Learning how to increase blog traffic fast isn’t just about writing better.
The goal is to create high-quality content that’s search engine optimized, enjoyable, easy to read, and drives conversions.
But how exactly do you make content “High quality”?
Even if your content is compelling, you might not get high traffic volumes. This is likely because your blog misses key factors that Google looks for.
In this article, we will explore what search engines consider valuable, writing tips, and marketing strategies for your content to help you increase your blog traffic fast.
1. Optimize Your Blog Posts For Search Engines
In general, organic search receives much more traffic than paid traffic.
On average, the top organic search result receives 19x more clicks than the top paid search result.
The greatest advantage of that search engine traffic is the quality. People who visit your blog are actively searching for what you offer, making them far more likely to convert.
But how do you get people to view your blog?
This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into play.
SEO
The process of improving a website or blog traffic to be visible on search engines.
Understanding key elements of SEO, including on-page and off-page techniques, is important for increasing blog traffic.
Increase your blog’s traffic by integrating these strategies into your content plan:
On-Page SEO Techniques:
- Use high-ranking keywords
- Title tags and meta descriptions
- Include internal links
Off-Page SEO Techniques:
- Include backlinks
- Promote on social media platforms
- Fix broken links
Sounds complicated? Trust us, it’s not as tough as you think.
We will explain how to utilize these techniques in the steps listed below.
Recommended reading: How To Create A Successful SEO Content Strategy and 9 SEO Metrics & 14 SEO KPIs To Measure Brilliant Business Success
2. Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword Research
The process of finding specific terms that your audience is searching for on Google
Why is keyword research important?
Keyword research is how search engines understand and rank your content. Without keywords, it can be tough for your blog to gain visibility.
Once you find that keyword your audience wants to see, you want to include it in multiple places throughout your article.
If you get your page to the top of Google for a given keyword, this will result in a major increase in blog traffic.
We recommend using a keyword research tool like Ahrefs.
This tool tracks the rankings of specific keywords on search engines and provides you with suggestions for keywords to target.
However, don’t let all the numbers and graphs scare you. It may not look like it, but this software is easy to use even if you’re not tech-savvy.
You can also try a free keyword research tool like Ryan Robinson’s Keyword Research Tool to experiment without letting your wallet take a hit.
With whatever tools you use, go for keywords with low competition and a high search volume.
If the competition is low, Google will rank you well because there aren’t many competitors. If the search volume is high, more people are searching for these topics, so you should write about it.
3. Tailor Posts For Audience Search Intents
This is one of the most important parts of increasing blog traffic. If you don’t get the search intent correct, your page will not be shown in any search engine.
The search intent answers why someone is searching for a specific topic.
Knowing this can help you create content by understanding what information or questions your audience is searching for.
There are 4 types of search intent including:
- Informational: Users looking for general information and want answers to specific questions.
- “How to do keyword research”
- Navigational: Users want to find a specific page.
- “Gmail sign-in”
- Transactional: The user wants to purchase a specific product.
- “Buy iPhone 15”
- Commercial: The user wants to know more about a product.
- “Features of Samsung Galaxy S22”
4. Choose A Trendy Topic
What’s the point in spending hours writing a 2,000-word blog if there’s no way that topic will ever rank for it?
After you find your audience’s search intent, use keyword research to pick a topic that is high-ranking and relevant to your business.
Additionally, topics that aren’t competitive yet but are expected to become popular soon can be a gold mine if you capitalize on them early.
But how do you predict if a topic is going to go “viral’?
Try using a tool like Exploding Topics.
This tool searches keywords across Google and finds trends before they become popular. Use this to search for your primary keywords and find topics that are about to explode.
5. Follow The Lead Of High-Ranking Competitors
After you choose your topic, search for 3 to 5 of the best-ranking articles on that topic and follow their structure.
Include the same sub-topics as these high-ranking articles. Take note if they use lots of images, numbered steps, or state “how to” in their section headings as well as their blog title.
However, don’t just stop there. Make sure to add information of your own.
Brainstorm your own ideas or use a few of the topics that Google suggests in the “People also search for” section.
Also, check out the “People also ask” section and include a few of these topics.
If some of these topics don’t fit well in your article, you can always create a ‘FAQ’ section at the bottom of your blog.
If you want to get an in-depth look at your competitor’s blogs, we recommend using the Content Optimization Tool by Surfer.
This tool analyzes words, entities, and phrases in top-ranking articles for your keyword, allowing you to write content Google already likes to see.
