Blog Growth Updates And Keeping It Simple to See Growth

When bloggers show you what they are doing to grow their blog, at least you’ll know where you should start. Just remember that just because something is working for them, doesn’t always mean it’s going to work for you.

You need to keep testing and tweaking until you start seeing the growth that you want. It does take time to learn how to grow a blog.

But..

If you learn how to grow your blog traffic, then you can earn more money, get more subscribers and etc.. The opportunities that open up to you become endless.

That’s why it’s so important to work on growing your blog traffic. But you don’t want to just drive traffic to your blog, you want to do everything that you can grow your email list at the same time.

So now that you know growing your blog is important. Maybe you’ve already been working hard on growing your blog. If so then that’s awesome.

Let me share what I did last month to help me grow my blog and finally reach 8,000 page views.

How I Reached Over 8,000 Page Views In March

Now 8,000 page views may not seem like a lot to you. After all, I still don’t qualify for Mediavine ads yet. But reaching 8,000 pageviews for the first ever is exciting for me.

After all, I didn’t even get over 3,000 pageviews the first year. Yes, I know that’s sad, but that’s because I wasn’t focused on promotion.

This year, I’ve decided that I was going to learn about promotion. I love writing blog posts, but if you’re not promoting, then no one is seeing your content.

Chances are you might want to know what I did to reach 8,000 page views. Well, I’m going to share exactly what I did. If you implement any of these things then be sure to come back and let me know if you increase your traffic.

Blog Growth Updates: An Inside Look At My Analytics

Before we get into what blogging tasks I worked on in March, let me first show you the inside of my Google Analytics. It’s not as exciting as some of the other bloggers who have grown a lot faster than I have.

That’s okay, that’s one of the reasons that you don’t want to compare yourself to other bloggers. Otherwise, you’ll become discouraged and end up quitting.

It’s important to celebrate every win in your blogging business, whether it’s small or not. This gives you the motivation to keep going forward and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Where My Traffic Came From

Most of my traffic came from drumroll, please…..PINTEREST!

Yup, it seems like all my frustration and effort on Pinterest is finally paying off. I definitely owe it to this eBook and this course for teaching me the ins and outs of Pinterest.

I still have a lot to learn about the platform and you can bet that I’ll keep taking the time to learn.

The one thing that I have learned from trying to figure out the platform is that it takes time. For some us, it takes longer than others.

I got started on Pinterest last year, but never took the time to learn the platform. Instead, all I did was throw my pins into the Tailwind scheduler and let it run.

Trust me, that doesn’t work. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to get in there and learn how to use the platform. I wish it was as easy as just throwing pins into Board Booster or Tailwind and walking away.

What I Changed

Basically, I dug into this eBook and really started following the tactics. After manually pinning for one month, I wasn’t seeing any results.

I figured what the heck, I’ll just keep pinning. So every day, I kept logging into my Pinterest account for a few minutes per day and pinned some pins manually.

Joined More Group Boards

I also made it a point to reach out and join more group boards. If you don’t have a lot of followers then group boards are going to be essential for your growth.

It does take time to get accepted into group boards. Sometimes you won’t even hear back from the group owner. It gets annoying and can be frustrating.

If you reach out to someone about joining and they don’t respond, then move on. There are several Pinterest groups that you can join.

Don’t waste time or energy if you don’t hear back from someone.

Created Multiple Pins

I’ve also created multiple pins for some of my posts. If you don’t have a lot of time, don’t worry about creating multiple pins for every blog post.

Go to your Google Analytics and see which posts are popular. You can also go to:

pinterest.com/source/yourdomain.com

Replace the yourdomain.com with your actual blog domain.

This will show you which pins people are actually sharing. If people are sharing your pin then it’s worth your time to create more pins.

Since I use Photoshop to create my pins, I’ll sit on the couch with my MacBook Pro and create a second image in the evening. It doesn’t take very long since I already have my Pinterest templates created.

All I have to do is change out the text and images.

Optimizing for Both Pinterest and Google

Another thing that I am doing is I am making sure that my pins are optimized for both Google and Pinterest. After all, you don’t want to work so hard and neglect either of them.

I have to admit that when I first started using Pinterest, I had no clue that you could actually do keyword research on Pinterest. If you’re using Pinterest as a marketing promotion for your blog.

You need to make sure that you’re optimizing your pins for both platforms. If you have no clue what I am talking about, then this will show you how to optimize for both platforms and get the most from your blog posts.

Focusing on Growing

One of the biggest challenges I have been having with Pinterest is growing my followers. Now I know what you’re thinking, followers don’t matter because Pinterest is a search engine.

However, when you have more followers, you will be able to join better group boards. Which is a huge plus.

This past weekend, I signed up for the free 30 day trial of MiloTree to see if it would actually help me grow my Pinterest followers.

When I signed up I had 754 followers. Well the first day of having the MiloTree plugin installed, I ended the day at 765 followers.

