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Blogger Tip Tuesday: How to Increase Your Blog Traffic

August 5, 2014 By: Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC52 Comments

Happy Blogger Tip Tuesday! This week, I thought we’d talk some about how to increase your blog traffic. Now I should put this out there first: I am getting nowhere near the amount of traffic of some of the bigger bloggers. However, my blog traffic has increased quite a bit over the past year and if you are looking to increase your blog traffic, this post may be of interest.

like (7)

So, in thinking about how to increase your blog traffic, I thought I’d share where my blog traffic comes from and from there we can break down sources that might help you in increasing your blog traffic!

 my top 10 blog traffic referrers

  •  Pinterest. Pinterest is my number one traffic referral. I will delve more into how I’ve been using Pinterest lately, but if you are looking to increase your blog traffic and don’t use Pinterest, I recommend you start!
  • Twitter. I use Twitter to promote my blog posts (both current and past posts) and have found it to be an effective source of traffic. Here’s a bit more about how I use Twitter. This post is a bit more Twitter talk. 
  • search engines. This is all SEO (search engine optimization). I don’t always utilize SEO on my blog posts but I do think about it and try to put in some common search terms if it fits. For an SEO primer, check out this post. 
  • Facebook. I use my facebook page to pump my blog posts and I get a decent amount of hits on the blog from facebook. My Wedding Wednesday posts in particular drive a lot of my real life friends to my blog page. 
  • bloglovin. After Google Reader shut down, folks needed a way to read blogs. I use bloglovin on a weekly basis, but I get a good amount of traffic from the site. If you haven’t registered your blog on bloglovin, you’re missing out!
  • Mar. Yep, that’s right. My girl is a big source of traffic for me. Love it. 
  • Cynthia. Uh-huh. DC Trifecta for the win! The blog tribe is real, y’all! Get ya one πŸ™‚
  • Friday Five Link Up. Our linkup brings a bunch of traffic to most participants, but as the hosts, Mar, Cynthia and I get a TON of traffic each Friday. 
  • Lindsay at Lean Green Bean. Lindsay has listed a few of my posts on her weekly post round up and it send quite a good bit of traffic my way. Lindsay’s roundup always has a ton of great links, so I’d recommend checking it out each Monday. 
  • Pinterest (android). More Pinterest love, this time from android phones.

So, what’s the lesson from my top 10 traffic referrers? Social media, engagement and the blog tribe. And of course content you are proud of. That really is probably the best way to increase your blog traffic. However, if you are already there with your content, take a look at your referral sources and see what you can do to grow those referrals from other sites! 

What are your biggest traffic referrers? 


Comments

  1. Karen @karenlovestorun says

    August 5, 2014 at 6:31 am

    Pinterest for sure! I was super surprised by that but it seems to be the most popular πŸ™‚
    Karen @karenlovestorun
    Karen @karenlovestorun recently posted…ALL IN {Goofy Challenge/ Philadephia Half Marathon Training}My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:58 am

      it took awhile for Pinterest to really start sending traffic my way, but now it’s pretty steady!

      Reply
  2. Carla says

    August 5, 2014 at 7:11 am

    My tops are the same as yours…Pinterest, Twitter. The other is StumbleUpon. It’s really important to stumble your posts for some good traffic.

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:57 am

      ah, yes! I haven’t done much with Stumble Upon — thanks for that reminder πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Coco says

    August 5, 2014 at 7:47 am

    So true! You’ve got to have content that people want to read and share. It takes time and effort to build up a following, but it’s nice to have a “tribe” supporting you.
    Coco recently posted…Blogging Smarter — My CoSchedule ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:03 am

      Yes! It definitely does take time to build all this up. And (for me at least) it’s a work in progress.

      Reply
  4. Heidi says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:26 am

    I just found your blog through Mile Posts and I’m so happy I did! I run mainly over in Annapolis and Baltimore, but it’s always nice to find another “local” runner.

    http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:10 am

      glad you found me — it is fun to find runners in the area. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Kathryn @ Dancing to Running says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:55 am

    Social media is definitely a huge driving force behind my blog traffic. I started using your tip to tweet out old posts, and to my surprise, that’s aided in a huge increase in my blog traffic.
    Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Wow, I’ve Reached 1,000 Miles!My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:13 am

      it’s fun because it gives life to older posts and inevitably someone who missed it the first time around sees it and shares it!

