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Reading Time: 7 minutesYou want it.
You need it.
But maybe you're just not getting it.
Driving traffic to your blog is a glamours topic in the blogging world. Google “how to drive traffic to your blog” and a massive 183,000,000 results show up (to be exact).
No one wants to scroll through all that, so how in the heck do you drive traffic to your blog?
First, think about why people go to blogs in the first place. To find an answer and/or solution to a problem.
If I want to learn how to clip my dog's toenails, I can find a blog post for that. If I want to learn how to teach my mom how to use SnapChat, there's a post for that.
Blogging is about answering questions and giving simple solutions.
When you're a brand new blogger this can be overwhelming as all heck.
You may be wondering what to even write about that will attract your audience and which types of posts to have on your blog.
Even if you are a brand new blogger, you can start creating incredible, helpful and valuable posts right now and I'm going to be breaking down the top 10 blog posts you need to have on your blog to grow.
disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links which means I receive a small commission if you use my link at no extra cost to you.
If you want to learn exactly how to start a blog that turns into a business and makes you $100,000 a year, check out Paul Scriven’s membership, Dare to Conquer. With over 9 courses, including the $100,000 climb, you will learn exactly what it takes to create a thriving 6 figure business. Sign up Here.
The main goal of every single blog post is to have your audience leave knowing they've learned something, whether that's how to do something or just new information they didn't have before.
The easiest blog posts to create that accomplish this goal are how to's and tutorials.
These particular posts are just that, they are showing your audience how to do something. What that something is, is dependent on your blogging niche.
My most popular post that's only a few months old is this one.
Why?
Because it gives my audience (that's you) a specific answer to a specific question. Along with giving specific steps on how to solve a problem.
“How to” posts are a great way to show your audience you have authority in your niche and if you answer their question or give them a solution to their problem, chances are they're going to come back and tell their friends about it.
Some examples of “how to” posts you could write are, “how to start a blog”, “how to organize your closet”, “how to build your dog an outdoor dog house”, “how to prevent your hair from getting oily”.
The idea here is to write posts that give your audience a simple solution by showing them step-by-step how to do something.
List posts are another type of posts that drive traffic to your blog because they are actionable.
When someone clicks on your post they already know how many steps they'll have to take to get the desired result.
List posts can also be similar to “how to” posts depending on how you write them.
The key here is to avoid writing just a giant list with no other explanation. These are less pleasing to the eye and will not be as intriguing to your audience.
List type posts tend to do quite well for affiliate marketing as well because you can link to multiple products or services within a single post.
Some examples of list posts are, “10 exercises for bigger glutes”, “Top 30 time-saving apps”, “25 go-to after school snacks”.
Remember, regardless of the type of post, you are still giving a solution to your audience.
A blog series can be a really great way to not only keep your audience coming back but stay on your blog longer.
A blog series is simply a series of blog posts spread out usually over a couple of days. Some bloggers tend to do this over the holidays, like Christmas.
Having a blog series can be a bit easier to read instead of reading one giant blog post at once and you can create anticipation and excitement in your readers.
Make sure to link back to previous posts within your blog series to boost page views and keep your audience on your blog for a longer period of time.
Review posts are a great way to spread the word about a particular product that you absolutely love.
Review posts work well because people want to know how something actually works out in the real world, not just based on a commercial they see on TV or a quick promo video.
The key here is to be trustworthy and honest.
You can turn your review post into a “how to” showing your audience how to use the particular product or service or a list post.
Review posts not only drive traffic but they can also be a great post for affiliate links as well.
Round-up posts are really great for driving traffic to your blog and for helping out your fellow bloggers.
Round-up posts are posts that showcase a round-up of items, other bloggers, strategies, ideas and they usually showcase multiple bloggers.
Creating round-up posts can help you save you a ton of time if you're struggling to get posts up on your blog and you can create round-ups for just about anything.
I utilize these types of posts on my other blog, Two Crafty Gals.
The other great thing about round-up posts is the bloggers you showcase in your post will usually share the post on their social media platforms as well!
Have a list of tools and/or resources that saved you time? Money? Frustration?
Write an entire post dedicated to these products!
A tools and resources post is just that, a post showing your audience which tools and resources you use in your everyday life that make life easier.
The most common posts you will see are, blogging resources, but this can be done for many niches.
Remember not to just write a giant list of products and link to them. Tell your audience why they're so great, how much time they saved you, give some background and story behind them.