Now I know what you’re thinking, 11 followers is not a lot. But you also have to remember that it was Easter weekend and many people were not spending a lot of time online. I know I wasn’t.

So I know that this plugin is going to help me increase my followers. If you need to increase your followers so you can join better group boards, grab your 30 day free trial here.

What About Google?

We all want Google traffic, I mean who doesn’t? Google traffic is awesome, especially since there are over 40,000 search queries every second. (source)

Wouldn’t it be awesome if your targetted visitors searched for something and your blog came?

Well, as long as you’re optimizing your blog posts for keywords you have a chance to rank for that’s a possibility.

Related: Long Tail Review How to Make The Most of It For Your Blog

The thing about Google traffic is that it doesn’t happen overnight. It can take months before you start seeing any love from Google.

Remember that 11-day case study I wrote back in the middle of December. I thought that I would see a burst of traffic from publishing fresh new content on my blog.

But I didn’t because even though you’re writing amazing content on your blog today, you still have to wait for Google to catch up with you.

That’s why I love Pinterest traffic because it’s faster than Google. Although it does have a steep learning curve.

Here’s how my Google traffic compares to last month. It’s nothing amazing, but the cool thing is that it is growing.

Other Blogging Tasks I Implemented

While it’s great to get traffic from Pinterest. The last thing that you want is for all your traffic to come from just one source. You never want to put all your eggs in one basket.

I’ve done that in the past with Google traffic. When they updated their algorithm, my traffic went away overnight. It sucked, I had put all my time and energy into learning SEO and actually had great traffic.

So take it from me, don’t focus on just one traffic source.

On The Other Hand

You don’t want to try to be everywhere because that will get you nowhere. Instead, focus on 1-3 traffic strategies and implement those every day.

If you focus on Pinterest, then make sure that you’re optimizing your pins for both Google and Pinterest. That’s what I’ve been doing.

This way you will not only get traffic from Pinterest. But eventually, you will also get traffic from Google.

Blog Commenting

I love blog commenting because it gets me off my blog and I get to go out there and visit my blogging friends. When I started this blog, I used this method to help me land some guest posts.

I’ve met some really great bloggers online just by taking the time to visit their blogs. While you won’t get a ton of traffic from commenting, it will help you make online friends.

I make it a point to visit and comment on other people’s blogs every week.

Facebook Groups

I have to admit that I am not that active in Facebook groups. But there are 4 groups that I use on a regular basis that are helping me grow my blog.

If you do end up using Facebook groups to help you grow your blog, just make sure that you don’t spend too much time in them. They can definitely be a time suck if you let them.

Just do what you gotta do and get out.

That’s All I Do

I’m only one person and I don’t have a lot of time. Plus I love going to the gym and working out. Not only that but the weather is warming up and this means that I’ll want to be outdoors mountain biking and kayaking.

I don’t want to spend my whole day in front of the computer. Most of us choose to become an entrepreneur because we want the time freedom that it brings.

Yes we know that we have to work hard at the beginning to get things off the ground. But once you find a strategy that starts working for you. Then you can continue doing that and tweak only when necessary.

So I have simplified my business by not focusing on too many things. These are the blog promotion tasks that I have been working on to help me grow my blog.

Do you want to know what has really been helping me grow my blog?

Consistency and Patience

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the most patient person in the world. In fact, I am probably the least patient person. But thanks to Elite Blog Academy, I’ve learned what it takes to grow a blog.

It’s not going to happen overnight. While some bloggers do have success a lot faster than others, that’s not the norm. You have to keep your head down and keep working.

This means that every day you need to keep doing those blogging tasks, even when you’re not seeing the results you want.

Yes, it’s hard. After all, who really wants to keep working for free? You probably started your blog because your goal is to earn some money so you can walk away from your job.

Maybe you’ve paid for hosting and the renewal is coming up but you still haven’t earned a penny.

Well, I get it. It sucks putting in all the hard work in the front and not seeing the results right away. However, if you just keep going eventually you will start to see some results.

Being consistent and doing something every day for your blog is what’s going to help you grow. That’s what I’ve noticed with my results.

What Else I’ve Worked On

Karen had to go out of town in March for a week. Since I was the only one at home, I worked more than usual. I’m not the type of person who likes to watch a lot of television unless it’s a great movie.

So instead of watching TV, I spent the time researching how to create printables. I wanted to create some checklists and worksheets that I could put in my resource library.

So I spent a day learning how to create printables by watching videos online. Well, I finally am able to create printables and have created two that I’ve put inside of the resource library.

Not only that, but I’ve also created some pins that showcase my printable downloads and guess what, that has helped me increase my email opt-ins.

It’s funny because I had heard so many talks about how printables can help you grow your email list. But for some reason, I just kept putting it off.

I guess I put it off because I didn’t want to have to learn how to do something else. It seems like there’s always something to learn in our blogging business.

