Last Updated on May 3, 2020 by ellduclos

6 Reasons Why Your Blog Isn’t Growing

One popular question that get’s asked in BossGirlBloggers frequently is, “Why isn’t my blog traffic growing? What can I do to grow my blog traffic?” It’s easy to think that you can publish a new blog post and the traffic will follow… BUT, sadly that’s not the case. Today I want to share 6 reasons as to why your blog might not be growing! Hopefully you find these tips helpful!  

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Reasons #1 – You don’t have a content marketing strategy

If you don’t have a content marketing strategy then your blog probably won’t grow. A mistake I see a lot of bloggers make is thinking that they can publish a blog post and the traffic will come. In order to see that traffic, you need a content marketing strategy in place. So what are some ways you can grow your traffic with a strategy?

First, implementing Pinterest strategies can be a HUGE game changer. Pinterest is my number one source of traffic! Having a Pinterest marketing strategy helped grow my blog to over 100,000 monthly views. 

 

When it comes to content marketing strategies, the BIGGEST problem I see most bloggers have is giving up on their strategies too soon! Blogging has taught me how to have a lot of patience! Success doesn’t happen overnight and usually booming blog traffic doesn’t happen over night either. Be patient with your strategies. Give them time to work before you decide to give up on them. It took me about a year and a half of perfecting my content marketing strategy to get to this point.

It’s also important to remember that blog traffic is not always consistently increasing! There will be days when your traffic is lower than other days and that’s okay! Content marketing is a lot of “tweaking” and making adjustments when and where needed.

Don’t get discouraged when you see your traffic is lower than the day before and PLEASE be patient with your strategies. Giving up too soon is the reason why most bloggers don’t turn their blog into something BIG! We all have the potential we just have to patiently put in the work.

I have an affordable e-course that shares all of my Pinterest marketing strategies and secrets! 

I also share my complete content marketing strategy here. 

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Reason #2 – Your Brand Isn’t Clear

Does the thought of branding scare you or stress you out? I get it! It seems like a lot of work but it can be very simple! It doesn’t have to be complex! I know we aren’t all graphic designers but I use a tool called canva and they make it super easy to create branded graphics! Their app isn’t the greatest but their website version is pretty good.

So what does a proper brand consist of?

THEME:

Is it organized? Clean? Easy on the eyes? These are all important! If I go on a blog and it’s cluttered and thrown together it gives off an unprofessional vibe and I might be less likely to take the content seriously (especially when making purchasing decisions of products/services they are selling or recommending)

It seems harsh but it’s the truth. As bloggers who are trying to make this thing our full time gig, we want to be taken seriously so we have to put in the effort and invest in our blog. 

This goes along with self hosting too. If you want your blog to come off as professional and continue to grow, you want to have your own domain name (Namecheap is great for domain name purchase) and self hosting is 100% better than having a free website on wix, squarespace or blogger. 

Every time a blogger says they have switched from a hosted wix, blogger, or squarespace blog to a self hosted blog, they see an increase in blog traffic! The SEO is better, and your blog tends to load faster too which plays a huge part in ranking on google. PLUS, having a faster website won’t irritate your audience as much. 

If you aren’t self hosted, I definitely recommend it. You can self host starting at $3.95 a month with site ground, I use them and LOVE their support team. (The longer you sign up for in the beginning, the better overall discount you get – renewal will increase in cost) 

If you are transferring I recommend their “grow big” plan because it comes with site transfer support to make it as easy as 1,2,3!

It might be a bit of a process at first but so worth it in the end.

AND for a theme, check out my favorites:

• Creative Market – Tons of themes to browse from
• HelloYouDesigns are gorgeous!

COLOR:

When it comes to branding you also want to think of 2-3 colors that you want to represent your brand with. Use these colors consistently throughout! 

Here’s examples of how I keep my brand consistent with a color scheme throughout my blog and social media. 

With my blog you can see I use the same color scheme throughout! & I also create branded pin graphics that I feature on all of my blog posts.

When creating Pinterest graphics it’s definitely okay to use stock photos! In fact, it helps a ton! I like to purchase my stock photos so I know that it’s okay to use them. Plus they tend to perform better on Pinterest compared to free stock photos.

Best Stock Photo Sites

• Ivory Mix!
• Pixi Stock 
• Styled Stock Society
• Creative Market

Here’s my branded Pinterest. You can see I use the same color scheme that I use on my blog! Keeping my brand consistent. 

