Do you wish your blog had more readers than just your mom and your spouse? We understand. It can be very challenging to figure out how to get people to notice your blog and stick around.

Fortunately, some folks have already discovered the secret to success online. We can learn from those who went before us.

Read on to discover the top 10 traffic booster secrets you can start using today!

Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Having your website and blog posts properly optimized makes a big difference when it comes to web traffic. SEO allows Google to easily find your content, understand what it’s about, and place it in search results.

The better you do with SEO, the better your search result ranking is likely to be. Some of the key factors in website SEO are:

• Keywords
• Headers
• Excellent, longer content
• High-quality links from other sites
• Building the authority of your site in your niche

If you’re curious where your website currently stands, consider a free SEO audit.

Use Great Titles

Your website posts should have titles that are catchy and interesting. Many leading bloggers say they spend more time on the title than on any other part of their post!

You want your title to follow a formula that’s known to work. Some ideas include:

• A controversial statement
• A question that hits a nerve
• X ways to do something
• A promise to solve a problem
• A question that stirs up mystery

When you have a catchy title, you’ll get more clicks and more readers. It’s a proven traffic booster!

Sharing on Facebook

Sharing your content on Facebook helps extend its reach. 68% of all Americans use Facebook, so you can definitely find some traffic for your site there!

The key to sharing on Facebook is to reach beyond your current friends and family. It’s great to share with your network, but it’s even better if they share the post with others as well. Don’t be shy – ask them to help you promote it!

You can also use paid advertising to extend your reach on Facebook. Paid ads can be targeted to a very granular level so you can be sure of reaching folks who are interested in your topic.

Pinterest is a Traffic Booster

Many leading bloggers swear by Pinterest to bring in traffic. With a Pinterest business account, you get access to analytics that help you understand which pins are doing well and which are not.

Success on Pinterest does require repetition. You want to share on your own boards, as well as joining group boards that get a lot of traffic. When you pin regularly, you’ll see your traffic start to grow!

It’s also important to have images that work well on the platform. With a little effort, you can create eye-catching images that encourage folks to click!

Share in Your Email Newsletter

Hopefully, you’re building an email list as people visit your site. If you are, this list gives you another traffic booster to use.

When you write to your list in your regular newsletter, mention your new post. Be sure to save this kind of promotion for your best work. You want people to know that if they click through, they will get something very worthwhile!

Sharing content with your email list is great, but you can also invite them to share it with friends and family. This can extend your reach even further.

Engage with Commenters

No one likes to say something and hear nothing back, and that includes folks who comment on your posts. Be sure to reply and show your appreciation!

If you share your content in a lot of forums, it can be challenging to keep up. One of the strategies used by top websites is batching. You schedule one time to go through all your comments on social media and your website. Reply to everything at once, and you’re done for the day.

When you engage with commenters, they are much more likely to comment again and become regular readers!

Use Incredible Images

A picture is worth far more than 1,000 words when it comes to getting traffic online. If you use high-quality images, your posts will catch the eye of many more readers.

Excellent images can be found through royalty-free sites, or you can subscribe to a service that allows you to use images for a fee. Just don’t get caught stealing images from Google or other blogs!

Get the Timing Right

Sharing on social media can feel like pushing things into a black hole if you post at the wrong time. The useful life of a post on Facebook, for instance, is only a few hours. On Twitter, it’s only a few minutes.

Use tools that will help you understand the best times to share content. You can use analytics to see when your posts get the most engagement. You can also do research to determine the best times for sharing on a particular social media platform.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags are an incredible tool on almost any social media platform. They make it much easier for people to find your content and share it.

Don’t think that tags are only important on Twitter. Top bloggers use tags to extend their reach on Instagram, Pinterest, and even Facebook.

Don’t Overshare Your Content

One sure traffic killer is to only share your own blog posts online and never talk about anything else. People figure out pretty quickly that you’re only interested in promoting yourself.

Remember that social media is social. That is, you need to build relationships, have conversations, and show you care about others.

Try sharing 20% your content, and 80% other useful information or conversation. That balance will let others see what you do without overwhelming them.

Bring in More Traffic Today!

These traffic booster tips aren’t just for the “big boys” in blogging. They’re available for everyone. When you create content with great SEO, share on social media, use tags, and engage your followers, you’ll find that your audience will grow consistently.

If you’re interested in discovering more about how to grow your website, check out other posts on our web and SEO blog today!