6. Adjust Your Content-Length
Back in the day, you could climb to the top of Google by simply writing more content than your competitors. However, that approach no longer works.
Some searches can be answered with just a few words and Google knows that. No one wants to read a 3,000-word article just to find out what the capital of France is.
Look at the top 3 articles relating to your topic and determine the average word count.
Download a word count extension such as Word Counter Plus to easily check the word count of competitors’ blogs.
7. Create A Strong Meta Title And Description
Be sure to include a well-written meta title and a meta description. These define what your blog will look like in the search results.
A compelling title can make or break your click-through rate from search results. It’s the first thing visitors look at and if they’re not intrigued by the title, they won’t click it.
Check what works for your top competitors in this topic. Try to follow their titles and make yours similar.
For instance, if they use titles like ’10 Best Ways to…’ or ‘How to…’, you should consider doing the same.
A good title is only 50-60 characters long, centered around keywords, and gives the reader a reason to click on your blog.
We recommend trying a headline generator like Headline Studio.
This tool analyzes your title, suggests improvements, and incorporates keywords to help it rank well on search engines.
A meta description is just as important as the title. 43% of people click on a website solely based on that page’s meta description.
According to Rock Content, meta descriptions should be 155-160 characters long. That’s not a lot of space, but include a short summary, like an elevator pitch, with specific keywords weaved in.
A good description should be interesting and catch the reader’s attention. This helps you gain visibility through clicks and search engines.
8. Build Introduction Paragraphs To Engage Readers
55% of people spend less than 15 seconds on an article. So, you need to make those 15 seconds count.
Google notices if people leave your page quickly and will bump you down in search engine results because of it.
Your introduction is the hook to catch the reader’s attention. Not only should it be interesting, but it should include facts and convey your expertise.
Don’t use filler words or sentences. Try to get right to the topic and answer the reader’s question. You can explain the details in the body section of your article.
Remember to incorporate keywords! This not only helps the reader understand the relevance and value of your content but also gets your content optimized for search engines.
9. Write Readable And Authentic Content
Unless you’re writing a scholarly article about atomic spectroscopy, try not to use big words.
Be sure to write content at an 8th-grade reading level to ensure it’s easily readable by your audience.
Don’t just boringly spit out facts. Make your content relatable and engaging by using a friendly, conversational tone.
This also helps optimize your content for voice search. When users ask Alexa, Siri, or OkGoogle questions about topics related to your content, they will recommend your article.
Your content should be grammatically correct. Grammatical errors affect your blog’s credibility and hurt search engine rankings.
We recommend using a tool like Grammarly to catch anything from grammatical errors to tone detectors and readability scores.
However, Grammarly can’t catch everything, so get someone else to proofread your article.
You might not notice any mistakes, but when someone else reads through the blog, it gives a fresh and unbiased perspective on the content.
Also, stay clear of plagiarism and extensive uses of AI. Google will rank your posts higher if they are unique and original.
10. Keep Paragraphs Short
Most people won’t read your entire blog post; instead, they often skim through it to find the answers they’re looking for.
No one enjoys reading large paragraphs. It’s hard to read, and much more likely for visitors to become uninterested and leave quickly.
Keep your paragraphs short. It’s recommended to use 1 to 2 sentences per paragraph in a blog, just like this one.
This makes your blog much less intimidating, pleasing to read, and easy to skim.
11. Directly Respond To Search Queries
Try to answer any questions by echoing back the search query.
Find questions that people are searching for by using either a keyword research tool or the “people also ask” section in the Google search engine.
Then, in your blog include the answer by repeating the question.
For example, if a popular search is “What is the best hiking trail in Colorado?” answer it in your blog like this: “The best hiking trail in Colorado is Hanging Lake Trail”.
This helps Google recognize questions and use your article to answer them.
This coffee company answers “What is the golden ratio of coffee cups?” by repeating the question followed by the answer “Coffee’s golden ratio is 1:18”.
12. Use Internal Links And Backlinks
What’s the difference between internal links and backlinks?
Internal links
hyperlinks that link from a page on your website to another page on your website.
Internal links can help Google understand the structure of your content and improve its ranking.
Not to mention it can also assist users in discovering your blog through links from other related posts on your site.
Backlinks
hyperlinks that link from your blog to a page on a different website. This includes links from authoritative sites and articles that you reference for facts.
This shows Google that you’ve done your research and are a credible source, and in turn, Google may rank your post higher in search results.
13. Include Images And Videos
Use images, videos, lists, and tables to break up your content to make it more interesting and engaging.