      Reply
  6. Mar @ Mar on the Run! says

    August 5, 2014 at 9:07 am

    love this! you are #6 on my list too, hail to the “tribe”! πŸ™‚ of course, Pinterest is nowhere near the top 10. Can’t figure it out to save my life but search ranks highest!! guess there’s lots of people out there looking for me πŸ˜‰
    Mar @ Mar on the Run! recently posted…Week 4: Lessons in Cross TrainingMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:20 am

      I plan on writing a Pinterest primer very soon…hopefully it might help! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • C.J. says

        August 12, 2014 at 3:26 pm

        Great post, looking forward to reading the next one on Pinterest!
        C.J. recently posted…5 Ways Personal Trainers Can Build Their Business Outside the GymMy Profile

        Reply
  7. Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says

    August 5, 2014 at 9:10 am

    Great tips as usual Courtney. I’ve been working on using Pinterest more but I keep getting distracted and surfing it myself!
    Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…7 Tips to stay safer while on the runMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:30 am

      hahaha, i totally understand that πŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. Betsy says

    August 5, 2014 at 10:27 am

    Good post! My top 3 are Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook so I spend the majority of my time on those sites!
    Betsy recently posted…Fears While RunningMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      that makes perfect sense!

      Reply
  9. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says

    August 5, 2014 at 10:27 am

    The blog tribe is so important! Great post!
    Erin @ Her Heartland Soul recently posted…Omaha Crush 2014My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:53 pm

      it really, truly is so very important!

      Reply
  10. GiGi Eats says

    August 5, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    I’m under the ANDROID referrer right?! LOL!!!!!!

    I would have to say GOOGLE SEARCH, Facebook, StumbleUpon and some forums are my top traffic sources but every so often Twitter and Pinterest do the damn thing! πŸ˜‰
    GiGi Eats recently posted…What The Fudge?My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:54 pm

      someone else mentioned stumbleupon and that reminded me to get on that horse! πŸ™‚ and yep, it’s alllll you girl πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Meranda@fairytalesandfitness says

    August 5, 2014 at 12:50 pm

    I use tiny url to condense my blog adress so of course on google analytics it just shows traffic from Tiny url. I don’t know where it comes from though.
    Meranda@fairytalesandfitness recently posted…3 Alternative “Safe” Running RoutesMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:54 pm

      oh that’s interesting! i wonder if there’s a work around for that?

      Reply
  12. Tara @ Running 'N' Reading says

    August 5, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    Courtney, I always love your blogging tips! Most of my traffic comes from Twitter and Facebook; those two haggle for first place each day, depending on how active I’ve been on either on them. Thank you for the tips on SEO – I know NOTHING about this, so it’s super helpful! Great post, as usual!
    Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday!My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:55 pm

      SEO is so huge and I really am just scratching the surface with it, but having a basic understanding has helped me! Glad I’m able to share what (little) I know!

      Reply
  13. Annmarie says

    August 5, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Thanks for the tips! While I do get hits from pinterest, it isn’t as much as I think it should be and I always question how much I should tweet my posts! I will be following along on this series and putting some of your tips to work, thanks πŸ™‚
    Annmarie recently posted…Skoop Review- Get Your Super On!My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 4:09 pm

      i generally tweet things 3-4 times a day (spread out of course) and w/other real time tweets in between. glad this was helpful!

      Reply
  14. Rebecca Jo says

    August 5, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    I’d be interested in hearing how Pinterest gives you traffic.
    Rebecca Jo recently posted…Ups & Downs… a day late…My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      i’ll share more in a future post, but basically pinning quality content can drive people back to your site. it takes awhile to start seeing the traffic, though!

