How to Drive Traffic to a New Blog: 14 Beginner Tips 

It's one of the most frequently asked questions for beginner bloggers. You've just started your blog and now you ask yourself:

How do I drive traffic to my new blog?

Without traffic, your blog would be nothing but a ghost town. That means you would never be able to build an audience or make any money.

But with the tips I'll share with you below, you'll be able to develop your blogging skills and learn how to increase your blog's traffic.

Let's get started.

How to Drive Traffic a New Blog

1. Topical Authority

Topical authority is when Google and other search engines see your site as an expert on the topics you write about.

You can achieve this by consistently creating quality blog post after quality blog post on topics that are related to each other in some way.

For example: if you run a site about video game setups, you may have a category on gaming chairs. To cover that topic thoroughly, you would try to answer all the important questions asked about gaming chairs.

To start finding article ideas for your topic, you can browse the People Also Ask section in the Google search results.

Some of these would be great for blog posts. However, you'll find some that can be answered in an FAQ format.

Another way to find questions related with your main topic is to search it on Answer The Public.

This tool will give you many types of questions, such as:

2. Research the Right Keywords

Imagine writing a blog post on “the best ways to market your business” without doing any research to find the right keywords. Chances are, your blog post won’t show up in the search results when a person Googles a phrase related to your article. That means you won't get any organic traffic so you'll have to work harder promoting your content on social media.

That's why when it comes to driving blog traffic from search engines, you need to do keyword research. Otherwise, it won't matter how good your blog post is.

So how do you find the right keywords?

There are many tools out there that help you do keyword research:

1) Google Keyword Planner:

This is where most beginners start. The Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that only requires a Google account. It works by entering a few keywords and it will show you how many times they are searched for on a monthly average.

2) Google Trends:

Google Trends will help you figure out whether a particular topic is popular or not. It also shows you how the popularity of a keyword has changed over time.

It scores popularity from 0 to 100. 100 being at peak popularity and 0 meaning there isn't enough data about it.

3) SEMrush:

SEMrush like Google Keyword Planner on steroids. Not only does it show you a keyword's average monthly searches, but also an accurate score of how competitive a keyword is. Meaning how tough it'd be to rank for.

I like SEMrush because it gives you a ton of important data. For example: global search volume, search volume per country, how a keyword is trending, the number of pages there are in the search results, and the search intent behind a keyword.

Finding Keyword Ideas

While keyword tools show you additional keyword ideas, sometimes they miss some OR sometimes the ones they do provide isn't enough.

To find more keyword ideas you can use the alphabet soup technique. This is where you go to Google and use their autocomplete feature.

You can simply start by entering your main keyword:

Then you can go through the alphabet:

Finding Long-tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are search terms that are more specific and more longer than normal keywords.

For example: if your "seed" keyword is "lose weight", some of your long-tails might include "how to lose weight" or "how to lose weight without exercise". 

One of the best ways to find long-tail keywords is the People Also Ask section in Google. This is like a keyword goldmine because these are actual search terms people type into the search bar.

You can also look at the Related Searches that are found at the end of the results page. Sometimes you can find new keywords, but sometimes they overlap. For example, you're searching for "how to lose belly fat" and you may find "lose belly fat".

3. Long-Form Content Will Help You Rank Higher

Long-form content has become essential in the SEO world. There have been many studies that prove long-form content works. For example: in 2012, serpIQ did a study where they analyzed the top 10 results for more than 20,000 keywords and found that each result had at least 2,000 words.

Another study from Backlinko where they analyzed 11.8 million Google search results found that the average first page result contained 1,447 words.

In the same study, the found that long-form content gained much more backlinks than shorter content.

So when you're writing your blog posts, make sure you cover the topic thoroughly.

If you're unsure what word counts to target, I like to aim for at least 1,500 words for a standard article and at least 2,500 words for an ultimate guide. Sometimes even longer.

4. Use visuals to break up your blog post

Remember we just talked about creating long-form content? But would you want to read content with no end, no visuals, and no structure?

