, as you may have specific actions you want your audience to take.
Remember, however, that you should pick just ONE primary goal for each piece of content (or for each page on your website).
Sometimes marketers have one clear goal (such as “buy a product”), but they still give too many options. For example, they might give the prospect the option to buy Product A or Product B or Product C.
If you want better conversions, then tighten your focus. Pick one specific action, limit the options within that action, and then focus the content on getting the visitor to take that specific action (e.g., buy Product A).
In addition to setting content goals (the action you want your users to take), you also need to select your metrics and set goals around those metrics.
For the purposes of this article, the one metric we’re most concerned about is the conversion percentage.
The key here is that you need to be realistic with your conversions.
For example, you can’t expect a 20% conversion rate on a $100 product with a cold audience. For this example, your conversions are more likely to be around 2% — more for warm audiences, better sales copy, and so on.
Be realistic so that you don’t get disappointed. But at the same time, always strive to do better and increase those conversions using the tips and ideas you’ll learn in this article.
You can have all the other pieces in place as far as conversion optimization, but if you aren’t giving your audience what they want, then your conversions will suffer.
That’s why you need to do your market research in order to determine:
Which brings us to the next point…
Take these steps to do your market research:
Take note that while you should use all these methods in order to get as much insight as possible, the best way to find out what your audience wants is to see what they’re already buying.
As you do your research, you’ll want to utilize these tools:
Next…
A survey can help you get better insight into what your audience wants. Follow these tips:
Next…
The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be to craft offers and content that really resonate with them. Finding out what they’re already buying will help you select the right offers.
However, learning about who your audience is – from their basic demographics to their hopes, fears and desires – will help you create content that makes each prospect feel as if you’re speaking directly to them.
If you can forge this sort of connection with every piece of content, you’ll see your conversions rise.
One way to learn more about your audience is to spend some time observing them, talking to them, and even becoming a part of the target market. You can:
For example, if you spend time talking to dog owners or viewing their online conversations, you may find that many small dog owners struggle with a pet that seems to “rule the roost” despite the small size.
That tells you that you can create products and content that address these issues, but you can also speak directly to these dog owners in a way that will resonate with them
(e.g., “It seemed so simple – you were going to clip your dog’s nails, but the next thing you, know his lip was up, and he’s snarling at you…”).
Another way to learn more about your audience is to research their demographics using Google.
For example, you’d search for “dog owner demographics” or “demographics of people with diabetes.” Then make note of:
… And anything else you can dig up.
Be sure to use reputable sources of information only, such as those coming from universities, news organizations and professional research organizations (such as Pew Research).
When a prospect lands on your page, they’re going to be wondering why they should do business with you instead of your competitor.
If you want the sale, the subscriber, or some other conversion, then you need to give your visitor a reason.
Here’s a real-life example: Papa John’s pizza rolled their USP into the slogan, “Better ingredients, better pizza.” While other competitors (such as Domino’s Pizza) set themselves apart based on the speed of delivery (30 minutes or less), Papa John’s set themselves apart based on taste.
Here are the different ways you can set yourself apart from your competitors:
This is not an exhaustive list – you’ll want to do some brainstorming on your own to determine what makes your business and your offers unique.
Be sure to research your competitors to see what USP they’re using so that you don’t pick the same one. You’ll also want to pick a USP that your prospects really value.
You don’t need to strongarm your audience, use psychological tricks, use click bait or do anything else to trick or manipulate your audience into taking action.
If you’ve got a targeted audience, you put a desirable offer in front of them, and you explain this offer by sharing benefits, then you’ll naturally get the conversions you desire.
On a related note…
Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets, and it has a big impact on your conversions.
If you’ve got a great reputation in your niche, you’ll always produce better conversions than those who have poor reputations.
So, you will now be hopefully be generating more traffic to your website, and converting that traffic into either leads and/or buyers. For your convenience, you can get all the tips mentioned in both posts in a single handy detailed report; just click on the featured resource below, download, read it and take action 🙂