      Reply
  15. Michele @ A Storybook Life says

    August 5, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Here from #SITSblogging…Great tips and valuable info about different blog marketing strategies – thanks! For now I’m concentrating on Twitter and FB (and posting more frequently) but these are all good ideas to keep in mind!
    Michele @ A Storybook Life recently posted…Three Good Things, Vol. 3My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 5:06 pm

      thanks for stopping by, michele! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. Elizabeth says

    August 5, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    Thanks for this! I’m really working on increasing my Pinterest presence so I know I’d love to hear more about what you do specifically.
    Elizabeth recently posted…Happy Monday!My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:05 pm

      i’m going to share more specifically soon, but sharing to group pinterest boards can be really helpful.

      Reply
  17. Molly @alsoranagain.com says

    August 5, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for this extremely helpful post! Because of your advice, I’ve created a Pinterest account for my blog. Now I’m off to sign up for Bloglovin’.
    Molly @alsoranagain.com recently posted…Weekend UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 4:17 pm

      awesome! those are two great steps! i just followed you on pinterest πŸ™‚

      Reply
  18. Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes says

    August 5, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    My stats are so out of whack since I switched over, google analytics isn’t picking up the new site, so I’m not sure where my traffic is coming from right now πŸ™ Great post!
    Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Safety First…….Tuesdays on the Run Link-upMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      ah, that’s frustrating! i am so fascinated to see where my traffic comes from!

      Reply
  19. Tabetha says

    August 5, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Oh man. Just your link about the SEO breakdown is a game changer… Can’t wait to dig deeply into all of this information. Thanks for sharing it!
    Tabetha recently posted…Season One, Episode Five: Some people go to tenements for fun…My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      oh i am so glad it was helpful πŸ™‚

      Reply
  20. Mary Beth Jackson says

    August 5, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    I am pinning more on Pinterest myself and trying to participate in the link ups! Great tips- thanks!
    Mary Beth Jackson recently posted…Level up- Week one with Run the EdgeMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      i’m glad this was a helpful post!

      Reply
  21. Debbie @ Deb Runs says

    August 6, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    Thanks for the tips. I definitely see a lot of traffic from linking up to your Friday Five, and have been trying to think of a clever linkup to start myself! I get a decent amount of traffic from Pinterest which always surprises me. I know I could get a lot more if I actually worked at pinning more of my posts…
    Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Living Healthy At The BeachMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 6, 2014 at 2:25 pm

      linkups are great — you should definitely go for it πŸ™‚

      Reply
  22. Cecilia @ MommiesRun says

    August 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    Great post! I need to get better about using Pinterest. Well actually, I should get better at blogging consistently first πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 6, 2014 at 10:47 pm

      haha, definitely the latter than the former πŸ™‚ thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  23. Kristen says

    August 6, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    Great post! It’s awesome that Friday Five has brought so many views to your blog. It does for me too, I love it! Thanks for the tips!
    Kristen recently posted…A Bit Of A Wakeup CallMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 6, 2014 at 10:49 pm

      thanks kristen! i think regular friday fivers see a lot of traffic from the linkup — which is awesome!!

      Reply
  24. Helly says

    August 6, 2014 at 10:11 pm

    great post! I’m interested to read/see how you incorporate pinterest. I use it but haven’t seen much traffic stem from it. I’m probably not doing it right lol!
    Helly recently posted…First day of school!!! Er…I mean work! πŸ™‚My Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 6, 2014 at 10:55 pm

      thanks lady πŸ™‚ i’m interested to share because just like 6 months ago, i got NO traffic from pinterest and didn’t understand how it worked πŸ™‚

      Reply
  25. Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club says

    August 9, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Here are my top referrers of all time: Search engines, Facebook, Online Sweepstakes, WP Dashboard and and Twitter with Pinterest close behind. Great information. I have to figure out how to utilize these sources more. #sitsblogging
    Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club recently posted…How to Avoid Making Unhealthy Choices at The Grocery StoreMy Profile

    Reply
    • cdredden@gmail.com says

      August 12, 2014 at 3:42 pm

      sounds like your SEO is working!!

      Reply
  26. Cynthia @ You Signed Up For WHAT?! says

    August 12, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Pinterest, Facebook, Search Engines, Bloglovin, Twitter – that seems like the main sources for me!
    Cynthia @ You Signed Up For WHAT?! recently posted…Tri Talk Tuesday: Ten Triathlon Race Etiquette TipsMy Profile

    Reply

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