Probably not.

That's why you should use visuals to break up your blog post. This will help your readers understand your content better, and it will also make your blog post more visually appealing.

Visuals not only help break up your blog post, but they also help improve your reader's engagement.

When your audience is engaged, they'll be more likely to stick around until the end of your blog post. And when they're sticking around, they'll be more likely to take action, like subscribing to your email list or buying your product.

If you need visuals, you can check out sites like Unsplash or Pixabay for stock photos, Videvo or Videezy for stock video clips, and Canva or Snappa to create custom images.

5. Optimize Your Images

Downloading an image and adding it straight to your blog post is a bad practice that can be costly.

When you get a stock photo from Pixabay, for example, they tend to come with a large file size. Sometimes even 1MB or more.

Now imagine having 10 of these in a single article. The size of that page would be enormous. That would make it very slow. And when a page takes more than a few seconds to load, you'll likely lose that visitor.

Optimizing images can help you rank higher on Google because pagespeed is an important ranking factor. Especially today with Google's Core Web Vitals.

You can also optimize your images by adding the right keywords in the image file name, title, and alt text. You should also make sure that your images are in the right size and format.

Following are some tips to optimize images:

1) Pick the right format:

You should choose your image format based on the type of content you’re publishing. For example, if you’re publishing a blog post about a product, you should use the .jpg format because it shows the image in high resolution.

2) Compress your images:

You should compress your images before you upload them to your blog. This will make your images load faster on your blog, and it will also reduce the size of your blog post.

If you have your website on WordPress, use plugins like WP Smush, it will automatically compress your images for you without compromising the quality.

3) Alt Text:

You should add the right alt text to your images. The alt text is the text that is displayed when an image can’t be displayed.

You should add your main keyword in the alt text so that it can help you rank higher on Google.

This is how Google explains a good alt-text:

Create an image of low quality. Has hidden text, or is just generally unsightly, filling out the alt attribute with relevant text will help the search engine better understand what the image is about.

Additionally, including your target keyword in the alt text can help improve your site's ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

4) File Name:

You should also give your images file names that are relevant to the image. You can include your main keyword in the file name, and it will help you rank higher on Google.

After you are done with these strategies to optimize images, go to the PageSpeed Insights tool and check your blog's speed.

6. Make an Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar will help you plan and organize your blog posts in advance. This will help you stay on track, and it will also help you publish high-quality content on a regular basis.

When you’re creating an editorial calendar, you should include the following:

Creating a calendar will not help you unless you know how to use it effectively. Many bloggers develop a plan but never stick to it, resulting in poor tracking and timing.

Here are some more editorial workflow management suggestions:

Editorial calendars are a great way to help you organize your blog posts. When using an editorial calendar, you can easily see what type of content you’re publishing and when you’re publishing it.

This will help you stay on track and publish high-quality content on a regular basis.

7. Keep your blog content fresh by updating existing posts

That's where many bloggers make mistakes. They publish a blog post and then move on to the next one without ever going back to their old posts to update them.

Information keeps changing with time, and you should always keep your blog content fresh by updating your old posts.

When you’re updating your old posts, you should include the following:

Updating your old posts will help you keep your blog content fresh, and it will also help you improve your search engine rankings.

Remember, you have 100s of competitors who are also writing about the same thing. The only way to stay ahead of them is by constantly updating your blog posts with the latest information.

8. Optimize Your Blog Post for Search Engines

Now, these are some technical things that you can do to optimize your blog post for search engines.

SEO is the process of optimizing your blog post for search engines. When you’re optimizing your blog post, you should include the following:

Remember, you compete against millions of other websites for the same keyword. The only way to rank higher than them is by optimizing your blog post for search engines.

Do the following to optimize your blog post for search engines:

If you lack SEO knowledge, you can read about it or outsource it to an SEO expert.

MOZ has some excellent articles on SEO that you can read to learn more about it. Or if you want to hire experts to help you with your SEO.

I suggest checking on Fiverr, and you will find some excellent SEO experts who can help you with your SEO for a very low price.

