If you’ve been pouring time and resources into developing blog articles, but they aren’t getting enough eyes on them, I feel your frustration. As marketers, we’ve all been there! Before you can fix the problem, try to understand it. Here are a few questions to ask yourself if you’re on a mission to increase your organic blog traffic:

Are you…

➕ Doing keyword research for each blog?

First, use tools like AHrefs or SEMrush to search for topics related to your blog content. Try to choose keywords that will flow well in your content but are also high in search volume and have a low difficulty rating. Shoot for one primary keyword and 2-4 secondary keywords, and strategically weave them through your post’s headers, body copy, and metadata.

SEO tools can be expensive, so if you don’t have the budget for the tools mentioned above, a great place to start is answerthepublic.com. Its database isn’t as in-depth as the big SEO tools, but it’s free and great for generating keyword ideas.

➕ Creating evergreen blog content?

If you’re frequently posting about trendy topics with a short shelf life, it makes sense that your content peaks when it’s published and then traffic drops off. Try mixing in more evergreen content (AKA content that has long-term relevancy).

To get real value from your evergreen content, do a content audit annually. Refresh the evergreen articles by updating any expired links or statistics, adding new or relevant information, and updating the publish date. This keeps your content fresh and looks good from Google’s POV.

➕ Sharing long-form blog content?

You may have heard long-form is dead ☠️ but guess what? That’s B.S. (especially in the B2B space). Long-form content (2,000+ words) is proven to get 77% more backlinks than short-form content. And if you’re new to SEO, Google loves backlinks because they show your site has authority.

While 2,000 words can sound overwhelming, it’s easier than you think to hit that mark. Choose 4-5 questions your customers frequently ask about any given topic and make those your blog headers. Fill in the rest with relevant storytelling, statistics, and insights, and you’ll be off to the races.

➕ Using strong writers or AI?

Welp… I hate to break it to you, but if you’re using AI, Google can tell. And so can your readers.

Improving your on-page SEO means writing high-quality, helpful content. It also includes properly weaving in keywords, linking to authoritative external sources, and linking to other content on your website. Unfortunately we’re still living in a world where ChatGPT begins 90% of its blog posts with the same line. So… no… you can’t replace a quality content writer that easily.

➕ Adding engaging visuals to your blogs?

Stock photos are great, original photos are better, and infographics or other interactive visuals win the day. Why? The visuals are where your readers’ eyes go first. And infographics are especially great for increasing backlinks (because people love sharing a good visual) which in turn boosts your search ranking and organic traffic.

If you don’t have the resources to create original designs or photography, some of my favourite sites for getting free, non-cheesy stock images include Unsplash and Pexels. Getty Images is great for paid stock imagery. And for creating infographics, Canva has a plethora of well-designed templates ripe for the picking.

➕ Distributing your blog content?

YES, this is a cliché (sue me) but it still rings true: content creation is king, but distribution is QUEEN, and she wears the pants. You can’t simply create a blog and expect it to drive traffic. You have to give it a little push—share it on social media, send it out to your subscribers, and promote it with paid ads. And lastly, recycle it! If your content is still relevant down the road, re-share it. Chances are most of your audience didn’t see it the first time, anyways.

➕ Leveraging Google Analytics for blog traffic insights?

If you haven’t already, set up a F R E E Google Analytics account. This can give you insight into your blog’s engagement rates, bounce rates, average engagement time, etc. You can use this data to better understand what type of content performs well on your blog and what doesn’t, providing you insights for content planning in the future.

This simple checklist will do wonders for your organic traffic—but remember, like all good things, it will take time to see real results. Be patient, keep testing, and trust the process. And as always, if you have questions or curiosities about how to improve your blog traffic, just hit that ‘Let’s Connect’ button in the top right corner and I’d be happy to chat about your content goals.

Thanks for reading,