10 Ways to Tank Your Traffic By: Amanda Boyce
Here are the 10 Ways To Tank Your Traffic:
1. Take a long break from posting: We all need to take breaks and vacations, blogging or otherwise. This is a traffic dip that will probably be only temporary, but if you want to avoid losing momentum, line up a guest blogger or two to contribute while you’re offline.
2. Forget to share your posts on social media: We say it again and again but social media is a driving force behind all blog traffic. Twitter and Facebook are two of the biggest sources of traffic and without them, it would be hard to reach our current audience and obtain new readers. You don’t need to be aggressive with your promotions; simply send two to three updates with a brief summary of why your followers should click-through.
3. Drastically change the content of your site without warning: Going from fashion to health would be really dramatic and your readers would be extremely confused, plus a little upset. Give a heads-up to your readers and express how you are trying to expand your niche and test new mediums. Then proceed with your new writing endeavors.
4. Post repeatedly on the same topic: Establishing an editorial calendar and a routine with your posting is good, just don’t let your content get stale. “Fall Fashion” is a hot topic right now, but pick-and-choose how often you post about it.
5. Post at off-peak Internet hours: Even if you create a post that is full of stunning graphics and well-written editorial, if you post it in the dead of night or early Saturday morning, chances are no one will read your post. You should monitor your posts throughout the week to see when you have the highest traffic spikes as well as do basic research to see when the Internet is most engaged.
6. Don’t register your blog with Bloglovin: This is one of those key steps when setting up your blog that seems trivial but can do wonders for your traffic. It’s a one-time set up that’s easy and not only lets others easily keep up with your content, but allows you to do the same.
7. Ignore your analytics: Ignoring how your posts are doing and which platforms are best driving traffic to your site is like driving blindly into the night. Why would you do it? You need direction and guidance to make sure your posts are striking a chord with your readers.
8. Ignore your readers: Your readers give you the only glimpse into whether your content is working or it’s not. Yes, it can be brutal and yes they can be super critical. But that’s only because they consider your blog worth reading and they want to stay on your blog. Don’t ignore their feedback; take it in stride. Chances are, they have a few pointers that you could listen to and implement.
9. Turn your blog into one big Instagram feed: Readers come to your blog to get content that they can’t get elsewhere so why would you syndicate your Instagram photos into your blog? Posting one or two photos that show glimpses of your life are fine, actually making for more personal content and bridging the relationship between reader and blogger. But the more Instagrams you show, the more likely your readers will hit “Mark All As Read” because they will have already seen your snaps from your Instagram feed.
10. Use your blog as a platform for negativity and hostility: We all have bad days but when your days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and your blog turns into one big rant, you can guarantee that your readers will desert you. Who can blame them, too? If all you are doing is spreading negativity, you should spend less time blogging, more time finding inspiration and support outside of the blogging community.
There are other ways you can tank your blog’s traffic but overall, these are tried-and-tested ways to not only distance your community but lose blogging traffic. Avoid them at all costs!
Tagged: INF103