Well, I am glad that I took the time to learn because the printables that I created are now helping me grow my email list. If you need help coming up with a lead magnet, here’s a great blog post that will help you come up with some great content upgrade ideas.

Let’s Look At The Growth

Okay so now it’s time to break it down into numbers. Just so you know, I don’t focus on social followers numbers. I put them in here just so you can see the growth. The only thing I am concerned with is my email subscribers growth. (which I am working on improving the conversions)

March Blog Growth Numbers

• Email Subscribers (new opt-ins for the month): 88
• Overall List Size: 320
• Twitter Followers: 1321
• Facebook Followers: 46
• YouTube Subscribers: 119
• Pinterest Followers: 765
• Page Views: 8,857

I included my February blog growth numbers, this will make it easier for you to see how my blog grew. Of course, if you want to see all my blog growth reports, you can see them here.

February Blog Growth Numbers

• Email Subscribers (new opt-ins for the month): 45
• Overall List Size: 242
• Twitter Followers: 1290
• Facebook Followers: 44
• YouTube Subscribers: 104
• Pinterest Followers: 676
• Page Views: 5,586

What You Should Take Away From This Post

I don’t create these blog updates to brag. Believe me, there are a lot of bloggers who have way better traffic than I do. The purpose of these posts is to show you what I am doing to grow and hopefully to ingrain that as long as you’re consistent you will see growth.

You won’t see it today and you might not see it tomorrow. But as long as you don’t give up then eventually you will see the growth you want.

The question boils down to how patient are you and how bad do you want it?

I know that it can be frustrating when you’re reading other people’s income goals and they are making bank and you’re not. Well, guess what, they have paid their dues.

Now you need to pay yours. We all have the learning curves we have to go through and as long as you can make it through that learning curve and make your blogging tasks a habit, you’re golden.

If you need a little bit more inspiration, here’s a great podcast that will help you understand that ordinary tasks will help you grow your blog.

Invest In Your Blogging Education

It’s funny because some people are so scared to spend money on their blogging business. They would rather spend hours trying to find the information for free online.

Yes, it’s easy to find almost anything for free online. But if you really want to take your blog from hobby to a profitable business that helps you walk away from your day job.

You’re going to have to invest in your blogging education. You don’t have to buy everything, but there’s nothing wrong with buying products or courses that will help you learn something.

When I got started with Pinterest I had no clue how to set up a business account. Heck, I had never heard about Pinterest until I read about it on another blog.

Instead of spending hours trying to figure out how to set up the foundational aspects of Pinterest, I invested in the Pinning Perfect course.

I’ve invested in a few other Pinterest products to help me learn the platform.

Don’t be scared to invest in your education. If you’re a new blogger then chances are you don’t have a marketing background. You can’t expect to know these things if you’ve never done it.

If you’re struggling with something right now or trying to learn something in particular. Find a successful blogger that has a course and don’t be scared to invest your money.

As long as you implement what’s taught in the course it’s not wasted money. The only time you waste money on courses is if you keep buying them and never implement what’s taught in the course.

No online digital course is going to make you successful if you don’t actually implement what’s taught. Even then there’s no guarantee of success.

When you decided to become an entrepreneur, you’re the only one who is responsible for your success.

What I’ll Be Focusing On This Month

I won’t be changing my strategies much for this month. As what I am doing seems to be growing my blog. The biggest thing that I need to improve is my email conversions.

Although, I am pretty happy that I was able to get 88 subscribers for the month. Which is the most that I’ve ever gotten. I do believe that there is a lot of improvement that can be made.

The most important thing that I always remind myself is that it takes time to build a successful blog. As long as I keep doing something each and every day, I’ll get there.

Right now, my goal is to get to 25k sessions in a 30 day period so I can apply to Mediavine. I’ve still got a ways to go, but I am slowly getting there.

As you know, I want to walk away from my WordPress freelancing business and that means that it’s going to require multiple passive income streams.  If this is your first time here, you can read my story here.

Final Take Away

I’m no different than you are, we all get 24 hours in a day. I know that some of you have full-time jobs children. It’s harder to find free time to work on your blog.

I totally understand what you mean. Karen is always asking me why I am still on my computer. She just doesn’t understand why I spend so much time online.

I’m not even sure that she believes me that one day I’ll be able to help her walk away from her job. She usually just nods and doesn’t say anything.

Now don’t get me wrong, she’s extremely supportive. But she’s seen me start and fail so many blogs, I can’t blame her for not believing that I’ll have success with this blog.

That’s okay, as long as I believe it that’s all that matters. Every day, I keep working towards my goals because I know what I want to achieve and no one can make it possible except for me.

If you want to create a successful blog, you’re going to have to sacrifice your time somewhere and treat your blog like a business. That’s the only way that you’ll ever be able to create something that you’re proud of.

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Do you believe that being consistent with your blogging duties is what helps you grow a blog? Let me know if you think consistency plays a huge part in growing a successful blog.