Some examples of these posts include, “10 must-have products to have in your hospital bag”, “20 essential tools for first-time homeowners”, “15 must-have containers to organize your fridge”.
I know, I know. Some people hate them. Some People love them. But the fact of the matter is, traffic and income report posts do drive traffic.
People love to see how much someone makes and how much traffic people are actually getting.
These posts tend to be more geared towards bloggers blogging about blogging. (say that five times fast) but they can be used in other niches as well when relevant.
Traffic and income reports also work well for new bloggers because people like to see a realistic representation of how much they can actually make blogging as a new blogger.
Interview posts can be really fun because you are simply interviewing an influencer in your niche and who doesn't want to talk to someone they look up to!
These posts drive traffic because people love to read about influencers and see how they got where they are today, their story and maybe even some advice.
These types of posts can be really helpful when you're having a bit of writer's block.
Remember to be respectful of other bloggers time and have your questions ready before even writing an email to them.
My biggest tip here is to study how other bloggers have formatted interview posts and get a feel for what your audience really wants to know. That way, you can ask all the right questions and really drive that traffic!
Ultimate guides, while similar to “how to” posts are much more in-depth and really take a deep dive into a particular subject.
This can be an ultimate guide to hosting your first dinner party, where you include not only how to do it but go into the materials needed, what to do during and after the dinner party.
You're really digging into every little detail of that particular topic.
These types of posts tend to be quite a bit longer in word count (3000-4000 words) and will take longer for you to write but are great traffic drivers.
This type of post is a bit more general than all the others but still just as important.
Evergreen blog posts are posts that are always relevant and fresh and not dependant on a specific trending topic, holiday, event or time of year.
Evergreen posts are incredible for traffic because these are the types of posts that can drive traffic year after year without you having to do too much work as long as they are keyworded correctly.
When writing evergreen type posts make sure to go back to them and keep them up to date. The world we live in moves quickly and we want to make sure our content is up to date even if it is technically evergreen.
Types of evergreen content include recipes, beginners guides, case studies, basically anything that doesn't rely on a trending topic or passing holiday.
There you have it, the top 10 blog posts you should have on your blog to grow. The fun part about blogging is that it isn't one size fits all. You can mix and match these blog posts, you can write all of them or just pick a few.
This all comes down to your audience.
You have big goals and big dreams but none of them are going to happen unless you implement, start writing and promoting your posts.
If you want to take a deeper dive into blogging, sign up for my free 12-day Blogging Bootcamp for Beginners. I go over everything you need to start a blog from scratch and I'll be with you every step of the way.
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Traffic, I need more of it!! Thanks for the great list of idea, it’s got me thinking about a series to write for the upcoming holidays.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! That’s fantastic! A series around the holidays can really be a big traffic driver!
Awesome list of necessities for every blog to have!
Thank you so much, Emily!
Oooh this is so on point!!! I’ve done all of these and the best posts are ones that provide helpful links and more than just random wonderings of me (though I find those fun to write sometimes). Great post! <3 Jamie
I’ve noticed the same with my posts as well, the more helpful links and action items I have, the better the post does! But it all just depends on your audience. Thank you so much, Jamie!
these are great tips for bloggers. i should start doing these things too!
Thank you, Jena!
wow this is great information especially for those like me starting out on blogging. Thank you
Thank you Jalicen! I’m glad you found this post helpful!
Nice post, thanks for taking the time to share!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed this post and took the time to comment!
Am always learning how to improve my blogging game. Thanks for sharing these useful tips.
That’s great to hear John! Glad you found these blogging tips helpful!
This has really motivated me to reach out and incorporate more networking for guest posts on other blogs! Thanks for the valuable list
Angela | http://www.lenorth.com
That’s great to hear, Angela! Guests posts are a really fantastic way to build up your backlinks and drive more traffic back to your blog. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
People get crazy when you share your traffic and income reports. That’s why that post idea does often so well 😉
Thanks for sharing. Found this on Pinterest
OH yeah, I completely agree. Income and traffic reports do really well for traffic. That’s so awesome you found my post on Pinterest and thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
This is great! Thank you for sharing! Love your tips and save them on Pinterest
Thank you so much, Julia! Glad you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.
[…] “How to” and lists are posts that do really well on Pinterest and do well for traffic overall but you can read more about the posts that do well for traffic here. […]