The #1 biggest struggle I hear when it comes to blogging is actually growing a blog. So today we’re covering 5 ways to grow your blog like a boss! From SEO strategies to scheduling tips, these ideas will fast track your blog success.

A white desk with a Macbook, cup of coffee and a plant on it

Does the stress of growing your blog keep you up at night? Do you feel like something you’re putting in so much time and effort and putting out content and it’s just…crickets? I’ve been there.

So today I wanted to share with you 5 ways to grow your blog like a boss. AKA 5 things you absolutely MUST be doing if you’re serious about seeing your blog grow. And if you don’t already have a website, be sure to check out Why You Need to Start A Blog.

1. Know your audience

The number one most important thing you can do if you want to grow your blog like a boss is to know your audience! Who exactly is it that you are serving? What type of content are you sharing? Using a tool like Google Analytics can help shed some light on who it is that currently visits your blog, and what type of content they’re enjoying.

By having a clear vision of who your audience is, you’ll be able to create content to better to serve them. If your audience is busy moms who don’t have time to cook long elaborate dinner recipes, create more content for 30-minute dinners. If your audience is students looking for healthy recipes on a budget, create more budget-friendly meals and meal prep recipes. Whoever it is that you serve, remember to put them first. Do this and blog traffic will follow.

2. Be consistent

Time for a reality check: how often do you actually publish blog posts? Do you have a content calendar in place? Does your audience know when they can expect new content from you? Here’s a little tough love for you: If you’re posting sporadically and not very often, you ain’t gonna see much growth.

Whether you have the time to commit to posting once a week or 5 times a week, make sure you’re being consistent with your content. Create and schedule and STICK TO IT. Not only will this help you push out more content on your blog, but your audience will appreciate knowing when they can expect to see new content from you.

3. Don’t forget SEO

SEO. Aka Search Engine Optimization. Have you heard of it? If so, GREAT. If not, get your butt moving and learn about it! Having a basic SEO strategy in place for your blog is essential to seeing steady organic blog traffic. (you know, that traffic from Google when someone searches for a recipe or post.)

Make sure you have a basic SEO plugin installed on your blog like Yoast SEO and use to optimize each post.

4. Use social media…the right way.

I know we all love sharing videos of our pets being adorable on Instagram stories, but when it comes to growing your blog, make sure you are also using your social media platforms to drive traffic back to your blog.

Think of your blog as your main hub, and all social media channels (i.e. your blog’s Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages) as roads that lead back to the main hub. Make sure you are effectively sharing every new piece of content on your blog on your social channels and driving traffic back to your blog. Create pins with text overlay on Pinterest for each new blog post, share your blog posts on Instagram stories with a “swipe up” so readers can easily access your post.

Be strategic when you’re posting on social media and make sure you have proper “roads” built to always lead back to your blog posts!

5. Build an email list.

Saved the best for last! Building an e-mail list. Not only is having an email list important for growing a blog, but It’s also one of the most overall important things you can do as a blogger.

While It’s fun spending time on social media, you don’t own your social media channels. You do however own your e-mail list, and it is a direct way you can reach your audience on a more personal level. (I mean, these are people who actually chose to give you their precious e-mail after all!)

So make sure to sign up for an email marketing service and start collecting those e-mails! Then send out your new blog posts by email to your subscribers so they’ll be the first to know when you have a new post up on your blog!

Your turn!

Are you ready to give these strategies a try and grow your blog like a boss? Leave a comment and let me know which of the above is your favourite!