Not only can these make your blog more appealing, but also get your point across. Most people are visual learners so including images can help illustrate your ideas to them.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean covering your blog with images for the sake of filling space. Make sure your visuals are placed strategically and are relevant to your blog.
Be sure all images and videos are high quality. Google can penalize your blog for blurry or distorted images.
Make sure to resize your images to improve loading times. You can either manually resize them using a tool like Adobe Photoshop or use an automatic tool like Cloudinary to handle it for you.
14. Post Frequently
While creating quality blog posts is important, quantity is just as important.
Google cares about the number of posts you create. The more frequently you post, the more search engines will see you as a credible source and rank you higher because of it.
According to LinkedIn, it is recommended for a small blog website to post 1-2 times a week, and for large blog websites to post 3-4 times a week.
Life gets busy and posting that often can be tough. So, we recommend using CoSchedule’s Content Calendar.
This tool schedules and publishes your blog posts ahead of time. It also offers features to manage both your social media and your team.
15. Accept Guest Posts
As a small to medium-sized blog, posting frequently can take a lot of time and work, especially if you’re a one-man team.
It can be hard to keep up with big websites that have teams posting multiple times a day.
If this is the case, try allowing credible guests to post on your page.
This way you can build a backlog of posts with diverse perspectives that build your credibility while reducing the amount of work required on your part.
On the other hand, if you’re a larger website and want to increase blog traffic, try guest posting for other credible websites.
But, here’s the trick: Post on sites that are relevant to your blog. This way you can drive targeted traffic back to your page.
16. Improve Your Page’s Load Speed
Poor loading times are the biggest reasons for bounces.
Google reports that a mobile site’s bounce rate increases by 123% when the page load time extends from 1 second to 10 seconds.
So, make sure your page loads fast.
But that’s easier said than done.
Here are the 5 best ways to reduce loading speeds:
How To Increase Loading Speed
- Image sizing: Reduce and use file formats like JPEG, PNG, or WebP.
- Reduce redirects: Avoid additional HTTP requests and delays.
- Use a CDN: Deliver content from servers closer to users.
- Minify and combine files: Reduce the size and number of CSS and JavaScript files.
- Enable caching: Configure browser and server caching to improve load times.
All this might sound very complicated. However, you don’t have to do everything yourself. We recommend trying a free tool such as Google PageSpeed Insights.
This tool gives you in-depth data on page speeds, resources used, and the amount of requests a page makes.
17. Promote Your Blogs On Social Media
One of the main keys to increasing blog traffic includes working off-page as well. This includes promoting your blogs on social media.
Social media marketing is a great way to get your blog posts noticed. This includes promoting on X, Instagram, Reddit, Quora, or YouTube.
X and Instagram Threads
Look for topics that are already being discussed on X (Twitter) or Instagram Threads. You can either check what’s trending or search for topics related to your niche.
Then, create a list of new threads centered around those discussions. Answer questions and share your expertise.
Include a link to the blog in your bio or include it in a few of your threads.
Reddit and Quora
Have you ever searched a question on Google and a Reddit or Quora forum appears? This is because Reddit and Quora links get crawled by Google.
So, include your blog links in your Reddit or Quora profile. Then, share your expertise by responding to related topics.
However, don’t include any links or mention your blog in your response. People will assume you’re only trying to promote your blog and will dismiss your input as insincere.
YouTube
While YouTube is a social media, it is also another search engine just like Google, meaning it is a perfect place to promote your blogs.
Create videos and share your expertise about content directly related to your blog posts. You can even use pre-written blogs as a script for your videos!
For example, Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, created a YouTube channel to promote ideas from his blog and link them back to his website.
18. Create A Newsletter And Promote New Content
One of the best and easiest ways to get a blog post recognized is through a newsletter.
Whenever you send out a newsletter be sure to include a few of your newest blogs. If a subscriber is interested, then they can click on the link and be directed to your blog.
Being consistent with your newsletter is important. Try to send one out anywhere from once a week to once a month.
We get it. A newsletter can take extra time and effort, so posting frequently might not be an option.
Try using CoSchedule’s Marketing Calendar.
This tool can help you automate not only your newsletter but also your social media posts and manage your team.
Conclusion
Learning how to increase blog traffic includes focusing on tailoring your blogs for search engine optimization by conducting keyword research, analyzing competitors, crafting compelling meta titles and descriptions, writing readable content, incorporating internal links and backlinks, and promoting your content on social media.