9. Social Media Promotion

Social Media promotion is one of the most effective ways to increase your new blog's traffic.

Social media helps you connect with your audience, and it also helps you build relationships with your audience.

Many people use social media to find information on various topics. You can use Facebook groups, Twitter chats, and

LinkedIn groups to connect with your target audience and promote your blog post.

You can also use social media to get feedback on your blog post. You should always interact with your audience when you're using social media.

The more you interact with your audience, the more they will trust you and be more likely to visit your blog.

For instance, if you have a blog about recipes or food, you can join Facebook groups about recipes or food. And then, share your blog post with the group and ask for their feedback.

Look at this community that's about the Instant Pot brand:

They have over 3 million members, and they allow members to create posts about recipes in their group and post their blog links.

It benefits the bloggers to get websites to their other blogs and help users find special recipes.

Many bloggers have been generating a lot of blog traffic from this group. This is just an example; you can find similar groups for your blog topic.

Check this screenshot from a member's post:

They have mentioned their website's link. The post has generated so much engagement. Likes, comments, and shares must have brought good blog traffic to the website.

You can also use sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to share your blog articles.

10. Build Backlinks

Backlinking has become an essential part of SEO. There have been many studies that prove backlinks are important for improving your search presence.

And over the years, digital marketers and SEOs found link building tactics that were considered "black hat", such as link spamming and PBNs.

This resulted in Google improving their algorithm with updates like the Penguin Update.

When you’re building backlinks, you should focus on quality over quantity.

One of the best ways to get quality backlinks is by guest posts. Guest blogging is when you write a blog post for another website.

With guest posting, not only will you get a quality backlink from the website, but you will also get exposure to a new audience.

Guest blogging will also help you build relationships with other bloggers. This can result in even more backlinks down the line.

Here's how to get backlinks through guest blogging:

Step 1: Find Guest Posting Opportunities

The easiest way to find a guest blogging opportunity is to browse the Google SERPs.

You can find lists of blogs that accept guest posts by searching for something like "fitness guest blogging opportunities".

Another way to find these opportunities is by searching for "write for us" pages.

When you find your targets I'd suggest putting them into a spreadsheet to keep everything nice and tidy.

Step 2: Pitching the Website Owner

This is a crucial step. Pitching a website owner to get them to publish your blog post is a tough task. But it's far more easier to reach out to sites that advertise they're looking for guest bloggers than it is to other sites.

You can use an email template like this to pitch them:

If the website owner agrees to publish your blog post, make sure you include a bio and a link to your website.

Step 3: Create a high-quality article

When you get accepted to guest post for a website, you'll have to make sure your article is well-written, well-researched, and informative.

If you follow these steps, you can increase blog traffic from guest blogging.  

The next strategy is to use HARO (Help A Reporter Out) 

This is one of the best ways to get backlinks from authority websites. HARO is a service that connects reporters with sources.

Reporters use HARO to find sources for their stories, and sources use HARO to get exposure.

You can sign up for HARO and then pitch to reporters looking for sources.

HARO sends 3 emails a day, and you can find different sections varying according to fields and interests.

Check the screenshot:

It's an afternoon edition of HARO.

And this is how the queries appear in different niches:

This is where you get information like the deadline, email, and details on how to write your pitch.

So, if you have expertise in your niche and can provide great insights, HARO is an excellent opportunity to get links from high-authority websites.

11. Get Emails from Readers

According to Statista, the number of email users worldwide amounted to more than 4 billion. They say it'll grow to 4.6 billion by 2025.

So if someone tells you that email is dead, do not believe them.

When you have your readers' email addresses, you can email them when you have a new blog post. You can even promote older content to your mailing list.

The point is to build a relationship with your readers and get them to visit your blog regularly.

But how can you get your readers to give you their email addresses?

That's a great question!

There are a few ways that you can get your readers to give you their email addresses.

1) Offer a Freebie

Your readers will be more likely to give you their email addresses when you offer a freebie.

