Evaluating Blog Growth
To evaluate the growth of a blog, one of the key metrics to consider is the number of visitors it receives. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics can help track blog visits and provide insights into the blog’s performance. However, merely tracking visits is not enough; the traffic must be targeted to truly gauge growth.
Increasing Targeted Traffic
To increase targeted traffic to a blog, various strategies can be employed. One effective approach is growth hacking, which involves using existing content to drive more traffic to the blog. This can include optimizing old posts for better search engine ranking, repurposing content into different formats, and ensuring that the blog’s technical aspects are optimized for search engines.
Learning from Experience
The author of this blog learned the importance of SEO the hard way after being hit by the Google Panda algorithm in 2011. This experience led to a deep dive into learning and practicing SEO to recover from the setback. The key takeaway was that SEO is not about using shady techniques to rank higher but rather about creating quality content that is both reader-friendly and technically sound for search engines.
Case Study: Increasing Blog Traffic in 48 Days
The author shares a case study on how they managed to increase their blog traffic by 28% in just 48 days. This was achieved through several strategic steps:
Moving Non-Relevant Articles to Other Blogs
The first step involved moving non-relevant articles from the main blog to a more suitable niche blog. This process included auditing posts, dealing with duplicate content issues, and using tools like the Archive Remote Images plugin to simplify the transfer of images. The goal was to make the content of the main blog more focused and relevant to its niche.
Optimizing Posts for Keyword Ranking
Using tools like SEMRUSH, the author optimized posts that were ranking on page 2 or more of Google search for specific keywords. This involved tweaking the content to better match the target keywords, thereby improving the posts’ visibility in search results.
Repurposing Content
Another strategy was repurposing existing blog content into other formats, such as slides, to reach a broader audience. Platforms like Slideshare were utilized to host these slides, which not only drove traffic back to the blog but also helped in branding the blog as an authority in its niche.
Upgrading to a Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Theme
The blog was migrated to a responsive theme, specifically the Astra WordPress theme, which improved user experience across different devices. Additionally, a mobile-specific site was set up to cater to the growing number of mobile users, enhancing the blog’s visibility in mobile search results.
Improving Loading Time
The loading time of the site was significantly improved by upgrading to the Astra theme and utilizing CloudFlare’s free CDN. This, combined with the blog being hosted on Kinsta WordPress hosting, resulted in the site loading in under 2 seconds, which is crucial for both user experience and search engine rankings.
Enhancing Related Posts
The related posts feature was customized to show more relevant content to readers. This involved manually selecting related posts for each article, which can help reduce bounce rates and increase engagement.
Removing Broken and Irrelevant Links
Finally, the author emphasized the importance of removing broken links and irrelevant links from the blog. Tools like Linkwhisper or features within SEO tools like SEMRush can be used to identify and fix these issues, which are critical for maintaining a healthy SEO score.
Conclusion
Increasing targeted traffic to a blog requires a multifaceted approach that includes optimizing existing content, repurposing content, improving the blog’s technical performance, and enhancing user experience. By applying these strategies, bloggers can significantly improve their blog’s traffic and overall online presence. The key is to be proactive, continuously evaluate and improve the blog’s content and performance, and stay informed about the best practices in SEO and content marketing.