I bet you think it's easy to pick just ONE tip to drive traffic to a new blog! Turns out that it might not be so easy to do.
I asked the question in my Facebook group the other day and I got over 40 responses (so far).
Many of the tips are excellent and I can't even pick one single tip to drive traffic that I would call the best. I think it is hard to find one piece of advice that offers the perfect solution but let's try to narrow it down.
How would YOU drive traffic to a brand new blog
You might be wondering why I asked for only ONE tip.
Well think back to when you first started blogging. Don't you wish someone would give you just ONE tip?
You weren't looking for an entire blogging blue print or a 10 point check list or even a full blown Content Marketing Strategy.
Back then you'd be more that happy to simply drive traffic to your website and see at least 50 – 100 visitors on your site in one day! You didn't know where to start and you had so many tasks you quickly began to realize that you needed to establish a set of priorities for your brand new blog.
Most likely you probably hopped around to a bunch of different forums, downloaded a ton of ebooks and spent hours watching YouTube videos searching for the perfect solution.
So what's the answer? I want to drive traffic to my site!
I'm not going to put my neck on the line here because I don't want you to chop it off. That's why I asked the group! Btw – you can request to join the Facebook Group, but I will let you know right up front you can't post any self-promotional links there.
I can't mention everyone by name but here is the link so you can see the entire thread: One Tip to Drive Traffic To Your Brand New Blog
Here's a Summary of Ways to Drive Blog Traffic from Top Bloggers in the Group
- Build Relationships
- Use Social Media
- Be Humble
- Post often and regularly
- Find your target audience
- Create Awesome Content
- Pick Evergreen Topics
- Guest Post
- Hire Top Writers
What Did I do to Drive Traffic To My New Blog
When I was writing this post I began to feel more and more passionate about the topic. So I decided to record an audio version for my podcast. You can click the play button below to listen in.
I love all these tips and I wish there has to be a way to combine them into one. I tried but it's not possible. But what I will do is tell you what I did back in 2009. Keep in mind I had no idea what I was doing and this was not really any type of strategy. I thank my lucky stars that it worked out for me in the long run.
I commented on other blogs.
Yup, that's all I did. Of course I actually read each and every blog post before I left a comment. I was like a sponge and I tried to absorb every drop of information I could get my hands on. Keep in mind, by nature I have a need to speak my mind so there was no way I was going to read an entire blog post and not leave a comment. DUH!
There is one other thing that I did (I know I said only one tip but actually I'm up to three already) I found a mentor. That is HUGE! You need a mentor (or two) so that you don't get distracted by all the shiny objects along the way. And there will be a LOT of shiny objects! And no, I'm not talking about Empower Network either. When I say find a mentor I mean one person who is an independent agent and gives information away for FREE.
Here's why it's so important to have a mentor.
You're new.
You just got here.
You have no idea what you need to invest your money in yet. You need guidance so that you will know an internet snake coming from a mile away before you even begin to sign up for an ecourse or join a membership site. When I talk about mentor, two really solid, down-to-Earth people that come to mind right away are Lisa Irby and Pat Flynn.
Commenting and Link Building at the Same Time
Let's go back in time to when I was leaving a bunch of comments all over the place. That's when I met great bloggers like Hesham Zebida from Famous Bloggers. Eventually I learned about Blog Engage and I was off and running after that. When you think about it I was addressing many of the points from my One Tip To Drive Traffic Responses. Remember I said I was reading every post I left a comment on. Based on the comments I left, don't you think those bloggers KNEW that I was actually reading their posts? (Funny how that works, isn't it). This is how I started building relationships with other bloggers!
Commenting on blogs is actually social media at it's finest.
I know most people don't look at that way but think about it for a sec. Blogging is social media but if you don't leave a comment, nobody knows you were there right?
Who knew I was also link building! I didn't, that's for sure. In fact I didn't even know there was such as thing as “link building” back in those days. I found out years later when I took a look at my link profile after I downloaded it from Market Samurai. I was shocked to discover that I had comment links from Mashable! To be more blunt I was stunned because I NEVER read Mashable now. (How quickly we forget). Not only was I reading Mashable regularly, it's hard for me to imagine that I actually left comments there too. That is absolutely hilarious to me now.
Think in Terms of Layering!
Ok that was a fun trip down memory lane but enough about me and my journey. I really want this to be about you. I want you to see that you when you're starting your first blog you need to prioritize and do when comes naturally. Heck you gotta figure out if you're really cut out for all this hard work.
I mean blogging is no joke! Once you make the commitment then you can begin the process of layering.
Read, comment, write, absorb, connect, share, learn, teach, grow!
These are the layers that put down to build a strong foundation for your blog. This is how you drive traffic, make friends (you're gonna need them) and write THEE best content ever!