I ALSO took my branding as far as Instagram too! Having a “branded” Instagram feed ties my brand together even more.

I created these branded presets in Lightroom! You can also purchase presets to use through Creative Market! They have so many beautiful presets. 

Brand’s Story & Mission:

You also want to have a brand story & mission! What is your brand all about? Let your audience know. We all have a story! What makes you, YOU! Share that story and use your voice throughout your blog. It’s so important to stand out and be your own, unique person! That’s what your audience is going to connect with the most. Don’t be like everyone else! I see so many bloggers copy others. Copying won’t take you very far.

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Reason #3 – You aren’t consistent

Alright, time for a reality check. You might roll your eyes at me for saying this but here’s the truth… “if you aren’t consistent, don’t be disappointed when you aren’t getting the results you want.” 

YOU NEED TO BE CONSISTENT. 

If you post weekly, then post weekly! If you are pinning on Pinterest to grow your blog traffic, then pin consistently! If you take a week off from pinning, your views will drop, plain and simple.

In order to grow you need to be a consistent blogger and stay consistent with your strategies. 

I know it can be overwhelming at times. I get that. Especially if you have other priorities like a full time job, kids, etc.

Before blogging was my full time job I was a waitress full time. I would wake up everyday and usually work 10 hour shifts with no breaks in between. I’d come home from being on my feet all day, extremely exhausted BUT, I was so determined to turn my blog into something BIG that I would work on my blog until 4am every night. It sounds INSANE… but it was the hustle that worked for me.

Within a year I was able to turn my blog into a full time job because I was CONSISTENT and worked at it consistently for a year straight.

I put together a list of tips to help you become a consistent blogger if consistency is something you struggle with.

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Reason #4 – You aren’t engaging with your audience

It saddens me when I see bloggers ignore their audience. When it comes to growing your blog it is so important to build personal connections with your audience! If you don’t, you will never have an audience that TRUSTS you. Without trust you definitely won’t make the sales you want to make.

PLUS, engaging with your audience creates personal connections that makes your readers come back! That’s huge when it comes to building consistent traffic! You want your audience to come back.

Engage with your readers comments, build personal connections on social media with your audience. You can even create a FB group for your audience to connect with you!

For example: I created BossGirlBloggers which is a community of like-minded women who are going after the “work from home, entrepreneur” lifestyle! My members are a huge part of my audience and BossGirlBloggers allows me to connect with my audience even more!

If you still aren’t convinced that you should create a FB group for your audience, READ THIS!

& Learn how to grow an engaged audience here!

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Reason #5 – You aren’t showing up on social media

I know social media can be draining and most people would rather not deal with it…BUT social media is HUGE these days and your potential audience is on social media! I try to make sure I am showing up on every social media platform. It can be a lot of work, but my blog has grown so much because I have created a strong social media presence!

I know some people will say you don’t need to focus on all social media platforms, BUT I decided to do the opposite and focus on ALL social media platforms. As much work as it is, I am so glad I am able to use social media to connect with my audience and grow even more!

A year ago I hated Twitter… I didn’t know at the time how beneficial it could be to my blog! Last year I started taking twitter seriously and since then I have grown my twitter to over 7,000 ENGAGED followers who honestly motivate me daily! It’s also a great source of blog traffic for me as well!

I also know people have a love/hate relationship with Instagram. Especially since people seem to be losing followers more often than gaining! I understand that frustration. I used to also hate Instagram until I changed my mindset.

Instead of thinking that Instagram’s algorithm is against me, I started working with the algorithm! Since last year I grew my Instagram to over 22,000 ENGAGED followers! I also grew my BossGirlBloggers Instagram to over 13,000 followers!

If you want to read my ultimate guide to social media growth and engagement, check it out here! I share all my tips!

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Reason #6 – You aren’t believing in yourself or your content

Do you believe in your content? Do you believe in yourself? If the answer is no or sometimes, then it’s time to change that negative mindset! It’s time to build up your confidence and let it shine out!

Think of it this way, if you don’t believe in yourself or your content, how can you expect anyone else to? 

Positive energy ATTRACTS. The more positive and confident you are about yourself and your content, the more others will be too! I promise! Cut out your negative thoughts and replace them with positivity and people will be drawn to that.

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I hope you found this helpful!