They say starting is the hardest part of any process. While that may be true, I must admit that growing your audience can be the most frustrating part of having a blog. Working on a blog that isn’t gaining traction can feel as though you’re running in place, never reaching your destination. It is a struggle many bloggers are faced with. Although growing your blog takes time, there are 6 fundamental mistakes you may be making that are actually stopping your growth right in its tracks
6 Reasons Why Your Blog Might Not Be Growing
Ask any seasoned blogger and they’ll tell you that blogging is a rewarding journey. Not only is it necessary for business owners, but blogs are a must for influencers as well. Unfortunately, most beginner bloggers quit if traffic never grows. If it feels like you’re constantly working on your blog only to see your traffic flatline, you may be making these mistakes:
You Aren’t Niched Down
We all have multiple interests but your blog should be hyperfocused on one. Without a niche, your content will likely be aimless and confuse your readers. Establishing a niche is detrimental because your audience needs to know what your blog is all about.
If you write about travel in one post and share a recipe in the next, you end up diluting your authority in both fields. Readers looking for travel tips won’t turn to a fitness blog to find them. New readers often turn to your blog because they’re looking for answers to a specific question. If your niche isn’t defined, your readers will get confused and lose interest.
It is important to remember that you can’t be everything to everyone, especially when you’re only beginning to get your audience to know, like, and trust you. Without a niche, you run the risk of turning potential readers to someone else instead of establishing yourself as an authority on a specific topic.
In turn, identifying your blog’s niche will also help you gain clarity on who it is you want to attract to your blog, which brings me to the next point:
You Don’t Have a Specific Target Audience
If you don’t know who your readers are, you won’t know how to attract them.
Let’s say your niche is travel — what kind of traveler are you attracting to your page? If you’re a luxury travel blogger, your readers will be from a specific demographic. They’ll most probably be in a certain age group, have a certain amount of income, and even be from a specific city.
Knowing who your ideal readers are will help you address specific questions he or she may ask. Get clear and focused on who it is your blog is serving before you build content that addresses their interests and pain points.
You’re Not Writing Consistently
Consistency is key. You’ve probably heard that phrase a million times before but it is worth repeating. Writing consistently for bloggers is similar to showing up at your job when you’re supposed to. When you show up consistently, you let your readers know that you’re dedicated to creating content for them. Failing to update your blog regularly will allow your audience to lose interest and forget about you.
Before you can grow your audience, you need to produce content consistently. Each blog post you produce is an entry point for new readers who have yet to discover you.
You’re Not Providing Enough Value
It is important to remember that your blog is a valuable resource, not an online journal. Blogs attract new readers when they are searching for answers to a specific question. If you’re utilizing SEO and Google, you want to write your post with your target audience’s questions in mind.
For example, if you’re writing a blog post about the best places to eat in Bangkok, you’ll want to provide information like:
- The restaurant’s address
- Images of the restaurant and food
- Operating hours
- If reservations are required
- What to order
- Best times to visit or how to avoid long lines
- What attractions are close by
- How to get there
- Any follow up questions your readers may have
Establishing yourself as an authority on a topic means providing the best value. Your readers are turning to you and your blog for answers so make sure to deliver them.
You Aren’t Keeping SEO Top of Mind
SEO is a crucial part of the discoverability of your blog. If you want to grow your audience, you have to keep SEO in mind. Your content creation process should always go hand-in-hand with an SEO strategy.
Although most people get intimidated by the idea of SEO, it doesn’t have to be that technical. Before you start writing and planning your content, ask yourself “what would my potential reader type into the search bar in order for my blog post to pop up?” From there, start researching keywords and phrases, and checking out the current top-ranking posts on the subject. In this blog post, I list out a quick step-by-step guide of the keyword research process.
Keyword research is an essential part of a good SEO strategy. By including keywords in your blog post, you ensure that you’re providing the most valuable information for your readers. For more tips about how SEO can skyrocket your blog’s traffic, check out this episode of Her Life, By Design with Jordan Becerra from Influencer SEO.
You’re Not Utilizing Pinterest
Pinterest is so much more than just another social media platform — it is also a powerful search engine. If you want to grow your blog’s traffic, you need to start utilizing Pinterest. Unlike Instagram, many Pinterest users are on the platform searching for answers. This means with great SEO practices, your content will be more discoverable on Pinterest as opposed to Instagram.
It is important to remember that each pin you publish on Pinterest is a direct link back to your blog, making it a great platform to convert followers into loyal readers. Additionally, if driving more downloads and traffic to your lead magnet is a priority, Pinterest is a great outlet to generate and lock in new leads.
Want to learn more about how you could use Pinterest to grow your blog? Check out this episode of Her Life, By Design, with Pinterest guru — Justyn Gourdin.
Growth Strategies for Your Blog
There are many seasoned bloggers who have taken 10 years to build their audience. While that is most definitely admirable, a good portion of those 10 years was spent figuring all these mistakes out. If you’ve finally taken the leap and started your blog on a strong foundation, the next step is to have a solid growth strategy in place.
No matter where you are on your blogging journey, these 6 common mistakes are fundamental to growing your blog in the long-run. If you’ve noticed a dip in growth, check back to see if you’ve been neglecting SEO, setting Pinterest aside, or maybe even straying too far from your niche. Covering these 6 bases will streamline your blog’s growth, whether you’re trying to grow your traffic from 0, or from 50,000.
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