Are you getting a little bit frustrated with your blog? Believe me, it happens to everyone. Especially when you hear that so and so and their blog is taking off. There is nothing worse you can do than to compare yourself and your blog to someone else’s. Don’t waste your time getting green with envy or worse, giving up when your blog is not growing.
Everyone’s blog grows at a different pace, even within the same niche. You must give yourself time to find your voice and your comfort zone. That said, if you are not experiencing even a marginal increase month after month in page views, you need to re-assess your blog, your strategies and your approach to blogging.
5 REASONS YOUR BLOG IS NOT GROWING
1. Mobile Friendly
I know I am flogging a dead horse here, but I can not stress enough how important this is for several reasons.
a)If you have any hopes of picking up traffic from internet searches, your blog MUST be mobile responsive. Google is penalizing sites that have not adapted to this format. You can use this mobile-friendly test to find out how your blog rates. If your blog rates low, try to find a plug-in that will do the job or maybe it is time to upgrade your theme. All new themes are mobile responsive.
Mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop (42%). via Smart Insights
b)I have to say that nothing is more frustrating than clicking through to a post when I am on my mobile and having to adjust the screen size myself to be able to read it. Then I have to scroll back and forth to get through the paragraphs. I can only stand doing this for a small amount of text before I loose my place and at that point you have also lost me. And I am not the only reader frustrated by this. If you do not conform to a mobile friendly format, you will continue to have high bounce rates and low return visitors.
Still not convinced? Check out the comments on my post 5 Reasons I Didn’t Read Your Blog Post.
2. Pinterest
This past week I have had at least a 1,000 refers a day to my blog from Pinterest.
Time spent=15 minutes a day.
That’s right, One hour, forty-five minutes a week. I bet you spend more time on the toilet than that. Can you name one other task you do that gets those kinds of returns in so little time? How can you not want to tap that huge audience?
Show me a blogger that is dramatically increasing their page views and I will show you someone who is rocking Pinterest.
Yes, there is a learning curve but once you understand and master the techniques, you can sit back and monitor your stats with a grin on your face.
If you need help getting started, check out my first post in my series on Pinterest, setting up your profile.
3. Inconsistent Posting
When you are just starting out, you need to be consistent in your posting. Not necessarily on a specific day but at least once a week. You need to grow your audience and the only way to do that is to write.
Large, established blogs with a huge archive of posts may be able to get away with once a month but a new blogger can not. You can not afford to lose momentum and have your readers forget about you. If they do, it is like starting from zero again.
As well, Google likes pages that are continually updated with fresh, new content. If you want to be included in internet search results, be a regular poster.
4. Too Many Categories
I understand that you started your blog as an outlet for your writing or as form of journaling. That is great. But unless you have a really unique voice, an amazing life to chronicle or you are a celebrity, you are going to have to narrow your number of subjects if you want your blog audience to grow. Readers, especially regular, returning visitors, need to know what to expect when they come to your blog.
If you have more than 8 categories, you need to widdle that down to 5 to 8. It doesn’t necessarily stop you from posting occasionally outside of those topics if you feel you have something you would like to share but when you are constructing a new post, you can usually meld it into one of your pre-existing categories easily.
5. Treating Your Blog Like A Hobby
It is time to make a decision. Sh*t or get off the pot, so to speak. Either you are going to continue with your blog as a hobby (be happy with the results you have so far) or take your blog to the next level and start treating like a business, regardless of whether you plan on or are making any money from it, even if it is just a jumping ground for other ventures you have on the horizon.
What does that mean?
- put more productive time in on your blog (socializing on social media does not count)
- be focused, set goals and time lines (see my post on 25 Useful Tasks To Grow Your Blog Audience)
- invest (there are plenty of very inexpensive tools (see my resources) to stream line your tasks and improve the visual impact of your blog)
- connect with other bloggers that want to make blogging their full-time business
You know what the best news is?
YOU have the power and the knowledge to grow your blog. Just do it.
23 comments
Amazing tips! I am working on my Pinterest strategy, and I will try to narrow down my categories. Thanks for sharing this useful list.
You’re welcome! Keep working on Pinterest.
Your help with pinterest has been so appreciated Elena. I’m just in the process of going through my boards and deleting lots of earlier pins. You know, from back in the land of beginner-pinner when I thought I had to pin All-The-Things, often without even checking source. o_O
Apparently my blog is not mobile friendly according to the tool from your post, and I honestly thought it was. I’m a bit new at all this, and am terrified I’m going to blow up my blog whilst trying to change my theme. Have you, perchance, any suggestions about where a newbie can turn to get some inexpensive help getting this fixed?
I know a few people that may be able to help you but all on vacation right now. I suggest posting in some fb bogging groups to get some quotes.
Great advice. thank you for sharing. I need to get on Pinterest me thinks! thanks again. #blogsharelearn
Thank you for this post, it’s great to be reminded again. Still new to the blogging world, but learning every day. Pinterest is my nemesis right now, I hope to conquer it one day!
Very good advice. Thank you for sharing.
I know I know I know…need to work on the Pinterest thing. lol every sign tells me that… thanks for the tips!
Thank you for sharing these tips. I especially enjoyed reading about how to use Pinterest for my blog. I read your other posts about Pinterest as well and found them all very useful.
These are good suggestions, Elena, always glad when I pop over here for a visit and even more so today from your amazing #BlogShareLearn linky, thank you kindly for being such a delightful hostess. 🙂
Hope this weekend treats you well. 🙂
I need to work on the pinterest thing….thanks for the tips!!! jodie
You are such a voice of reason and perspective, especially to us newer bloggers. This Thanksgiving, you’re one of the people I’m thankful for!
I am a fool for not taking full advantage of Pinterest. Well, I’m a fool for other reasons, but we’re talking blogs right now. I know my target audience is pinning, I need to meet them where they’re at. Still, I feel like I’m busy wrangling the FB monster! So much to do!
I really got intentional about posting to social media, and it’s starting to make a difference for me! Moving in small steps, but even small steps are heading in the right direction. I think my $10 Buffer account for Pinterest is well worth it.
Pinterest! I have a very sad and lonely pinterest account that definitely needs updating. Thank you for the reminder. x
Important reminders, Elena!
Great reminders. Thanks Elena!
Thank you for the help you give us in posts like this one.
Like Jennifer, I’m working on Pinterest … it’s a slow build, but I give it 15 minutes a day.
I also revisited my categories today and did some cleaning up. It had to be done and you reminded me.
My biggest challenge has always been consistency. I know it and I’m working on it. I don’t know how you guys publish as frequently as you do! (I must be a slow writer.)
Great tips, Elena. I have to confess. I use Pinterest all the time and post blog links, but have the sinking feeling no one sees them. I’m not sure where to put them on Pinterest. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Oh yes! I especially like the last point, Elena. Most people don’t realize what hard work real blogging is.
I need to check out your Pinterest analysis. I need to find more hours in the day this time of the year too.
All common sense things, but not something we like to think is true of us. Thanks for your help with Pinterest, still cracking that shell. Still more work to do, but at least it’s focused now and not a hit or miss attempt.