A freebie can be the following:

2) Use a Pop-Up Form

This type of lead generation form is one that pops up on the screen when a reader visits your blog.

Pop-ups can be triggered by time or scroll behavior.

One of the best ways to trigger your pop-up forms is with exit-intent. It's when a visitor hovers their cursor out of the page's viewpoint.

3) Add a Sign-Up Form to Your Blog

You can also add a sign-up form to your blog. This is a form that can appear all over your website. For example: your sidebar, at the end of your blog posts, and on your homepage.

After they have subscribed, begin the real game! Make sure to keep them engaged with valuable content, tips, and occasional offers.

12. Participate in Online Communities

Did you know that you can participate in online communities to drive traffic to your blog?

Online communities are websites where people can gather to discuss a common interest. 

Quora and Reddit are two examples of online communities.

How can Quora and Reddit help you drive traffic to your blog?

1) Quora

Quora is an ideal platform to drive more traffic to your blog. Quora is a Q&A website where people can ask questions and get answers from experts.

You can use Quora to increase traffic to your blog by answering questions related to your niche.

Sometimes you can find the perfect thread where you can add a link to your blog post.

2) Reddit

Reddit is another place where you can get more traffic to your blog. Reddit is a social news website where people can submit links to articles and vote on them.

To starting driving traffic from Reddit, you must look for groups called subreddits that are relevant to your website.

When you find one, you'll have to build yourself up a little bit. Otherwise, you may be seen as a spammer who adds nothing to the community.

Both Quora and Reddit are great ways to drive more traffic to your blog.

Participating in online communities is a great way to connect with potential readers and drive traffic to your blog.

13. Create Your Own Facebook group

Creating your own Facebook group is a great way to connect with potential readers and drive traffic to your blog. That's the biggest advantage!

Your Facebook group can allow your readers to ask questions, share their ideas, and connect with other group members.

You can also use your Facebook group to promote your blog posts.

Make sure that you provide valuable content in your Facebook group and don't just promote your blog posts. Otherwise, you'll just end up as one of the countless spammy groups on Facebook.

14. Leverage Influencers in Your Niche

That's a big resource if you utilize it to your advantage. Influencer marketing has become very popular in recent years.

Why? Because it works! Influencers have a large followings, which attracts companies to try to tap into that.

Influencer marketing, however, is not only for companies to grow their brands. It can also work for bloggers, too.

As blog creators, we can leverage other bloggers by building partnerships and relationships with them.

How do you get traffic to your blog with influencers?

1) Find Influencers in Your Niche

The first step is to find influencers in your niche.

You can find influencers by using a tool like BuzzSumo.

BuzzSumo is a tool that lets you find the most popular content on the web.

You can also use BuzzSumo to find influencers in your niche.

It can help you find influencers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, but also find popular authors in your niche.

On Twitter, for example, it'll show you the number of followers an account will have and how frequently they retweet. And if the Twitter account is associated with a website, it'll show you its Domain Authority—a metric by Moz which determines how likely a site will rank in the Google search results.

2) Reach Out to Influencers

When you find an influencer to target, the next step is to reach out to and ask them to share your content.

You can reach out to influencers by using a tool like Hunter.

Hunter is a tool that lets you find the email address of any website.

You can also use Hunter to contact influencers directly from within the tool.

3) Create Relationships with Influencers

If you want a better chance at influencers sharing your content, you will have to create some sort of relationship.

You can start by sharing their content or linking to them in your blog post and letting them know about it.

Conclusion

So there you have it! These strategies will help you to get more traffic. To increase blog traffic to new blog posts can be a challenge, but it's not impossible.

There are many different ways to increase blog traffic of your blog. Keyword research is essential. You can use social media, email marketing, influencer marketing, and many other techniques.

The point is to be creative and experiment with different techniques to see what works best for you. When you find a technique that works well, stick with it and keep growing your blog.

When you focus on providing valuable content to your readers, the rest will take care of itself. So keep writing great content, and you'll see an increase in traffic to your blog!